Ring Day, MSC, and the 360˚ Education

If you ask Memorial Student Center President (MSC) Stephanie Burns ’09 about her favorite Aggie moment, the Bethesda, MD, native will tell you about Ring Day.  She was excited about getting her Aggie ring and badly wanted her parents to be on hand when she first slipped it on.  But her mother was in the hospital; they wouldn’t be able to come.  Fortunately for Stephanie, the story has a happy ending.

“A few of my friends were getting their rings, too,” she recalls with a smile.  “Their families were in town, and a bunch of my friends who weren’t even getting their rings came with me.  So, even though my parents couldn’t come, all my friends and their families were there for me.  To be surrounded by that many Aggies, all excited about the same thing, was just a really neat experience.  It showed me that through all the ups and downs of your life, you’re going to have thousands of people who want to celebrate with you or help you over the challenges.  That is the Aggie family.”

Thousands of people a good thing?  That represents quite a change of heart for the young woman who once believed she would be most comfortable a small college!  But a year at Texas Christian University convinced her she hadn’t found the right fit.  Back then, she wanted to be a veterinarian, so she started looking at Texas A&M.  The size of the student body was a bit daunting ... until she visited campus.

“It didn’t feel that big,” she admits.  “I felt comfortable here.” 

In the end, A&M was the only place she applied when it came time to transfer.


Question:  How to get involved?  Answer:  MSC!
As comfortable as Stephanie felt in Aggieland, she found making friends something of a challenge.

“Because I’m an out-of-state student and didn’t go to high school here,” she explains, “I didn’t know a single person at A&M when I arrived on campus.  It was a little frustrating at first, because I could tell by talking to people in class I could get along with a lot of them; they were very friendly.  But I didn’t know how to get engaged.”

Stephanie eventually found a way to engage her fellow Aggies:  the Student Programming Office of the MSC. 

She started by joining MSC LEAD, a sophomore leadership committee.  By the time she was a junior, she had progressed from member to Director.  By the time she was a senior, she was the group’s Chair and the driving force behind Whoop! for Troops, a popular program designed to boost the morale of men and women in the Armed Forces by collecting donations of snacks, toiletries, clothing, books, and entertainment items.  Stephanie says LEAD holds a special place in her heart, and she’ll continue to support the committee in whatever capacity she can.

Of course, finding the time to work with LEAD may be tougher than it used to be, given Stephanie’s new job as 2009—2010 MSC President.  Her presidential to-do list is challenging.  She’ll provide the vision for MSC operations and marketing during the renovation; help oversee the project by serving on the User and Advisory Committees; and take the lead in keeping students, former students, and other members of the Aggie family informed about the renovation/expansion. 

“My goals are twofold,” she says.  “I want to make the transition—losing the building and some of our normal marketing and programming spaces—as smooth as possible for our Student Programs Office, resource areas, and committees, exceeding the level of excellence we’ve achieved, even though we’re going through changes.  My other goal is external:  I want to reach out to campus to help our students see themselves as the living spirit of the MSC.  The building may be closed for the next three years, but that Aggie spirit is still here and it’s in them; the MSC’s traditions and history live on in the people.”


360˚ Education
Although Stephanie first got involved as a way to connect with her fellow Aggies, the benefits she’s reaped through involvement with the MSC are more than social; she considers the skills she’s learned and the experience she’s gained part of her TAMU education.

“I think student involvement supplements academics,” she muses.  “Sometimes we learn just as much about ourselves and our career paths outside the classroom.  The MSC has been instrumental in changing my career goals from wanting to be a vet to focusing more on people and leadership.  Regardless of the career you want to pursue, the things you learn through outside-the-classroom experiences will prove invaluable—whether it be interviewing skills, interacting with people, talking to former students, or raising money.”

The way she sees it, Texas A&M offers a 360˚ educational experience.  Aggies get the best possible education in their chosen fields, a great global education through study abroad or working with international student groups, and the best leadership experiences through student organizations.

“Aggies can stretch themselves in more ways than the academic,” she points out.  “Students need an opportunity to fail sometimes and to learn from those failures.  We’re a family; that means we can learn in a safe environment. ”

If Stephanie has anything to say about it, the Student Programs Office, resource areas, and committees can use the three years the building is closed to help that shared sense of family grow even stronger. It’s an opportunity Aggieland’s new MSC President doesn’t intend to miss.


For more information on the MSC, including MSC LEAD and Whoop! for Troops, please visit http://www.mscc.tamu.edu/.

Information on the expansion and renovation project is available at http://msclivingtradition.tamu.edu.


Contributed by
Kathy DiSanto, Communications Specialist
Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs