Five decades ago, the Department of Student Activities was created shortly after the the Division of Student Affairs. At the time, there were 18,410 students enrolled at Texas A&M and just a couple hundred student organizations. The department has since become the home of over 1,300 student organizations that help tens of thousands of Aggies find their community on campus.  

Then  

In 1973, John J. Koldus III selected Carolyn Adair as the first director of the Department of Student Activities. At a time when women had only been permitted to study at the university for ten years, Adair was one of only a handful of women in a leadership position at Texas A&M. “At that time there were no girls housed on campus,” Adair mused about those early years as director. Being one of the first didn’t stop Adair from voicing her ideas about what the department needed. She helped lay the foundations of many Aggie traditions still in place today. Moving Fish Camp to Lakeview, putting on the first T- Camp and organizing the first Big Event all happened under Adair’s tenure.  

“It's been exciting watching it grow,” Adair said. “Many of the programs that were established back them have turned out to be really timeless.” 

Now 

Students today are still reaping the benefits of the seeds sown in those early years of the department. Fifty years later, Kaitlin Rogers ‘24 has spent lots of time at Lakeview. Rogers has seen Fish Camp from multiple points of view – as a fish, a counselor, a chair, and now as a director. 

“Being involved in Fish Camp made my love for Texas A&M grow because I was getting teach incoming freshman about the traditions,” Rogers said. “It taught me that being a leader might not always be knowing the answer but being willing to go find it and support them in finding it too.” 

Shortly after her first experience as a Fish Camp counselor, Rogers joined Muster Committee. She said that being part of such a heartfelt tradition has taught her a level of professionalism that she would never have been able to learn in the classroom. 

The Biomedical Sciences and Entomology double major thinks that those skills will better prepare her for her career as a physician. “I couldn't imagine wanting to go to med school or being who I am without the experiences I’ve had in Student Activities because they have shaped me,” she said. “They've made me more confident in my abilities, helped me learn how to delegate and helped me learn how to be there for people. I definitely think that I wouldn't be here on the same path if I didn't experience all of those things.” 

Rogers said getting involved on campus has made being a Texas A&M student so much more impactful. “There’s a difference between, you know, being an Aggie and being a Fightin’ Texas Aggie,” she said. “I think being involved creates a sense of unity and teaches you the life skills that it takes to go out into the world after college and be successful.” 

In honor of the department’s 50 year legacy, the Department of Student Activities unveiled a Legacy Wall. Donations to the Legacy Wall will be comprised of tokens with which students, families, groups and organizations may permanently leave their mark within Student Activities. Funds from each token purchased will help expand the Student Activities Excellence Fund, directly impacting students through program growth and expansion, enhanced training at student and staff retreats, and supporting our sacred traditions.   

To be a part in ensuring the legacy of Student Activities continues on for the next 50 years, contact Michael Osborn or donate online.