2017 Campus Master Plan

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74OA
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9:24a, 5/7/17
AG
Take a look at the Corps Quad. Proposed future CT expansion is based on two new dorms inside the Quad, while the BQ's are moved off the Quad, which I think has a lot of potential for Corps disunity. PLAN

Another concern is the new north-south pedestrian route that stretches from the proposed dorms south of the Corps Quad, thru the Quad and onward to the Library. I don't like that it will encourage students in the new south dorms to transit the Corps Quad to and from the core campus all day. The Quad is an intensively used living and working space particular to the Corps and not conducive to becoming a de facto pedestrian mall for the general population.



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HollywoodBQ
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1:11p, 5/7/17
AG
Considering a lot of students think that folks in the Corps are complete dorks, and it's not like current cadets are out quadding people in the middle of the day or something, I think increased foot traffic through the Corps areas would be a good idea to raise visibility, build goodwill, etc.

From that map though, I'm a bit concerned about what appears to be a new band dorm and a new drill field on what is now Duncan Field. But, at least it doesn't look like some sort of indoor, air-conditioned, astro-turf facility. At least we retain the opportunity for producing a few heat casualties during band rehearsal in August/September.
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WBBQ74
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4:35p, 5/7/17
AG
I am concerned that removing the Band into dorms disconnected from the Quad and the creation of a large all university music building are steps towards taking the Aggie Band away from the Trigon and shifting it over to the College of Liberal Arts Music Department, i.e, eventually 'civilianizing' what we now call the Aggie Band. When this concept of a replacement Band Building was being floated around I spoke out against it because of this scenario. Now we see it in plan version. Duh.

If the Corps end strength continues to grow then there will be a need for additional dormitory space connected to the Quad. We all know that one of the great facets of the Corps experience is the connected living area of the Quad. Without that concept everyone is a day-duck. Add Corps dorms south of Duncan. Or replace Duncan entirely.

Having non-regs travelling thru the Quad as a circulation path is a dumb idea.

Our current Commandant adamantly states that the Aggie Band will always be part of the Corps. I truly hope so, but there will be other Commandants in the future. Moving the Aggie Band away from the Quad is not a good thing IMHO because it sets the stage for future mischief by university types who don't love the Corps/Band like we do.

Revise the Master Plan. Leave the Aggie Band in the Corps of Cadets.
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Ordhound04
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5:26p, 5/7/17
AG
I like the idea of having of having non-regs walk through the quad while fish are whipping out, saying howdy wildcatting, and sounding off. It's sets a good example of what being an Aggie is really all about.

We had female non-refs in Spence/Briggs and in the Corps staff dorm my whole 4-years. They were some of the most red-ass non-Regs I ever met.
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HollywoodBQ
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In reply to WBBQ74 • 8:05p, 5/7/17
AG
It was always convenient to have the band room right next to Dorm 11. But, you raise a good point about isolation from the rest of the Corps which could be a first step toward a Virginia Tech like system which none of us want.
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CharlieBrown17
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11:52p, 5/7/17
AG
With the commons being under construction this year and the addition of new LLCs and a Starbucks, non reg traffic has already been the highest I've seen in my four years on the quad this year.
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Wildman15
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In reply to CharlieBrown17 • 12:06p, 5/8/17
AG
Has there been a problem with cadets finding study rooms/computer spaces available with the influx of nonregs?
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74OA
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In reply to HollywoodBQ • 12:47p, 5/8/17
AG
HollywoodBQ said:
It was always convenient to have the band room right next to Dorm 11. But, you raise a good point about isolation from the rest of the Corps which could be a first step toward a Virginia Tech like system which none of us want.
It should be a last resort. Certainly they should build and fill the proposed two new on-Quad dorms before even considering moving any units off-Quad.

But if that day does come, I'd like them to first consider expanding the Quad onto adjacent Haney Drill Field before moving units off-Quad. After all, the Band will already have a new drill field by then and Haney's space could accommodate another several dorms.

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TXAggieMom11
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In reply to Wildman15 • 10:30p, 5/8/17
Wildman15 said:
Has there been a problem with cadets finding study rooms/computer spaces available with the influx of nonregs?


Yes from what my cadet has told me. They often can't schedule one due to them being booked by non-regs. He said they never try the one with Starbucks, it is always packed with. Another problem has been non-reg females banging on the doors leading to the dorm hallways wanting in. Bootchasers are real -Lol. (They aren't the ones they want to let in either)
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74OA
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In reply to Wildman15 • 1:30p, 5/9/17
AG
Wildman15 said:
Has there been a problem with cadets finding study rooms/computer spaces available with the influx of nonregs?
I thought the Quad study centers were exclusively to serve the Corps? I'm sure that's what those Ags who donated believed. What are non-regs even doing over there?
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Rabid Cougar
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1:40p, 5/9/17
AG
Separated living quarters for the Corps is not a new concept. When the school was all male, the Corps was broken up into various locations on campus. They even used to have fish live on an entirely different campus (Bryan Airfield). It didn't kill them then.
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CharlieBrown17
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1:41p, 5/9/17
AG
LLC space is hit or miss.

You have to put effort in to get a study room but there's almost always other study space open.
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Wildman15
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In reply to 74OA • 3:03p, 5/9/17
AG
74OA said:
Wildman15 said:
Has there been a problem with cadets finding study rooms/computer spaces available with the influx of nonregs?
I thought the Quad study centers were exclusively to serve the Corps? I'm sure that's what those Ags who donated believed. What are non-regs even doing over there?

The only way to make it truly "exclusive" is if they treat the LLC's like dorms and you can only gain access by swiping your ID.
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WBBQ74
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3:44p, 5/9/17
AG
Excellent question. I am pretty sure the folks who ponied up for the LCC campaign did not think these facilities would be overrun by non Corps kids. An off Quad guest or 2 periodically would be OK, but I am not sure the intent was to create another MSC type hang out place.

More information/feedback needed on this one. Perhaps Commandant79 can comment on this situation.
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74OA
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In reply to WBBQ74 • 3:50p, 5/9/17
AG
WBBQ74 said:
Excellent question. I am pretty sure the folks who ponied up for the LCC campaign did not think these facilities would be overrun by non Corps kids. An off Quad guest or 2 periodically would be OK, but I am not sure the intent was to create another MSC type hang out place.

More information/feedback needed on this one. Perhaps Commandant79 can comment on this situation.
Yeah, my understanding is that the centers were specifically funded and designed to serve Corps learning and leadership needs, and the four that were built are sized to only serve that population, not the campus at large. Does the Quad belong to the Corps or not?

What gives?
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ABATTBQ87
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3:55p, 5/9/17
AG
You put Starbucks on the quad and expect non regs to stay away?
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Wildman15
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In reply to 74OA • 4:58p, 5/9/17
AG
74OA said:
WBBQ74 said:
Excellent question. I am pretty sure the folks who ponied up for the LCC campaign did not think these facilities would be overrun by non Corps kids. An off Quad guest or 2 periodically would be OK, but I am not sure the intent was to create another MSC type hang out place.

More information/feedback needed on this one. Perhaps Commandant79 can comment on this situation.
Yeah, my understanding is that the centers were specifically funded and designed to serve Corps learning and leadership needs, and the four that were built are sized to only serve that population, not the campus at large. Does the Quad belong to the Corps or not?

What gives?

Does the Quad belong to the Corps? Yes.
Should we restrict access of the Quad to nonregs? No. Now stay with me on this one, old Ags! Access to the LLC's should definitely be giving priority to cadets first. But complete segregation will only cause a larger rift between cadets and nonregs. We see this rift already with yell leader elections. Nonregs need to be exposed to cadets because they are the Keepers of the Spirit. And cadets need to mingle with nonregs because, let's face it, there are some seriously socially awkward cadets who when they first talk to a nonregs all they can talk about is the number of layers of polish on their low quarters.
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74OA
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In reply to Wildman15 • 5:38p, 5/9/17
AG
Wildman15 said:
74OA said:
WBBQ74 said:
Excellent question. I am pretty sure the folks who ponied up for the LCC campaign did not think these facilities would be overrun by non Corps kids. An off Quad guest or 2 periodically would be OK, but I am not sure the intent was to create another MSC type hang out place.

More information/feedback needed on this one. Perhaps Commandant79 can comment on this situation.
Yeah, my understanding is that the centers were specifically funded and designed to serve Corps learning and leadership needs, and the four that were built are sized to only serve that population, not the campus at large. Does the Quad belong to the Corps or not?

What gives?

Does the Quad belong to the Corps? Yes.
Should we restrict access of the Quad to nonregs? No. Now stay with me on this one, old Ags! Access to the LLC's should definitely be giving priority to cadets first. But complete segregation will only cause a larger rift between cadets and nonregs. We see this rift already with yell leader elections. Nonregs need to be exposed to cadets because they are the Keepers of the Spirit. And cadets need to mingle with nonregs because, let's face it, there are some seriously socially awkward cadets who when they first talk to a nonregs all they can talk about is the number of layers of polish on their low quarters.
Cadets mingle with nonregs on campus during the entire class day and weekends, and there are a plethora of other all-student venues at which to meet, as well. So, if simple interaction is the fix for this supposed "rift", then there's already plenty of that without swamping the LLCs and undercutting their purpose of serving cadets.
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74OA
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In reply to ABATTBQ87 • 5:50p, 5/9/17
AG
ABATTBQ87 said:
You put Starbucks on the quad and expect non regs to stay away?
Access to the Starbucks should not include access to the LLC levels, nor to the other three Quad centers.
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Scruffy
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6:08p, 5/9/17
AG
The LLCs are also funded by student fees, including the open access lab computer fee. Thus any student has the right to use the facility. The idea that only certain students can use the space has already been challenged when the new dorm "Hullaballoo" Opened and their LLC/OAL space was only accessible to residents. other north side students challenged that policy and won; again as their student fees go to running the operation.

The quad does not belong to the CoC. Just as the "Walton Hill" didn't belong to Walton and they couldn't prevent people from accessing it.

The CoC is roughly 5% of the student population. (a bit less actually).
The CoC does have other perks (academic help etc.) that aren't open to non-regs.
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ABATTBQ87
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In reply to 74OA • 6:28p, 5/9/17
AG
74OA said:
ABATTBQ87 said:
You put Starbucks on the quad and expect non regs to stay away?
Access to the Starbucks should not include access to the LLC levels, nor to the other three Quad centers.
New corps recruiting strategy: share a latte with the corps
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74OA
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In reply to Scruffy • 7:13p, 5/9/17
AG
Scruffy said:
The LLCs are also funded by student fees, including the open access lab computer fee. Thus any student has the right to use the facility. The idea that only certain students can use the space has already been challenged when the new dorm "Hullaballoo" Opened and their LLC/OAL space was only accessible to residents. other north side students challenged that policy and won; again as their student fees go to running the operation.

The quad does not belong to the CoC. Just as the "Walton Hill" didn't belong to Walton and they couldn't prevent people from accessing it.

The CoC is roughly 5% of the student population. (a bit less actually).
The CoC does have other perks (academic help etc.) that aren't open to non-regs.
Then most everything the Commandant has promoted about the LLCs, as well as this from the Corps website are utterly misleading: "The Corps has four four-story Leadership Learning Centers equipped with state-of-the-art computer labs as well as small and large group study rooms. These facilities are located on the Quad, where the cadets live, and are dedicated solely to the academic success and professional development of our students." I would be very surprised if the big-money LLC donors knew that their money was not going towards creating LLCs dedicated to cadets.
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Wildman15
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In reply to 74OA • 7:15p, 5/9/17
AG
It says "academic success of our students" not "our cadets". Therefore...you can argue the LLC's are available to the entire university.
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CharlieBrown17
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7:19p, 5/9/17
AG
Personally don't like how much the corps is pushed as an academic organization nowadays. fish come in with a totally wrong impression of what they signed up for.
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74OA
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In reply to Wildman15 • 7:21p, 5/9/17
AG
Wildman15 said:
It says "academic success of our students" not "our cadets". Therefore...you can argue the LLC's are available to the entire university.
The entire context that quote comes from is promoting the academic advantages of Corps membership, to include "state of the art" LLC facilities "dedicated" to ensuring cadet success. To now say that the "our students" in an exclusively Corps website aren't cadets is disingenuous at best.
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Wildman15
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In reply to CharlieBrown17 • 7:22p, 5/9/17
AG
CharlieBrown17 said:
Personally don't like how much the corps is pushed as an academic organization nowadays. fish come in with a totally wrong impression of what they signed up for.
yup. Started seeing it my sophomore year. Very eye opening how many fish don't realize it's a full time military organization
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Wildman15
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In reply to 74OA • 7:24p, 5/9/17
AG
74OA said:
Wildman15 said:
It says "academic success of our students" not "our cadets". Therefore...you can argue the LLC's are available to the entire university.
The entire context that quote comes from is promoting the academic advantages of Corps membership, to include "state of the art" facilities "dedicated" to ensuring cadet success. To now say that the students referenced in that very specific context aren't the cadets being recruited is disingenuous at best.
I'm not saying it's the correct way to view it, but it's a very plausible argument the nonregs would use if push comes to shove.

I fully believe the LLC's SHOULD be reserved for cadets. But reality currently tells a different story
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74OA
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In reply to CharlieBrown17 • 7:49p, 5/9/17
AG
CharlieBrown17 said:
Personally don't like how much the corps is pushed as an academic organization nowadays. fish come in with a totally wrong impression of what they signed up for.
Front page of the Corps website: "Academic excellence is the top priority of the Corps of Cadets."

Academics are essential and are the top priority of the University, but of the Corps? I thought developing leaders was the Corps top priority. Why bother to put up with the rigors of being a cadet, then?
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CharlieBrown17
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In reply to 74OA • 8:08p, 5/9/17
AG
Preaching to the choir
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tgray99
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In reply to Scruffy • 4:14p, 5/14/17
AG
Scruffy said:
The quad does not belong to the CoC. Just as the "Walton Hill" didn't belong to Walton and they couldn't prevent people from accessing it


Not sure if it's this way anymore but back in the late 90s, you could only access the dorm where you lived. Someone could let you in but only residents could enter with their ID cards. Has that changed? Can anyone swipe into any dorm now?
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Scruffy
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In reply to tgray99 • 5:11p, 5/14/17
AG
No.
One can only access the building they live in.

So if random boot chasers are walking down hallways knocking on doors, someone from the building and floor let them in.

The LLCs are connected to the dorms, but to actually get inside one has to swipe their ID card.
That is unless the residents of that floor have propped the entry door open (against policy and rules).
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AGGies0311
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12:10p, 5/15/17
I like the idea of tearing up parking lots and making them green areas
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AGGies0311
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12:12p, 5/15/17
Im more upset that they are getting rid of the cricket fields.
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bigtruckguy3500
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In reply to 74OA • 12:49p, 5/15/17
I'm telling ya, in my and my buddies recent interactions with a few cadets, they don't want to put in work. They want someone else to give them money and organize all the cool things you see on Facebook, and they just want to enjoy the end product. Although they say it's so they can focus on academics.

Another reason I'm not giving money anymore.

Also,I agree, the band is already too different and separated from the Corps. What if, instead of accepting everyone with a pulse, to get the Corps as big as possible, we got selective now and just filled the current quad?
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AGGies0311
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In reply to bigtruckguy3500 • 12:52p, 5/15/17
What do you mean organize the cool things?
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