Students cashed in a semester’s worth of Aggie Bucks at the Academic Enhancement and Retention’s Aggie Bucks Redemption program this Sunday.

What are Aggie Bucks? Aggie Bucks are a monetary incentive provided to students living in residence halls for their academic achievements.  The Aggie Bucks program, which started three years ago under the Academic Enhancement and Retention program, has increased academic excellence in students living on-campus and provided a way for students to reap the rewards of their success. 

“One of the many things we try to encourage is academic excellence,” said Sheila Gothard, associate director of housing and residence life.

Students receive Aggie Bucks by presenting A’s for tests, quizzes and huge projects to their peer mentors designated in each residence hall.  In return students receive Aggie Bucks that come in amounts of $5 or $10 that can be redeemed for a variety of prizes.

Peer mentor Anthony Lambert said the Aggie Bucks program provides a pathway to excel.”You come to programs like these and see all of these nice gifts and you can get them too,” said Lambert.

Lambert was a participant in the program last year and bypassed the housing selection process with his Aggie Bucks. Students with $150 in Aggie Bucks can sign up to pass the housing selection process.

“No one wants to wait in lines to sign up for housing and then find out you can’t stay where you really wanted to,” said Lambert. He encouraged students to participate in the program to prevent such instances from occurring. This was just one of the options for Aggie Bucks rewards.

Students were offered gifts such as DVD players, IPod nanos, Snuggies, digital cameras, ITunes gift cards, raffles and the latest addition Aggie Suds cards. Students can now turn in Aggie Bucks for Aggie Suds cards, which will provide a certain amount of loads accessible in the residence hall laundry rooms. Students can redeem $90 in bucks for 10 loads, $60 for five loads or $25 for two loads.

For freshman April Burrage, rewards such as Aggie Suds are very appealing. “As an out-of-state student it’s very important and helpful for me to have any kind of help financially.”  The Chicago native said she could save money that would usually go to laundry and use it elsewhere because of Aggie Suds.

Burrage was introduced to the program through a flyer in her residence hall. Afterwards, she began to meet with her mentor and receive Aggie Bucks.

“I think the program is really nice and very organized,” said Burrage.  Burrage attended the redemption program with $195 in Aggie Bucks and cashed them in for Aggie Suds cards, raffles and even a Target gift card for $25.

Gothard said students appreciate that they are getting an incentive like Aggie Bucks for getting good grades.

“I think they like it,” said Gothard. “When our students visit other schools or friends outside of A&T they say their peers talk about how they don’t have it at their school and wish they did.”

Outside of the great gifts and perks students receive in the program, students have improved academically. There is an increase in students making a 4.0 grade-point average in residence halls. At the end of the fall 2008 semester, there were 28 students with a 4.0 in residence halls. However, at the end of fall 2009 there were 72 students living on campus with a 4.0. Also, students living in residence halls only account for 14 percent of the total amount of students in danger of dismissal.

“It’s important as an incoming freshmen to stay focused,” said Burrage. “Programs like these kind of motivate you to do that.”

At the end of the night all of the gifts available to students were purchased and students left with smiles on their faces.

“I heard some of the students are going to do laundry tonight,” said Gothard. “One of the students even yelled out ‘Hallelujah.’ “

“I’m coming back,” said Burrage about participating in future programs.

The Academic Enhancement and Retention program will be holding their next seminar in March entitled “Breaking the Spirit of Average.”  

• Ashley Reid