In the past five years, substantial changes have taken place at A&T including a logo change, shifts in athletic management and new construction.

Now, A&T has a brand new fight song for the band to wow the crowd with.

The ‘Old Aggie Spirit’ has been used as the fight song as far back as those here in leadership can remember.

However, ‘Old Aggie Spirit’ isn’t actually A&T’s fight song.

Senior band member Marques Lee said, “The Old Aggie Spirit is a spirit song. A&T never had a fight song. Now we do.”

The announcement of a new fight song occurred during the halftime show of the Sept. 16 football game.

The unveiling of the new fight song happened just in time to be aired on ESPN-U, along with the band members’ new uniforms.

The new fight song was a collaborative effort. The words to the new fight song were written by William Trice, a vocal teacher at A&T, and arranged by Aaron Campbell, the head arranger and graduate assistant to the Blue and Gold Marching Machine.

There were mixed emotions when the subject of a new fight song was approached.

Jasmine Galloway, a senior music education major, said the new fight song is absolutely amazing. “Listening to the new fight song gives me hope, it gives me spirit,” Galloway said.

Though some band members said the new fight song is not a replacement of the ‘Old Aggie Spirit’, and simply a much needed enhancement to Aggie school spirit, only time will tell if ‘Old Aggie Spirit’ will eventually be pushed under the rug.

While attending the game on Thursday, Aggie alumna Andrea James said that the freshman and transfer students to the university have no idea about the Old Aggie Spirit.

“I can’t believe we have a new song. ‘Old Aggie Spirit’ was a great fight song, even if they say it was only a spirit song. What was A&T thinking?” she said.

“Not singing the ‘Old Aggie Spirit’ during and after games just seems weird. It’s not going to be the same A&T to me,” said senior business marketing major Tequnna Wells.

“‘Old Aggie Spirit’ is so ingrained in me, it’ll be hard to sing anything else,” said 2003 alumnus Rictor Craig. “I’m an old-head band member and I just can’t imagine coming down to Homecoming this year and having to learn a brand new song.”

Other old-school band members reacted a little differently.

“Change is always met with adversity. The ‘Old Aggie Spirit’ is a tradition, but it’s also just a song. It’s a new day. I guess new day, new song,” said former band member, Maurice Hamilton.

As of Sept. 20, the new fight song had yet to be named.

However, as the A&T spirit song goes, “… that Old Aggie Spirit, it’s good enough for me.”

• assidy Johnson