“Hi Aggie” Spirit

You may have seen that UC Davis was recently named among the top twenty schools on a new list of colleges with the friendliest students. Friendliness has long been a tradition on the Davis campus and it is noted as far back as 1930. According to that year’s California Aggie Freshman Handbook: “The friendly attitude that you first noticed on campus is genuine. We mean it when we say “Hello.” Get the habit early. We are all Aggies and we all know each other; the sooner you fall in with this spirit, the more California Aggies will mean to you.”

The 1956-1957 Welcome Aggies publication defined the “Hello Spirit” as “the basis for our reputation as the friendly Davis campus. It begins your first days on campus. Each time you pass someone, whether you know him or not, say ‘Hello.’ This ‘Hello Spirit’ is evident in faculty-student relations and in town-campus relations as well.” By 1961 the tradition was known as “Hi Aggie” Spirit.

Do you remember the “Hi Aggie” spirit? If so, please share your memories in the comments.