Texas A&M president Lawrence Sullivan Ross. On the day of the ceremony, flags fly half-staff and notices are posted throughout campus. At 10:15 pm, lights around campus are extinguished and hymns are chimed from Albritton Tower while students and faculty gather in the Academic Plaza. Following a three-volley salute by the Ross Volunteer Firing Squad, six buglers play "Silver Taps", a choral version of the bugle call "Taps", from the dome of the university's Academic Building. The song is played three times: once toward the north, once toward the south, and once toward the west. The song is not played to the east, symbolizing that the sun will never again rise on the deceased student.
=== Sports ===
At university sporting events, Texas A&M students collectively are called the 12th Man; in the context of football games, this symbolizes students supporting the eleven players on the field and being willing to enter the game if necessary. To symbolize their zeal and motivation, it is traditional for students to …
