7 minute read
ABOUT TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OVERVIEW
Tarleton State University offers the value of a Texas A&M University System degree with its own brand of personal attention, individual opportunities, history, traditions and real community.
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Located in the heart of Stephenville and encompassing a 173-acre main campus just an hour southwest of Fort Worth, Tarleton is one of the best university values in Texas and the perfect place for students to begin a future.
Tarleton offers the resources of a major public university, including more than 65 undergraduate programs, more than 20 graduate programs and a doctor of education degree, as well as cutting edge academic facilities and faculty experts with extensive university and industry experience — all with the personal attention, warmth and faculty interaction expected from a smaller college.
Tarleton has extended its reach beyond Stephenville and is rapidly expanding undergraduate and graduate programs online and in Waco, Midlothian and the Southwest Metroplex, including Johnson, Parker and Tarrant counties, and the RELLIS Academic Alliance in Bryan.
STEPHENVILLE, TEXAS
If you want the comfort and casualness of a small town and an intimate campus life, Tarleton has it! We’re in the heart of Stephenville, a town of about 17,000 that is the hub of an area circled by Fort Worth, Dallas, Waco and Abilene. You’ll live and learn in a warm, friendly, caring community ranked as one of the 100 best small towns in America. Stephenville was part of a tract of land located on the upper Bosque River Valley in Central Texas in 1854 and became the county seat of Erath County in 1856. The first land patent was secured by John M. Stephen on Feb. 24, 1853.
EDUCATION
The first permanent school in Stephenville was erected by John Tarleton. There are now seven public school districts in Erath County. Stephenville Independent School District has a total enrollment of more than 3,350 students. The one college in the area, Tarleton, has an enrollment of over 13,000 students at the Stephenville campus.
RECREATION
Stephenville offers a variety of recreational areas, including two public parks, two public swimming pools, two golf courses, 14 tennis courts, a movie theater, six football stadiums, two rodeo arenas, an 18-hole disc golf course, a youth center and a historical museum. There are also two major lakes within a 40-mile radius and many excellent areas for hunting and fishing. Annual events include livestock shows, arts and crafts festivals, rodeos, basketball tournaments and the Tarleton Homecoming.
MAJOR EMPLOYERS GENERAL INFORMATION
Athletic Affiliation........................................................... Western Athletic Conference
NCAA Level .......................................................................................... NCAA Division I
CAMPUS LIFE
Student / Faculty Ratio...................................................................................... 19 to 1
Students come from....................................................................... 242 Texas counties
45 states
22 foreign countries
FINANCES
Est. Cost per Academic Year ............................................................................ $18,878
ACADEMICS
ATHLETICS
Cross Country, Football
Cross Country, Volleyball, Tennis, Golf, Soccer
RECREATIONAL SPORTS
INTRAMURAL SPORTS: Flag Football, Volleyball, Soccer, Softball, Basketball,
Sand Volleyball, Dodgeball, Wallyball
CLUB SPORTS: Men’s & Women’s Lacrosse, Rugby, Mixed Martial Arts,
Women’s Volleyball, Basketball, Shotgun Sports, Golf, Running,
Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Bass Fishing.
INDIVIDUAL / DUAL SPORTS: Racquetball, Rock Climbing, Disc Golf,
TTS AND TTP
Formed when Tarleton was a junior college, the Ten Tarleton Peppers (TTP) and Ten Tarleton Sisters (TTS) are the two oldest organizations on campus. These spirit organizations for men and women were formed in 1921 and 1923, respectively.
New members of these secret organizations are selected by current members. When first organized, the two groups met late at night and prepared signs for upcoming athletic events. The basic signs at this time were made of canvas and were stretched between trees on campus. The clubs met in the attic of the old recreation hall, which is now the Administration Annex.
The identities of the senior members were disclosed in group photos when the yearbooks were distributed. Senior members stood facing the camera while others faced away from the camera with various and sundry items placed over their heads. The groups are sponsored by faculty and staff members.
THE PLOWBOYS
In 1984, a group of interested students established a spirit organization on campus and re-adopted the name “Plowboys,” which was the former mascot of the athletic teams. The Plowboys attend athletic events and other campus activities and are familiar to students because of their white shirts, hats and purple chaps.
THE TEXAN MASCOT
Upon joining The Texas A&M University System in 1917, the Tarleton athletic teams became known as the “Junior Aggies.”
In 1924, Coach W.J. Wisdom became disenchanted with the name and held a contest to select a new mascot. The winner would receive $5 and Wisdom would be the sole judge. One day, Wisdom was walking across campus and contemplating the fact that Tarleton was primarily an agricultural school when the name “Plowboys” popped into his head. He immediately adopted the new mascot and kept the $5. The symbol of the Plowboys was a muscular young man in overalls pushing a hand plow.
In 1950, the mascot withstood a challenge when four additional names were suggested for a student vote. Plowboys won by a 2-1 margin. With the University’s changing image, however, another election was held in 1961 and students approved the name “Texans.” The horse and rider became the new athletic mascot of the university.
P.A.N.K.U.S.
The P.A.N.K.U.S. acronym stands for People Against Not Knowing University Spirit. People Against Not Knowing University Spirit is an organization, who embraces the Spirit and Traditions of Tarleton. P.A.N.K.U.S. was established at Tarleton in November 2001 and has grown into one of the biggest spirit organizations for students. Their purpose is to be an organization that involves students in spirit activities and events at Tarleton State University. They are often seen at Tarleton Sporting Events in their trademarked purple and white overalls.
THE PLOWBOYS
OSCAR P
Legend has it that John Tarleton, founder of the university, had a pet duck named Oscar P who went everywhere with him. The two were so close that Oscar P is said to be buried with Tarleton.
At various student activities, the Purple Poo rally Tarleton students by raising the spirit of Oscar P. This is done by kneeling and pounding the ground while calling out “Hey, Oscar P.” Although this has become one of the favorite traditions, there is no evidence to verify the story.
PURPLE POO
The TTS and TTP were precursors of the modern Purple Poo. The still-secret organization makes Poo signs each Monday night, which appear on campus every Tuesday morning. The signs occasionally comment on campus political life and student life, but most promote school spirit. These signs are nailed to trees on campus. Members appear in public dressed in costumes and identity is closely guarded.
OSCAR P
THE AIRPLANE INCIDENT
At the height of the Tarleton-North Texas Agriculture College rivalry, frequent raids by opposing students were common. Bonfires were the primary objectives, and as described in the J-TAC newspaper (Tarleton’s school paper), the students were driven by “the desire to cause premature conflagration of the accumulated rubbish.”
On Nov. 29, 1939, two days before the traditional football game, and in retaliation for the burning of the NTAC bonfire by Tarleton students the night before, an NTAC student and accomplice flew over the Tarleton campus and attempted to bomb the bonfire. In their efforts to repel the air attack, Tarleton students on guard threw various objects at the plane. L.V. Risinger hurled a 2x4 into the air which struck the propeller and disabled the aircraft. The pilot glided over what is now the Hall of Presidents and crash-landed in a clump of trees.
While the NTAC student and his buddy were launching the air attack, three truck loads of NTAC students were attempting to invade campus by land. Both the land and air attacks were repulsed. The NTAC students were captured, given a block-T haircut and sent on their way. The Homecoming bonfire has been dedicated to L.V. Risinger, defender of the bonfire, who died in 1994.
7LUXURY RESIDENCE HALLS
Tarleton has already provided a few things in every room:
1. MICROFRIDGE
One (1) per room. This appliance combines a mini- fridge with a microwave. Please do not bring additional units as they are not allowed.
2. TWIN BED AND EXTRA LONG MATTRESS
One (1) per resident. Beds can be bunked or lofted using hardware in the room. Mattresses are 80” long, 36” wide and 6” deep. You will want to bring Twin XL sheets. Please note that Integrity, Traditions North and South, and the newer addition of Honors Hall is equipped with full sized mattresses.
