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Source: The Eagle, Bryan, TexasJuly 14--Hundreds of Texas A&M students are quite literally competing for the chance to become enshrined in Aggie lore.文件倉University officials are soliciting the help of 12 Texas A&M students to model for a life-sized statue honoring the 12th Man that will be built outside of the east entrance when Kyle Field gets its $450 million makeover.The War Hymn Monument will depict the students "sawing varsity's horns off" -- an Aggie tradition in which fans hold onto each other and sway side-to-side. University officials said the statue won't be an exact likeness of the students and that their names will not make it onto the monument.Instead, the artist will use the students' bodies, clothes and poses as inspiration.Still, the chance to be enshrined on hallowed ground has many students fired up.More than 300 students applied before the university even issued a press release that the competition was underway, said Tom Reber, associate vice president of student affairs. When the official casting call was made on Thursday, that number more than doubled. Reber said it wouldn't surprise him if thousands of Aggies apply.He said the university wanted to use real students, rather than models or photographs, to help energize them for the upcoming football season."It's been very exciting," Reber said. "I think it shows our students are still fired up to be involved and excited to come back to school."Sam Torn, co-chair of the Kyle Field redevelopment committee, said an artist has not been selected for the monument and that details such as what the statue will be built out of, its dimensions, or how much it will cost, are unknown. Torn said the committee is interviewing "several renowned artists" from across the nation, and whomever is selected will have input on those decisions.He said the cost would be "significant, but reasonable."Torn said he plans for the statue to be erected in time for the 2014 football season, which would coincide with the construction to the eastern side of the stadium."This monument is obviously not going to be done quickly," Torn said. "We're trying to expedite the process as much as we can. ... We would much rath存倉r get it right than get it quick."Torn said there were some practical and obvious reasons why administrators did not want 12 exact likenesses of individuals outside the stadium indefinitely. Still, Torn said, he wanted the artist to capture the student experience."We want the whole monument to be symbolic of the 12th Man," Torn said. "We don't want it to focus on any particular student."Officials expect the monument to become one of the most photographed spots on campus when completed.One of the hundreds of excited Aggies is junior Elise Featherly."I think getting picked would be really cool because you would be able to stand in front of Kyle Field forever," Featherly said. "What Aggie doesn't want that?"The casting call has gone viral, she said, adding that several of her friends have been Facebooking and Tweeting about the opportunity.Featherly said she appreciated university officials including students in the process and that she loved the idea of a statue memorializing how A&M students stand together.She said she had already thought about what she might wear if picked but was trying not to think about it too much and get her hopes up. She knows the competition will be tough."I just really hope I get picked," she said.Also entering the foray is A&M Student Body President Reid Joseph. He, too, said the call for Aggie models had gone viral and that everyone was really excited."This is really a once in a lifetime opportunity to have the chance to be enshrined outside of Kyle Field," Joseph said. "I'm a third generation Aggie and was literally born to the Aggie War Hymn."To be eligible, the applicant must be registered for fall classes at A&M, have a satisfactory disciplinary record and be in good standing with the university. Interested Aggies can apply online at https://dsacms.tamu.edu/~warhymnstatue.tamu.edu/entry. Submissions are due online by noon Tuesday.Reber said a committee of students, faculty and staff will review the applicants and make a recommendation to university President R. Bowen Loftin.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Eagle (Bryan, Texas) Visit The Eagle (Bryan, Texas) at www.theeagle.com Distributed by MCT Information Services自存倉