The best thing about Tx State is that right now you don't have class on Fridays (unless it's a lab) but that's changing. One thing I'd change is all the stairs and hills! They should change the motto from "the rising star of Texas" to "I graduated from Tx State and have the calf muscles to prove it!" I think the size of the school is just right. It's large enough that you blend in, but your professors still know you by name in some classes (especially your majors courses) and you can run into people in the quad and get stopped for knowing someone you can talk to.
Most people react when I tell them I go to Tx State as "oh that's a party school" or "so what do you usually drink?" or about some kind of party. The school doesn't get the credit it deserves for it's academics and it's student centered focus.
I spend most of my time on campus in class! I'm in a clinical lab science program. It takes a LARGE majority of my time, but if I'm not in class, I'm usually in the LBJ student center either online or at a student organization meeting. This is definitely a "college town" and definitely has that small, college town feel. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much to do around here, except tubing and sun bathing in the summer, or drinking at one of the MANY bars around the square off campus when it's not warm enough to go tubing or sun bathing. So most people go to Austin on the weekends.
The administration here SUCKS! I'm getting "payment overdue" notices on my student loans because administration failed to tell them I was enrolled! Also, administration failed to tell my boss about my selective service exemption (long story) and then when I called administration about the student loan thing, they wanted to charge me $3.00 to fax it to them when it was their job in the first place!
Biggest controversy lately was over the vote to advance the footbal subdivision. I personally don't care. I think we should be investing our money in academics, not adding greenspace, and athletics and building onto the rec center. I think we should be known for our academic programs not eveything else we can charge students outrageous prices for. Or how about a bus that goes to Austin and San Antonio EARLY in the morning (like 6-7am) so that health professions majors could carpool to their internship sites without spending a shit load of money on gas?
As far as school pride goes? Well..LOTS of Tx State shirts around here, just about everywhere you go someone has one on. One unusual thing I think is odd about Tx State is that our mascot is a bobcat, yet we have "stallion" statues. Why don't we have a Bobcat?
I'll always remember my experience with trying to get gender identity and expression included in our campus anti-discrimination policy and the things I saw and heard when I was passing around petitions for it. Some of our students, like I mentioned earlier, are really ignorant when it comes to the difference between sex and gender, and the fact that these protections are necessary for the transgendered, and that transgender people really DO exist in REAL life, it's not just some made up thing.
Biggest complaint? Probably parking right now. Why are we cutting even MORE parking to add green space?? Seems like a great idea, but we're cutting dorms that are already overcrowded and cutting parking that's desperately needed. Grad students don't even get a parking permit!