Texas A&M Campus Tour Multi-Cache
Lone Star Reviewer: Since there has been no response from the cache owner, this cache is being archived.
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This multicache leads you around the Texas A&M campus. It has 19 stages including the final container. You will do a lot of walking; make sure you have enough time, approximately 2 hours, to complete the cache. At each of the 18 stations you will answer a question to find the coordinates for the final station. Each station is identified with a capital letter.
This cache was created as part of a course about geocaching at Texas A&M in Fall 2012. Each stages and its questions were made by one of the students in the class. We asked them to pick memorable or important places here on campus. I hope you enjoy this mega tour around campus. Good luck!
You may visit the 19 stations in any order and collect the values of the letters A to S. Each one represents a number between 0 and 9. Then proceed to compute the final coordinates.
A. MSC (N 30 36.817 W 96 20.393)
The newly renovated Memorial Student Center (open from 8a.m.-12a.m.) is one of the most easily recognized buildings on campus. It was closed for 3 years and re-opened its doors in April of 2012, it quickly became a favorite spot for many students. It is a good place to hang out and study, with the multiple restaurants, game room in the basement and places like the Flag Room; the MSC is also a living memorial dedicated to fallen Aggies. While visiting the MSC you must visit the Hall of Honor. There the memorial truly comes to life with the names of those who have given theirs for our country.
Q: How many Aggies have been awarded the Medal of Honor? This is letter A.
B. Rudder Tower (N 30 36.783 W 96 20.433)
This tower is named after J. Earl Rudder. At 110 feet tall, Rudder tower is the exact height of Point Du Hoc, where Rudder and his Rangers scaled the cliffs clearing German gun batteries and making it safe for the D-day invasion to begin.
Q: What is the number of light posts around the fountain + the number of benches surrounding the fountain? B = light posts + number of benches - 4
C. Sully (N 30 36.931 W 96 20.472)
This statue has a special significance to all Aggies who desire to perform well on their tests. There is a superstition that if a penny is placed at the feet of Sully, that person has good luck. Feel free to leave a penny of your own for good luck on the rest of your search!
While most students regard Sully's statue as wholly benevolent, it is worth noting that Sully was a confederate general, and there is controversy over whether this statue symbolizes the racist past. Women weren't officially admitted to Texas A&M until 1963, and the first African-American students weren't admitted until 1964. African-American and Hispanic students are still underrepresented on the Texas A&M University campus.
Q: How old was Sully when he died? C = age / 10
D. Academic Plaza (N 30 36.920 W 96 20.486)
Academic Plaza was built in 1914 on top of what was Old Main, the first campus building, which burned to the ground in 1912. The most notable feature of the plaza is the Academic Building itself. It's copper dome, now green from oxidation, looks out upon the plaza. On the first Tuesday of every month, current students and former Aggies gather on the plaza to participate in Silver Taps, a military service honoring students who have died in the previous month. Another notable feature of the plaza is the Century Tree. As tradition goes, those who walk under the tree together will be together forever, and those that walk alone will remain alone.
Q: In 1942, how many Aggies were reported to hold Muster on the Island of Corregidor days before it fell to Japanese forces? D = number of Aggies - 20
E. Sbisa (N 30 37.006 W 96 20.612)
Sbisa Dining Center is the second largest cafeteria in the nation and serves Texas A&M students in "all-you-can-eat” buffet-style dining. Sbisa offers the largest variety of food on campus; exotic foods like green vegetables (a rarity in college life) can be found in Sbisa, making it a popular destination for students looking to have a large, varied, and nutritious meal.
Q: How many years did the mess hall preceding Sbisa serve Texas A&M before it was burned down in an accident? E = years - 5
F. Albritton Tower (N 30 36.788 W 96 20.680)
The Albritton Tower was donated to Texas A&M University and dedicated on October 6, 1984 by Martha and Ford D. Albritton. It is 138 feet tall and contains Westminster chimes which ring every quarter hour. There are 49 bells total with the largest one weighing more than six thousand pounds. The tower can also be programmed to play songs such as the "Spirit of Aggieland". It is one of the most prominent structures on campus and an important landmark for for all of Aggieland.
Q: what number on the clock face is unusual? F = that number
G. The Victory Eagle (N 30 36.667 W 96 20.579)
The Victory Eagle, standing 9 feet tall with a 14 foot wingspan, was dedicated by the class of 1991 as "a perpetual symbol of the Aggie spirit."
Q: How many benches are there surrounding the Eagle? multiply this number by the height and wingspan of the statue. G = sum of the digits
H. 12th Man Statue (N 30 36.666 W 96 20.491)
This is a story from (visit link)
The tradition of the Twelfth Man was born on the second of January 1922, when an underdog Aggie team was playing Centre College, then the nation's top ranked team. As the hard fought game wore on, and the Aggies dug deeply into their limited reserves, Coach Dana X. Bible remembered a squad man who was not in uniform. He had been up in the press box helping reporters identify players. His name was E. King Gill, and was a former football player who was only playing basketball. Gill was called from the stands, suited up, and stood ready throughout the rest of the game, which A&M finally won 22-14. When the game ended, E. King Gill was the only man left standing on the sidelines for the Aggies. Gill later said, "I wish I could say that I went in and ran for the winning touchdown, but I did not. I simply stood by in case my team needed me."
Gill later became to be known as the Twelfth man because he had sat on the sidelines ready for duty just in case one of the 11 men in front of him went down. The entire student body at A&M is the Twelfth Man, and they stand proudly during the entire game to show their support. The 12th Man is always in the stands waiting to be called upon if they are needed, just as E. King Gill had done.
Q: What Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class gave the gift of the 12th man statue? H = last digit of the year
I. Reveille's Graves (N 30 36.661 W 96 20.485)
Reveille is the Texas A&M mascot and the highest ranking member of the Corps of Cadets. Whenever a Reveille dies, she is buried near Kyle Field with a view of the score board so that she can watch over her Aggies during game time.
Q: What is the number in the company that is in charge of caring for Reveille? I = number.
[Removed] J. Kyle Field (N 30 36.600 W 96 20.490)
The Kyle Field stadium is known as the home of the 12th man. It has 82,589 seats, but on November 20, 2010 90,079 people watched Texas A&M beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Q: Find the two digits directly under the 'R'. J = sum of the two digits.
[This stage has been removed due to the renovation of Kyle Field. It has been left here for viewing, but is not used to solve the puzzle.]
K. Rec It Up! (N 30 36.461 W 96 20.582)
The Student Recreation Center is where Aggies of all shapes and sizes go to get some exercise. The Rec offers some pretty awesome features, including a rock wall, indoor swimming pools, an indoor track, four outdoor sand volleyball courts, three outdoor basketball courts, a resort-style outdoor pool and spa, picnic areas and grills, and so much more!
There are so many things to see at The Rec, but before you can get to the door there are a few stairs to help get you warmed up. For those who are a little unstable, there are some handrails provided.
Q: How many handrails are available on the stairs for the front entrance? (Hint: there are stairs next to the handicap walkway as well.) K = handrails.
L. Blue Bell Park (N 30 36.311 W 96 20.507)
There were many generous donors who helped make Blue Bell Park happen. Some have plaques around the outside wall of the park. Read the plaques and find out what year Kristi and John D. Schiller graduated.
Q: L = last digit
M. The Aggie Ring (N 30 36.529 W 96 20.178)
The Aggie Ring is something that every Aggie looks forward too. When students get their ring, they wear them with their class year facing them to signify that their time at A&M has not ended yet. At the Ring Dance, students turn their ring around so that the class year faces away which symbolizes their readiness to "face the world."
Q: Walk under the ring and look at the both sides in at the bottom, there should be a phrase there that says "Produced by..." count the number of e's in the phrase not including the e in produced. M = number of e's - 1. (M is an odd number)
N. The Quad (N 30 36.863 W 96 20.253)
When Texas A&M was founded in 1876, all students (all male) were members of the Corps of Cadets. In 1974 the first woman was allowed to join the Corps. Graduates of the Corps of Cadets have fought in every single war since the Spanish-American war. The Corps produced over 20,000 troops in WWII, which included more officers than the United States Military Academy and the United States Naval Academy combined. This is one of A&M's richest traditions. The Corps of Cadets live on the Quadrangle or the "Quad." The arches are the entrance to the Quad and represent the spirit of Aggieland. Make sure to notice the "Return with Honor" plaque that is on the inside of the arches. Cadets touch this when they leave or come back to the quad.
Q: How many arches are at the entrance of the quad? N = arches / 6
O. The Commons (N 30 36.936 W 96 20.176)
The Commons is home to many students that attend Texas A&M. Along with four main Residence Halls, the Commons also contains a food court.
Q: How many white columns support the front porch? O = columns
P. Bonfire Memorial (N 30 37.361 W 96 20.109)
One of our students wrote, “The Bonfire Memorial monument was where I realized what it meant to be an Aggie. In my personal opinion, every person that visits Texas A&M should visit this place. It is an incredibly humbling and prideful experience. From the ruins of a catastrophe arose a shrine in loving memory to those who perished from the accident in the year 1999. Each person that passed has an arch dedicated in their name, and positioned in the exact direction of their home town.”
Q: In what year was the resident of San Antonio Texas supposed to graduate from Texas A&M? (There is only one on the Memorial.) P = last digit of the year.
Q. Eller O&M Building (N 30 37.059 W 96 20.215)
The David G. Eller Oceanography and Meteorology Building is of the tallest buildings on the Texas A&M campus. It was opened in 1973 and now includes the department of geography, atmospheric sciences, and oceanography.
Q: Walk into the crevasse at the corner of the O&M building and clap. What sound do you hear?
It sounds like a g _ _ s _ _ t
a=2, e=4, f=1, h=3 n=6, o=8, r=9, u=7
Multiply the numbers of the letters you selected to finish the word above. Q = sum of the digits.
R. Evans Library (N 30 37.035 W 96 20.331)
This library holds over 2,646,568 volumes and circulates 1,602,349 items per year, all the while serving 50,000 students, faculty and staff. In addition to its available texts, there are also computer and technology resources along with the coffee shop "Poor Yoricks". Students come here, and to the attached annex, to research and study. Each floor has its own level of quiet. It is a go-to places for students when they need to cram, relax, or study late in to the night or early in the morning. This library never sleeps with the constant flow of students using its resources day in and day out.
Q: How many letters are in the last quote on the plaque? R = letters / 6
S. Harrington Tower (N 30 37.004 W 96 20.445)
Students studying to become teachers attend classes in Harrington Tower. In doing so, they take steps to build their own futures and those of their future students.
Q: What whole number do you get when you divide the number of steps per staircase by the number of angled pillars on the side of the building? S = steps / pillars
XY. FINAL LOCATION
First, check your results:
A+B+C+D+E+F = 39
G+H+I+K+L+M = 23
N+O+P+Q+R+S = 30
The final is located at
N 30 36.X W 96 20.Y
with X = A*B*C + 2*D*E*F + 10*G + 3*H + 4*I
and Y = (K*L*M)/2 + 11*N*O*P + Q*R*S
final check: X+Y = 1316
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
[Final:] Purpx gur gerrf.
Treasures
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