EducationUS, Informal A student of Texas A&M University who only attends classes and does not participate in student activities or traditions.
"Those are the 'two percenters,' " Becky said of the students who ran on the field, "the two percent of Aggie students who don't have the spirit."1992, Edward Zuckerman, Small Fortunes: Two Guys in Pursuit of the American Dream, page 102:
Students who forgo Midnight Yell and other traditional activities are dismissed as "2 percenters."2005, U.S. News Guide, America's Best Colleges, page 41:
3 more examples
[…] 'Anything you do twice is a tradition,' 'Don't be a 2 percenter.' You learn about The Bonfire, Aggie Muster, and Silver Taps. […] Isn't it fascinating to see how an amazing team-oriented culture in one institution (Texas A&M) can inspire a fantastic culture in a totally different and separate organization (Rackspace)?2013, Bill Schley, The UnStoppables: Tapping Your Entrepreneurial Power, page 143:
Detractor two percenters diminish momentum. Wet blankets can put fires out! True Aggies are all Twelfth Men and learn the importance of yelling for the team instead of (like most other schools and some “two percenters”) mainly yelling at them.2016, Barry Bauerschlag, Aggie Spirit 101: Greater Love:
She’s an Aggie, but she never got into any of the lore there, not even a little bit. She’s a proud “two percenter,” as they call such people in College Station.2017 October, “An Oral History of Watching (and Not Watching) the Last Three Innings of That Crazy Astros Game”, in Texas Monthly:
two-percenter
noun
Etymology From two percent + -er.
1
A joke or reference that is so obscure that only a small minority of the audience will recognize and understand it.
2
Alternative Alternative form of two percenter.
If someone does not know the traditions, that person is asked "Are you a two-percenter?" By categorizing them as outcasts, mainstream Aggies overtly pressure two-percenters to correct the error of their ways and be reintegrated into the culture.2010, G. Mitchell Reyes, Public Memory, Race, and Ethnicity, page 131: