motional high ready to carry on the Aggie traditions
nother year.
If you have been here before, you’ve heard the
“Bonfire is what makes Texas A&M unique” versus
[“Bonfire represents the dumbest, most ignorant and
egressive Neanderthal attitudes that a group of peo-
le can possess” debate.
If you are a new to Aggieland, you might be won
dering what all the fuss is about, but you will know
soon enough. For those unfamiliar with the argu
ments, let me offer a brief summary.
The pro-bonfire crowd will tell you that Bonfire is
the essence of the Aggie experience. From every
scratch you get from a thorny vine entangling a tree
you just felled, to every blackened “bonfire booger”
you pick from your nose, your tired, dirty body indi
cates that you have made a contribution to the most
visible expression of the Aggie spirit. All of the sweat,
blood and sleep deprivation are worth it to watch the
55 foot high pile of wood that was constructed by your
own hands burn in a fiery blaze.
The anti-bonfire crowd has two principle factions.
The environmentalist camp is opposed to Bonfire on
the grounds that the wanton destruction of 10,000
trees for the sake of a big fire at a pep rally is un
conscionable.
The other group is composed of liberal, “free
thinker” types who oppose the conformist mentality
fostered by the traditions surrounding bonfire. This
. , group is generally critical of all traditions because
reatjo traditions encourage doing things the way things
have been done in the past.
While many of us are sick of the same arguments
being thrown around every year, the debate should
continue, since it brings out some important issues
that merit public discussion.
The environmental issue is a concern, especially in
today’s eco-sensitive era. We need to re-examine
j whether burning 10,000 trees for the sake of school
spirit is a responsible thing to do.
However, most of the trees would be cut down any
way to clear farmland. Bonfire has also prompted the
creation of Replant, a springtime event where over
twice as many trees as the ones that were cut down
are replanted on former cut sites.
While Bonfire is not the best thing we can do for
the environment, the overall impact of cutting down
those trees and burning all that wood is not signifi
cant enough to require the immediate termination of
the tradition.
Others criticize Bonfire participants as a bunch of
crude, mindless followers afraid to think for them
selves. They demand that you challenge the establish
ment and refuse to follow the crowd.
However, they fail to recognize that something can
be worth doing. One can choose to be red-ass without
sacrificing his individuality. Just because a large
group of people chooses to unify for a common purpose
does not mean that the individuals stopped using
their own minds.
There is no room, however, for the racist and sex
ist attitudes that have surfaced in the past among
Bonfire participants. If Bonfire is going to continue,
women and minorities must feel like they are a part
of the tradition.
The best way for this to occur is for women and mi
norities to become more involved. The presence of a
more diverse group of people prevents offensive com
ments from slipping out and forces people to confront
their prejudices and stereotypes.
Bonfire is a unique opportunity for all Aggies to
unite and show their school spirit. Those who choose
to participate in Bonfire will find it a fun and
worthwhile experience.
Those who choose not to get involved are no less an
Aggie. They are simply missing out on a lot of fun.
Bonfire:
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will find it a fun and
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worthwhile experience.”
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The Battalion
Established in 1893
Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views
of the editorials board. They do not necessarily reflect
the opinions of other Battalion staff members, the
Texas A&M student body, regents, administration,
faculty or staff. Columns, guest columns, cartoons
and letters express the opinions of the authors.
Contact the opinion editor for information on
submitting guest columns.
Editorials Board
Rob Clark
Editor in Chief
Sterling Hayman
Managing Editor
Kyle Littlefield
Opinion Editor
Elizabeth Preston
Assistant Opinion Editor
Editorial
Cracking the Code
A&M is on the right track by taking steps to
eliminate academic dishonesty.
Most people would agree that
copying the answers from another
person’s test or having someone else
write your research paper constitutes
cheating. But other instances are not
so clearly defined.
However, today, through teleconfer
encing, Texas A&M students, staff and
faculty will convene with representa
tives from universities across the coun
try to discuss academic dishonesty and
hopefully find ways to address these
very problems.
The Aggie Code of Honor is familiar
to most students, but many professors
and students are not agreement as to
how to define the term “cheat.”
In fact, according to Sandi Osters, as
sistant to the vice president for student
affairs, A&M policy standards on the
subject of scholastic dishonesty are
quite vague.
University guidelines do not specifi
cally address such issues as note trad
ing and group study, leaving these mat
ters to be resolved between students
and professors. This can become a
source of frustration and animosity to
both parties.
The teleconference, which will link
100 universities across the country,
hopefully will provide the University
with insight into different methods of
prevention and punishment of acade
mic dishonesty.
Although it is impossible to elimi
nate academic dishonesty completely
from the campus, A&M is taking an
important step by addressing the is
sue head on and cooperating with
other universities.
A&M’s involvement in such a wide-
scale conference is indicative of the con
cern the University has about issues
that directly affect the students.
In order to prevent and discourage
cheating, the University should first
develop clearly defined guidelines, ex
plaining what exactly academic dis
honest is and exactly what its conse
quences are.
The ambiguity of A&M’s present poli
cy can be problematic for many students
and professors, perhaps causing more
problems than solving them.
Academic dishonesty should not be
tolerated, and the University should
be commended for its efforts to tackle
this problem.
As much as we like to tout our Aggie
Code of Honor, sometimes the solutions
to our problems aren’t so simplistic.
Bonfire does more harm
than good for students
I t all begins this Sat
urday — the first
cut. In two months,
all of the hard work
that thousands of Ag
gies are about com
mence will be celebrat
ed as we join together
to watch Bonfire fall.
Here we go again.
As difficult as it is to admit, Bonfire is a tradition
run amuck, and a tradition that does more harm
than good.
Unfortunately, the most vocal opposition to Bonfire
has been represented by the biology professor who
posts signs in his office windows saying things like
“Bonfire: Dumb as Dirt.” While such childish rhetoric
may qualify him for an executive position in the Col
lege Republicans, it hardly makes him a credible op
ponent of Bonfire.
Still, even rational people can see that the tradi
tion is ablaze with problems and that it is time to
bury the ashes of Bonfire — for good.
Dr. Bill Kibler, assistant vice president for Student
Affairs and Bonfire adviser for ten years said, “the
point of Bonfire is it is a long-standing tradition that
stands for unity and spirit.”
However, you could replace “Bonfire” with “Silver
Taps,” “Muster,” “Big Event,” “Midnight Yell” or “foot
ball game,” and create a sentence that is more accu
rate. Sadly, Bonfire’s original intent of unity and spir
it have disappeared and been replaced by antagonism
and obsession.
All you have to do is look at last year to see what
kind of unity Bonfire invites. The racist music played
at stack and the woman who was called a “bitch” (and
worse) by several men, reveal that in the eyes of
many Bonfire participants, white males belong — and
no one else.
Although the majority of the people involved in
Bonfire would say that everyone is welcome to help
build it, a sizeable minority has suggested otherwise.
This is sending a strong negative message that will
persist for a long time.
Bonfire’s overdose of spirit is easy to see. Many stu
dents here skip classes for days at a time and avoid
studying on the weekends and during the week to
help build Bonfire.
Consequently, thousands of students find that
they have to make-up their low grades from the fall
in the spring semester, unless they fail out of the
University altogether.
As a freshman, I saw the most avid Bonfire par
ticipants lose their scholarships or even get kicked
out of the University. This was hardly what the
University expected of them when it offered them
the scholarships.
Dr. Kibler countered that he is “of the opinion that
students who would neglect their studies because of
Bonfire would neglect their studies anyway.” This
may be true, but the University administrators
should be the last ones condoning and exploiting this
kind of behavior. Besides, it is hard to imagine that
many students would disregard their studies to the
extent they do now if it weren’t for Bonfire.
Granted, the Bonfire Advisory Committee is look
ing into some of the problems that exist in Bonfire,
but it is difficult to believe that a small committee can
alter individuals’ behavior, especially since the behav
ior is as ingrained as the tradition itself.
The fundamental problem with Bonfire is that it
is too big to control. Although there are thousands
of responsible and well-intentioned students who
work to build Bonfire, there are too many others
who are successfully tearing it down through their
words and actions.
If Bonfire is supposed to stand for unity and spirit,
it collapses under its own standards. A tradition that
has come to represent what Bonfire does now is a tra
dition that should be extinguished.
Instead of engaging in this self-destructive activity,
the Bonfire participants could channel their energies
toward something more positive, such as volunteer
work at a hospital, an elementary school or Habitat
for Humanity.
Working together, they could build something
stronger and more permanent than a heap of logs.
Jason Brown is a senior economics major
Pay respects to
lowered flag
In the recent flag de
bate, the real issue has
been overlooked.
The attitudes displayed
during the lowering of the
flags were inappropriate.
I have been taught to stop
what I was doing and pay
my respects when a flag is
raised or lowered — par
ticularly the American
flag, the symbol of our
great country.
The issue is not that
someone - whether Greek,
Non-Reg, or Cadet - is or is
n’t a patriotic citizen. The
issue is that all Aggies
should respect and honor
this country and the flag
that represents it.
The commotion sur
rounding Bid Day while
JVlAil.
Gael
cadets lowered the flags
showed a certain lack of
consideration (not lack of
patriotism) by the Greeks.
We are not asking that
you necessarily stop to
salute the flag, but for
everyone to show courtesy
and to show that they em
body the ideals of an Aggie.
Tim Evan
Class of’96
accompanied by
117 signatures
A bit of sound
advice for CRs
To the “College Republi
cans”: You have the right to
remain silent, too. Just
something to think about.
Brian C. Murrell
Class of ’95