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COLLEGE STATION • TX
997 Fightin' Texas Aggie
See extended forecast. Page 2.
WEDNESDAY • NOVEMBER 26 • 1997
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and builds Bonfire outhouse
Bonfire set to burn Thursday
By Rachel Dawley
Staff writer
The words “Austin: Population 2000”, “t.u.
(house” and “Fightin Texas Aggie Bonfire”
catch fire on the outhouse as Bonfire is
lited Thanksgiving night.
Each year, an 8-foot tall outhouse, sym-
to iVanfJHc °f a “t.u. frat house or tea sippin’ room”
| satop the stack of logs.
| 0 f t | ietf . Sophomores in the Aggie Band are given
responsibility of the outhouse construc-
brfecttjjifn. Bonfire leadership plans to raise the
ngth; PMS 'l* 101156 Thursday.
bay
Clay Kennedy, commander of the Aggie
indand a senior political science and in-
rnational studies major, said the outhouse
the Aggie Band’s contribution to Bonfire.
their busy fall schedules, band mem-
irsdo not get an opportunity to participate
the tradition, Kennedy said.
"The outhouse is something that the
and has always done,” Kennedy said. “We
eso busy during the fall with games that
edon’t have a lot of time for cut and stack,
lie outhouse is a way the band can con-
ibute to Bonfire.”
The outhouse is painted orange and fea-
ires the sophomore class number as the
opulation on the Austin city limits sign.
Four sophomore band members are
bsen as outhouse corporals and two
lembers as assistants corporals. The six
dets supervise the construction of the
ilhouse during the year. The sophomores
epn constructions around the time Bon-
tis started and work on weekends and
ights until its completion,
lody Schaap, an outhouse corporal and
sophomore biology major, said the out-
ouse is important to the band because it
the major contribution to the tradition
iBonfire.
“It is neat to be part of the tradition
tbonfire,” Schaap said. “There is
nly one Bonfire and only a few
eople are given the chance to
wild the outhouse.”
The tradition of the outhouse
ins parallel to that of Bonfire. In
ledays when the effigy was made
scrap wood, Aggies stole area
uthouses to burn. Until the early
360s, a stolen outhouse would al
lays top the stack.
The band built the first out-
ouse in 1962.
Schaap said the outhouse is
mique because of the frame-
fork.
“We build it sturdy,” Schaap
aid. “All the framework is on the
outside so it will sit on centerpole.”
Any sophomore can help in the out
house construction, but only the six sopho
more band leaders and the Bonfire redpots
are allowed inside.
Jim Lockard, executive officer of A Bat
tery in the band and a senior management
major, said the group of sophomores mea
sure centerpole and fit the outhouse
around it. Many hours are spent construct
ing the outhouse, he said.
“The outhouse is basically the same
every year,” Lockard said. “It is passed
down to the class from the year be
fore. Workers spend every weekend
and two or three nights a week
constructing it.”
Please see Outhouse
on Page 6.
its
r ' '
|
By Karie Fehler
Staff writer
The Fightin’ Texas Aggie Bonfire, a glowing
symbol of Texas A&M students’ “burning de
sire to beat the hell outta t.u.,” will burn on the
Texas A&M polo fields Thursday at 8:20 p.m.
The outhouse, or “t.u. tea room”, will be
placed on stack at noon Thursday, and
spectators are expected to begin arriv
ing around 7 p.m.
The Aggie Band and the yell leaders
will step off from the Quadrangle at 7:30
p.m. to march to Bonfire site. Yell prac
tice will begin after the stack is lit.
Coach R.C. Slocum and selected foot
ball players will speak during the yell
practice at the north end of the fields.
It is also tradition for the se
nior yell leader to recite the
poem “The Last Corps Trip” at
|g|p|\ the yell practice.
John Gallemore, Head
Stack and a senior agricul
tural business major,
said the east, west
and south ends
of the polo fields
will be the best
places to view
Bonfire.
f:
“Spectators shouldn’t stand right in front
of the platform on the north end because that
is where the band will be,” he said. “I would
also tell eveiyone to get there around 7 p.m.
There’s going to be a lot of people, and it’s best
to beat the crowd.”
Gallemore said this year’s Bonfire ran
smoothly despite the profanities on pots and
Dunn Hall’s suspension for hiring a stripper to
perform at cut site. Gallemore also said the
number of injuries at cut site decreased this year.
“The students in leadership positions have
really stepped up and taken action,” he said.
“Student leadership awareness has increased
ten-fold in comparison with last year.”
Douglas Williams, associate director of
Parking, Traffic and Transportation Services,
said several streets will be closed to accom
modate traffic.
“More people show up than we can han
dle, so we close Bizzell Street at 6 p.m., Polo
Street all day, and we cut New Main down to
one lane on campus,” he said. “Buses will also
run from West Campus to Fish Pond to help
out parking problems.”
Williams said that since Bonfire is on the
Thanksgiving holiday, all parking lots will be
available for parking.
“People have to be careful because the
game is the next morning at 10 a.m.,” he said.
“Many of the lots are reserved for 12th Man
parking on football game days, and it would
n’t be a very nice early Christmas present to
find your car towed because you left it in the
wrong lot overnight.”
Bob Wiatt, director of the University Police
department, said a zero tolerance policy will
be enforced for alcoholic beverages at Bonfire,
and patrolmen will be watching the parking
lots for suspicious activity or misconduct.
“We will tolerate absolutely no booze at
all, and we are taking a very proactive stance
on conserving the family-type atmosphere,”
he said. “We will be very security conscious
to make sure good family enjoyment of Bon
fire can continue.”
Wiatt said the UPD has cracked down on al
cohol at Bonfire in the past seven years,
and the problem has decreased. Police
officers will walk through the crowd on
foot, horseback and on bicycles. Offi
cers also will watch campus parking
lots from rooftops to discourage drink
ing before walking to Bonfire.
“We’ll be securing the perimeter
of the site and watching for booze—
anyone caught that is over age will
have to pour it out, and all minors
will be cited for Minor in Posses
sion,” Wiatt said. “We’ll be very
busy and hope to preserve the
positive atmosphere of Bonfire.”
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Tradition stacks up with Bonfire
By Colleen Kavanagh
Staff writer
Although the Fightin’ Texas Aggie
Bonfire has changed from a pile of
tosh to a 55-foot stack of logs, the
drive to build Bonfire every year has
remained the same — the “burning
desire to beat the hell outta t.u.”
According to A Centennial His-
[tory of Texas A&M University, by
Henry C. Dethloft, a Texas A&M
history professor, Bonfire, built to
rouse enthusiasm for the game
against the University of Texas,
gradually became a custom, then
it became a “tradition.”
The first Bonfire was built in 1909
out of trash thrown together for the
varsity games in the fall semester.
Early Bonfires were made of com
munity trash, limbs, boxes, lumber
scraps and other “acquired materi
als.” A favorite thing to add was "un
tended, unwatched and hopefully
unoccupied outhouses.”
The fire was lit, accompanied by
speeches and yells, much like Bon
fire today. In the early days, however,
Bonfire had usually burned out by
the time the speech-making ended.
Please see Tradition on Page 6.
Rivalry heats up as game nears
By Rachel Dawley
Staff writer
Reveille vs. Bevo. Maroon vs. Or
ange. Bonfire vs. the Hex Rally.
Slocum vs. Mackovic.
One of the most colorful and
bitterly contested rivalries in col
lege football will continue in the
104th meeting of Texas A&M and
the University of Texas Friday at
Kyle Field.
Shane Dronett, former defensive
end for UT once said, “This is what col
lege football is all about — two teams
that hate each other.”
Some Aggies and Longhorns
believe hate is too strong of a word
for the competition, but all agree
that the rivalry between the two
schools is one of the strongest in
the nation.
The series began in 1894 when
the Longhorns, then known as
“Varsity,” beat the Aggies, 38-0.
The next game was in 1898, with
UT winning again 48-0. The game
became a tradition and fans from
both schools marked the calendar
for the annual meeting.
By Thanksgiving Day in 1924,
thirty-five thousand people
jammed into the football stadium at
Austin to witness the game.
Please see Rivalry on Page 6.