A&M VOLLEYBALL TE/
| 11
SWEET SIXTEEN, Pg. 10
106 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
College Station, Texas
Volume 106 • Issue 68*10 Pages
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BY STUART HUTSON
The Battalion
After pacing the site where 18 days ago an
gie tradition tragically turned to disaster.
Bonfire investigation commission re
tied to the Board of Regents’ annex, Friday
ask the questions which may lead to the
wer of why the stack fell.
Leo Linbeck, chair of the Bonfire commis-
n, said the meeting’s purpose was to ori-
the commission to its task of discovering
cause of the collapse.
“We wanted to get organized, and 1 think
accomplished that,” Linbeck said. “It’s pre-
iture to say that we have our arms around
s issue, but we have a sense of direction es-
ilished and a protocol that we wish to fol-
v to go forward. So it’s a beginning”
Linbeck said the commission began its
meeting with a visit to the site to have a sense
of reality of the collapse to sink into the minds
of commission members.
“In all candor, it’s kind of overpowering,”
Linbeck said. “You have a heavy heart when
you go on to a site where as many young peo
ple were killed or injured. It reinforced the
sense responsibility we feel to bring this mat
ter to a conclusion to bring the truth to the
surface, whatever that is.”
The majority of Friday’s four-hour meet
ing was spent constructing a set of prelimi
nary questions which Linbeck said would
serve as a starting point for the investigation.
The set comprised more than 20 questions
which included: “What level of outside advice
see Bonfire on Page 2.
BONFIRE
Questions the
commission wonts answered
by march 31st.
"What level of outside
advice was on site?"
"What requirements did
supervisors have to fill
before they became
supervisors?"
"What equipment was in
use during construction?"
"What revisions were made
to construction
specifications in
past years?"
A&M denies licenses
to retailers selling
memorial T-shirts
RUBEN DELUNA/The Battalion
Engineers council
ecognized at
lational meeting
BY DIANE XAVIER
The Battalion
FLIES AT
~HE AQQM
LOST IN
ONFIRE TV4
The Texas A&M University Student Engi-
v, , , neersCouncil (SEC), noted for its excellence
Now located at ■ v , . . , ,
„ u • e | Ball aspects of activity, recently was named
■(..ate Lur,, the world’s most exemplary council at the
846-4455 P99 National Association of Engineering
■udent Councils (NAESC) conference.
low A' P According to the NAESC , the exemplary
- " CISCl 'Buncil award goes to the council demon-
with thiiii [sirating excellence in fund-raising, school
III 4321V* spirit,community service, campus recogni-
^ \\„ ; f/nn and programs offered to students.
—I n«rfcmcudiij Thirteen members of the A&M council
atiended the conference, hosted by the Uni-
-rorsity of South Florida in Tampa. More
■an 400 delegates, representing 40 univer-
■ TEXAS ELI- sties from the United States and Canada
were in attendance.
I Laurinda Lin, SEC president and a senior
F'MAST engineering major, said the
council submitted a three page essay high-
llhting the programs and opportunities
their SEC offered and describing why the
Ijuncil deserved the award.
We are really honored to show validation
for all things we do and are happy to share
what we do with our council at Texas A&M
Sincerely, and other councils in the nation,” she said.
TheSt0I “Our council has been very successful
_ ,, With all the activities we have had, and we
of Strictl\ 1- ^ 0))e t0 con ti nue that. ”
■ Each year, the SEC hosts two career
fairs, which bring in more than 200 com-
W.Strictlytexas.com P llies for recruitment; Engineers Week, a
.jweek of activities promoting the different
jSpects of engineering and Leaders of
eshman Engineering, a organization
A TJ /^l|f ov iding leadership opportunities for
lijfeshman engineering majors.
1 “We were limited to three pages to show
oil and elaborate on details on all the orga-
iark Office, .iccounta- libations we offered and describe how it
:a's innovation,iss benefited the students and the community,”
rch and analyze 1 said.
eetion of new inven® Bobby Tulsiani, vice president of the SEC
atent Examil see SEC on Page 2.
Immediate Ope^
anced degree can le*i
ok at the latest techrfj
flexible hours, an ai
oportunitiesandasl
tinued growth has
;nt Examiner positM
• Electrical Engi" 1
• Computer Engi'
• Computer Scii
Mechanical Engi 111
* Biotechnol
• Chemical Engi” 1
• Physii
A holiday tradition
BY BRADY CREEL
The Battalion
The Department of Collegiate licensing
for Texas A&M University has now pro
hibited retailers from selling merchandise
memorializing Bonfire.
A&M clothing retailer Inspirations, the
first to produce and sell the memorial Bon
fire “Muster” T-shirts, was ordered by Col
legiate licensing to donate its proceeds and
shirts to Traditions Council.
Toby Boenig, manager of A&M colle
giate licensing, said his office will not ap
prove any licenses for Bonfire items in
tended for retail sales.
“The policy we adopted says only stu
dent groups directly affiliated with Texas
A&M are permitted to use A&M trade
marks to sell products memorializing Bon
fire,” he said.
Boenig said the University requires all
proceeds from sales of Bonfire-related items
be donated to the Bonfire memorial fund.
Matt Timmons, a Traditions Council
member and a senior community health
major, said Inspirations donated 1500
“Muster” T-shirts left in their store and at
the printer to the Traditions Council after
the University mandated only student or
ganizations could sell Bonfire merchandise.
Timmons said students lined the main
hallway of the MSC last week, waiting for
to get a tangible memory of Bonfire.
He said the, the only available
JR BEATO/Tiu: Battalion
Local clothing retailer Inspirations has
been ordered to donate proceeds from
its Bonfire “Muster” T-shirts to the
A&M Traditions Council.
“Muster” T-shirts are size small all other
sizes sold out in two hours. The Traditions
Council will not reorder.
Fadi Kalaouze, Inspirations owner and
Class of ’90, said his store donated ap
proximately $17,000 in money and retail
merchandise to the Traditions Council and
the memorial fund.
see T-shirts on Page 2.
Department offers aid
with healing process
JR BEATO/Thk Battalion
Members of the Moscow City Ballet Natalya Chtchelokova and Mikhail
Ronikov, portray the roles of Clara and the Nutcraker Prince from The Nut
cracker Friday night at Rudder Auditorium.
BY MATT LOFTIS
The Battalion
Students and community members
having trouble dealing with the Bonfire
collapse are being advised by the Texas
A&M Department of Psychology to seek
their help in talking through the ordeal and
begin a healthy healing process.
The A&M Psychology Clinic staff is ex
tending its hours to accommodate anyone
needing help from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
The Department of Psychology has re
leased a list of symptoms to watch for that
could indicate the beginning of Post Trau
matic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In a press
release from the Department the disorder
is common among war veterans and suf
ferers of other scarring events, but is in
creasingly recognized after cases of as
sault, rape, natural disasters and
community disasters.
A press release, authored by Tara L.
Williams M.S., and Dr. David H. Cleaves
of the Psychology Department, states
symptoms of the disorder are residual ef
fects of the Bonfire collapse that stay with
students or community members a month
or more following the accident. Symptoms
include vividly re-experiencing the col
lapse through dreams, waking thoughts.
total avoidance of any reference to the is
sue or extreme emotional responses.
The Psychology department urges any
student with these problems to visit the
staff. People interested in these services
can call 845-8017 for directions to the clin
ic. The extended hours will be in effect
Dec. 6 to Dec. 9 and Dec. 13 to Dec. 15.
Dr. Rob Heifer, director of the A&M Psy
chology Clinic and clinical assistant pro
fessor, said the extended hours will be an
informal atmosphere for people share their
feelings and concerns. No fees will be ac
cepted for the services.
“If someone just needs to talk and they
are all right; then we’re glad we could pro
vide the service,” Heffer said. “If some
thing more is needed during these ses
sions, we can help extend services. ”
Services will be provided by advanced
doctoral students and will be overseen by
licensed psychologist faculty. Those who
do not attend the help sessions at the clin
ic are encouraged to contact Student Coun
seling Services at 845-4427, Student Help
Line at 845-2700 or the TAMU Counseling
and Assessment Clinic at 825-8021.
“These next two weeks could be im
portant for those who are having the pres
sures of normal life set back in with finals,”
Heffer said.
INSIDE
ggieiife
Munchies
ating well
impor-
lant for
Students.
Page 3’
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lent office for addi”
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ou can apply on-li* 1
>v or call 1-800-#
Documentary, book aim to capture moments, debates over tragedy
Sports
Texas A&M basketball
lust haveCaiculusil teams have winning weekend
iai Equations & State ^ggie men, women teams do
nation sessionon^ ^11 against competition .
Page 7/,
Opinion
•Kids today:
Buy, sell or
trade?
^okemon bad in- 1
iuence on
children, %
tresses status.
Page 9
BattWai
Listen to KAMU-FM 90.9 at 1:57
md Trademarkp.m. for details on community
www.uspte; news.
U.S. citizenship is ^
iqual Opportunity E'
• Graduate student solicited
input from Aggies to make
film on aftermath of event
BY ROLANDO GARCIA
The Battalion
Upon hearing the Bonfire stack collapsed
in the early morning of Nov. 18, Jeremy
Collette reached for his video camera and
trekked to the Polo Fields.
“I just got my camera and went to the
site, but I wasn’t sure what I was going to do
with the videotape,” Collette, Class of ’94 and
an organic chemistry graduate student, said.
Collette is producing a short documen
tary of the Bonfire collapse and its after-
math he hopes will capture the “Spirit of
Aggieland” in a way mere words cannot.
Collette recorded more than five hours
of footage, beginning with the rescue efforts
at the stack site immediately following the
collapse and ending with the yell practice
at Kyle Field a week later.
Included are footage of press conferences,
the Nov. 18 memorial service at Reed Arena
and the candlelight vigil seven days later,
and people gathering at the site to leave flow
ers, candles and other makeshift memorials.
“When I witnessed how the students and
the whole campus community came togeth-
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•Author to explore history, future of University tradition;
seeks writings, interviews with ‘Aggieland perspective’
RUBEN DELUNA/The Battalion
er to help cope with what happened, I want
ed to capture that on film,” Collette said.
He said he is in the process of editing the
video into a a 45 to 60 minute film.
Matthew Roberts, a senior computer en
gineering major, is assisting Collette in mak
ing the documentary and said the film is an
opportunity to. capture the importance of
the Bonfire aftermath for future Aggies.
“When I was out there at the stack site,
so many people expressed a desire to pre
serve this— the writings, the flowers, the
emotions,” Roberts said.
see Documentary on Page 2.
BY JEANETTE SIMPSON
The Battalion
Irwin Tang, Class of ’92, watched has wit
nessed many Bonfires and is publishing a book
about its need to continue, its history and the
stories behind the investigations of the cause.
A College Station native and graduate of
Texas A&M, Tang said he understands all
Bonfire symbolizes to the Aggie family. Tang,
a publisher in the Bryan-College Station area,
has decided to produce a book in which
everyone touched by the Bonfire accident
can express their opinions.
Tang said the controversy over Bonfire and
its future at A&M is a sentimental subject for
those involved.
“When debates are emotional, they tend to
be simplified,” he said. “This debate is not
simple. Many points must be carefully exam
ined before a decision can be made.”
Tang said the book will provide students
information needed to make an intelligent,
thoughtful and philosophical argument.
“I was deeply affected by this tragedy,”
Tang said. “I went from shocked to sad to an
gry. In my anger, I wanted to ask tough ques
tions. My hope is that this book will encour
age everyone to ask tough questions.”
Aqqie)an<J Perspectives on
[Btiflf iff in, tragedy, and fntara
Contact: bonfirebook@hotm«il eafft
Deadline: January 1, 2000
RUBEN DELUNA/The Battalion
The book, tentatively titled The Texas A&M
Bonfire Tradition: Aggieland Perspectives on
Its History, Its Tragedy, and Its Future, will not
only cover the debate about the future of the
event, Tang said. The book also will include
two sections about Bonfire’s history, meaning
and what the investigation concludes.
“I have challenged both sides to come for
ward with their arguments, their personal ex
periences and their reactions,” Tang said. “The
question I wish to pose is, ‘Is Bonfire worth it?”’
Students, faculty, staff, alumni, communi
ty residents and anyone else associated with
Aggieland are invited to submit their work.
Tang said he especially is seeking writing
see Book on Page 2.