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tudents plan for Aggie Bonfire 2000
Preparations take place despite University officials' admonitions, mandate
BRADY CREEL & MEREDITH HIGH!
The Battalion
I Texas A&M University administrators’ re
quests to put preparations for Aggie Bonfire 2000
or hold have not prevented some students from
Baking plans for the tradition to continue. Stu-
Idents were asked by various University officials
to refrain from planning bonfire or naming any
Badership positions until A&M President Dr. Ray
’ M Bowen has reviewed the report to be released
Biesday from the Special Commission investi
gating the 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse.
I Tve said there is to be no leadership ap-
} pointed for a Bonfire 2000 until after the report
f (ind a decision by Bowen,” said Dr. J. Malon
Southerland, vice president of student affairs, in
an interview Friday with The Battalion.
I However, new “crew' chiefs” -5- bonfire lead-
|ers for “non-reg,” or non-Corps of Cadets resi-
lence halls — are in place.
I “Eveiy dorm that I know of that is relatively
Igbtively involved in bonfire has chosen new crew
| chiefs,” a source requesting anonymity said.
I The new crew chiefs are often initiated on “Pot
||assingNight,” typically held shortly after bon-
i fire bums. Due to the collapse, the ceremony was
| not held until about a month after the collapse.
The source said the “Pot Passing Night
volves hazing.
“There’s insane
drinking and physical
abuse,” the source said.
“There’s stuff every
dorm does. It’s pretty
bad, but it depends on
which dorm. There are
also events after that
night, with just those
five [four crew chiefs
and one yellow pot].
That’s worse stuff.”
“The universal
method of receiving
physical hazing in bon
fire is getting licked
[struck] by an ax han
dle. Sometimes its once, sometimes its twice.
Sometimes its hundreds of times in a night or
a semester.”
Some appointed crew chiefs are going by dif
ferent titles, like “tradition chairs” or “tradition
officers,” according to another source who re
quested anonymity.
“1 know this for a fact. Every dorm has to
come up with some way to elect bonfire crew
"I have said there is
to be no leadership
appointed for Bonfire
2000 until after the
report and the deci
sion by Bowen.
//
chiefs or co-chairs, but they can’t call them that.
They have this rule that you can’t call and quote
them, and so they had to
come up with some
thing to call ’em,” said
another source.
However, other
sources have reported
that some residence
halls and the Corps of
Cadets are not mak
ing plans for a future
bonfire.
“We know who they
will be, but they cannot
be bonfire pots until
they are sure if there is a
bonfire or not,” said one
residence hall source.
“They’re doing nothing. The people we’ve
picked have done absolutely nothing,” another
residence hall source said.
, Redpots are the official student leaders of Ag
gie Bonfire. Redpots serve two-year terms, so the
junior redpots from the 1999 Aggie Bonfire
would automatically serve if bonfire is to contin
ue! The Battalion did not find any activity on the
part of the redpots in regard to a future bonfire.
— Dr. J. Malon Southerland
Vice president of student affairs
Several sources have con
firmed that the redpots have
not had any active role in plan
ning for Bonfire 2000.
"The redpots are totally in
active right now. They have re
ally done nothing,” the first
anonymous source said. “Each
dorm functions independently.
Right now, the redpots don’t
control anything over us.”
Southerland said he would
not respond to any anony
mous reports of students par
ticipating in any activities for
a future bonfire without spe
cific information.
“This is the first time I’ve
heard of any activity for Bon
fire 2000,” he said in Friday's
interview. “1 would use that
information in every appropri
ate manner.”
Southerland declined to comment on the con
sequences these studeifls would face if they were
identified as participating in bonfire activities with
out University approval. However, he said that ac
tion would be taken if students were found to be
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In an April 7 residence hall newsletter, the newly
elected hall council listed. The positions listed for
the 2000-2001 hall council includes the Traditions
seat, which according to a sources who wishes to re
main anonymous is representative of the 2000 Aggie
Bonfire crew chief.
participating in bonfire activities, but that he “could
not define that without specific information.”
“Yes, 1 would be concerned. Yes, 1 would like
any information [you can] provide. 1 have
See Crew chiefs on Page 7.
“Ahoy Matey”
Internal report
details response
STUART VILLANUEVA/T111 Baitai i
“Popeye,” an 11 year old black headed caique, perches on the hand of junior animal science major Patty
Schlottman at the Wildlife and Exotic Animal Center on Monday. Popeye, who was born blind, visits local
schools and helps children learn how animals and even humans adapt to disabilities.
BY MAUREEN
KANE &
BLAINE DIONNE
The Battalion
A report docu
menting the rescue
and recovery opera
tion following the
collapse of the 1999
Aggie Bonfire col
lapse does not state a
cause that ultimately
caused the stack to
fall, but does pinpoint
both effective and in
effective steps taken
by various teams
handling the collapse.
Thomas Goehl, a
battalion chief of
the College Station
Fire Department
(CSFD) and incident
commander the
night the stack fell, was a con
tributing member to the Bonfire
Report Committee.
“The joint report was put togeth
er for other public agencies so they
could leam from our experience,”
Goehl said. “This report gives an
equal representation from all agen
cies of what happened. The report is
JP BEATO/The Battalion
A firefighter (left) and an emergency medical technician carry away a student
injured in the 1999 Aggie Bonfire Collapse.
for anyone who asks for it.”
The report was compiled in
March by a joint committee com
posed of members from the CSFD,
Bryan Fire Department, Texas Task
Force 1 — Urban Search and Rescue
(USAR) and Texas A&M Universi
ty Medical Services.
The report consists of 12 sec
tions, including information on the
actual collapse of bonfire, the first
phase of the operation, an after-ac
tion review and an aftermath analy
sis of the collapse.
According to the report, witness
es said construction was proceeding
as it had in previous weeks when,
“the uppermost tier shifted to the
See Report on Page 2.
Bonfire report
et for release
BY ROLANDO GARCIA
The Battalion
With bonfire investigators set to release
ilheir findings Tuesday, investigators said
they are confident the report will provide the
answers the Texas A&M community has
been waiting for.
I’m totally satisfied the report is complete
Students march in
support of bonfire
BY BRADY CREEL
The Battalion
As the Special Commission on
the 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse pre
pare to deliver its findings and the
media spotlight once again turns to
the campus of Texas A&M Universi
ty, Aggies will embody their unity of
spirit and join together at the Com
mission’s meeting in Reed Arena.
John Schuster, president of
Moore Hall and a sophomore gen
eral studies major, said the idea
came about this past weekend when
See March on Page 7.
and detailed and thorough. After tomorrow,
you will know what caused bonfire to fall,”
said Leo Linbeck Jr., chairperson of the Spe
cial Commission on the 1999 Aggie Bonfire.
The commission will hold a meeting at 1
p.m. in Reed Arena to present a summary of
the investigation’s findings! A press confer
ence will follow the meeting. In addition to
hard copies of the report available for the me
dia, copies of the report will be accessible on
the commission’s Website.
University officials have also been busy
preparing for the report and its aftermath.
Texas A&M Vice President of Student Af
fairs Dr. J. Malon Southerland said he has been
conducting “informational sessions” with
small groups of students, including one with
redpots, brownpots and others in 1999 bonfire
leadership roles.
“My intent was to give them a personal
heads-up to how we thought May 2 was going
to go, just a conversation of what we know so
far,” Southerland said. “The junior [redpots]
are a group with whom I’m communicating.
I’m listening to them, and they deserve to be
infonned on what the process is going to be.”
In particular, Southerland added, students
were warned about talking to the media.
“It’s reasonable to assume there’ll be heavy
- The Special Commission on the
1999 Aggie Bonfire will release
their findings today at 1 p.m. in
Reed Arena
- The report will then be released
via the web at:
http:/ inuLtamu.edu bonfire-commission
— -
Look for tomorrow’s
special bonfire edition of
THE BATTALION
detailing the
Commission s findings
A&M student
arrested in
INSIDE
ries
1
■ WW ”
GABRIEL RUENES/Ti
media coverage, and you have to decide your
comfort zone, if you’re comfortable talking to
reporters about this. It’s a personal decision.”
Southerland added the University will an
nounce plans for the decision-making
process that will culminate in a final decision
by A&M President Dr. Ray M. Bowen on
whether the bonfire tradition will continue.
Also to be revealed are details for a forum
scheduled for Thursday where students can
voice their opinions on the future of bonfire.
“The important thing is the report and the
process of having input, and then the presi
dent will make a decision. Other things that
happen will be on the periphery,” Souther
land said. “Students may have meetings, but
it’s moot until you know if there’s going to
be a bonfire. Whatever they’ve done is
among themselves.”
BY BRAI0IE LIFFICK
The Jlattalion
$
Two College Station residents and one Texas A&M student
were arrested Sunday mornirjg on charges of participating in a
rash of car break-ins over the weekend in the Bryan-College Sta
tion area. |
Joshua Jones, Dennis Olsen and freshman general studies ma
jor Adam Patrick Baker have been indicated in a string of bur
glaries that left a total of 38 cars broken into, with 21 break-ins re
ported in College Station and 17 in Bryan. Police from both cities
said that the burglars generally broke the passenger side windows .
to gain access to the car.
The majority of the College Station burglaries occurred in the
area of Spring Loop and Vineyard Court.
Kabrina Scott, public information advisor to the College Sta
tion Police Department (CSPD), said that plain clothes surveil
lance officers observed the three suspects at the 800 block of Mar
ion Pugh Drive trying door handles to see if they were locked.
“The suspects then left the area, and were stopped by the offi
cers,” said Scott.
Police are still investigating the suspects’ possible involvement
in the weekend break-ins. They have been connected with three of
See Theft on Page 2.
• Aggies drop
series to UT
Baseball closes
weekend with 4-2
wi n at Olsen.
Page is:/ 5 * v
• Conversations with the
Batt: Todd Phillips
Page 3
llll § Tpf
• A tale of two cities
Page 19
BRYAn~
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