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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 2000)
day, June 19,2000 Page 5 J J V- ^ZV. THE BATTALION Editorial itorials appearing in T/?^ Battalion reflect the majority view of the editorial board mem- jrs. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other Battalion staff members, the Texas MiM student body, regents, administration, faculty or staff. Columns, guest columns, car bons and letters express the opinions of the authors. Editorial Board BEVERLY MIRELES EDITOR IN CHIEF JEFF KEMPF MANAGING EDITOR APRIL YOUNG CITY EDITOR ERIC DICKENS OPINION EDITOR JASON BENNYHOFF AGGIELIFE/RADIO EDITOR REECE FLOOD SPORTS EDITOR BETH AHLQUIST COPY CHIEF JENNIFER BALES NIGHT NEWS EDITOR JEANETTE SIMPSON ASST. CITY EDITOR JP BEATO PHOTO EDITOR RUBEN DELUNA GRAPHICS EDITOR BRANDON PAYTON WEB MASTER STUART HUTSON SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR vlotion dance team of ing. The girls will spend The decision Bowen decision unfortunate consequence of too much compromise; bonfire modifications extreme rders JA tesf “The challenge re ally, to [students] is to protect this tradition, to cause this tradition to be here as a safe, positive element of our University.” — Ray M. Bowen Texas A&M University president On Friday, Texas A&M President Dr. Ray M. Bowen ended the six months of anticipation and conjec ture about the future of Aggie Bon fire. Bowen tried to appeal to the contingent that wanted bonfire to continue if an improved, safe ver sion could be built. In looking for that compromise, Bowen unavoid ably upset people on both sides of the debate. However, to ensure the future of a safe bonfire, a number of dramatic changes must be im plemented, and unpopular choices have to be made. The postponement of bonfire until the fall of 2002 was a sound decision. Bonfire certainly could not be carried out this fall and still in corporate the necessary changes for a safe structure. The final report by the Commis sion on the 1999 Aggie Bonfire pointed out a number of mistakes and problems with bonfire that ac cumulated over the structure’s 90- year history. Future bonfires need to be safe bonfires, and there is simply not enough time to introduce the necessary improvements to the structure by this fall. While canceling bonfire for 2001 and taking a full two years to tran sition into the restructured bonfire seems excessive, when addressing safety concerns, it is best to take more time than necessary. Putting bonfire on hiatus until 2002 will give University and student leaders more than adequate time to plan and take steps toward building a safe bonfire. While putting bonfire on hold was one of those difficult, but cor rect, decisions, ending student-in volved cut was an error. Doing away with student participation in cutting the trees for bonfire eliminates the bulk of student involvement. In a tradition founded by, and historical ly built by, students, their involve ment is critical, even if it must be accompanied by paid engineers. This decision cuts out the heart of student activity and involvement. Instead of ending student-run cut, Bowen should have made a com promise similar to the one he made with student participation in stack. A combination of students and pro fessionals would improve the safe ty and the negative elements of the bonfire culture without sacrificing student involvement. Further, Bowen’s decision to re place bonfire’s wedding-cake de sign with the tepee form repre sents an overreaction and unnec essary change in the evolution of a safe bonfire. The introduction of professional engineering supervi sion at stack is a positive step, but with the increased supervision, planning and safety oversight, a wedding-cake bonfire could be safely built. The bonfire commission out lined various errors and weak points of the wedding-cake design, and the students and engineers should work on correcting those problems rather than ignoring them and reverting to a bonfire style that has not been used since the late ’50s. Structural hnodifications to the wiring, height and number of layers should be introduced with out scrapping the entire design. The majority of students wanted bonfire to burn again if it could be built safely, and a safe wedding- cake bonfire can be built. In the end, however, bonfire is not about the size or style of the fi nal structure, but the unity students experience while working on it. Bon fire participants do not simply build a stack of logs, but bonds of friend ship. Therefore, how bonfire is re structured is only a secondary ele ment of the tradition’s future —• carrying on the legacy of cama raderie associated with it is the prime concern of all Aggies. This is the challenge facing stu dents. How they respond to this, challenge will show the true char-’ acter of the student body and the important role bonfire has at Texas A&M. h issued his first reprieveraM s June 1 to Ricky McGinn,43,® ending his guilt in the 1993r;:| cur-old stepdaughter in BrJ .^ e creat j n g k on fj re was that it was a hns been delayed to jllowD v j|jffj cu |t project, involving sweat, energy, trust and dedication by many people. To create a project ida Saturday, Gov. Bushtolc'that is neither difficult nor time consuming for indi- n he would have to checker: viduals involved, does not create the lasting friend- vith his lawyers in Austin and! sh iP s or memories that make bonfire the great tra il other death penalty cases. ^ on ^ , , become. I would find two questions asked, Bds- it veIy d|fflcu|t (0 see ; ther the man is guilty or not,aij the m e an ing behind er or not he’s had full accesstotk suc h a scaled-back bonfire. If the bonfire cannot be created in a safer way, it seems painfully obvious to me that it should be canceled. I personally believe there are ways to > hope to test two hairs foundi! make it much safer. :arried Ashley's body and ini However, I see why of- wear. A prosecutionexperttesffl c ' a ^ s would not want Mail Call Aggies react to Bowen’s official decision on Aggie Bonfire ■cutions stayed. A new exeat s federal appeals run their c& \ samples authorities say belorf- i n Blai r's car are due out late" vood of Austin, one of BlairA aalysis of the hairs showedfe to take the arduous task of finding them. They would be putting 'There is this notion among the general Aggie population that there is a series of necessary, but relatively unimportant tasks, that lead up to the pinnacle of Aggie spirit, the burning of logs. worth living entails risk. Ridiculous sums were spent determining why bonfire fell, but I’ll tell you for free: it fell because we are human and we make mistakes. This time, we paid dearly for them. Obvi ously, we should protect people, but we have al lowed our obsession with preserving life to smoth er our aspirations. When did we become so timid? Man does not exist to be safe, he exists to go out and do, even at the cost of life. People will tell us we need to accept the decision and move on. Bull! I am angry and I have every right to stay angry. Mark Smith Class of VO about getting there. Bonfire ing, it is about the building. is not about the burn- Charles Berend Class of ’96 same race as Blair. ts would destroy the hairsampi^ their necks outon the ing for the results of the hairsftff line, and that is rarely aderal judge to allow testing, something politicians or board members [would do. I If this idea is to create a safe bonfire he parents of bonfire victims at the expense of the had varied reactions !:P rd work, long hours, and pride of so many indi- , , . . ‘ viduals, I opt for ending it. ‘ ‘ ' J Do something else, and remember what made neal Self, father of Jerry s bonfire so vital to the Spirit of Aggieland was the he disagreed with Bowen riigtjonghipg f or g e d in long, hard work with friends ouncement. and strangers. My reaction (to Bowen's com: ts) is disappointment. Agp Jason E. Trust so special, and I am disaf C/ass of ’ 92 ited that they are taking on I- lality of the rest of the work ^ g mem k er 0 f construction industry, I egards to what people think know Bowen’s decision about bonfire is quite un said. "Seniors have worked: reasonable. The necessary structural and safety i on bonfire, and I don't thiussues can be addressed in time for next year’s ■ should be punished lamn bonfire - Bowen has seriously wounded my trust in ‘ .my school. Bowen seems to have disregarded the It has always amazed me that so many people at A&M do not understand bonfire. Even some of bon fire’s strongest proponents have only a slim grasp on what bonfire is all about. There is this notion among the general Aggie population that there is a series of necessary, but relatively unimportant tasks, that lead up to the pinnacle of Aggie spirit, the burning of logs. The evidence of this can be found in the fact "At the start of the 21st century, the bonfire tradition needs to evolve to recognize the challenges of the future." At the start of the 21st century, the bonfire tra dition needs to evolve to recognize the challenges of the future. The giant feats of engineering and construction that typified past generations of Ag gies are no longer exceptional, and are even ques tionable. Consider the complexities of the prob lems facing mankind. Global warming Is a good example. Of course, the old bonfire caused many trees to be chopped down and burned, releas ing a lot of carbon diox ide into the atmosphere. The time has come for a new bonfire ethic. Something “greener” seems appropriate, like a hay bale bonfire. The advantages are numerous. A hay bale construction would be safer. It would be quicker to construct, al lowing students to return to their studies. It would allow for more creativity, than a stack of logs. Most important, the carbon dioxide would be 2X4s is a mockery of what bonfire stands for, what it means to the student body and what it meant to our 12 fallen brothers and sisters. I do know that President Dr. Ray Bowen would not make a decision that would harm our great in stitution, nor do I envy him for having to make this decision. No Aggie wants this tradition to continue if any more students were to get hurt, but I do feel that they administration is taking this to an ex treme! I just "Let us remember wish th u ere was something we could do. the noble, sorrowful moments while we held each others' hands and prayed for those caught inside the collapsed pile." Chris Massol Class of VI I at the University. I amp iking out for my son and 1 for the University, his buf , and bonfire." 3arolyn Adams, mother f and a Adams, said the decisk* jp two. >ed a well-thought-out plait :e bonfire a safe event." 1 laud his decision. He covet Bonfire Commission report and chosen the easy way to stop bonfire by waiting "My heart two years — breaking the chain 1 J . and importance of passing IS tearing down tradition among students. Too often over my time at A&M, our faculty and staff chose only to reprimand rather than repair the problems they saw. Additionally, there is no reason faculty should be a part of any future plan- ything," Adams said. ning committee. The faculty has never wanted to udiFrampton, mother of Jerer be p ar t of bonfire and should not be put in the npton, said she thinks Bo' 1 process of defining its future now. le the best choice possible M V father told me when I came to A&M to enjoy I'm totally in sll pp 0r , 'tanf're because it probably wouldn't last. I did en- „ , 7 . , „ T f .... joy it. I learned how to appreciate hard work and ston, she said. It wD !*• ttenOMp because of bonfire. I met the woman I ontinue and keep the train w j|| marr y on /\ u g_ yg j 2000, because of bonfire, e, but we really need thisti you have broken my heart, Bowen, by letting this urther examine the situati decision come from lawyers and committees, not take a good look at " ! from the family. *yone is doing." mampton said the annour 6 it brought her and her fafflil' ;e of closure. I can't speak for the other k Bonfire was an expression not merely of the Ag- , but it has brought us ones gje spirit, but of the greater human desire to strive er to closure," she said. "Itf for greatness. It has just been gutted in the name er (to deal with Jeremy'sde<' °f guaranteeing safety. But such a guarantee can- ime goes on, but it has h "?* e *, ist ' ar,d if il dld ' 11 would ™ ean 3 life dev ° id Please do not tell me you’re still go ing to put an outhouse on top of a 15-foot stack. It wouldn’t compare much to the bonfire of old, if the outhouse itself repre sents half the height. I hate to be the one to say it, but I know that thousands of Aggies around the world agree with me; let bonfire die a peaceful ; death instead of reducing it to this pathetic level, Let us remember the noble, sorrowful moments while we held each others’ hands and prayed for those caught inside the collapsed pile. Let us re member our own cuts, our own stacks, our own loads. ... Fifteen, 20 feet? I would call that a camp fire. I can call it that because I have burned higher piles than that of cleared trees and branches. I re member not being particularly impressed at the time. Why would you want to remember bonfire that way? Spencer Williams graduate student A group of students hear the proposed amendments to the building of bonfire in the Flagroom of the Memorial Student Center on Friday. Gavin Daniels Class of ’99 d this summer because of pride or accomplishment. In the name of safety, shall we all be strapped into our beds for the rest ays came home for the si 0 f our |j ves 9 WO uld certainly be very safe! '• I'm just glad a decision 1 My point is that although life is fragile, any life n made." 9 ■ that less than 2,000 people show up for most cuts, but more than 40,000 people show up to watch bonfire burn. Similar evidence can be found in Dr. Bowen’s comments regarding his decision to childproof bonfire. It is this belief that leads people to suggest that a bonfire without the problem of con struction is somehow a better product. To put this to rest, let me state one of the great truths about bonfire: Bonfire is not about the burn ing of logs! There is little, if any, value created by lighting bonfire for the Thanksgiving spectators. If we take away from bonfire the challenge of construction, we have destroyed its usefulness as a builder of Aggie spirit and character. Going to the moon was not about walking in low gravity. It was recycled by the renewable growth of hay each year. S.S. Howze Class of ’76 My heart is tearing in two. It feels as if the breath was just taken straight out of my lungs with this decision. It now feels that those 12 students who perished at our cost are being disregarded. I imagine every one of those individuals would have supported a normal bonfire this fall instead of a memorial service. For two years, we are not going to have bonfire ... and when we do have it, it will be ‘modified.’ A one-tiered bonfire made out of The new plan calls for no stu dent intervention in the building of bonfire. I understand totally that the design and overseeing of the construction should be by a li censed professional. That makes lots of sense. What is unfortunate is that there will be no students sweating and working together as Aggies to build the actual bonfire stack. That expe rience alone teaches you so much about the tradition and together ness that we all have as Aggies. The way the “new” bonfire will be will have almost no meaning. It will be like a nice corporate spon sorship instead of the work of hun dreds of tireless students who put their hearts and souls into building the best bonfire they could. I would rather see bonfire go away completely than have it in the state that it will be in in the coming years. So ends my bonfire visits. My memories of Fightin’ Texas main of the camaraderie had with up on the stack. "Bonfire was an expres sion not merely of the Ag gie spirit, but of the greater human desire to strive for great ness. " - Aggie Bonfire re fellow Ags while Robert Nederhorst former student' The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 300 words or less and include the author's name, class and phone number. The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, style, and accuracy. Letters may be submitted in person at 014 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters may also be mailed to: The Battalion ■ Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Campus Mail: 1111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com