The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, May 29, 2001, Image 2

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    Page 2
NEWS
Tuesday, May 29, M
THE BATTALION
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Continued from Page 1
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Loves ^ Daddy
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/MUCH....
The pantastico Chronicles
BY i. GOLDFLUTE
Adrian
Plans
Continued from Page 1
Cole said that input is still being taken in the
form of email. So far, he said, more than 300
emails have been received, most of which are in
regard to cut, the period of time when students
would go out and chop down the trees to be
used to build Bonfire.
“Most of the people are upset that cut will
never happen again,” he said. “But what they
have to realize is that cut posed the greatest
danger for injury out of the entire process of
building Bonfire. It was just too dangerous to
continue.”
The wood for Bonfire 2002 will be pur
chased and shipped to A&M, but no specific
plans have been made.
Cole said that formulation of the student
leadership and overall participation will begin
in the Fall 2001 semester, but the bulk of the
training for students who wish to help build
Bonfire will take place in the Spring 2002 se
mester.
“Normally, the leadership would have past
training and experience under our new plan,
because the leadership would have to rise
through the ranks,” he said. “But now we have
to make up for that lack of experience with a lot
more training.”
Those who wish to find out more about the
2002 Bonfire or want to submit email may ac
cess the Bonfire 2002 Website through the
Texas A&M University Website.
Bees
Continued from Page 1
not as docile as the European ones bee
keepers use.”
Jackson said what makes the African
ized honey bees more dangerous than the
European variety is that they attack in
greater numbers. When someone is
stung, pheromones are released by the
bee, which attracts more bees to attack.
When this happens with a European
honey bee, about five more bees may
If o swarm of bees
does attack you, the
most important thing
to do is to flee the
area and seek some
shelter.”
“Education is a positive force in pre
venting injuries,” he said. “If a swarm of
bees does attack you, the most important
thing to do is to flee the area and seek
some shelter.
“Once inside, go to a room, close the
door, turn off the lights and turn on the air
conditioner.”
The bees will be attracted to th^ light
and its warmth and will leave, givipg the
individual a chance to call someone for
help.
If one is attacked in an open field or a
place with no shelter nearby, Jackson said
“do not jump in a pool of water like many
people believe.”
The bees will not follow into the water,
but as soon as one comes up for air, they
will attack the individual’s head, which is
the worst place to be stung.
If there is a vehicle nearby, those under
attack by the bees should roll up the win
dows, turn on the air conditioner and drive
— Paul Jackson
chief Apiary inspector
come and attack. If it were a colony of
Africanized bees, five hundred may join
the fight.
Jackson said knowing what to do in the
event of an attack gives a person a greater
chance of survival.
away.
Jackson said soap and water are valuable
weapons against killer bees.
“Water will bring down a bee and soapy
water will kill it,” he said.
A stung individual should not try to re
move the stinger with fingers or tweezers
since this will only force more venom into
the wound. Instead, a credit card or some
thing similar should be slid along the stung
area to push the stinger out.
the redpots have requested.”
Mask said the hearing would
then allow the trial to be sched
uled.
The lawsuit was first filed in
late March against 24 defendants
including: Texas A&M Universi
ty President Dr. Ray M. Bowen;
Vice President for Student Af
fairs Dr. J. Malon Southerland;
former Bonfire advisor Bill Ki-
bler; Bonfire advisor Rusty
Thompson; the 1999 redpots;
the 1998 redpots; a professional
crane operator; a student crane
operator; two companies that
provided cranes; and, at that
time, Texas A&M University.
In the lawsuit, Self alleged
that all the individuals and insti
tutions listed were partly re
sponsible for the death of her
sop, Jerry Don Self, because
they were negligent in their du
ties to build a safe Bonfire.
“Mrs. Self is not against Bon
fire,” Keith said. “She is against
an unsafe and unsupervised
Bonfire like the one that took
her son’s life.”
Keith said that it is Selfs con
cern that she receive compensa
tion for her son’s death from the
individuals responsible. Keith
said it is an attempt for her to
find justice and a greater sense of
peace, while at the same time in
suring that another unsafe Bon
fire does not happen.
While the University has pro
vided an undisclosed amount to
the families of the Bonfire vic
tims, Keith said the amount was
unsatisfactory.
“Offering to pay funeral and
burial expenses does not com
pensate for taking the life,” he
said.
Bowen, who has so far de
clined to comment on the suit,
said the University is still con
cerned with doing what is right
for everyone.
“Our hearts and support still
lie with those affected by the col
lapse,” he said. “Helping the fam
ilies is still very important to us.”
Keith, said his strategy in the
case is to provide evidence that
proper safety precautions had
existed prior to the 1999 Bon
fire, and that those precautions
were eliminated from the Bon
fire design over a short period
of time.
“What 1 intend to prove is
that it was at one time built safe
and that diose things that were
done to make it safe were for
some reason or another not
done for that Bonfire,” he said.
“And those changes were made
over a few years, not decades as
the investigation ‘committee
found. The people responsible
for this tragedy are readily ac
cessible.”
Keith lists such items as
properly aligning the stacks
with the ground, properly
wrapping the stacks with thick
enough cable, providing inter
locking logs between stacks and
inwardly sloping stacks as prior
safety precautions that were not
implemented.
“The commission’s report at
tempted to whitewash the Uni
versity of any responsibility, but
a er a o r w y
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Tuesday. May
if you look at how the 1999 Bo:
fire was built, it doesn’t tab
rocket scientist to realize tt
this was a train wreck waitine
happen,” he said.
Keith said redpots i
named in the suit because,
cording to the Bonfire Cons
tution, redpots were listed
having the ultimate controlo
how the structure was built,
though Keith claims muck
t he oversight still rested withe
University.
Students atte
He said 1998 redpots, di t&M may fin
in charge of Bonfire the year" ng spot than st
or to its collapse, were also
sponsible because they failed
properly train those redpots
sponsible for building the ! J | unnner, there
SO
By Li:
Tli
lowever, whili
umed home
hortened theii
Bonfire
Mask said the prosecutu
assertions that the redpots
fendants are responsible^
not hold water.”
“They (the redpots) are i
the target defendants,” hes||)ffer courses i
“He needs them to showMnd photognv
the real target — the schoolMHow to Give
the administrators — are
The target defendants a:
Irazos Valley.
Several prog
Jniversity Plu
>ffer students^
he outdoors o
This summ
tt
What I intent
to prove is tfiol
it was at one
time built soft
and that thou
things that
were done to
make it safe
were ... not
done for that
Bonfire. I Jim Luker
ity Plus, sail
— Darrell to in handy wl
Jackie Self’s attor Lukeman siij
— — —they are -
University
ones that can really provide^ ,,
i ■ -ip j n i courses in Si
multi-million dollar settler 1
he is looking for.”
However, both Mask n———
Keith said the redpotsareb ■
sources of several million i- JB • -
in damages because of fc _
owner policies held by thei: Tyler UP
ents that typically provide: . .
$1 million if the holder on- ^ 'nCBcH
holder’s dependent is sued: | INDIAN/
personal-injury case. bizarre mix
These policies also usa^ e | rosm ' ,: ^'
provide money for defmt i^Lapoli
tomeys, although Mask and :■ p| or
er defense attorneys are:mother t;0
rently working withoutck: family "Th<
Keith said those without! Menders
policies should be covered^v 6 Beautif
special insurance poliq'ts na ^ lona ^
out by the University espec: ’
for student Bonfire worker: Weadnc
'The University offitstarred sf
named in the suit are curre:white sea
being defended by the state: swept up
torney general’s office, how ended the
the state has denied such re: . H
sentation to the redpots,k/!? lana PO
, . , T home of
claims were working as vo. f\j ot
teers and not as direct agen:impressed
the state. F - "It wot.
Both Mask and Keith had it be<
they see this move as a way race f an ar
the University to distance:'P. on . Gillir
from the redpots, who may 1
the most likely to be found M ernor j a |
in SelPs suit. y Tyler s
University officials dec offense.
comment. got ii
life for ha
he said. '
an Arr
The home
BATTALlCVm.
Jeff Kempf, Editor in Chief go to th
Jen Bales, Managing Editor ^
Jason Bennyhoff, Radio Producer
Jessica Crutcher, Opinion Editor
Ruben DeLuna, Graphics Editor
Bernie Garza, Photo Editor
Stuart Hutson, News Editor
Mark Passwaters, Sports Editor
n NEW
Australian
lackman,
superhero
movie X—
Brandon Payton, Webmaster j ,
Lizette Resendez, Asst. Aggielife&d^' N ' /S ^ P
Karen Weinberg, Design Director Since the
A/ould hi
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