r H E BATTAL
Opinion
11
Tuesday, February 5, 2002
THE BATTALION
ellections on a failing tradition
addened and
i at the decision
»ade at the
conference,
’ impressed widi
at Schuyler He.
t body preside- The challenge of‘doing the right thing’
she has don-:’
nt job of repreJfe By Dr. Brian Cole
? students of I-fl
You know she :■ Monday’s decision not to have Bonfire 2002 represents a sad day in the life of
bout the tradit: Texas A&M and Aggies everywhere. It is particularly difficult for those of us who
and has fou£* have known and loved Texas A&M for virtually all of our lives. I know the significance
nt to keep the: of Bonfire and the special place it holds in the lives of Aggies and this institution. Thus, it was
dive even tb: increasingly difficult to come to the realization that Bonfire 2002 could not be a Bonfire that
authorities ■ would contribute to the Aggie spirit in the same ways that it has in years past.
II they can tos:H As the final data and information from our safety firm, potential insurance companies and
This is a tougb: Attaining unresolved and unresolvable issues came together, it became clear to me that we
tggies as westr,! would not be able to have a Bonfire that would guarantee that “we could
cepting a dec: take care of our people” and that it was “the right thing to do.”
great traditior §| While 1 do not presume to speak on behalf of the planning committee, I
d that we hawr Anted the Aggie community to know the heart and mind of one who was
• hip to ge: absolutely committed to finding a viable solution that preserved the greatness of Aggie
jflHmfire and the special spirit it engendered while ensuring that all of our current and
mture Aggies were able to participate in an injury-free environment. Unfortunately, it
became clear to me that these important con-
Dovid I'f
Class ofil
It was increasingly difficult
to come to the realization
that Bonfire 2002 could not
be a Bonfire that would
contribute to the Aggie
spirit in the same ways that
it has in years past.
siderations were mutually exclusive. Given
the preponderance of the information and
analysis we have studied in the past year
and a half, 1 must side with taking
care of our people.
It is important for the student
body to know that the students
on the planning committee were
awesome. They challenged,
advised, provided incredible
insight and kept us student-
Ire 2002 i:
Vision
-day came the:
:ision that has:
r» waiting. I •
?r of the Oe::
ind a worker centered throughout the process. The leadership they contributed con-
3onfire, antic:; tinually reminded us of why Texas A&M and its students are so spe-
rcision more - cial. It was indeed an honor for me to serve with them and you should
Bowen's dec: know that they represented the student body in an uncompromising
‘r, did not $.: and highly professional manner. I wish to thank them and the other
d it disappor members of the planning committee for their very hard work
was not sir: and dedication on behalf of the student body, former
Maybe Bow students and institution,
ided by the be: j The spirit of Aggieland has been throughout the ages
2020" progr a source of strength and perseverance that has enabled
.ee what boi Aggies to overcome great obstacles and challenges. It
to this scho: ilmy prayer that this difficult time will call Aggies to
nmunity. Ma.: find ways in the future that can build on the greatness
ting Bonfire, he of Bonfire and foster those qualities in a new tradition
ipus of a subst; that provides for the welfare of our people and contin-
of hazing, drimj ties to build leaders of character,
n-foolery thatr |
A/ay of that *vi$H c
ortunate that s:
* cherished rmJ
ad in such . r '|
ay was a sad d;{|
everywhere §p
fell for a se#l
BrandonCC l
Class ol'X §
Bn is the
het man
Brian Cole is facilitator for
Bonfire 2002 Planning Committee.
uld be no sup:
jen ran scared 1 ',
if ire issue. Do-
to blame I
He is just thelaf
man sent from'
ns and acade r
?k to "reinvent"
ty. Believe mt
ve therr
ome nothing nt
east campus, f
oe now is thai'
hoof can $
Rudder.
hristopher J.
Class of ll
Now is the time to focus on the future
By Luke Cheatham
? My thoughts on Bowen’s decision are
pointless. His track record proves he will not
waiver. T
I Instead of looking at Bowen’s decision,
the student body should focus its energy
toward answering the only real question
remaining, “Where do we go from here?”
Everyone must now make a choice. The
option of riding the fence is gone. I do not
hold anything against the administration;
■ The student body should focus
I its energy toward answering the
I only real question remaining,
“Where do we go from here?”.
they have made their call. The students must
make theirs.
? Our only choice is to make a choice.
What will we decide? Do we go off campus?
Do we allow our tradition to die? Or do we
continue to sit and wait and hope for the
chance that the next president will change
things? Change is inevitable, and we need to
act responsibly and do what we know is the
right thing as Aggies.
I believe the waiting game has to end. We
have waited, and what has been gained? The
Class of 2003 will be the only class left that
united through Bonfire.
Let it die? I used to think this was the
answer. I thought the tradition would be best
left unchanged, remaining in the memories
of those who loved it without being altered
beyond recognition. But my thoughts have
changed over the past two years.
I look at the freshmen and sophomores. I
see their desire to experience our beloved
tradition. I want that for them.
My freshman year, I was chosen to be a
crew chief. I did not truly attain this status
because I did not lead anyone out to a fire.
But, one idea remained instilled in me from
that leadership position: the upperclassmen
have a responsibility to those beneath them.
Does that mean we should go off cam
pus? I am not sure. But I will support what
ever the leadership of this University
decides to do.
However, by leadership, I do not mean
the administration or the elected student
government. I am speaking of the true lead
ers of this University: those in the halls,
those in the Corps and those who reside out
side campus walls.
If these students can come to a unified
decision to answer “Where do we go from
here?” then I will be the first to stand up and
whoop.
The collapse of a great tradition
By Schuyler Houser
I remember vividly Nov. 18, 1999 — the collapse of a great tradition. Over the
last two years, 1 frequently have relived that day, but never as intensely as
Monday. Again, we lost Bonfire.
The Bonfire Steering Committee worked for two years to make Bonfire 2002 a
success. We fought time, the legal environment, money and above all, we fought to
make Bonfire forever safe, eliminating the possibility of another tragedy. In the end, it
became impossible to win. The reality is that the detailed plan could not overcome
the facts presented yesterday, facts that left no room for approval. At the outset,
I had no doubt that the answer would be affirmative, and at the finish it became
disappointingly apparent that there was no choice. 1 wish that the con
straints Dr. Bowen outlined Monday could have been overcome,
because 1 have no doubt what his answer then would have been.
Several reasons were cited for not continuing Bonfire. None of
these is a lack of student support. The overwhelming support for Bonfire
from the student body makes this deci
sion all the more difficult to bear.
Twelve thousand students were
passionate enough to speak for
this tradition, and I am very
proud of that.
Bonfire is a powerful
memory for those of us
who knew it, and an
empty wish for those
who did not. I find
peace, however, know
ing that Texas A&M was here before Bonfire and will remain
after Bonfire. We have not relinquished our spirit in other
times of great challenge. Our generation must not fail to pre
serve the Aggie spirit now.
As I see it, we have two choices. We can lament the fall
of A&M, refuse to face facts and cause no change. Or,
we can hold our heads high, be brave enough to
look the truth in the face, and carry the Aggie
spirit we know and understand forward to
those ahead of us. As with the passing of great
heroes and the last of any great event, the
people at the end determine which convictions
remain and in what form. We, as students,
will decide what we are truly left with and
where we go from here.
Schulyer Houser is Texas A&M
Student Body President.
I wish that the
constraints Dr. Bowen
outlined Monday could
have been overcome,
because I have no doubt
what his answer then
would have been.
CHAD MALLAM & GUY ROGERS • THE BATTALION
Campus unity above all after decision
Luke Cheatham is a junior
Northside resident.
By Joe Dickerson
As I listened to Dr. Bowen speak, I did not
know what to think. Should I be upset, or
should I just be relieved that at least an answer
had finally come? I was not sure, but as Bowen
was uttering those words that crushed so many
Aggies, floods of memories came back to me.
The fall of my fish year was consumed by
Bonfire. I can vividly recall the drive out to
load. The times out there were unique to say
the least. It was not easy, and not always fun,
but in the back of my mind I knew that I was
a part of something larger than myself. And
now looking back on those times, an eerie
feeling arose knowing that no one would ever
experience that again.
Along with those memories, other images
surfaced as well. Images of a fallen stack and an
emergency room at 3 a.m. entered my mind, and
as hard as I tried to push those visions back
down, I could not.
Those images brought forth pain, so you see,
at that moment while Dr. Bowen was speaking,
my mind was caught in a stalemate. I wanted
others to experience Bonfire, and I wanted to
see that fire burn before the t.u. game. But I also
did not want anyone to experience that pain that
fell on A&M in 1999.
Now, with the initial shock of the announce
ment over and my senses regained, I realize
what we must do. It may not be popular to say,
but we must move on. Texas A&M was not
defined by Bonfire, and I believe that no singular
event can or ever will be the defining trait of
A&M. Bonfire was an amazing tradition, and it
may return someday, but it is sad to say that in
the legal environment that we live in today, there
is no place for the liability it imposes.
I had the privilege of serving on the Bonfire
Steering Committee and I witnessed the amaz
ing odds stacked against A&M. Some may say
we did not try hard enough, but I know in my
heart that is entirely untrue. There is no univer
sity in the nation that would have used the time
and resources Texas A&M did to pursue the
possibility of Bonfire 2002.
There is no university in the na
tion that would have used the
time and resources Texas A&M
did to pursue the possibility of
Bonfire 2002.
I sincerely hope this issue does not divide the
A&M community. Bonfire was a unifying event
at A&M and I hope it does not evolve into a
divisive one. I love Texas A&M with all my
heart, and I wish that we could start building
stack next year. I wish that we could have cut,
load, unload and everything else surrounding
Bonfire, but for now, we will just have to wait.
A&M will survive and we will move on. What
the future holds, we do not know, but this event
will not dampen the Aggie spirit.
Joe Dickerson is Corps Commander.