THE BATTAl!'.!
or Bonnre2002
THE BATTALION
7
Tuesday, February 5, 2002
cs
ACTUAL AND PROPOSED COSTS FOR BONFIRE 2002
hase One i
July 2000 to Dec. 15, 2001, total cost: $229,450
Engineering/safety consultant services proposal
marketing
Phase Two
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Dec. 15, 2001 to Feb. 1, 2002, total cost: $32,500
Engineering/Safety consultant services
hase Three
Projected total: $2,221,455
Liability insurance for consultants, students and
staff; University Bonfire staff pay, training, security,
cleanup, engineering services and deliverables
and other unanticipated costs
Total projected cost: $2,483,405
Source: The Bonfire 2002 Planning Committee
CHAD MAI.LAM •THE BATTALION
Decision
Continued from page 1
Bonfire design met Bowen’s parame
ters, the steering committee was
aware of Turner’s inability to obtain
insurance since they signed on to the
project in November, Cole said.
“(Turner) wanted to make this hap
pen, but they just couldn’t find a firm
to underwrite their liability,” Cole
said.
But task force members remained
optimistic until the last few days as
the project began to unravel with
Turner’s withdrawal and the revised
cost estimates. Cole said.
Bowen, who will step down as
president in June, declined to say
whether Bonfire should be held in the
future, and said his decision not to
have Bonfire was a difficult one.
“My heart does not like what my
brain is doing today,” Bowen said. “It
would be irresponsible of me to listen
to my heart when we are dealing with
the safety of our students.”
He said students should face the
inevitable and focus their energies on
creating a new tradition that replicates
the camaraderie of Bonfire but does
not entail the danger and expense.
Vice President for Student
Affairs Dr. J. Malon Southerland
said it is unlikely the next president
will continue Bonfire.
“I don’t see that happening, not
with the facts that are sitting before
me,” Southerland said.
In a tearful statement following
Bowen's announcement. Student
Body President Schuyler Houser,
who worked on the Bonfire steering
committee, said she respected
Bowen’s decision, but was still
deeply disappointed with the out
come.
“It feels like everything fell down
again,” Houser said. “At the outset,
there was no doubt the answer would
be yes, but our plan couldn't over
come the facts.”
She said students must come to
terms with the decision and not hurl
bitter accusations at administrators.
“This is a dark day, but A&M was
here before Bonfire and it will be
here after Bonfire,” Houser said.
Nov. 18, 1999
Aggie Bonfire collapse, 2:42 a.m.
12 Aggies die, 27 injured
Commission report released,
blames "tunnel vision" of
University administration
June 16, 2000
Bowen places Bonfire on a
moratorium until 2002
Planning for Bonfire 2002 begins
Jan 28, 2002
Bonfire 2002 committee chooses
final design
Feb 4, 2002
Bowen says no to Bonfire 2002
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Reaction
Continued from page 1
■ Fall 2001. once again a
reshman biomedical science
na or after a long recovery — a
om t and a year and a half in
ntense physical therapy.
■During his first days on cam-
ms. Comstock said he was
going to light Bonfire 2002. This
fall, he said he knew a revamped
Bonfire would not be the same,
but it would help people move
on after the 1999 collapse.
Now, he said, “it sucks,”
explaining that even if there was a
Bonfire this fall for him to work
on, his mother would not allow it.
“It’s just a shame,” Comstock
said Monday. “I know the par
ents [of the victims] probably
wanted one as much as their
kids would have.”
Sean Breen, an Austin attorney
and brother of Bonfire victim
Christopher David Breen, said his
family has mixed opinions about
Bowen’s decision to call an end to
the Bonfire tradition.
“We understand how impor
tant that tradition is and how
people like my little brother
would have liked to see it still,”
Breen said. “We weren't sure
what to expect ... we know how
emotionally charged this is, but
if they cannot do it safely, then
they shouldn't do it at all.”
The Breens brought a lawsuit
against Texas A&M and five of
its top administrators this fall,
claiming administrators encour
aged participation in an activity
they knew was dangerous.
Forth Worth attorney Darrell
Keith’s law firm represents the
families of collapse victims
Jerry Don Self, Christopher Lee
Heard and Bryan McClain, as
well as injured students
Matthew Robbins and
Dominique Braus.
Keith said in a statement
released on behalf of his clients,
“We believe that since the Texas
A&M Bonfire was safely built at
one time, with proper safety pre
cautions it can safety be built
again. Our clients believe that the
attempt by the Texas A&M
administration to blame them for
the decision to discontinue bon
fire in 2002 is an irresponsible
and thinly veiled attempt to shift
the focus from the safety issues
that should control the decisions
to blaming the victims.”
Keith said he thinks a safe
Bonfire is possible.
“It's hard to imagine that a
Left: Junior mechanical engineering major Ben Ronck reacts to Bowen's decision to cancel
Bonfire 2002. Above: Junior management major Sophie Olyniec hugs her roommate, Kristin
West, a sophomore biomedical sciences major, who lost her brother in the 1999 Bonfire collapse.
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CHAD MALLAM • THE BATTALION
school like Texas A&M, one
that teaches engineering and
architecture students how to
build skyscrapers, bridges ...
and off-shore drilling rigs,
can't plan to build a safe
Bonfire,” Keith said.
Students who stayed behind
in the Flagroom to hear the rest
of Bowen’s speech said they
wanted to understand why
Bowen was ending the tradition.
Most students said they were
disappointed, though the rea
sons behind Bowen’s decision
were sound.
“I feel like with the over
whelming amount of support
for Bonfire from students and
former students, that we were
kind of overlooked in the mak
ing this decision,” said
Kathylee Witwiski, a sopho
more psychology major.
Bret McGowen, a junior
computer science major, said
Bowen's decision is hard to
stomach.
“I think the Aggie community
wants it so badly, and I'd like to
believe that Bowen wants it
also,” McGowen said. “It’s hard
to believe that our only option is
nothing and it can't be done in
some way, no matter how minor.”
McGowen, like most stu
dents, envisions more off-cam
pus bonfires to replace the
University-sanctioned event
most students and alumni were
expecting to round out the annu
al game with the University of
Texas this Thanksgiving.
“This was the University’s
opportunity to mandate that they
be in charge of this, so now it
will be a kind of a rogue deal,”
McGowen said.
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