Posted on 11/19/2005 8:25:36 AM PST by urtax$@work
It will never happen. A University sponsored Bonfire is nothing but pages of history now. The TAMU administration used the 1999 accident to kill it forever. Of course that was just the excuse they needed. The administration is doing their best to destroy every tradition that made A&M what it is. Next to go will be the Yell Leaders (already replaced at some sporting events by cheerleaders) and finally the Corp. Their goal is to turn A&M into an "Ivy League university" and that means getting rid of everything that makes A&M unique.
Subject change... I do not think there is one non-air conditioned dorm on campus. I've seen flyers at the MSC and Texas Aggie advertising 2 & 3 bedroom condos that have ammeneties comprable to 3-star hotels (work out rooms, coffee bars, etc.).
Seems wrong, but what do I know... I'm nearly Old Army now.
Trajan88
Are you an Ag?
No, I'm USC, but my son attends A&M.
Tell him "Gig'em" for me
Fightin Texas Class of 1986.
No one "got fried." The bonfire structure collapsed during construction, killing the kids by crushing them. We lost a very good friend in that accident, a kid who had grown up from cub scouts with my kids.
My son, who is a few years younger, has been going to A&M, but has now decided to not wait for graduation and is planning on going into the Marines after the first of the year.
The school is not involved in this event and does not endorse it in any way. This is strictly alumni and students. It's also not about the game against Texas anymore. It's about the family down there. That's the most impressive thing about that school to us. It has around 40,000 students and most of them are truly part of a family. They morn their losses. Every one.
Organizers say they'll risk fines to light bonfireUpdated 6:21 AM on Saturday, November 19, 2005
Organizers of an off-campus bonfire say they plan to light the log tower Saturday, despite warnings from law enforcement officials that anyone who helps set it ablaze could face a $500 fine.
The decision followed a hectic series of meetings Friday involving Texas A&M University students, lawyers, county officials and a district judge. The fate of the event was in limbo for hours; discussion centered on whether it should be allowed while the county has a burn ban in effect because of drought conditions.
Brazos County officials kicked off the string of powwows when they secured a last-minute court order to prevent the burning, citing a need to enforce the law and ensure public safety. That was followed by a failed emergency effort in the commissioners court to consider lifting the burn ban.
By the end of the day, the court order had been lifted, though the burn ban remained in effect. And students organizing the bonfire said it would be worth violating the burn ban - and earning a Class C misdemeanor citation in the process - to see the structure go up in flames, as planned, about 30 minutes after sunset Saturday.
"You learn something every year," said Dion McGinnis, one of the leaders of Aggie Student Bonfire. "If you did not learn something, you're not doing your job.
"We're still gonna go and have a good time. We wouldn't let the Aggie family down."
The 11th-hour tribulations started when District Judge J.D. Langley issued an injunction Friday prohibiting the lighting of the bonfire, responding to a request by County Attorney Jim Kuboviak. But in doing so, Langley also agreed to allow the commissioners court to schedule an emergency meeting later in the day to consider rescinding the burn ban.
An emergency meeting was called, but only County Judge Randy Sims and Commissioner Duane Peters showed up - not enough for a quorum, so no action was taken. The students, frustrated and angry, then rushed upstairs to Langley's courtroom to appeal their case.
Following a meeting with the judge, Sheriff Chris Kirk and attorney Kyle Davis, who had agreed to represent the students earlier in the day, Langley decided to lift the injunction.
But he told the bonfire organizers they still could face citations and fines if they light the bonfire in defiance of the burn ban.
Violating the ban is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500. By contrast, violating the injunction could have resulted in arrest for contempt of court, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine.
Langley also told organizers to make the lighting as safe as possible if they go through with it.
"I am told that this is so important to the defendants in this case, they are willing to accept the consequences," Langley said, reading his decision. "If you're going to do this, do it orderly and peacefully so nobody gets hurt, and accept the consequences of your actions."
Langley went on to tell organizers "to do your homework" - meaning, be aware of burn ban restrictions - if they wanted to see the tradition of an off-campus bonfire continue in future years.
After the decision was read, the handful of bonfire leaders in attendance showed relief and said they were anxious to get back to putting the finishing touches on the stack before it burns at Hod Rod Hill, a racetrack north of Bryan.
Organizers learned at about 9 a.m. Friday that Kuboviak had requested an injunction and they might not be able to light the stack Saturday. Having little time to react, bonfire leaders went to the courthouse and brought Davis on board as their attorney after begging him for help, said Beth Weisinger, one of the organizers.
"We have put forth so much effort and have had a tremendous response," she said. "We're keeping preparations going, and that's all we can do."
About 800 students have given their time over the last two months to help build the four-tier structure, organizers said.
Outdoor burning in Brazos County has been against the law since early September, when the burn ban was enacted by the commissioners court because of severe drought conditions. But the students building the bonfire said this week that Sims had given them permission to light it anyway because the law made exceptions for "ceremonial acts."
Under state law, ceremonial fires can be exempted from a burn ban. But the county's ban is more restrictive - it doesn't allow ceremonial burns.
Sims said Friday that he never gave student organizers permission to light the bonfire despite the burn ban. Rather, he said, he hoped rains would come before the bonfire date, prompting county officials to end the ban.
"I thought even though [Hurricane] Rita didn't bring anything, we would get rain when the weather started changing," he said.
But the rains never came, and the ban remained in place.
This week, various officials - including Sims, Kirk and the County Attorney's Office - began discussing the upcoming bonfire. That's when Kuboviak decided to seek an injunction to prevent a violation of the burn ban.
"It all has to do with the law and the safety for citizens of Brazos County," said Rod Anderson, first assistant to the county attorney, explaining that the move was not an attempt to shut down the tradition. "We could not sit back and not take any action at all."
Numerous grass fires in the county in recent months have been blamed on illegal outdoor burning that got out of control. Bonfire organizers, though, said they have taken precautions to ensure a safe burn - including having firefighters and law enforcement on site.
The county was at about 700 out of 800 on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index this week, Sims said. The index indicates fire hazard based on moisture amounts, with 800 indicating the maximum threat.
"As an Aggie, I would love for them to have a bonfire," Sims said. "But as a county judge, I'm not going to put my citizens in harm's way for a bonfire."
Kirk said he plans to have deputies at the site, and they will issue citations to those who light the bonfire. Organizers said they didn't know how many people would help torch it.
The sheriff said the event would be allowed to continue after citations are issued. Those who only helped build the bonfire and those who attend the event will not be issued tickets, he added.
"If they choose to light the fire tomorrow night, it will be my duty to issue citations," Kirk said. "We wouldn't have a burn ban in place if it was not concern for public safety."
Friday was the sixth anniversary of the Bonfire collapse on campus that killed 12 Aggies and injured 27 others. A&M officials banned the 90-year-old tradition from campus after the stack toppled, prompting students to build and burn bonfires off campus in the years since.
n Melissa Sullivan's e-mail address is melissa.sullivan@ theeagle.com.
My old HS used to have a bonfire before our annual hatchet game against our rivals, it sure was fun.
Good grief. Let the kids light the bonfire.
I heard that A&M turned back 6,000 unsold student tickets to the Texas/A&M game. It's a shame because I detest TU.
Yeah, this is bigger news to me than the bonfire. All that tradition. All that rah rah about 12th Man and such and you can't even fill the stadium against your biggest rival?
What's the matter with these wusses?
Can't help recruting much when they see the students turning back tickets like they were Rice or SMU.
Alan Cannon said that for the first time in his 25 years working at Texas A&M, 4,000 tickets were left over from the allotted student pool for A&M's football game against the University of Texas (UT). Cannon, the associate athletics director of media relations, said 26,000 of the 30,000 student tickets were picked up by the time the ticket office closed at 5 p.m. Thursday.
http://www.thebatt.com/media/paper657/news/2005/11/18/News/4000-Student.Tickets.Up.For.Grabs-1110316.shtml?norewrite&sourcedomain=www.thebatt.com
At A&M games, to ALL fans wave the little white rags or just the band/corps? Because the Aggie crowd at the TTU game seemed sparse, and the only little white rags I saw being waved were the band. Did I just dream that it used to be all the fans?
Hah! I was gonna ping you, as you are my second favorite Aggie.
At A&M games, to ALL fans wave the little white rags or just the band/corps?
Well, then, there'll be an international incident a question I got from an exchange student who wanted to know if they were waving surrender flags.
Seeing how the tickets cost $85 (highest in the nation) and the team sucks, I'm surprised only 4,000 are left.
Robert, I never understood why such a fine engineering program had so little input on Bonfire. God bless those who lost their lives.
They just said on the local news that at least 9 people will be fined $500 for violating the burn ban.
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