It was mentioned in an earlier thread, and I've given it some more thought...

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I think it would take an extraordinarily large amount of interest on the part of our students for us to consider building Bonfire on campus again," Loftin said in the statement. "I don't hear the students rising up and demanding it.

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Even if there is a message of "if you begin to push for it back, we'll consider it," somewhere in there... I believe it is a death wish for a student involved Bonfire.

Instead of the University just starting their own construction fire, it is imperative that they have some desire to bring Student Bonfire (read: Aggie Bonfire) back to campus.

In my opinion, the studends need to find some kind of leverage...what and how, I've no idea.

1) If the refuse to help...the University would be happy...or not care...

2) If the University contracts one, non-helping attendance will most likely simply disappear... the university is closer, and has more flash to offer.

Unless there is a foothold before anything happens... I fear we'll go the way of the Local General Store to Wal*Mart...

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this is somewhat incomplete, but just a few ramblings from a former Stack site resident...

from what i understand he was at the SGA meeting on Wed evening and clarified his comment to some extent. Basically it boiled down to what we all fear: bonfire by construction company.

Supposing the next president that succeeds Loftin adheres to the same view, what's the next step? Tell Rick Perry to shut up and let things continue like they have for the last couple of years? Or step aside and let them put some stack of wood on campus to be burned in november? I know my choice.

anyone else see this on the news after the titans/steelers game?

The university isn't going to allow it. Students, please, this has been going on for many years and I haven't heard the university even consider changing their mind. Student Bonfire is the future of the Bonfire tradition. I would love to see it burn on campus again as much as the next person, but I'm thinking logically now. The Bonfire tradition is about spirit, teamwork, leadership, etc... As long as it's built by Aggies for Aggies, it's Aggie Bonfire. It's what's within each Aggie student and the teamwork behind the tradition that makes it so special, not where it's built. All the university did was provide the land, help with funding, and advertised it with media out there the night it burned. It doesn't have to be built on campus to be Aggie Bonfire. Student Bonfire is much safer and has control. Lets spend less time talking with the university and more time and energy making Student Bonfire bigger and better each year.

Build the Hell Outta Aggie Bonfire!

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Loftin said he had spoken to the redpots and he understood the students desire to build it but that if bonfire were to come back to campus, students would not be building it.

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if students did not build it, it's not aggie bonfire.

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R. Bowen Loftin

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Coincidence?

I was on stack when it fell, and I completely understand if the university never allows Bonfire on campus again. I can't say I blame them. I would love to see Bonfire back on campus, but not if the students don't build it. That would just be a waste of money and trees. Those of us that worked on it knew it wasn't about the fire in the end(that was just icing on the cake), it was all about the hard work and teamwork, blood, sweat, and tears that went into it. To all the student bonfire workers out there Build the Hell Outta' Bonfire.

Chad RAB'03

Loftin sent an email to the student body this morning, among other points he listed was this

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There is a lot of discussion about bringing Bonfire back to campus as we prepare to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the tragedy. Bonfire brings out strong emotions in all of us. As an Aggie, interim president—and father—I believe that the parents who entrust us with their sons’ and daughters’ education expect us to first and foremost do what we can to help ensure their children’s physical safety and well-being. Please keep the families of the Aggies affected by the tragic collapse of Bonfire in your thoughts and prayers as we look ahead to November’s 10th anniversary.

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Last year i went home one weekend and hug out with some freinds from UNT. it was their homecoming week and they had their bonfire. It was basically just abbunch of wooden palletes stacked on one another. It was fun to watch it burn, cause it is afterall fire. But last year as a freshman I built the hell outta bonfire and It just meant so much more becuase fellow aggies and I built it. It had much more meaning and spirit.

Essentially what I'm saying is that take away the students, then you take away the heart, and you make us no diffrent from any other school.

For me, there is no point in a campus fire that is not built by the students. Should any TAMU administration attempt such a travesty, I will go to work on bullying that administration into giving up any plans for an on-campus, professionally built fire. Furthermore, I will mercilessly mock anyone who would choose to attend an on-campus, professionally built fire.

I think I will start working on my t-shirt designs today, just in-case. Any ideas?

Long live Student Bonfire!

For this to come back to campus, there's going to have to compromise from both sides. Yes, it can be student-built, but maybe not entirely student built. I hate to call it negotiations, but for this to work, both sides (the administration and the gung-ho Bonfire culture on campus) are going to have to give a bit.

That, right there, may be the ultimate snag.

Will the administration give-in enough to make the hardcore off-campus Bonfire element happy? Without that off-campus folks, rallying support on campus will be insanely difficult.

Will the hardcore off-campus Bonfire element give-in enough so the administration can balance student involvement and safety (at the level that an institution with this kind of scrutiny will receive)? Without the administration, off-campus Bonfire is doomed to be viewed as an event that feeds the egos/desires of the builders, but fails in production value and never recaptures the imagination of Aggieland.

I remember when SB was founded years and years ago, and discussing with one of those founders how no one would care once the last class with on-campus Bonfire experience ('03) is gone. What's ironic, to me anyway, is that 7 years later it's that element - the current students who truly care about Bonfire - who have an odd control over Bonfire's on-campus feasibility.

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I was on stack when it fell, and I completely understand if the university never allows Bonfire on campus again. I can't say I blame them. I would love to see Bonfire back on campus, but not if the students don't build it. That would just be a waste of money and trees. Those of us that worked on it knew it wasn't about the fire in the end(that was just icing on the cake), it was all about the hard work and teamwork, blood, sweat, and tears that went into it. To all the student bonfire workers out there Build the Hell Outta' Bonfire

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Chad - I agree with you 100%. Was out there and on it too. One thing that I'm worried about though, as I alluded to in the post above, is Student Bonfire Culture being too myopic...just as we were when we were in school.

"Student Built" is a phrase that we all use when talking about an acceptable on-campus Bonfire...meaning students handling almost everything in every single phase along the way. The reality is, if it's 100% student built, it'll never come back on campus. I think you can have it both ways; I think we can have a "student built" fire (where students do the majority of the work in each phase, but there are parts that students just don't touch). I don't know where these lines are...that's for someone who's much smarter than me to figure out. But if the off-campus Bonfire culture sees the on-campus plan and says "Screw it, we're not doing this because _______ (we can't wire in the tallest logs, we don't get to load the truck from cut site, we don't get to d**k the trees once they're down, etc)"...then the whole thing is doomed.

I think this can start boiling down to a classic case of "it wasn't the way we did it, so screw it" - also known as "Old Army is going to hell." Most of the current students have no clue what they're missing; who cares if it's not just like ours? Yes, it needs to have enough substance (student involvement) to be a meaningful experience, but "enough substance" is different in 2009 than it was in 1999.

One thing I've learned over the past 10 years is how many Aggies view Bonfire differently. For most that I'm close to, and myself, it's about the building. But for many others, it's about Burn Night and the pageantry surrounding Granddaddy-of-them-All Yell Practice

I think my support means little more than zero, I'm not prepared to support an on-campus Bonfire that doesn't allow the students to handle the vast majority of the project. I am willing to support one that balances student involvement with the safety measures that will attempt to satisfy the scrutiny that will surround this projects.

Yes, some things around Bonfire that we saw in '99 we won't get to see again - or maybe not immediately. Maybe with time and a track record for safety, some key projects can be delineated to a fully trained group of students.

There's so many ways to do this outside of the box, and make it work for all sides...at least I think there is.

I hope that we can reach a compromise with the university on the issue so that we can bring it back to campus if not i would hope that the university will give thought to at least not disapproving of Student Bonfire.