A friend of mine and i were walking around campus tonight (she's visiting from NC) and wanted to walk through the Memorial.

We get there and a few people (I can't call em kids, really, but they looked like freshmen or sophomores were mskin a racket and giggling and such. They walked down past The Last Corps Trip ON the raised section with the lights, and upon getting to the Memorial, still being loud, were standing on the raised ring taking pictures and such. We politely asked them to get down.

Then the REAL fun began.

Apparently someone thought it was a good idea to write messages in the gravel all around the Memorial. The 'bless those who died here' was the most respectful, but it had a big, wonky heart around it. There was "31-01" outside one of the portals, and "2+2= " and a drawing of a fish a little further over, then (stretching at least a third of the way around), "HOME OF THE FIGHTIN TEXAS AGGIES! WHOOP!"

We obliterated the whoop, as we found it the most disrespectful of it all, did not have time to fix the rest of it...


Was it wrong of us to A. Request that people not stand on the memorial and B. Be appalled and somewhat offended at the fact that someone would actually think it was cute to write things in the gravel around a place meant for reflection and remembrance?

Absolutely not, I would have done the same. A memorial is not the place to take facebook pictures of you and your friends or to joke around. This sort of behavior would be unacceptable at any memorial, regardless of it's meaning or the intentions behind the actions.

Absolutely not.

Last year I found an album on the facebooks of a fish I had tried to recruit that was some type of flo taking human pyramid pictures inside the ring.

I told him those picutres had better be taken down immediately, and though they were, it was a begrudgingly, at best.

I'd love to figure out a way to educate everyone about respect.

Whoop to agcoop's response.

@ Coop

Decided to walk out to Memorial after leaving class/campus, and to my amazement, it was all still there. The letters were literally almost the entire width of the gravel walk. Took me at least 20 min to erase it all.

Thank you for taking care of it, I was going to go back sometime tonight to fix it since I've been stuck in class all day.

That's ridiculous. Not showing respect at Bonfire Memorial is one of the few things I will give someone hell for (that, Silver Taps, and taking a phone call during the National Anthem). I was always taught that you are silent, solemn, and remove your hat in respect at Memorial. What happened?

And as for that being a "New Army" thing, I don't know. I'm Class of '14. Not sure if I'm in the minority, but I sure hope I'm not.

I think it is largely a new army thing. And it's the fault of FLOs and Fish Camp.

Let me justify this statement by saying that I am a second-year Fish Camp Counselor, in my third year of being in a FLO and third year of building bonfire.

I blame things like this on the fact that they don't know any better. As a counselor I make damn good sure that the freshman in my camp or FLO know how to act at Bonfire Memorial or to respect those that build it. And I have no qualms with calling those freshmen (or anyone) out when they talk crap about bonfire people.

To sum it up, those that aren't involved in SB don't know any better because they don't see anything other than what happens inside and outside of SBISA for dorm dinner. Of course there are exceptions, but those exceptions generally aren't running around in large groups on campus.

+1 Coop, actually the first thing that came to mind when I read the OP. If that doesn't say something about conditioning...I don't know what does.

But if anyone is so inclined, send an email along to the staff/faculty that serves as the liason for the group. Most people in StuAct will gladly scold, reprimand, or otherwise inform the kids under their purview that shtuff ain't good bull. More than likely to cover their own ass, but it gets the point out faster and more effectively than anything on here.

thanks for the post, m. I was wondering when I saw your status on fb.

Send an email to stu org.

@agcoop10

Yeah Miss Red ass. Im sorry your friend had to see that. That is not the way she should've experienced memorial. I saw your FB post didnt realize it was to that extent. I agree i think they do not understand because they see nothing about Bonfire. The only way to get them to understand is A: what coop said B: get it back on campus.

quote:

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B: get it back on campus.

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Run for the hills, there's another sophomore opening this can of worms again.

can of worms.

this board has been dead for a while, and I like winnable arguments

Connor, she built SB for four years as a BQ, so this wasn't her first experience walking through (thank goodness), but it still sucks to see how things have apparently changed.

Oh, and her husband's uncle designed it.

And yaaaaayyyyy can of worms.

@ coop

Haha, I'm glad that everyone just said "can of worms" and then left the argument alone.
...did I just create a Texags meme?!?!



Anyway, Brehm, the long story shortened is that an on campus Bonfire would be too cost prohibitive to feasibly do, and even then it would end up sacrificing all of the values of Bonfire that make it what it is, such as camaraderie, sacrifice, and hard work.

there goes the first worm....

... you would. :eyeroll:

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OCHWFLAKASSOBRTTEFE

"I wish there was a way to teach everyone about respect"

There is. It's called why don't instead of posting or getting upset and telling someone that they are ignorant for what they are doing, do something more proactive?

Such as getting in touch with Tradition Council and helping them put on events for FLOS and Dorms and other entities to help people because more knowledge about how to respect the memorial? You know I'll help if need be.

"The problem with A&M now is no one teaches and everyone complains" - one of my upperclassmen my freshman year

quote:

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B: get it back on campus.

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I'm all for this, with any necessities the University wants to bring in, and I'm class of '10.
I know it'll never happen, and it'll never be the same, but we all know that The 12 wouldn't have wanted it to end the way it did.

Not trying to open that can of worms, just stating an opinion.

Mutt_13. Random question. Does Fish Camp do any sort of tribute or Bonfire Memorial event?

The reason I ask is that as a transfer student, I went to Howdy Camp (T-Camp for the spring) and the last night we were there the Crew members (fake yell leaders with the crazy overalls, who teach the yells) performed a really solemn and respectful Bonfire ceremony. As a 20 year old transfer. I still remember it like it was yesterday tearing up and all. I can honestly speak for most everyone in my camp that the respect that the Memorial and the Fallen desire was impressed upon us, and the two memorials since, we still get together and go. Anyways the point of my story is if Fish Camp doesn't have something like this.. perhaps it might be time to implement it.

MontanaAg11

No, there isn't any Bonfire Memorial specific event at camp. There's Muster and Silver Taps of course but no Bonfire Memorial. Fish Camp goes to the extent of mentioning traditions and Bonfire of when it was on campus but not much else. It's pretty much left up to us counselors to talk about personal experiences for anything else.

But I really like that idea, and am kinda surprised that it hasn't been done before if Tcamp does it.

Another question: Does Mosher Hall (by which I mean Hall Council, since they don't have a Bonfire crew) do any sort of tribute or Bonfire Memorial event?

I know that FHK does. And the Corps does. Is Miranda getting left out?

There's a plaque on the wall by the main entrance from the commons, but that's all I was aware of.