Ok, I am going to be presenting about Bonfire to a group of freshmen in my hall. The RA's and Hall Council in my hall are having a program at ~1:30 am Friday morning to inform the fish about Bonfire, then walking over to the memorial together to gather at 2:42.
I have seen the Bonfire websites, but is there anything SUPER IMPORTANT that y'all want me to tell them? I don't want to just throw a bunch of facts at them.

disclaimer: my hall director loves that we honor the Bonfire tragedy, but hates that people are building a non-sanctioned one, so I am not allowed to plug for off-campus Bonfire.
edit: second disclaimer: I would love to take some residents to work on or attend Bonfire. That would be ultimate. Unfortunately, I will be FIRED if I do so. So, in the interest of keeping my job, this is the best I can do.

[This message has been edited by aggiecheer06 (edited 11/14/2005 12:17a).]

First rule: your hall director's opinion doesn't matter.

Second rule (and I know you don't want to hear this): Bonfire cannot be effectively conveyed in a presentation. The only way to fully understand it is to be a part of it.

Keegan's right. And if they do nothing else this year, just make sure they GO. They'll begin to understand.

From last year's BP:

You can't build the hell outta Bonfire without not building the hell outta Bonfire.

Not sure what it means or what it not means.

Read the Tim Kerlee thread on this board and do your best to convey the emotions you feel in reading it to your residents. You must feel it yourself in order to communicate it to others.

-------------------------------------------------------
If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you can read this in English, thank a Soldier.

I doubt you will be fired (it's your free time what you do with it, as long as legal, is your business) for attending Student Bonfire. If your residents happen to attend, what a coincidence.

Luke Cheatham was a RA in Walton the year he was a Greypot in 2002. They didn't fire him and he was a BIG target.

3 walton RA's all ended up getting fired that year but for different reasons (at least according to ResLife).

Edited for privacy.

[This message has been edited by RealDeal022 (edited 11/14/2005 10:37a).]

Really?.. Damn I didnt know that. All this time I have been telling people that it is safe to attend and that the Admin is lying to them and I *could* be wrong.

Without getting too personal, there were other reasons; but one could speculate that the Bonfire involvement didn't help any of them.

aggiecheer,


Had the same threats of losing my job as RA. Never happened. They cannot tell you how to spend your free time, nor can they fire you for encouraging others to go.

I'm not calling you out, but student leadership needs to step up and stop acting out of fear. Bonfire was about leadership and backing down due to empty threats from the administration is the antithesis of leadership.

I know more than a few lawyers who would make sure you had your job back.

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nor can they fire you for encouraging others to go

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I was specificly told otherwise when I was an RA. Luckily I didn't need to do any recruitung. What you can do,however, is if any of your residents ask you about it, you can answer honestly and not avoid the subject to appease your hall director.

How about having a dead pot come talk?

There are a few around here who may be willing to go on and on about Bonfire. If that sounds good I can see about asking one.

[This message has been edited by HOGS LEW (edited 11/14/2005 3:39p).]

My job, when I was an RA, was threatened over supporting KTFB.

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The RA's and Hall Council in my hall are having a program

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This is what I need info for, y'all. Actually, having a dead pot come and talk would be awesome, and my HD told me today that pots pre-99 were ok to come and talk, but pots post-99 were not (they are not university-sanctioned). So, if there is a female dead pot who would like to come and speak (can't be a male because of visitation hours), that would be awesome. Just email me at amscott@neo.tamu.edu if you are interested in helping.

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quote:nor can they fire you for encouraging others to go



I was specificly told otherwise when I was an RA.

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Same thing here. I was told just last night that I can most definitely be fired for recruiting residents to go to Student Bonfire.

As for me personally going, I will DEFINITELY be there. I was not worried about that part. My HD even told me that my free time is my free time. I am just not allowed to represent my hall or ResLife any way while I am there. Look for me with bobinator.

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I was told just last night that I can most definitely be fired for recruiting residents to go to Student Bonfire.

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An employment lawyer would have a field day dragging ResLife through the courts if they tried to follow through with this threat.


They could no more fire you for doing a presentation involving Student Bonfire than if you did one discussing Islam.

[This message has been edited by Keegan99 (edited 11/14/2005 6:27p).]

can they fire you for asking residents to go to a movie with you, can they fire you for asking residents to go to a concert??? as of now there is no alcohol allowed so you will not be breaking any laws thus NOTHING is wrong. the only warning, if you do this, do not break any other rules or regs, that is when they will get you and not let up.

Ugh, I really didn't want to get into this, which is why I included the disclaimers in the first post.

Ok, I was told that since Bonfire is not University sanctioned, that as an employee of the University, that I would be "in defiance" of the department. That is what was said to me, and I am already on probation from something that happened last year. So I have had my one warning.

Please, can we get back to the question at hand? I have had maybe 2 useful responses.

the best option is a guest speaker, really the only way to give it justice, the pre -99 makes it REALLY difficult. put it this way, Are there any pre 99 female pots that will be in town for the 18th??? what dorm, it also hits home if you can get someone from YOUR dorm.

Krueger.

The best I can do for guest speaker as of now is Dr. Rotter. I don't think he wants to come at 2 in the morning though.

if you are speaking of craig, he is a good guy, but he is tied to the university so his experiences although true my get skewed.

Rotter is not someone you want to speak.

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I will DEFINITELY be there.

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Me too.

For those of you who say they can't fire her for RECRUITING workers, I don't know much about the laws, but if she were recruiting for a non-university sanctioned event at a program she's doing in the capacity of an RA, then yes, she could be fired.

Also, due to legal problems, RAs can't drive residents off campus without the proper forms.

Off-campus bonfire is growing quickly. I didn't see much of it last year, but this year I see the Dunn bonfire guys coming back from cut/stack all the time. It won't be long before reslife can't quietly fire employees without an uproar. IMO, the bonfire movement is growing rather than fading as many have predicted. Good luck on your program, cheer, and maybe I'll see you at burn.

If you don't want to hear the University's party line echoed, if not shouted, then stay away from Rotter.

Think outside of the box if you really want a presentation.

[This message has been edited by AB2 (edited 11/15/2005 12:49a).]

Also, if it's a presentation, why can't you bring a male in?


Additionally, if A&M doesn't recognize Off-Campus Bonfire, then no person on campus can carry such a distinction/title. Asking a green pot to speak must then be no different in the eyes of the University.

Unless, of course, the University is willing to admit that Student Bonfire is recognized as a renegade operation, which opens up the proverbial Pandora's Box for them.

The only reason that Luke was never fired was because he didn't go into the gunfights armed with a supersoaker...he was smart and knew his rights, and wasn't afraid to use them.

Dr. Rotter was my only option at the time for bringing in a speaker. I have decided on no speaker, and will give the presentation for myself. I only mentioned him because he is faculty, I am good friends with him, and he was here pre-99.

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So, if there is a female dead pot who would like to come and speak (can't be a male because of visitation hours)

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I stated this in an above post.

Back to the original question: since I am giving the presentation myself, and have not experienced Bonfire for myself (except for conversations with former and current pots), what are the MOST IMPORTANT things y'all would like me to tell these freshmen, who have absolutely no clue?

Is your focus on Bonfire as it was, or on what happened in '99?

You're better off guessing what you think it was like than inviting crotter.

Also should point out that there's a difference between a non-university sanctioned event and one officially denounced by the University. Therefore going to the movies is a bad comparison.

Chilifest on the other hand is a perfect comparison because it has also been officialy denounced by the University. I wonder if you would get fired for recruiting a Chilifest team?

I'll try to answer your question about "The most important thing" about Bonfire. As a 4-year veteran of Off Campus Bonfire and participant in the '99 Bonfire, I would have to say that the most aspect is "Unity."

Everything about Bonfire is about bringing people together. Although Coker does a great job by himself, one person can not build Bonfire by him/herself. It takes teamwork to carry a log, coordination to throw one, and many resources to stack them on end. Bonfire has always been that way, and always will.

You see, nothing fuses people together like hard work as a team. There is no other activity that Texas A&M does that is so labor-intensive, and the originators of Off Campus Bonfire knew that. The only thing close to the united effort of Bonfire is the 12th Man's activity at football games.

I am not alone in thinking that Unity is one of the strongest characteristics of an orginization. Almost every member of the Corps of Cadets wears "Per Unitatem Vis," Through Unity, Strength, on their collars. A strong united front in facing adversity, accomplishing a task, and living life is the best way to go, and Bonfire embodies that.

As I said before, read the Tim Kerlee thread for a shining example of how the Bonfire community comes together for a common cause.

-------------------------------------------------------
If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you can read this in English, thank a Soldier.

If you could have Rotter in your dorm at 2am for a presentation, then why can't you have any other guy in there for a presentation?

(And having heard one of Rotter's Bonfire speeches, you DO NOT want him to come to give a presentation... trust me.)

How the hell did I get drawn into this?

Scott Coker '92

probably because you practically had your own woods at cut and cover two quads on stack

Doesn't visitation extend until 2 AM? Why not use the Commons Lobby?

Well, whatever the reason, I'll second what has been said.

It not about any one person. It's about the group and the common desires you share and develop while going through this experience that is Bonfire. The friendships you make out there will last you a lifetime and the memories, if properly preserved, will last even longer through your kids and their kids.

You guys are still too young to realize it, but what you are going through right now will help you in a number of ways in the real world as well. You are developing a strong work ethic. You are learning that even when faced with adversity or a seemingly impossible obstacle, that you can overcome it one way or another. You are learning how to lead, not boss, LEAD. You are learning that it doesn't matter if the guy next to you looks different, smells different , or talks different that you can still be joined in a common goal and accomplish it if you set those differences aside and focus. You are learning that NO ONE is perfect and it's OK to screw up as long as you learn from it and fix next time.

But most importantly, especially with the current situation, you are learning that no force, no matter how strong, can subdue the Aggie Spirit.

Scott Coker '92

Thanks everyone for your help and emails! I have found a speaker. Gig 'em, and BTHOB!

Speaker didn't email me back, so I was the speaker. I told them about the history, about Tim Kerlee being the twelfth man, the symbolism of the memorial, and finished with Chip Thiel's speech. It went well.