http://studentmedia.tamu.edu/bat/pages/pdf111705.pdf

Of course get quotes from the BCS joker + A&M spokesperson in lieu of SB officials, and all before they actually get to the meat of the article.

So the article goes...

Introduction to SB
Anti-SB Comment 1a
Anti-SB Comment 2
Anti-SB Comment 1b
Oh yeah, here's how they do it.

And the graphic sucks. No Guide wires/lines, wrong number of teirs, and there should be at least 2 super-sets visable on the outside of stack.

How long can the Batt continue it's 120 year tradition of lop-sided uninformed journalism?

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

Who was the politician who said: "I don't care what they say about me, just so long as they spell my name correctly."

You guys should thank the Student Senate, BCS, The Battalion, and whoever else contributed to this week's events.

It doesn't matter that some opposed the resolution, or that the student newspaper made technical errors. You got more publicity this week than ever before. That should lead to a record turnout.

How much would it have cost to advertise for this recognition? I hope your bus operation runs like clockwork.

Good luck. Be safe.



[This message has been edited by DualAG (edited 11/17/2005 8:08a).]

I agree with DualAg on this one, if it ain't bad press, it is good press. For most people, all they will see is OFF-CAMPUS BONFIRE on the front page and then say, "I'm going to go check that out Saturday night."

I am kinda peeved the article is not very balanced.

Someone should call them on it.

I'm also disappointed that my mailcall didn't run.

quote:

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This year's bonfire will have the same design as the last three off-campus bonfires

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- Batt article #1

Wrong. '02 was on the ground with most of the logs laying horizontal.

quote:

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This year's centerpole, which was raised Nov. 4, is 55 feet above the ground, but also has 10 feet sunk under the ground.

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Wrong. Will posted the dimensions on the board earlier, and this ain't them.

quote:

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Last year, 8,000 people attended the off-campus bonfire

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Wrong. That may be the line we fed the media on Burn night, but the ticket and money count indicate that this number is off by at least 20%.

Maybe the Batt should just post threads from Texags. They'd be more objective and correct.

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

You can't blame the media for getting 8,000 number wrong if that's what you told them. Here's my point:


Everything inside the red box is good press. Almost every article written in any newspaper will have errors in it, posting the errors on TexAgs only draws attention to them.

Whatever.

I'm still going to be sour.

rabble*rabble*rabble

I gotta go to class.

This, specifically is what ticked me off.

quote:

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Tommi Ivey, an opinion columnist for The Battalion who was wearing a Bonfire Coalition shirt but was not speaking for the organization, cited several problems the University Bonfire Commission identified with the 1999 Bonfire collapse, including a lack of student leadership, knowledge and skills pertaining to structural integrity, and a lack of formal plans or construction methodology. These problems still exist with the off-campus bonfire but cannot be regulated because it is not University-supported, Ivey said.

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No response for us to refute his argument. Utter bs.

I do believe that I'll Mail Call that one.

quote:

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his argument

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What gets me is when she (Ivey) says "As someone who has been to Bonfire 12 times, that would kill me."

Nice to see how selfish she is

As everyone involved in ASB knows, "been to Bonfire 12 times" doesn't mean jack squat.

I've watched thousands of football games, but that doesn't mean I get any credit for winning the game.

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

Perhaps you guys should be more ticked off with The Eagle, which ran the following paragraph at the end of a general summary of Bonfire-week commerative activities.

quote:

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A bonfire still is being built and readied to burn Saturday in Brazos County - off campus and without university support. Hundreds of Aggies have taken part in building similar off-campus bonfires in the years since the collapse.

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That is, your efforts rank below 10K runs, Bonfire art exhibits, etc.--and unlike those activities, the Eagle ran no contact or location information for Student Bonfire.

Critique the Batt all you want, but at least you got front-page publicity.

Can someone link me the article where Mr. Ivey made these comments? I couldn't find it.

http://www.thebatt.com/media/paper657/news/2005/11/17/News/OffCampus.Bonfire-1108134.shtml?norewrite&sourcedomain=www.thebatt.com

quote:

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Tommi Ivey, an opinion columnist for The Battalion who was wearing a Bonfire Coalition shirt but was not speaking for the organization, cited several problems the University Bonfire Commission identified with the 1999 Bonfire collapse, including a lack of student leadership, knowledge and skills pertaining to structural integrity, and a lack of formal plans or construction methodology. These problems still exist with the off-campus bonfire but cannot be regulated because it is not University-supported, Ivey said.

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[This message has been edited by Aggiegolfer58 (edited 11/17/2005 10:57a).]

quote:

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Everything inside the red box is good press

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Will, how is "Officer kills burglar in parking lot" good press?

I've been waiting for someone to notice that.

Some of you know who I am...

There were 2 persons and myself that were upper management people in BCS when it became a student-organization (2 years ago) that were involved in ASB. We tried to steer it in the right direction, but it was a lost cause and we jumped ship about 3 months into it. The people being quoted from BCS we're of the same position as me and my 2 friends at the time. It was a lost cause then as it is now because everyone in that organization had no clue what Bonfire was, how it was built, what the Bonfire "culture" is, and how it was operated. They were the rejects from the FLO's... Fish Camp didn't even want them. The two people quoted in the Batt from BCS, I wouldn't want to work with them in a corporation let alone in a Bonfire related activity.

Sorry.. end of rant..

WillD, I noticed it alright... I just failed to be a smartass to you today.

I tried to evaluate the articles on the cover page for their merits on a case by case basis.

quote:

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Ms. Ivey, where did your information regarding Aggie Student Bonfire having "a lack of student leadership, knowledge and skills pertaining to structural integrity, and a lack of formal plans or construction methodology" come from?

If one would take a moment to research a statement like that, they would find that Aggie Student Bonfire has a board of directors, which oversees the organization as a whole, and a licensed engineer who oversees construction. Furthermore, we have formal engineering plans and methodology that corresponds in order to construct Bonfire, partially because of the above-mentioned entities. Finally, we have implemented safety policies that are more stringent than those from the on-campus Bonfire. No one is allowed on the stack without a harness. Only trained persons are allowed to downswing with an axe to top logs and before going into the woods, each member must attend a safety and instructional course. These are just a few examples.

The best leaders surround themselves with people that compensate for their faults. Yes, we are student-run and student-led. The implementation of a board of directors and the use of a licensed engineer keeps our student knowledge in check.


Beth Weisinger
Senior Greenpot

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