http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/577453 Decision on Bonfire may come in days By JOHN WILLIAMS -- Copyright 2000 Houston Chronicle Texas A&M University President Ray Bowen should announce by week's end the future of Bonfire. Bowen said he will meet "with various key individuals and constituencies concerning their perspectives on the matter" before making his decision, according to a statement released Monday. Bowen will likely hear a variety of opinions from constituents. A university faculty panel has sought to abolish or drastically change the tradition while students and former students are mounting efforts to preserve it. Bowen spent six weeks contemplating the future of Bonfire after a special commission blamed faulty design, poor construction techniques and inadequate supervision for the Nov. 18 collapse that killed 12 and injured 27. The Bonfire tradition dates back 90 years and is the centerpiece of the school's pep rally before its annual football game with rival University of Texas at Austin. While surviving victims and family members of those killed have generally said they support Bonfire, Bowen has said, "My heart will not make the decision. My brain has to make the decision." The special commission, which included engineers and construction experts, suggested a safe Bonfire would be expensive because students need extensive training, something they did not receive in the past. In addition, the commission questioned whether the university could correct an institutional tunnel vision toward Bonfire, which prevented school administrators from objectively viewing problems such as rampant drinking and hazing. Last month, a special panel of the Faculty Senate recommended that Bonfire either be abolished or its design be significantly changed, a position staked out after professors read the report of the Special Commission on the 1999 Bonfire. That recommendation was forwarded to Bowen, who has consulted with faculty members. But on Monday, a straw poll among the Faculty Senate showed that a majority of the roughly 40 members present at a meeting believe the issue should be studied further. The straw poll indicated support for a resolution asking Bowen to appoint a special panel of students, former students, parents, faculty, community leaders and administrators to determine if all commission concerns can be corrected. "If such modification cannot be made, the task force should suggest an appropriate annual substitute event," the resolution said. Students today will present university officials with 8,000 signatures of people who want Bonfire to continue. Ryan Thompson, a senior history major who helped mount the petition drive, said the main purpose of the effort is to make sure that some form of student-operated Bonfire continues. The students, however, are not trying to dictate what shape Bonfire takes in the future, Thompson said. That would give university officials the leeway to change from the unstable wedding-cake design which failed last fall. "We just want to make sure that students in the future have the chance to build and burn their own Bonfire," Thompson said. Also, the Association of Former Students will present Bowen with a letter today indicating support of Bonfire, said association spokeswoman Christina Horz. "We have received overwhelming support for Bonfire," Horz said. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/577429 ------------------ Stay Cool...
