We're rapidly approching that 45-day deadline.

How are we doing with regard to having all of the contracts signed?

i think you got your answer with the 50+ views and no response...

Per the Student Bonfire website...

Student Bonfire would like to take this opportunity to inform every one of our members and supporters about our current status as an organization. Many questions have been raised concerning recent publications in regards to this coming season. Rest assured the leaders of Student Bonfire have been hard at work all year to assure the safety and success of this years build and burn. You can be certain that these leaders will do everything needed to ensure that no governing laws are compromised. Student Bonfire is not a “renegade” operation by any means. We will proceed in a professional manner as we have since our conception.

What makes Student Bonfire work is found in the character and hard work of each and every member. Without the dedication of some one-thousand members and countless supporters you would not be reading this statement right now. Student Bonfire recognizes, respects, and appreciates the understanding of both students and community members.

We will be safe, law abiding, and professional. We will build the hell outta Bonfire 2006.

Thank you,
Student Bonfire Committee

That's not exactly an update.

basically, its not approved?

I think we will hear what we need to hear when we need to hear it. Otherwise, I think there are some very dedicated individuals working like mad and don't care to air out their laundry on Texags.

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I think we will hear what we need to hear when we need to hear it. Otherwise, I think there are some very dedicated individuals working like mad and don't care to air out their laundry on Texags.

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Yeah, that doesn't sound like good news now does it? Bad PR only furthers itself because of ridiculous answers like that. In my opinion, people "working like mad" aren't going to fix this. Why wasn't somebody doing so a couple months ago?

Bad PR only furthers itself because of Texags.

comments in the Batt, in or out of context, certainly don't help

How about a straight answer?

Have contracts been submitted to the appropriate governmental agencies, e.g., police and fire departments, and to private contractors for crowd control and other services stipulated by the judge for his granting of a mass gathering permit?

If so, what are the chances for their being signed by the deadline?

If not, why not?


[This message has been edited by DualAG (edited 10/6/2006 6:16p).]

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I think we will hear what we need to hear when we need to hear it. Otherwise, I think there are some very dedicated individuals working like mad and don't care to air out their laundry on Texags.

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Of all the things that should be kept secret, you'd think filing forms wouldn't make the cut.

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I think we will hear what we need to hear when we need to hear it.

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Considering that the 45-day deadline is today, it seems like this would be the perfect time to hear it.

Ask your Yellow or someone who can ask for you. PR needs to be controlled, we don't want a speculative thread on Texags to turn into a story that hurts ASB.

Lew, a lot of people get on TexAgs and talk but never come out. They criticize the operation of an organization that they aren't involved in. And thats what causes the speculation.

I do realize that some of these people used to come out a lot, and thats great. But if they aren't coming out now, all they'll know is what the general public knows.

[This message has been edited by Armadillo Jackal (edited 10/9/2006 10:42a).]

Lew, you ought to realize that sometimes you don't have to say anything to create bad PR. Sometimes when people aren't saying anything at all for "fear of creating speculation" all they are saying to everybody else is that there is something to hide. The best plan would be to have a release of sorts that is honest and forthcoming. If ASB is trying to carry on the traditions of what Bonfire once was, then Aggies should be informed. Is this Aggie Bonfire or is this just your project that you keep to yourself about?

So, an "official" release on TexAgs? How official is Texags?

Any information will be posted on the SB website. Beyond that, contact your Yellow if you are currently involved, and if not, email SB.

I know many Ags would like to know what's going on at Fran's practices. We would all like to know how he will plan to win. But he doesn't tell the press, "Well this week we ran _______ at the ______position and it worked great, so we're going to do that in this Saturday's game."

In conclusion, SB has a stack site and it will be legal. This isn't new news, the statement on the SB website says that.

Square, don't ever assume anything...it never turns out good for anybody.

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I know many Ags would like to know what's going on at Fran's practices. We would all like to know how he will plan to win. But he doesn't tell the press, "Well this week we ran _______ at the ______position and it worked great, so we're going to do that in this Saturday's game."

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This is a COMPLETELY and totally different situation. At the very least, there was poor communication with Judge Simms. Now a pretty important deadline has passed and there's no word on whether or not all the paperwork and logistics have been taken care of. This isn't some secret strategy here. It's something that should be VERY transparent.

[This message has been edited by NoACDamnit (edited 10/9/2006 1:54p).]

I'm with NoAC and SquareOne07 on this one.

The dearth of information is cause for concern.

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Any information will be posted on the SB website. Beyond that, contact your Yellow if you are currently involved, and if not, email SB.

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Boy, that just warms my heart and makes me want to write my annual check to ASB!

Rather than being reactive and making inquiring minds - almost all of whom are supporters and want to help! - email SB for tidbits information and stonewall them on TexAgs and tell them not to ask questions, you should proactively have a weekly email distribution to friends and supporters of ASB with detailed information on the current status of the project.


I've had no fewer than a dozen former students that are interested in ASB and generally supportive of the effort ask me what the scoop was on the legal issues surrounding burn. I said "I don't know" and told them to check the web site. They all said "it doesn't have any real information". I reluctantly had to agree.

The impression they were left with was that of an unprofessional, disorganized, and overly secretive operation. I'm not saying that to be critical, but to give you an idea of how former students - that want to support ASB! - view the PR efforts, or lack thereof.

[This message has been edited by Keegan99 (edited 10/9/2006 2:17p).]

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I've had no fewer than a dozen former students that are interested in ASB and generally supportive of the effort ask me what the scoop was on the legal issues surrounding burn. I said "I don't know" and told them to check the web site. They all said "it doesn't have any real information". I reluctantly had to agree.

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The website has all of the information you need.

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We will be safe, law abiding, and professional. We will build the hell outta Bonfire 2006.

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It doesn't get much clearer than that...by law abiding you gather that any legal dealings are in proper order, and should not be a concern, otherwise the official update on the website is lying, which would not be in Student Bonfire's best interest to do. If you would like more information, the people to talk to are wearing bright shiny red pots, or green pots with red letters every weekend. The other good people to ask would be those on the board of directors.

Texags is not suppored by Student Bonfire and logically would not the place to expect to find any official updates or news.

Excellent! A several week old announcement that everything will be legal means that all forms and arranagements have been made successfully!

*shakes head*

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The website has all of the information you need.

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Look, I just told you that when former students read this uninformative, platitude-filled statement:

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We will be safe, law abiding, and professional. We will build the hell outta Bonfire 2006.

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They have this impression:

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The impression they were left with was that of an unprofessional, disorganized, and overly secretive operation. I'm not saying that to be critical, but to give you an idea of how former students - that want to support ASB! - view the PR efforts, or lack thereof.

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Then you respond with the same secretive, we-don't-have-to-tell-you tone. You essentially say that if anyone wants any real information, they have to come out to cut - which isn't possible for every interested and supportive former student - or contact members of the board, who don't have their names or contact information on the website.

Again, you're forcing people that are interested and supportive to seek out substantive information rather than delivering it to them in an effort to engender support and build a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship.

It's embarrassingly bad PR.

[This message has been edited by Keegan99 (edited 10/9/2006 2:45p).]

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The website has all of the information you need.

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I'll have to disagree with that. The problem with the statement on the website is that it's written in future tense. At this point, we're not looking for assurance that "these leaders will do everything needed to ensure that no governing laws are compromised"; we want to know whether you have done everything needed.

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Then you respond with the same secretive, we-don't-have-to-tell-you tone.

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Don't forget that tone is not correctly projected through text.

Tone can definitely be lost but there's a big PR problem when instead of making very VITAL information available, people are told they should just find out for themselves.

What would happen if all of the details were made available in a public forum? What would keep the information that SB and SB supporters should have from getting to people that should not have such information? ...nothing.

case 1: Information is given out using official Student Bonfire resources, normally by news breifs, such as the one on the website right now. Those individuals curious enough to go beyond the public updates can use their discretion as to what to do with the more detailed news and any sensitive information they are told. Sensitive information stays in a small circle, and as long as the news breifs are completely truthful Bonfire burns on November 21st and all of the information that was not disclosed to the Texags public no longer matters and is forgotten in a few days.

case 2: Leaders of SB disclose extremely important information on Texags religiously. At some point a bit of relevant information does not come in a timely manner. Panic erupts.

case 3: Leaders of SB disclose sensitive information on Texags, a barrage of "I told you so", "there will be no Bonfire this year", and thousands of "this is what to do" threads appear. Phone calls become incesant to the leaders, distracting them and eliminating any chance of getting work done in whatever time they had left, useful Bonfire communication becomes extinct.

Alright, let’s open the books. Publicize everything.

You'll probably say, "All we want to know is if they made the deadline." And maybe immediately, that’s all you want. But once you know that, TexAgs will blow up about another detail they want. And then another. And every time, it will be "SB is being too secretive."

Now, I am not upper leadership, but I am out there every shift. My view is you should see what you're supporting in one of two ways, contact upper leadership or come out in person. I wouldn't blindly send money to anyone, but if was something that I was passionate about, I would inquire. TexAgs is not Bonfire and SB is smart to not make their announcements on here.

If we haven't heard anything yet, that means there is nothing to tell. There should be better PR, and if you have the time and skill you should offer to take care of that.

If they are being secretive then they are doing it for a reason. Otherwise there just is no news. Patience is a virtue. Let them sort it out and if you are concerned offer your assistance in anyway possible.

This is crazy. We're not talking about some vital trade secret here. We're talking about whether or not the group is meeting their LEGAL OBLIGATIONS. Why in the world would it be important to keep the status of FILING FORMS secret?

Secrecy was a BIG problem cited by the Linbeck report. If something like whether or not they made the deadline is being kept under wraps, what else isn't being made transparent?

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If they are being secretive then they are doing it for a reason.

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This terrifies me.

[This message has been edited by NoACDamnit (edited 10/9/2006 3:57p).]

Allow me to reiterate the following point:

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Rather than being reactive and making inquiring minds - almost all of whom are supporters and want to help! - email SB for tidbits information and stonewall them on TexAgs and tell them not to ask questions, you should proactively have a weekly email distribution to friends and supporters of ASB with detailed information on the current status of the project.

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For what it's worth, a friend on Facebook said that a red posted a note that a stack site had been secured. Why is that on Facebook, but not suitable on TexAgs or the SB website? Again, it's a PR breakdown.

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BONFIRE WILL BURN WITHIN THE LAW

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Now, if the forms were not filled out, and all the legal procedings were not addressed, this quote from the website would be a lie. Would it not?

Hence, my earlier post. Your question has been answered.

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We're talking about whether or not the group is meeting their LEGAL OBLIGATIONS.

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They have to meet the legal obligations to burn within the law.

If you want to know something else, more detailed ask the correct people. Asking on here is like the deaf listening to AM radio.

It's like talking to a brick wall.

Reread leknerd's post.

We KNOW they said it WOULD BE taken care of. Now it's the time to know if it WAS taken care of.

Why in the world should that be a matter that needs to be kept secret? Deserved or not, the organization has a view of being renegade. This isn't helping the matter and it doesn't seem that anyone cares.

As for contacting the right people, how? You mentioned asking the board of directors.

Who are they? How can you contact them?

If everything has been taken care of they should be making an announcemt to that effect on their site - not simply going by an old one saying it WILL be taken care of.

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Now, if the forms were not filled out, and all the legal procedings were not addressed, this quote from the website would be a lie. Would it not?

Hence, my earlier post. Your question has been answered.

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Considering that the permits were not in order when that statement was made, one is left to question whether that statement is still correct, or if the website simply hasn't been updated.

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If you want to know something else, more detailed ask the correct people.

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Ask yourself:

Does that statement foster an open, welcoming, and mutually beneficial relationship between ASB and former students interested in supporting ASB?

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For what it's worth, a friend on Facebook said that a red posted a note that a stack site had been secured.

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after searching all 4 SRP and all 4 JRP facebook profiles, none of the 8 have any notes regarding anything with Bonfire.

Who's profile did the friend see this in? If it was not any of the leadership listed on the Student Bonfire Leadership page or in a board member's profile...it should be considered hearsay, no matter truth or lie.

[This message has been edited by TexasRebel (edited 10/9/2006 4:14p).]