I have created a survey about the FTA Bonfire's return to campus for my technical writing class. This survey is completely anonymous and would be a huge help in compiling accurate data. Please see the below link that will take your directly to my survey.

I would really appreciate it if y'all could take a moment to complete this 10 question survey.

I know all of Texags has strong opinions on both sides of this argument and I am eager to hear hear and analyze your responses.

Thanks and Gig Em

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LVWT2TJ

If it's not too late, some of your questions could be worded better.

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*2. Have you ever attended or participated in an on-campus or off-campus Aggie Bonfire?

☐ Yes
☐ No

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I would have listed the options as:

☐ Yes, on-campus
☐ Yes, off-campus
☐ Yes, both on- and off-campus
☐ No

Which would let you determine if there's a generation gap between on-campus Bonfire people and off-campus Bonfire people.

In general, it's a bad idea to have conjunctions in survey questions: You really have two questions, so ask them individually.

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*3. Do you feel that a decline in the interest or participation in TAMU's traditions have taken a backseat to student organizations (Greek Life, FLOs, Student Government, Social Clubs, Academic Clubs) over the past decade?

*4. Do you feel that the feeling of TAMU's Aggie Spirit has declined over the past decade?

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Besides that you've asked essentially the same question twice, the thing that grates on me is the phrase "over the past decade", which literally means "since 2002". Did you mean 1999? Those three years make a big difference.

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*5. Do you think that the off-campus, Student Bonfire should remain off-campus but be recognized by the University?

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A "No" answer is ambiguous. Does it mean that Bonfire should return to campus? That it should stay off-campus and unrecognized? That it should somehow return to campus but not be recognized by the University (like 1909-1935)?

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* 10. Would you support the Aggie Bonfire's return to campus if it was designed by a licensed engineer and built with intense safety precautions?

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Depends. How much would it cost? How much would student participation be restricted?

See my response on the football board.

Bonfire has no place returning to campus. I've been saying this for years.


First, any return would force the University to take out so much insurance, that it would make Bonfire economically infeasible. There is no way to convince anyone in the PC administration that Bonfire is worth that level of financial commitment, and they would end up cancelling it next time we go through budget cuts.


Second, any return would cause power to be taken away from the students. It wouldn't be Bonfire if it weren't completely student led and student built.


Third, most people who want Bonfire back on campus only want it back because of the level of publicity Burn gets from the deal, as if that is what makes Bonfire legitimate. Student Bonfire is a completely legitimate Tradition. People keep making the mistake of believing the administration wants something to do with Bonfire. Let me assure you, no administration of a school of our caliber want to be involved with something that isn't understood by the outside world. If, God forbid, something else were to happen, it would affect everyone in the nation's opinion of us, and you can kiss goodbye federal grants like the one to create the Vaccine Center.


In conclusion, there is nothing to be gained from returning to campus, yet there is everything to lose.

deleted.

[This message has been edited by HedleyLamar (edited 7/12/2012 1:00a).]

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Old Army going to Hell since 1877, right?

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Not quite. A big part of early-2000s A&M culture was that the nostalgia filter had a date.