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Keegan,

How long have been reading and posting in this thread?

The kids made an embarrassing mistake.. Key word "KIDS".. An unfortunate mistake that should be immediately forgivable with a sincere apology.

That's as far as I would take it though.

I'll look for more of your posts to see how long you can beat a dead horse. bye.

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Oh give me a break. This is a thought out process. They are 19 plus years old. They are adults and should be responsible for their actions. At the least the co chairs should be removed from fish camp. This was not a mistake. It was a thought out plan of action.

Have they been on Facebook since may?

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Oh and lemme just tell you that I'm not too excited for fish camp

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Then don't go. Trust me... worst 2 days ever.

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Agreed. It's dumb. I remember the counselors ridiculing people who refused to crawl through a line of people to get their asses slapped all the way through. Never got the tie in to traditions with that one.

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Magnolia, it's ok to be wrong. You are.
Why are they not to be blamed?

And what would you say if they stood in front of you and said,

"Don't blame me. I am not responsible for this."

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I'm right. The first fish camp isnt until late July. These are just the chairs and counselors in one of their meetings.

Just as an FYI, every Fish Camp has a big Bonfire program. There's a whole thing where all the fish are brought into Copeland, the lights are turned off, 12 staffers stand on stage with candles and read letters from the victims and the families of the victims, then they call out their names and everyone answers Here. I'm getting emotional just remembering it. That was my first glimpse of what being an Aggie really meant, and it had a big impact on me. So for those saying that Fish Camp needs to teach fish about what happened, they do. Whether that actually sinks in is another question.

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Just as an FYI, every Fish Camp has a big Bonfire program. There's a whole thing where all the fish are brought into Copeland, the lights are turned off, 12 staffers stand on stage with candles and read letters from the victims and the families of the victims, then they call out their names and everyone answers Here. I'm getting emotional just remembering it. That was my first glimpse of what being an Aggie really meant, and it had a big impact on me. So for those saying that Fish Camp needs to teach fish about what happened, they do. Whether that actually sinks in is another question.

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Loved this part as a counselor.

Not reading this whole thread, but those pictures are pretty infuriating.

this thread

Anybody have the rest of the pictures?

Whew, this thread is a long read. I was involved in T-Camp, and remember thinking Fish Camp was awful. I knew several people that were involved with it, and my DG group partner was a fish camp counselor the year before I was a TCamp counselor with her.
She believed Fish Camp was run much worse and that it wasn't nearly as helpful to the campers as TCamp.

That being said, several things have been posted ad nauseum, including some things out of line (welcome to the zoo, a place I only show up in times like this) but I agree that:

1.These "kids" shouldn't be counselors anymore. And be forced to attend something explaining the gravity of their actions.
2.They should probably be barred from joining any leadership organizations at A&M in the future.
3.They should definitely privately apologize to the families of those disrespected, and probably should release something publicly to the Aggie Family, who has also been deeply hurt by this decision. I cried for the first time in a long time today after seeing this event and having so much anger, sadness, and remembrance hit me wave after wave as more information has been uncovered.

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On behalf of everyone associated with Fish Camp, I apologize from the bottom of my heart for the unfortunate and inappropriate photographs that circulated briefly on social media. While the actions portrayed in these photographs do not reflect the Aggie Core Values or the Fish Camp values, I know these students, and I know there was no ill-intent or disrespect intended to the memories of the 12 Aggies who are memorialized at the site. While I was not present when the photographs were taken, I know the students involved are devastated by the hurt that this has caused to the families and friends of those fallen Aggies and all other members of the Aggie family. We continually strive to improve the education our members and incoming freshmen receive about the rich traditions and history that we hold dear at Texas A&M University. I assure you that my fellow directors and I will take active steps in using this moment as a point of education, not only for those involved in the incident, but for the entire organization. Again, I deeply regret that this incident occurred. I plan to reach out to the families of the 12 fallen Aggies to express my regrets, and I am eager to work with our organization moving forward.

Regards,

Max Cadena ‘13

Head Director | Fish Camp 2013

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I was out there that night minutes after the stack fell. I cannot begin to describe the hours, days, weeks, and months that followed. I remember it like it was yesterday. The Spirit and essence of what being an Aggie is all about was never on greater display than during the Bonfire Tragedy of 1999. In our darkest hours was when A&M and the Aggie Spirit was at its very finest.

I don't care if these people are associated with fish camp or not...but it makes my blood boil that ANYONE who considers themselves to be an Aggie would do this. Simply disgraceful and disgusting.

12 good Aggies died when the stack fell there. There is not a more sacred place in all of Aggieland. Not one. May God Bless the families, friends, and those who survived that night. I hope they don't see those pics

Do we know who these idiots are?

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3.They should definitely privately apologize to the families of those disrespected, and probably should release something publicly to the Aggie Family, who has also been deeply hurt by this decision. I cried for the first time in a long time today after seeing this event and having so much anger, sadness, and remembrance hit me wave after wave as more information has been uncovered.

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Make it simple:

For whatever fallen Aggie they desecrated in their photo, they should have to interview the family and write a biography.

I'm still perturbed with the #dosomethingbetterwithyourlives or whatever that jorts chick Tweeted...

They need their butts kicked and educated. What a jerk the photographer must be. Total *******.

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Do students/former students have a right to ***** and moan and call for punishment to these Aggies? NO. Only the families and friends of those lost do

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As Aggies, we ARE family and friends of those who fell. It's part of being an Aggie. We are all one family. So yes, we do have the right to call for punishment.

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Just as an FYI, every Fish Camp has a big Bonfire program. There's a whole thing where all the fish are brought into Copeland, the lights are turned off, 12 staffers stand on stage with candles and read letters from the victims and the families of the victims, then they call out their names and everyone answers Here. I'm getting emotional just remembering it. That was my first glimpse of what being an Aggie really meant, and it had a big impact on me. So for those saying that Fish Camp needs to teach fish about what happened, they do. Whether that actually sinks in is another question.

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What about the memorial itself? Is the symbolism behind its design features discussed?

What did I miss??

THIS IS WHAT HIP-HOP HAS DONE TO SOCIETY!

You missed an entire witch hunt ConfidentAg!

Fish camp continues to impress

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What did I miss??

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Are you drunk again?

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How could people this stupid get into A&M.

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Are you new here? If you had been reading TexAgs for any significant length of time, you would have reached the conclusion that people this stupid not only get into A&M, they walk across the stage and grab a diploma four years later.

i thought fish camp was lame but i don't consider this a fish camp issue. this is a group think issue and that can be good or bad. I love the way we Aggies bond together and work (almost blindly) with each other.

The downside is that it sometimes only takes one really stupid idea to have a bunch of other dumbasses fall in line.

I'm more embarrassed that these are college ADULTS that don't have enough sense than to QUESTION this idea. You're in f-ing college--a place where it's ok to question almost anything--and not one stands up against the rest????

Punch them all in the face!!!!



Ok kidding. They are 18yo and idiots. What do you expect.

Most of them are probably in their twenties.

^actually, 19aggie99, quite a few are upperclassmen and in leadership positions. The people they are in charge of are 18.

[This message has been edited by C XX I (edited 6/27/2013 9:20p).]

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What about the memorial itself? Is the symbolism behind its design features discussed?

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Not usually at FIsh Camp itself, but one of the things a DG is supposed to do after camp is go out to the memorial together.. Of course that almost never happens. I would guess that very few students at A&M right now even know the significance behind the design at all.

Remove their leadership position and make them write a handwritten letter or even better, have them meet face to face and apologize to the immediate family of the victim.

I am Class of '97 and was living in west Texas when Bonfire fell. When I traveled to my parent's for Thanksgiving I went through College Station to pay my respects. I will never forget stopping on that cold November evening and standing in silence at the temporary fencing. As I looked out over the stacks of logs and read the notes left on the fence, tears welled up in my eyes.

Just thinking about it now makes my eyes water.