12 A M Students example essay topic

Texas A&M University and the University of Texas have been rivals for over 90 years. Every year Texas A&M held an annual bonfire tradition which attracts thousands of people. It is a tradition for Texas A& M to build a huge bonfire right before the game against rivals with University of Texas. Students would spend several weeks building the bonfire. On November 18, 1999 the stack of logs collapsed over and killed 12 A&M students. The aggie bonfire tradition would never again be the same.

In US News, the article "A Tragedy at Texas A& M", tells how the logs broke in half killing 12 students. On Thursday of November 18, 1999, early that morning the students started working on stacks of logs from the previous days. Students at A & M were very proud of this historical event. The students would gather one week and start to create the bonfire together. But little did they know this would turn into a tragedy. Early morning around 2: 30 am the logs were thrown everywhere including the students that were working on it that night.

About 70 students were at the top of the logs when it suddenly gave way. At least nine killed in collapse of A&M towering, 40-feet pyramid of logs trembled and then came roaring down early Thursday, crushing at least nice students to death and injuring 28 others. At least four of the injured were in critical condition and two people could be seen trapped in the rubble late Thursday afternoon. Rescuers couldn't tell if they were died or alive.

Rescuers had to use sound-detection equipment to listen for moaning, tapping and heard scratching noises that led them to believe there were victims trapped. In Time magazine, the article "A Good Time Goes Bad", explains, how a junior at Texas A& M University, embarked this fall on a rite of passages that began in 1909. Fernando Shaun was an eye- witness to this tragedy late that night. The week before the accident Fernando would help cut the wood and load the trucks. He worked hard around the clock to build the wooden tower.

At 2: 28 am is when he saw the 44-ft tall tower fall to the ground. After 24 hours the rescue workers had found 12 dead bodies and 28 were injured. The people began to question, why did the tower fall? Who was in charge that night? It was a puzzle to everyone to what possible went wrong. They have had previous problems before like in 1994 when the ground underneath the logs became very soaked from heavy rain and the officials ordered the logs to be cut down.

Professor Hug Wilson, who leads Aggie against bonfire says, "People are saying thee students gave their lives for the cause, but their lives were clearly taken". The University officials canceled this year's bonfire but Fernando says "It should be carried on in the spirit of tradition. The article "Texas Tragedy Unraveled" says, the panel blames faulty structure lack of supervision for collapse. The panel had discovered that there was excessive weight on the lower part of the body and the middle stack was found with wrong wiring and gaps. The panel also found the logs were standing too vertical and overbuilt. School President Ray Bowen said, he would not decide the bonfire's fate for another six weeks.

He said that emotionally he wanted to keep that tradition, but that the decision must be based on reason. Constructing the bonfire structure requires a lot of hours of student labor plus the assistance of a crane and a professional crane operator. The student supervisors are trained by students who have worked on past bonfires. According to faculty advisor Rusty Thompson, no formal training is given by professionals. Also, there is no formal building plan. 'A blueprint, as such, does not exist,' Thompson told reporters.

On November 29, 1999, the Washington Post, tells "the sadness is unbelievable, just devastating". The after math of the whole accident was disturbing. Rescuers throughout the morning and afternoon searched throw the logs to find any more victims and sadly they did find three who appeared to be dead. Students on campus prayed for their fellow classmates that day explained Justin You ens, an A&M sophomore said, "It hasn't hit me yet. There is so much tradition here, so much spirit; you can't believe something like this could happen.

I woke up this morning and found out I lost a friend". Officials have said about 70 people were stacking the logs upright in layers when the pile gave way. Some were throw while others were trapped underneath the logs. The last two bodies were pulled from the pile of wood early Friday.

In addition to the 12 killed, 11 students were recent graduates and 27 were injured. Tim Kerlee Jr., a freshman from Germantown, Tenn., died Friday, bringing it to 12. Kerlee had been hospitalized with a crushed pelvis and a broken arm. In conclusion, Texas A&M University carried a tradition since 1909 and ended in tragedy.

Many students were killed and injured in the building of the 44 ft tall tower. Did the center pole snap? Were precautions taken? Was there any adult supervision? And is any ceremony worth the risk? These are some of the questions the students and staff asked, but still the answers remain a mystery.

It's a sad and horrible way for students with so much school pride and school spirit to have their lives taken too soon.