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	Vol.7, No 48, November 22, 1999
	Texas tragedy shocks colleges By Don Weberg Daily Forty-Niner Despite student deaths from a collapsing bonfire structure at Texas A&M University, UCLA held its annual Beat SC Bonfire and Rally on Thursday. The UCLA bonfire had aimed to rally school spirit before it faced cross-town rival USC on Saturday. While under construction, a bonfire pyramid in Texas collapsed Thursday morning, causing 50-foot logs to crush student construction workers. Nine students were killed and 28 were injured, The Associated Press reported Thursday. Cranes, tractors and students helped to build the structure. The Texas rally and bonfire would have been Thanksgiving night, a day before a game between Texas A&M and University of Texas, AP reported. The Texas rally has been cancelled. The UCLA bonfire tradition has been going on since the 1950s, according to Dani de Jesus, president of the UCLA student alumni association. One year the UCLA bonfire was so big that residents in Westwood called the fire department and claimed the campus was on fire, de Jesus said. "It's a tradition that we've been doing since the 1950s or '60s and we're very careful about it," de Jesus said. To ensure safety, a campus safety representative actually inspects the pile of materials to be burned and sets the fire himself, according to officials.  To ignite the pile of wooden pallets, sod and grass, lighter fluid is added to the pile, de Jesus said.  "We don't use the same materials for our bonfire," said Shannon Davis, assistant director of campus spirit for UCLA. "We also don't build anywhere near as high as they [Texas A&M] do." Students at UCLA are also kept at a distance of about 100 feet away from the bonfire.  University officials ensure staff and other adults are always present, Davis said. Reacting to the tragedy, UCLA had a moment of silence for students killed in the Texas bonfire collapse, Davis said.  Zsa-Zsa Gershick, associate director of news and media services for USC, said its activities are more subdued. "We have a number of activities, but no bonfire," Gershick said. Tina Hamilton, a staff assistant working on the Texas A&M emergency hot line, said the height of the pyramid when it fell is unconfirmed.  However, when completed, the A&M bonfire pyramid stands about 55 feet tall, she said. Jennifer Zamora, a student volunteer on the hot line, confirmed that the A&M bonfire is a tradition since 1909. "The mood on campus is very somber," Zamora said. A wave of grief settled over the campus of 43,000, some 90 miles northwest of Houston, according to AP.  Rescuers earlier in the day used sensitive sound-detection equipment to listen for moaning or tapping from the enormous pile of collapsed logs.  They heard scratching noises that led them to believe there were victims trapped, AP reported. Workers removing the base level Thursday afternoon were certain there were no bodies in that section, Humphreys said. Sixty to 70 students were on top of the logs trying to build the stack when it suddenly gave way, university officials said. Shocked students gathered at the scene, holding hands and praying while the rescue went on, AP reported.  The Associated Press contributed to this story.		CSULB president expresses sorrow for deceased students By Don Weberg Daily Forty-Niner Cal State Long Beach President Robert Maxson said Thursday that his heart goes out to Texas A&M University faculty, staff and students in the wake of the bonfire collapse that killed or injured more than 30 students early Thursday morning. He said he was especially filled with sorrow for the families of the students killed and injured in the catastrophe. "It just makes me sick," Maxson said. "They obviously loved their university and were doing this out of school spirit. It was a tragic accident." By early evening Thursday, nine students had been found dead, 28 were injured and two students had not yet been found.  Maxson said it is especially hard to accept given the young ages of the students involved in the accident.  "What a sad place Texas A&M has to be now," he said. "I think what goes through people's minds is, ‘Why so young?'" Maxson said he is familiar with Texas A&M because his son graduated from the university as a medical undergraduate. Currently, Maxson's son is a surgeon in Austin. "It's a campus rich in tradition, not just for football," he said.  Maxson said that he plans to write a letter this week to the university's president expressing thoughts and sympathy on behalf of CSULB. "This university [Texas A&M] is like family to me and it's just tragic," Maxson said. Texas tragedy shocks colleges   Worker arrested for meth   Students explore career options on Net   Women faculty reveal their research work   Fraternity provides dinners for holiday Remedial studies ending   Not so famous walk   LETTER TO THE EDITOR Weekday video picks include James Bond   Travis delivers with new country album Addleman pins competition down Fall 99 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach ©1999 All rights reserved.