Word: ritualization
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...bonfire disaster, the existence of "Aggie pride" was relatively unknown outside of Texas. The 12 deaths and numerous injuries have brought national attention to the deep-rooted traditions of Texas A&M and have caused even the heartiest traditionalists to question the continuance of the 90-year-old bonfire ritual...
Though it would go against decades of tradition, perhaps it is time for Texas A&M to reevaluate the bonfire. Though the Aggies argue that tampering with the age-old ritual will irreparably dampen school spirit, Texas A&M has weathered the banishment of past traditions without losing its school pride. In the '60s, university president Earl Rudder let in women and integrated minorities on campus for the first time. He also eliminated the requirement that the entire student body be in the Corps of Cadets. Even these groundbreaking changes, which altered the entire aim of the university, were...
Though many Aggies would prefer that the bonfire tradition continue unchanged, no pre-football-game ritual is worth 12 lives and 27 hospitalizations. For Texas A&M to perpetuate the tradition as it is now would be unwise and irresponsible. Instead, the school should limit the size and height of the bonfire and hire more outside professionals to supervise and direct its construction. A 5-and-a-half-story bonfire is an excessive, unnecessary waste of time and natural resources. Furthermore, college students with no outside construction experience should not be entrusted with the execution of such a gargantuan building...
...this year's bonfire, but many on campus, the injured and eyewitnesses among them, want it reinstated next fall. "Yes, it hurt a lot of people," says Fernando. "But it should be carried on in the spirit of tradition." Twenty-four hours after the collapse, students honored another campus ritual known as Silver Taps. A bugle summons students to remember classmates who have recently died. That was a tradition no one disputed...
...like a routine inspection, but on a much grander, million-man, scale. Every month, in an arcane and complicated ritual tracking thousands of troops, tanks and tarpaulins, Army bean counters rate the readiness of each of the service's 10 divisions. Troops, weapons, logistics and training are all measured, then reviewed by commanders and tweaked if the results might give a misleading impression of a division's fitness to fight. The grades range from C-1--fully ready to wage war--to C-4, unprepared for battle. The marks warn the Army of impending problems and help the generals know...