From Students
Pot
This is the helmet you will need to build bonfire, no one is permitted in the woods without one. If you are looking to join, the chiefs can instruct you on how to obtain the proper pot. If you are visiting for the weekend we have a handful of extras but we can’t guarantee we will have one for you unless you let us know at least 3 days in advance.
Grodes
These are the clothes you’ll wear to Bonfire. You only need one set and you won’t be washing them. You need long pants and a shirt. The pants may have no holes larger than a quarter and make sure they fit well so they won’t be snagging onto things or causing you to trip up. Shirts must cover your shoulder blades. Stack shifts take place on cold November nights – it’s a good idea to have some sort of jacket, if you don’t need it you’ll be someone’s best friend if you have an extra.
Steel Toed Boots
No need to spend a ton of money on boots if you don’t want to, you can pick up a pair at Walmart or Academy for $20-25. They must be steel toed – no exceptions.
Anyone can join Nerd Crew. Nerd Crew is comprised mostly of residents from Lechner Hall, McFadden Hall, and Haas Hall, but we welcome all Aggies.
To answer that question, look back to the beginning. Bonfire dates back to a trash-pile fire in 1907. The game with t.u. wasn’t formalized as an annual rivalry game until nearly a decade later. It wasn’t until 1921 that A&M held a pre-game “rally” for the game. A yearbook photo from 1927 (20 years into the Tradition) is the first known association of Bonfire with the t.u. game. As the first definition of Bonfire concluded, Bonfire is The Undying Flame of Love that every loyal Aggie carries in his heart for the school. And that is where we stand. Bonfire will continue as a labor of love, carried out by students. Even as we move on into a new era, the Tradition remains, and its roots deepen.
Because we are the Crew for the Honors Community we take grades and school performance very seriously. Grades should always come first. No one is ever reprimanded for missing a Bonfire-related activity in order to study for an exam, do homework, or work on a project. We encourage all members to maintain high grades and be in good standing with the University.
Unlike many other organizations your membership is not dependent on attending a certain number of events. While we encourage everyone to come out as frequently as possible, and would love it if everyone came to everything, we understand that college is a busy time in everyone’s life and that there are things outside of Bonfire. You are a member of Nerd Crew whether you come out only a few times or come to everything. We also don’t require a large membership fee. Everyone is required to pay a $5 fee to Student Bonfire for their “Cut Card” and to help offset the costs to the organization. Our Crew does not have a separate fee. You are required to have the necessary safety equipment in order to come out and participate. Above all else we ask all of our members to be respectful of everyone else in the crew and of the dedication and hard work that everyone puts into building Bonfire.
We will meet at 6:00 AM in front of Lechner Hall and then carpool out to cut, leaving at 6:30. Depending on the number of people going you may be asked to drive people out to HEB, where we will meet up with other members of the crew and get supplies for the day before going to cut site.
Yes, absolutely. We are accepting of anyone that is willing to come out and do as much as they can. You will obviously know your limits better than anyone out there, so if anything seems like to much for you, you don’t need to do it. Through the years, we have had several people with asthma that are worried about the work and the dirt, and like stated earlier, you know your limits. Also, we have had members come out despite of leg or back injuries and just take it easy, doing as much as they deem appropriate.
The orange we use for our pots is Krylon Fluorescent Yellow-Orange – the paint can should look similar to the can pictured bellow. If you plan on purchasing your own paint make sure you look at the name of the color – generally located on the barcode. There are two oranges, Red-Orange is the wrong one.
In order to participate in Student Bonfire you must purchase a cut card for $5. Cut cards are available at Cut Class or any time we are going out to build bonfire.
While it only cost $5 to join Student Bonfire every participant must have the proper safety attire which some may already own while others will need to purchase them. To learn more about what else you need please click here.