Jones: No celebratory fires
September 28, 2009
Student Body President Jasmin Jones has been saying for a while that basketball celebrations on Franklin Street need to change.
But after a visit to the N.C. Jaycee Burn Center on Friday, there was no doubt in her mind that celebratory bonfires have to go.
“We really need to say ‘no fires,’” she said. “Nobody wants to be the one to say it. We’ve got to say no, and that’s hard.”
Jones and Carolina Fever co-chairman Desmond Rowe toured the center in order to raise fire safety awareness and discuss plans for changing UNC’s tradition of lighting bonfires on Franklin Street after significant basketball victories.
“People don’t know what it means to be burned,” said Bruce Cairns, director of the center. “And the visibility of the issue has to come from you in order to have an impact.”
Last year, eight students went to the burn center after the National Championship celebration.
Cairns met with Jones and Rowe to emphasize the long-term consequences of serious burns as well as the need for change.
“We should all be proud of our athletics,” he said. “But we need to pursue excellence the right way.”
Jones has outlined plans to implement a “safe celebrations” program, complete with beach balls, rooftop DJs and projection screens with game highlights.
These features would provide rowdy crowds with activities other than lighting fires.
Jones said she understands that her plan might not achieve immediate success.
“It takes a long time to change a culture,” she said.
The executive branch of student government is working with other student organizations, including the Carolina Athletic Association, to publicize the plan.
Jones said she hopes she can get athletes, particularly basketball players, to support and promote her plan among the student body.
She plans to pilot the plan at the first basketball game between Duke and UNC.
“I want to tap into what we love to do, like cheer and dance,” she said, “If we could get the rooftop DJ to play ‘YMCA,’ that would be awesome.”
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
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To celebrate we have to win.
To celebrate we have to win.
Don't we need to WIN the Duke
Don't we need to WIN the Duke game in order to celebrate? What if we lose and all that money was wasted hiring DJ's and junk?
Agreed, don't we need to win
Agreed, don't we need to win a game to warrant a celebration. I wont put any effort into building a fire until they put effort into winning a game
I vote no to Jasmin
It sounds like Jasmin is really in touch with her constituents. I agree with everyone else that beachballs will not solve your problem with people getting burned in fires. What you need to do is make the fires bigger so that people cannot jump over them. Problem solved.
Can I rescind my vote from last year?
The YMCA, seriously Jasmin? The bonfires are a tradition that's been going on a long time. My dad jumped over bonfires, my older brother has jumped over bonfires, and I have also. It's simply a tradition that will not be stopped, so don't try. Where the hell are you going to get the money to support your changes? An article from last week said Student Aid had run out of funds. Why don't we concentrate on allowing impoverished yet very bright students into our university before we waste money on rooftop DJs and screens? I wonder how many beachballs will be needed for a massive bonfire.
un-convinced
honestly, i really don't see why there's a need for huge changes in basketball celebrations. i know that administrators see bonfires and thousands of people running amok, and assume that more structure and sterility is necessary . . but the truth is that, out of some 80,000 (mostly drunk) people, only 8 of them ended up at the burn center. and i agree with the other poster that it's not like innocent revelers are accidentally falling into the fires . . it's people jumping over them, lighting their clothes on fire, etc. that are the ones who end up getting burned. and i just don't think beach balls are going to all of a sudden make that type of person more reasonable.
you can give people wholesome, structured things to do, but the student body is probably still gonna wile the f' out when we a national championship.
Fires > Beach Balls
While injuries sustained as a result from fires on Franklin Street are unanimously frowned upon, do you really believe your proposed strategy will prevent such accidents from occurring?
In my experience, the people who are burned are the same people who actively seek fires and are pushed or stumble in. Individuals should evaluate the risk they are willing to accept and act accordingly.
Personally, I am willing to accept the risk associated with this dangerous activity and believe the choice is mine, not Jasmin Jones'.
Agreement
Xaniel, I COMPLETELY agree with your points.
While fire injuries are in fact disastrous and brutal, we have to understand that no matter what type of celebration we have after big wins, we will ultimately lose the game.
I also agree that those who are burned in the fires (at least the ones I've seen or known) are either the staggering drunks, or simply the people who are actively trying to light their clothing on fire, do the "Danny Green" dance in the fire, or risk their safety in other stupid ways. The vast majority of us are the ones standing shoulder to shoulder in a circle around the fire, singing "Hark the Sound" and the fight song all night long.
Sure, I've jumped over some fires. As a sophomore, I will hopefully find myself jumping over many more. And as an alumni and hopefully parent of a future Tar Heel, I would like to think that I could bring my family back years from now and still see those fires on Franklin and Columbia burning bright in salute to our beloved university.
As Xaniel put it, I accept the risks, I KNOW the risks, and if Jasmin Jones or anybody else doesn't like the fires, we're sure not shoving you into them. It's the same as Halloween on Franklin: if you don't like it, DON'T COME!