The strict regulations surrounding the building of the bonfire, which were imposed last year, remained for the duration of the bonfire's construction this year.
The guidelines were created by the Student Assembly, administrators and faculty in the wake of the 1992 Homecoming when approximately 600 freshmen and upperclassmen, some of whom were intoxicated, nearly incited a riot as freshmen defended the bonfire from raiding upperclassmen.
For the second year in a row, wood was delivered on the Thursday before Homecoming instead of the traditional Monday, giving students just two days to complete the 40-foot high structure.
Safety and Security officers also patroled the site, which was lit by spotlights and cordoned off by a rope that surrounds the structure at a distance of 110 feet.
In 1992, the violence stemmed from a freshman "tradition" of guarding the bonfire against upperclassmen.
The confrontation occurred the Wednesday night after fraternities finished their weekly meetings. Intoxicated students, including fraternity brothers and pledges attacked the bonfire.
Students used baseball bats, rocks and threw bags of feces, vomit and lighter fluid.
Several people were taken to Dick's House with injuries.
This year's co-chair of the Bonfire Committee, Aaron Grotas '98, said having just two days to work on the structure made the project rushed. He said it would take "the cooperation of a great percentage of the freshman class and of the upperclassmen to do it."
Grotas said in light of the incident in 1992, the safety measures are merited and reasonable. Co-chair of the committee, Mona Gupta '98, said she was "so psyched" to work on the bonfire.
Last year's construction was "fabulous," despite the rules, said Jessica Roberts '97, who headed the bonfire committee then.
"If [the regulations] did anything they made the bonfire better. With four days there is too much time to waste, with two, everyone was really excited to work on it," she said.
Ken Jones, director of physical education and overseer of bonfire construction, said regulations introduced last year were successful.
