On November 19, 1999, "The Arizona Republic" released a political cartoon by Steve Benson titled "Texas Bonfire Traditions" that compared the collapse to the Waco siege of 1993 and the 1998 murder of James Byrd Jr. This prompted criticism and negative reactions from the Texas A&amp;M community, and the "Republic" removed the cartoon. People sent thousands of e-mails about the cartoon to the newspaper offices. On December 1, the newspaper sent a total of $10,000 in two checks as a peace offering to the university, with $5,000 to the Bonfire Memorial Fund and $5,000 to the Bonfire Relief Fund. The TAMU administration declined to accept the money and returned the checks. TAMU president Ray Bowen stated "Texas A&amp;M will not allow itself to become an agent for "The Arizona Republic" as it tries to manage the public criticism it is receiving."