<p>"A Florida university has stopped all band performances amid an investigation into the death of a student over the weekend that authorities say is linked to hazing.
Robert Champion, a 26-year-old drum major with Florida A&M University's marching band, became ill and died Saturday night after a game, the Orange County, Florida, Sheriff's Office said.
Investigators have found that hazing was involved in the incident, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said Tuesday."</p>
<p>"At a news conference, Ammons was asked whether there were previous instances of possible hazing in the band this semester. "There were allegations that were turned over to the authorities and those investigations are ongoing at this time," he responded.
Asked whether it is accurate that at least 30 band members were let go this semester because of possible involvement in hazing, he said, "That is true.""</p>
<p>After some of the discussions about banning fraternities on campus, maybe we should consider banning marching bands as well? Band hazing has occurred on other campuses as well.</p>
<p>Not what I think…two of my three sons have joined fraternities and have had excellent experiences.</p>
<p>But I do think hazing has to go. Organizations that tolerate hazing need a major culture change.</p>
<p>I wonder why marching bands have such a hazing issue?</p>
<p>What is it about marching bands? I mean, neither of my kids has played an instrument at a level like that, so I have no idea. Is the marching band culture really intense?</p>
<p>A 26 year old? It’s appalling that anyone should die or be hurt this way-- but a 26 year old? I think of hazing as something that happens to freshmen.</p>
<p>Whereas fraternities get kicked off campus (or suspended for 5+ years) when hazing happens, marching band and military corps continue to thrive at schools where hazing has been discovered. Even athletic hazing incidents don’t seem to bring about major reform.</p>
<p>A very tragic incident. But does it makes sense to ask whether there is an “age-out” for hazing victims? This was a 26-year-old man. At what age do we say, “you were responsible for making the choice to participate in those activities.” 21? 30? 50? Never?</p>
<p>Hi–I’m sorry my post could have been read as blaming the victim. I don’t feel that at all. I’m just thinking that a group of mid-twenties people ought to be way too mature to enter into this kind of behavior, and also assuming at 26 year old in a college band would be one of the leaders. It sounds like it would be a graduate program of some kind.</p>
<p>^Here’s an update on the story. It appears as though the hazing was widespread and people knew it was going on.</p>
<p>“The president of Florida A&M University moved Wednesday to dismiss the school’s longtime band director in the wake of last weekend’s hazing-linked death of a drum major in the school’s famed marching band.”</p>
<p>“The reason for this intended employment action is based upon your alleged misconduct and/or incompetence involving confirmed reports and allegations of hazing with the Department of Music and the ‘Marching 100,’” President James H. Ammons said in a letter to Julian E. White."</p>
<p>This article based on an interview with a former FAMU band member who suffered kidney failure after being hazed in 1998 strongly indicates that FAMU band administrators were complicit with hazing.</p>
<p>"A year later, he started getting benched more than he played. From the sidelines he watched less-talented players without scholarships perform more often… Soon Luckey learned the rumors were true: those kids had “crossed over” into elite groups within their instrument sections… Luckey wanted to cross over, too. He asked friends who had made it over what he had to do.They wouldn’t tell. But Luckey figured that if they had gone through it, how bad could it be?..</p>
<p>they were holding wooden paddles. And then came the licks. Ninety-eight to start, commemorating the year, then 97 more for the year before. Luckey had to count out loud. When he lost his place, they started over.</p>
<p>“They hit me a good 300 times,” he estimates.</p>
<p>After that, female students slapped him in the face over and over again. Luckey wanted to drop out, but the guys beating him persuaded him to stay…"</p>
<p>Hazing is justified by the bonding experience after it is over, and the willingness to commit to ones brothers or sisters through a sacrifice. The stakes rise as groups want that sacrifice to be significant. Mix in alcohol and adolescence, and hazing can become lethal. While I understand the claims in favor of hazing, I detest it nonetheless. It makes torturers out of the hazers, and victims out of the hazees. In the military, it may be necessary to instill obedience to hierarchy in naturally rebellious young people, but given the risk of injury and death in college campus hazing, I cannot see a sufficient justification for any college to allow it.</p>
<p>Tragic and utterly foolish if the band faculty knew what was going on. FAMU’s earned a glowing positive reputation over the last 25 years or so, so much that the former band director was named to a prestigious national position some years ago.</p>
<p>What nonsense. When will our younger people learn that belonging to a fraternity, band etc. is not worth being humiliated, injured or even killed.</p>
<p>"Hobbs’ (attorney for the FAMU band leader) letter said White has had many honors while holding his “dream position.”</p>
<p>“Dr. White has been at the vanguard of implementing measures to eliminate hazing within the Marching 100 over the past 22 years,” it read. “From an administrative standpoint … hazing within the Marching 100 has often been met with reckless indifference by White’s superior officers, who often ignored his requests for assistance or who privately lauded his decisions to suspend members from the band for hazing while failing to ensure that hazers were either charged with applicable criminal offenses or expelled.”</p>
<p>I note with interest that none of the articles seem to say that the person who died was hazed, but rather that the death was hazing-related. He was a 26-year-old drum major. I wonder if what happened was that the hazing in question involved heavy drinking–it’s not necessarily just the kid who is being hazed who drinks a lot.</p>
<p>I posted here a while ago about a Real Sports report about hazing in the marching bands at HBCUs. It involves beating people senseless, often with objects. If that’s the case at Florida A&M, I’m not surprised that a band member would die after being hazed.</p>
<p>After reading and hearing more about this, it appears that hazing in this band may not have been just for new recruits, but may have happened at various stages as you moved through the ranks. One report also mentioned that the victim may have dropped his baton at a previous game–so perhaps the hazing related to that.</p>