<p>U Wisconsin's marching band suspended for hazing. Wow, I was aware of hazing in the greek system, and with sports teams, but I had no idea that it extended to marching bands. The marching bands kids at our local high are usually squeaky-clean kids who never get into trouble. I guess this kind of behavior can strike anywhere....
Wisconsin</a> band suspended: sex, booze, hazing? - College football - NBCSports.com</p>
<p>Quite a number of years ago our HS band was known for activities that were in truth hazing of the new members every year at band camp. It took a concerted effort of a new director, parents and school administration who applied it across all clubs and sports with harsh reprisals and about 4 years to drive it out of the culture. The entire parent community had to support it and get rid of the "kids will be kids" mentality and it had to be reinforced every year. . And by the way - the kids all appeared to be squeaky clean kids who never got in trouble. </p>
<p>I imagine it is harder to drive it out of a college culture. But you have to break it and keep after it every year for 4-6 years until the memories have gone.</p>
<p>I happened to get the chance to take my niece to her grandmother's house last night. She plays in a widely respected college band. This was before I read this story, but I asked her how her band experience was going.</p>
<p>She (a baritone player) said the kids in the band were pretty mellow for the most part. There seems to be quite a bit of professional challenge there - one kid (I believe the section leader) challenged her to perform perfectly in the pre-game parade and show (holding her instrument precisely, etc.) with the promise of dinner out if she made it and a workout if she failed. Definitely not hazing here. If I get to see her again soon, I'll ask her about this incident and if people in the band were discussing it.</p>
<p>Of course, this is one datapoint just like the UW band, but I'd be interested to hear from other band families of their experiences.</p>
<p>Personally, I think this whole situation at UW does not reflect well on the leadership. You'd think that they'd keep vigilant longer after that first incident. Sad.</p>
<p>The thing about hazing is that the people doing the hazing know it is illegal and they forbid the victims to talk about it. It would be very unlikely for a kid to bring that up to an adult at a family gathering, no matter how close they are. That is one of the reasons hazing is so insidious and continues to happen every year. I have a kid that shares a lot, but I never head about the hazing he was involved in until kids in the group started getting put in jail for warrants that were served after arrests were made months earlier during a hazing event. Not one kid had told their parents, even though four were arrested and charges were brought. Not one parent knew their children had warrants out on them. No one told. To this day, I am sure plenty of parents have no idea what happened and how much danger their kids were in. And, of course, those four families who have chosen to settle with the group versus going forward with lawsuits have been asked to sign confidentiality clauses so no one who doesn't already know has an opportunity to find out. Last year, I know of two kids from another school who had to go to the hospital for injuries suffered during hazing events: their parents don't know the truth either. Hazing goes on at most schools, which leads me to believe that university officials tend to cover their own a**** for liability purposes, but do not do enough to address the problem.</p>
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And, of course, those four families who have chosen to settle with the group versus going forward with lawsuits have been asked to sign confidentiality clauses so no one who doesn't already know has an opportunity to find out.
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<p>I detect a little irony here. Last I checked keeping your mouth shut was all a part of the victim's role in bullying.</p>
<p>I doubt that UW acts much differently than most college bands. I think they just have a stricter policy and chose to enforce it more harshly.</p>
<p>Egads!!! One of my D's very best friends is a freshman in the UW band - the last person that would be involved in this type of thing, but of course he will be punished with the others because of a few.....and we were going to look for him on TV tonight, what a shame!</p>
<p>BadgerBeat.com</a> - Update: No replacement for suspended marching band at tonight's game</p>
<p>and this from 2006:</p>
<p>This is the first I have ever heard of band hazing, so I doubt that the practice is widespread. My son never experienced anything of the sort at UCLA, and neither did his close friends from high school who joined marching bands at UC Berkeley, USC and Fresno State, Univ of Arizona and San Diego State.</p>
<p>There is, of course, the possibility that this is actually somewhat common and the parents are not told. Code of silence and all that. Not saying that is true, just observing that lack of parental knowledge does not necessarily prove anything.</p>
<p>My daughter's HS band participates with a "semi-mild" version of hazing, which includes the hanging of special signs on incoming freshman. These signs tell others to make them do bizarre things, such as get down and bark any time the director says a certain word, or the signs display degrading comments about the sign-wearer. When she as a freshman last year, I was appauled at her sign and ordered her NOT to wear it. When I confronted the director, who has been a band director for 23 years, he did not seem to think there was anything wrong with what was occurring...in fact, that was my original feeling of his reaction, as the hazing occurred during band camp in front of him.</p>
<p>I made sure my daughter, now a sophomore, participated this year...by placing a sign on her "victim" that read: I am a WONDERFUL band student and person and I will be the best <insert school="" name="" here=""> band member I can be.</insert></p>
<p>I figured, since I didn't have any support from the other band parents or administration, no one there seems to think the behavior is inappropriate, I would make her put a positive spin on it. It seemed to catch on because on day 2, most of the negative signs were gone and had been replaced with postitive messages that uplifted the freshman members.</p>
<p>Might sound juvenile, but kids do care what their peers think, and one strong peer can change the thinking of an entire group. I just hope this trend continues next year.</p>
<p>"Hazing" in my college marching band in the 70's, but nothing like the hazing going on with greeks at the same time.</p>
<p>I have lived in Madison for a long time and I did my grad work there. I love watching the band. They have so much energy and enthusiasm. But I hear things that make me cringe. There are often strong leaders in the band who are not very nice people. Supervision is sparse (these are college students after all who shouldn't need supervision) and left up to graduate student assistants who were often members of the band themselves. I am sorry that they all have to suffer for the behavior of a few, but maybe they will get the message that they need to grow up and start policing themselves.</p>
<p>I've always heard that the marching band hazing at Texas A&M is pretty severe.</p>
<p>Texas A&M marching band is made up solely of Corps. people. The hazing goes along with being a cadet. You can't be in the marching band unless you are in the Corps.</p>
<p>The band was suspended for hazing, as well as alcohol use/abuse and sexual improprieties during a (?recent?) road trip. The band had been on probation for this in 2006.</p>
<p>sunny, Texas A&M band was suspended for a recent road trip? I tried to google it, but came up empty. Can you post the link? S says they played at last weeks game...</p>
<p>Mizzou - I think Sunnyflorida is referring to the UW band.</p>
<p>BandTenHut-I think you have this all wrong. I think the problem is that U of Wis. band is NOT held to higher standards that is where the problem started. My daughter is a member of the U of Tenn.-Knox., Pride of the Southland band. Tenn. played Wis. last year at the bowl game in Tampa. I remember my daughter coming home from the bowl game and telling me how wild Wisconsin's band was. She was just talking about discipline. She mentioned all kinds of things that she was very surprised that they did. She was a freshman last year. Univ. of Tenn. is pretty strict with their band members. I think she thought all college bands were like that and was very surprised when she saw the Univ. of Wis. band. She had told me that their band director seemed very old and did not seem to have control of the band. She was appalled at some of the behavior. I know at the time I was thankful that she was a member of a much more respectful band. I know she did NOT go through any hazing last year. She loves the band and respects the strict policies that they have at Tennessee.</p>
<p>Note that a "small number" of students ruined it for the rest of the band members. It is too bad the majority of the band members had to suffer but the consequences of the minority's punishment but it will most likely have a positive effect for a long time. The band director is very old, but very dynamic- the annual spring marching band concert is always a show to be seen, if only on local public tv. How many directors of any age go flying on a wire from the back of the concert hall to the stage to begin the show? I detect different styles of schools. The overall campus culture is probaly a lot more liberal than that of Tennessee, I don't see where respect/strictness make a band that plays for sporting events as better. I have heard of worse behavior from the Stanford band in past years. I'm presuming the band members will behave themselves better in the future and that next summer/fall will find plenty of students willing to put in the grueling hours as replacements for any not returning. Treating the students as adults with relative freedom is good, hopefully the few immature band members will act more like the responsible adults they were treated as in the future.</p>