After the release of last week's allegations against the marching band, one thing is obvious: The University of Wisconsin Marching Band Director Michael Leckrone should not be blamed for the hazing actions of band members.
With a band of 300 students, Leckrone cannot physically watch over that amount of people. Rather, the blame should be placed on the individuals involved with the alleged sexual hazing, which totals six to 15 students.
Hazing is unacceptable within any college organization. However, leading up to last Thursday's press conference when the band antics were detailed, the alleged mysterious actions of the group were presumed much worse.
If the UW football team acted in a similar manner as the marching band, head coach Bret Bielema would likely have not been targeted. In the past, just like other universities, when UW athletes have engaged in illegal activity, the coaches' jobs were never put on the line.
Leckrone is the coach of the UW Marching Band, and even accepted much of the blame, telling The Daily Cardinal that the buck stops with him.
""I take a lot of steps to make sure students understand what their role is and it's my job to make sure that message gets through—that they represent the university well,"" he said. ""I had to question, ‘Had I not been teaching a lesson well?'""
Whether or not Leckrone taught band members proper etiquette is subjective, but more importantly, his track record for stringency on misbehavior is well proven.
In 38 years as band director, 20-25 band members have been expelled, according to Leckrone. The number of suspensions ""is too large to even count,"" Leckrone said, because minor incidents such as lateness at a game rehearsal can result in a one-game suspension.
In September 2004, a band member filed a lawsuit against the band director, citing lack of due process after Leckrone fined 28 band members $41.38 each—punishing members after a bus driver pulled over citing unruly behavior when the team returned from a women's basketball game in Spring 2004. The ""famous f-bomb"" was a primary concern, Leckrone said.
The Dane County Court dropped the lawsuit in April 2005.
Obviously, history shows individual members have been fined and the few who actually participated this time around should be punished accordingly. Leckrone and the rest of the UW Marching Band should not face consequences.
