Mike Leckrone said Sunday he consistently takes a disciplinarian approach to band activities despite media coverage to the contrary.
""Our justice is pretty quick and sometimes very sudden,"" the embattled University of Wisconsin Marching Band Director said.
In response to the reports of hazing and sexualized misconduct released Thursday, Leckrone said there were about six to 15 troublemakers on the Ann Arbor, Mich. trip on one bus—of seven—containing approximately 50 people.
He said the misconduct reports came as a surprise to him—band members went directly to Chancellor John Wiley instead of coming to him. The first he heard of band members feeling uncomfortable going to lavatories and other incidents was in a meeting with Wiley the week of Oct. 1.
Wiley then sent him a letter Oct. 3, confirming what they discussed in the meeting. Wiley, Leckrone and the band met Oct. 5 to discuss the misbehavior.
At the beginning of the season, according to Leckrone, he has meetings with new members, upperclassmen members and the entire band regarding hazing and his policy toward that type of behavior.
The UW Band Regulations of Conduct's Point 7 states, ""Any act that could be construed as ‘hazing' is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate dismissal from the band.""
Leckrone said in his 38-year career with the band, he has expelled 20 to 25 members in according with the Regulations of Conduct's Point 10, which prohibits use or possession of alcoholic beverages during band activities. Violation calls for immediate dismissal from the band.
April 22, 2005, UW-Madison alumnus David Gauder dropped a lawsuit against Leckrone for fining him for using obscenities that caused a bus driver to pull over and call the police on a road trip.
Checking in with bus drivers at every stop to make there are no behavior problems is routine procedure, according to Leckrone.
The band members must comply with room checks during road trips, and there is a mandatory curfew, according to Leckrone. Two band members were suspended for one performance for returning late the night of the Michigan game, he said.
""I know that he does not like—if we have to get up early—he doesn't like people to stay up late,"" said UW-Madison sophomore and band member Mitch Lavin.
Leckrone said he remains optimistic for the band's future behavior and that his comment during Thursday's press briefing questioning his ability to lead the band was premature. He does not have plans to step down because of the Ann Arbor incident.
""I know that they're bearing the brunt of the bad behavior of a very few, but I guess that's the way it is,"" Leckrone said of the majority of band members. ""You know, we're kind of in it together, so we have to take the good and the bad together. And we're just going through the bad right now.""
