The University of Wisconsin Band is marching to a better tune this season, putting last year's sexual misconduct and hazing allegations behind them and reestablishing themselves as a positive symbol for the university.
We're under a spotlight almost incessantly and I've stressed that continually to students,"" said Michael Leckrone, director of the UW Marching Band. ""There has not been a day that goes by that we don't talk about the fact that they are representing the band.""
The program made national headlines last October after actions between members and between employees during a September trip to the University of Michigan and reports from the past were unveiled.
The collection of incidents, which included having a female member suck on a sex toy and having younger members run errands to refill beer cups for older members, led to a review of the program, according to a October 2006 University Communications release.
Following the scrutiny the band faced, the group has undergone some reorganization.
""We're making senior leadership a little more responsible and given them some authority with the idea that people will be watching it,"" Leckrone said.
However, he still acknowledges a ""certain amount of peer pressure"" and has instilled what he calls a ""chain of command"" to encourage students to speak up, report a problem and also make them aware of consequences.
He says it is the ""biggest single thing"" the program has done.
The chain of communication between the band and the Office of the Chancellor has also been strengthened.
In an October 2006 press conference Leckrone expressed concern of a disconnect with Chancellor John Wiley, saying that he knew the band members well, while the chancellor did not.
Leckrone said he has been ""back and forth with the chancellor's office,"" but any real fire has seemed to settle.
""I've pretty much tried to keep the chancellor informed. It has been quite positive from the time we said we were going to show him that we can take care of our business.""
According the Casey Nagy, executive assistant to Wiley, the band has ""returned to being a great ambassador for the institution.""
Nagy said he recognized Leckrone's commitment to correcting behavior, along with his new assistant, Ernest Jennings.
The presence of Jennings will help clean up any dirty images of the program.
He will replace Michael Lorenz, last year's assistant director who resigned following accusations of inappropriate contact with a female employee on the same Michigan trip.
Jennings, a former assistant band director at the University of Iowa and Army National Guard captain in Iraq will ""offer an outsider's perspective on the whole situation,"" according to School of Music Director John Schaffer.
The band will travel to Las Vegas this weekend with a full plate of performances.
""The proof is always in the pudding,"" Leckrone said. ""You have to show people that you're serious about eradicating any of the bad thoughts people might have had about us.""
