After allegations of hazing silenced the University of Wisconsin Marching Band last week, the band will play at Saturday's football game against Penn State as officials lifted their suspension Thursday.
Band Director Mike Leckrone suspended the band last Friday amid claims of excessive alcohol use and sexually inappropriate behavior at a Sept. 27 trip to Ann Arbor, Mich. The band was forced to miss performing at the nationally televised Big Ten football home opener against Ohio State while the Offices of the Dean of Students probed the hazing allegations.
Dean of Students Lori Berquam said almost 70 band members voluntarily came forward with information confirming the alleged behavior. Berquam also said some hazing victims quit the band as a result of the actions, which Leckrone described as asinine, disgusting and degrading."" The band has been reprimanded for inappropriate behavior in the past, most notably in 2006 when former Chancellor John Wiley put the band on probation for similar actions.
""This represents a very disturbing pattern of behavior by the band,"" Berquam said. ""These activities were designated to humiliate and demean fellow band members and they greatly distract from the positive experience students should have and expect from a formal campus organization such as our marching band.""
The band will not be allowed to travel for the time being and Berquam said the investigation remains open and ongoing. Berquam said only a minority of the 315-member band were responsible for the actions and that hazing instigators could face expulsion under the UW System non-academic code of conduct. Additionally, hazing victims have the opportunity to file a criminal complaint, but Berquam said no students have chosen to do so.
Drum Major Jon Alfuth, a junior, and Assistant Drum Major Alex Waskawic, a senior, said that while they were aware of some hazing behavior, certain incidents did surprise them. Nevertheless, they said the suspension reminded band members how much they valued performing.
""It felt terrible and was an embarrassment not to be a part of football at Camp Randall on Saturday,"" Alfuth said. ""We believe that as a group we can overcome the actions of the few and that we can start fresh with a new culture of respect.""
University officials are taking a number of steps to eliminate hazing from the band, including assigning a staff member to work with the band in promoting a positive culture change. College of Letters & Science Dean Gary Sandefur said he wants to refocus band participation as an educational activity through a self-study by the band and a review by the L&S academic planning council.
Leckrone said he feels the measures along with increased monitoring and accountability from the band staff will be effective in transforming the band for the better.
""These changes aren't window-dressings, they're the serious beginning of a new commitment that simply must change this culture or counterculture of our band,"" Leckrone said. ""Being a band member is a learning experience and no member of the band should be made to feel uncomfortable [or] humiliated. Period.""
