UW Band Suspended

By TChris, Section Off Topic
Posted on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 08:03:01 PM EST
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The Wisconsin Badgers are losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. [Update: 10-7 Badgers, end of half] [Final: 20-17 Ohio State grumble] The legendary UW Marching Band isn't helping the team to victory tonight, having been suspended for hazing.

No details were immediately released about the behavior, only that it involved inappropriate alcohol use, hazing and sexualized behavior. Leckrone said it involved only a small number of band members, but it was significant enough to warrant the suspension.

UW football players are suspended once or twice a year, usually in conjunction with criminal charges. It would be remarkable to see the entire team suspended for a game, particularly in light of the revenue loss a team suspension would generate. Is it reasonable to suspend an entire band of 300 (I don't know how many of those perform at a home game) for the actions of an admitted few?

[more ...]

Please note: after considerable anguish over whether this post should be categorized under "Social Justice," I finally opted for "Off Topic." But geez, it seems a severe injustice to deny the culturally deprived fans of Ohio State (not to mention UW fans and everyone else watching this nationally televised game) the privilege and benefit of listening to the UW Marching Band.

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UW Band Suspended | 27 comments (27 topical)

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This one time at band camp... (5.00 / 2) (#1)
by Dadler on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 08:20:52 PM EST

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Heh. (5.00 / 1) (#3)
by scribe on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 08:41:49 PM EST

I'd follow with more quotes, but this is a family site.


: I'm guessing (none / 0) (#22)
by cal1942 on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 11:31:55 PM EST

you're talking about the lines that preceded
" ... that's what band camp's all about"

The Stanford band holds the record for suspensions (5.00 / 1) (#2)
by Katherine Graham Cracker on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 08:29:22 PM EST

from 2006

hard to imagine (5.00 / 1) (#5)
by denise k on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 09:23:25 PM EST

It seems like the ones punished are the fans who come to the games to enjoy the atmosphere created by the band. Do they still do the fifth quarter show? that was always my favorite part of the games. I am amazed Leckrone is still alive to say nothing of still the director of the band. He was there in the 70s when I was there.

When you say Wi-i-i-s-consin, you've said it all...

: Of course (5.00 / 2) (#6)
by TChris on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 09:43:41 PM EST

they still do the fifth quarter show.
When you way WISCONSIN, you've said it all!

The Princeton band took a wrong turn (none / 0) (#4)
by scribe on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 08:44:38 PM EST

down at the Citadel a couple weeks ago, walked somewhere no one's supposed to walk but about which they hadn't been told, and a bunch of Citadel cadets beat the business out of a number of the band members and broke an instrument or two. Called them liberals, commies and a couple other choice names larval Rethugs are learned to use.

Any of those band players big strong guys? (none / 0) (#7)
by Teresa on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 09:55:29 PM EST

We'll take them in TN for our offensive line.

The tuba players are big (5.00 / 1) (#9)
by TChris on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 10:03:48 PM EST

and strong enough to carry a tuba.


We'll take em TChris. Send them down here. (none / 0) (#10)
by Teresa on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 10:08:30 PM EST

Do the Tuba Players Still (none / 0) (#15)
by kaleidescope on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 11:04:18 PM EST

Rehearse around the flag pole? And does the National Bank at a profit sell road maps to the soul?

And more to the point, when I was in Madison in the seventies, body passing was real big. This meant drunk men would grab a woman and forcibly pass her up the rows to the top of the stadium (groping her along the way). Technically it was kidnapping and sexual assault, though back then nobody got arrested or even thrown out of the game for doing it.

Do they still do body passing at Badger games?


Nope. (none / 0) (#16)
by TChris on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 11:07:55 PM EST

Body passing was outlawed after they tossed a drunken student over the top of Camp Randall (or maybe it was just a fear of that result that got it banned).


: Body passing (none / 0) (#23)
by cal1942 on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 11:34:18 PM EST

was done most everywhere in the '70s

Oh please (none / 0) (#8)
by coigue on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 09:59:35 PM EST

Ohio State does NOT need to hear your little band.

Maybe no band (5.00 / 1) (#11)
by CoralGables on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 10:44:17 PM EST

But the Ohio State Players sure enjoyed the Jump Around.


: Everyone with a heartbeat (none / 0) (#14)
by TChris on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 11:00:53 PM EST

enjoys the Jump Around.

Not true! ;-) (none / 0) (#12)
by Fabian on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 10:54:15 PM EST

Bands are very respectful of each other.

We marched at a podunk school that was even more podunk than our school. We had to play day games because their field had no lights and only bleachers on one side. (The other side was a ravine.) They fielded a marching band of twenty some. No frills, just instruments. They were small, but that didn't make a difference. We thought they were cool.


I don't know (5.00 / 1) (#17)
by coigue on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 11:12:12 PM EST

they aren't called "the best damned band in the land" for nothin.


Well, yeah. (none / 0) (#18)
by Fabian on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 11:18:18 PM EST

OSU's band is pretty damned awesome! It's great to see what the other bands are up to, as well.


Every Big Ten band is outstanding. (5.00 / 2) (#20)
by cal1942 on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 11:30:06 PM EST

Not a klunker in the group.


: Don't miss football at all. (none / 0) (#24)
by Fabian on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 11:36:08 PM EST

I do miss the half time shows. I still get nostalgic when I can hear the local bands practicing.

: and a big avenue to higher ed via scholarships (none / 0) (#26)
by DFLer on Sun Oct 05, 2008 at 09:59:10 AM EST

yeah. I know. (none / 0) (#19)
by coigue on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 11:29:40 PM EST

My guess is that the suspension (none / 0) (#13)
by Fabian on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 10:56:39 PM EST

is a pressure tactic to try to find out who the bad actors are.

Either that or charges are imminent and the university is trying to save face.

Bingo on the pending lawsuit, I bet (none / 0) (#21)
by Cream City on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 11:31:28 PM EST

as I said in the earlier thread on this. The band has had problems for many years, the chancellor warned it two years ago to stop its "patently dangerous and unlawful" behaviors, the director's sidekick was fired for harassing another staff member on a road trip -- and yet the problems continue under the band director who has been there for 40 years, since the Madison campus was two-thirds men.

When his sidekick was fired two years ago, the band director said he would quit if problems continued. Now he says he has to stay to teach the band how to behave. NOW he has to do so?

The university heard about the new problems at 3:45 Friday, and the band was put on indefinite suspension 45 minutes later. That is the sign of an administrative freak-out about a lawsuit, I bet. And a lawsuit that the UW would lose, owing to the pattern of prior bad behaviors -- so bad that the chancellor already warned about them. Any lawyer would love a case with that on the reoord. And the reaction suggests that the recent incidents may be even worse -- for even bigger bucks than were paid to the staffer in past.

The band is an embarrassment to the state. And in this economy, with budget cuts coming to an already devastated state university system budget -- second-lowest in the country for state funding increases in the last five years -- the rest of the UW campuses would lose even more, once again, as has happened with the Madison campus flouting of other laws in recent years. And of course, we the taxpayers would lose the most in paying costs of the case, once again.


: I wish it didn't have to happen (none / 0) (#25)
by Fabian on Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 11:41:53 PM EST

like that - especially with schools but too few pay attention until big bucks are involved.
The good news is that other schools sit up and pay attention when one school get slammed with a lawsuit.

Bands gone wild (none / 0) (#29)
by Katherine Graham Cracker on Mon Oct 06, 2008 at 08:07:17 AM EST

Director files complaint about UC Davis band

Lance Williams, Chronicle Staff Writer

Monday, October 6, 2008

(10-05) 16:39 PDT -- When he was hired as director of the loud, rowdy Cal Aggie Marching Band at UC Davis, nobody told Tom Slabaugh about the tradition of "naked van." read more