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Never heard of an entire band of 300 being suspended before. Any UW Sousaphone drivers care to comment?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 1530.story

bloke wrote:

hazing, alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct

If not this, what then, is the purpose of a marching band?

If bloke hadn’t injured a knee, he would march a contra in DCI, and not the veteran version.

K

tubashaman wrote: For a marching band to be suspended.......by the director..........it had to either be A) demoralizing the band or program in a way, i.e. nudity or something at a band supported function, B) injury at a band supported function, C) other activity in drinking/sexual misconduct at a band supported function. A band supported function can include football games.

I don't know how ya'll do it down south, but I think nudity would definitely raise the morale of the band.

I consider hazing to be a ridiculous, deplorable practice that is the province of those desperate for some type of control in their lives - sad individuals indeed. I do not attend UW-Mad (not that far removed, though), but I do not believe that hazing occurred in the situation described. However, I have seen that some people do not belong in a large "party school" (???) marching band and, in the overly-sensitive world of public universities, those people can do far worse to the band than vice versa.

Morale for a football team and its fans is definitely enhanced by a marching band. That the Badger Band was missed in the stadium by the fans last night was readily apparent.

I have never been a member of the "Rhino" Sousaphone section of the UW Marching Band.

I have known members of the Marching Band since 1986. The band has done some wild things, and yes, the band was put on probation in 2006.

In any organization, there are bound to be people that test the boundaries. But the people that overstep the boundaries and cause harm should not be in the organization.

Does this band have internal controls to hold in check such individuals? Likely.

There are also wonderful people that have always been upstanding citizens and have contributed to the fabric of the university community. This fact should also be noted.

However, there is a new chancellor at the university this year. Band members should have been fully aware that their actions would be under fresh and objective scrutiny.

There is one person that understood that fact perfectly clear: Mike Leckrone. Regardless of whether there was actions previous years that deserved such punishment, Mike was likely in no position to be lenient on the band this time.

As difficult as it was to take this step, Mike probably took the most courageous step for the program that he could. It may have even saved the program.

Let's hope that the band takes care of business, keeps its nose clean, and gets back to the task at hand.

"Well it happened to us, and was fun in hindsight"

"It was a lot worse on us, so what are they complaining about?!"

"The band should have been there to support the football team anyway."



It is all fun and games until someone gets hurt. Unfortunately, people get hurt by this stuff all the time. Emotionally and physically, hazing shouldn't be some water cooler laugh. The blind eye that we turn towards hazing and the chuckle we give ("kids will be kids") is the reason why it is perpetuated and develops into more severe hazing over time. Not only is there a lot more to this particular situation than has been provided by the media, but there are a lot of people that have been hurt by hazing in THIS particular organization before. I love the Badger Band, but something had to happen to make SOME (of course not all) realize their actions were endangering others.


Wes "who has spent some fun nights in the old Rhino Tuba House over on Vilas" Pendergrass


P.S.- Sorry for the soapbox, but I had a close personal friend SERIOUSLY injured when hazed in a "music" fraternity. The comments people made then were on par with the above, and I never understood why.

bloke wrote: An extremely large percentage of those who have been victims of hazing entered into hazing rituals knowing that these were indeed hazing rituals and having a pretty good idea that they were going to be unpleasant.

I would agree that this is true sometimes, however, I think most of the participants in things considered hazing do so blindly (because they want to remain a part of the organization), unfamiliar with what actually occurs (these secrets supposedly bind the brotherhood/sisterhood closer), and because they are encouraged to participate by those who have already done it.


A lot of this comes from the "good ole boy" complex. We all do it, the older we get and the farther removed from something, the more epic it becomes. The things that happened to us were always a lot better or a lot worse after some time had elapsed and over time we push these faux memories into the new actions making the hazing worse.

No need for much sympathy bloke (although you were probably being insincere like bloke normally is ), I was simply trying to draw to the point that most of us have been affected by hazing (some to the point of death).

bloke wrote:

hazing, alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct

If not this, what then, is the purpose of a marching band?

Ain't that the truth.

tubashaman wrote: As Wade and others said, Marching band in college is for socialism, making friends, etc.

Now this explains a lot of things. So this is why the political scene in America is what it is.

TubaRay wrote:

tubashaman wrote: As Wade and others said, Marching band in college is for socialism, making friends, etc.

Now this explains a lot of things. So this is why the political scene in America is what it is.

One thing this board needs is a feature that translates just what the hell James is trying to say.

Speaking of college kids and e-mail, check this out from the Chronicle of Higher Education:

http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/articl ... ors-notice" target="_blank

Heh, I told this story to a friend of mine (He is a in a marching band), and he replied:

"Why can't we get suspended??"


Hehehehehe...

the elephant wrote:socialism… ?

Pachy, why do so many Americans have this mystified attitude towards socialism, even if exactly socialism is very American?:

SOuthern CIA (-inspired) nihiLISM

K

The Big Ben wrote:One thing this board needs is a feature that translates just what the hell James is trying to say.

Not so hard. Socialism = socializing. Piece of cake.

It is a big word, after all.

The Big Ben wrote:

TubaRay wrote:

tubashaman wrote: As Wade and others said, Marching band in college is for socialism, making friends, etc.

Now this explains a lot of things. So this is why the political scene in America is what it is.

One thing this board needs is a feature that translates just what the hell James is trying to say.

Agreed!

John Rider wrote:We are also forgetting the other wonderful pupose of marching band.
I met my wife there.
John

Same here. So far, that's the only purpose I have come up with.

tubashaman wrote:Ben, I suspend you from Tubenet till you learn my lingo.

Now, that's the spirit.

tubashaman wrote:Ben, I suspend you from Tubenet till you learn my lingo.

Spoken like a true future professor!

TubaRay wrote:

tubashaman wrote:Ben, I suspend you from Tubenet till you learn my lingo.

Now, that's the spirit.

DO NOT TAUNT HAPPY FUN BALL!!!

my first post on this forum, and I'm sad it is on this topic, but I'd like to add what I know. I'm a HS band Director is Wisconsin(not a UW grad, but a big fan), and had a student in the band at one time. Sadly, as was mentioned earlier, this is not the first time there has been trouble, they were put on notice in 2006, but in the years before there were serious incidents, one of the most publicized was the trashing of a hotel (not just one room, but various parts of the entire hotel I've been told) in Las Vegas on a band trip to the NCAA hoops tournament a few years back. It's been pretty much common knowledge that there is a faction of the band that goes way over the top much too often. Fun is fun, harrassment is harrassment, vandalism is vandalism.
Someone asked if they have internal controls to hold such folks in check. One would think so, but it apparently hasn't had any effect.
Mike Leckrone is a God, an icon in these parts having led the band since 1969, but it seems he has tended to look the other way at a lot of things over the years. After the 2006 incident he was forced to make this move. This may hasten his retirement, and it is sad he will go out with all this controversy as the backdrop, but it appears it is time for new, strong leadership.

I'm not a marching band guy and never have been. However, I can appreciate the discipline involved. I do like watching halftime shows especially those that are clever and artistic. I've had friends in the University of Washington Band and have heard about the happenings on road trips but it just seemed to involve a lot of vomiting.

Seems to me the key is to keep the players doing something positive or they will probably figure out something on their own and there is a chance that "something' will be stupid or bad. In the UW situation, maybe they need to have a look at the guidance provided by the director. If he's been there since 1969 and the band has embarrassed itself multiple times, perhaps they need a different approach to organizing. Maybe the dude is out of gas...

In the UW situation, maybe they need to have a look at the guidance provided by the director. If he's been there since 1969 and the band has embarrassed itself multiple times, perhaps they need a different approach to organizing. Maybe the dude is out of gas...


I think you are correct. There seems to be some sort of entitlement going on there and he is part of that. Musically, they have done the same schtick for so many years it has gotten tiring for me, but the people loves it and that will makes those shoes tough to fill, but I agree, they need filling by someone who will crack the whip.