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Chancellor backs up decision to suspend UW band

Todd Finkelmeyer  —  10/07/2008 3:33 pm

University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Carolyn "Biddy" Martin said Monday that she agrees with Mike Leckrone's decision to suspend the UW Marching Band indefinitely after hazing allegations were leveled against some of its members late last week.

Martin, speaking with The Capital Times after the UW-Madison Faculty Senate's monthly meeting at Bascom Hall, also said it's too early in the investigation to know when the inquiry might be complete or whether or not the band will be able to perform at Saturday night's UW football game against Penn State at Camp Randall Stadium.

"I just don't know," said Martin. "I wish I knew more details, but I don't."

The band did not perform Saturday night, when the Badgers hosted Ohio State.

Don Wiebe, a UW faculty senator who is an associate professor in the School of Medicine and Public Health, asked Martin during the meeting why the whole band was punished for the reported misconduct of a small number of members. Wiebe, who admitted he knew nothing of the details surrounding the band's suspension, noted that if something was amiss with the UW football team, the issue would have been handled internally and that the game against Ohio State Saturday night wouldn't have been called off.

First, Martin said despite reports that a small number of band members were involved in the alleged hazing incidents, the actual numbers are not yet known.

She then backed Leckrone's decision to punish the entire band after noting that just two years ago it was put on probation after reports surfaced of sexual and hazing behavior on a road trip to the University of Michigan. John Wiley, then UW-Madison Chancellor, ripped the band for that 2006 incident, and in a letter to Leckrone described the actions as behavior "that can be seen as anything from boorish and offensive to patently dangerous and unlawful."

Wiley then set consequences for the poor behavior and even warned that one more incident of band misconduct could lead to a travel ban, a suspension of performances and other punishments.

Martin said Monday that when leaders draw the proverbial line in the sand, and that line is crossed, they are forced to act.

"Professor Leckrone was part of the discussion that led to John Wiley making his speech to the band two years ago, and I think he felt, and I also feel, not only does it not do any good, but it's problematic to tell a group of people that if they repeat a behavior you're going to suspend them, and then not do it," Martin said Monday.

Wiebe said he was satisfied with Martin's answers.

"I was just kind of curious about how they arrived at the decision, but I thought she gave a good answer," he said.

Overall, UW officials have remained tight-lipped about the details of the allegations, with Leckrone only saying the accusations involved "inappropriate alcohol use, hazing and sexual behavior."

Dean of Students Lori Berquam's office is handling the investigation, which will determine whether the alleged behavior violated band or UW System codes of conduct. Berquam said late last week it was more than one student that alerted her office to the alleged hazing incidents. The band has approximately 300 members.

According to the band's Web site (www.badgerband.com), when Leckrone arrived on the Madison campus in the summer of 1969, interest in the marching band was at an all-time low. Leckrone was to be the third director in three years, the football team was on a 22-game losing streak and campuses all across the country were experiencing a period of unrest and protest -- so wearing a uniform and marching around in a military manner was not a popular activity among many students.

Yet Leckrone is credited with enacting a number of steps to bolster the band's presence and increase its popularity. He started an intense physical conditioning program for its members, put a new emphasis on showmanship and the "stop at the top" marching style, and wanted to make the Marching Band fun again.

And while Leckrone's program is generally considered a wild success, it has been tarnished by periodic instances of inappropriate conduct.

In 1989, the band was criticized by the Wisconsin Student Association after a band member gave a student leader a copy of a songbook filled with obscene songs and cartoons.

In March of 2004, rowdy behavior by band members led a bus driver to pull over and call the police. The band, returning from the Big Ten women's basketball tournament in Indianapolis, eventually made it home without further issues.

And after the 2006 incident, Leckrone told The Capital Times that if the conduct didn't improve he might relinquish his baton.

"If there's a disconnect (with the band members) because I'm so much older, then I shouldn't be doing it," Leckrone, then 70 years old, said at the time. "But I'm determined something's going to change."

Although no specifics were ever given about the questionable behavior in 2006, semi-nude dancing, lewd conduct and abusive behavior by older band members to younger ones were noted in a joint press release from Leckrone and Wiley.

Without going into detail, Leckrone said the allegations last week were very similar to those in 2006.

Todd Finkelmeyer  —  10/07/2008 3:33 pm