Interview with Moderator Hank Nuwer on prior hazing scandal with Wisconsin band.
The band has been suspended and will miss the Ohio State game.
Excerpt:
That means the band will not perform at tonight’s Big Ten football game between the 18th-ranked Badgers and the No. 14 Ohio State Buckeyes at Camp Randall Stadium, and it marks the first time the marching band has been suspended from a game show in at least 40 years, band director Mike Leckrone said.
“I thought the only thing I could do to send the message was to suspend,†Leckrone said.
Speaking at a news conference at the UW Welcome Center, Leckrone said he thought only a small percentage of the 300 band members were involved in any hazing, but that the members had a “shared responsibility†to behave appropriately.
“You don’t have any idea how hard it was,†he said. “It was like I can remember my father saying, ‘This is going to hurt me more than it’s going to hurt you.’ â€
Leckrone did not describe the allegations in detail but said they involved alcohol consumption and “inappropriate sexual behavior.â€
He said he learned of the allegations from a tip but would not say if it came from a student.
Dean of Students Lori Berquam, whose office will investigate the allegations, said the band will remain suspended during the investigation, but she declined to say how long that might take.
In October 2006, the university put the band on probation for seminude dancing, sexualized banter and hazing that occurred during a road trip to the University of Michigan.
