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Don Juan Moore / AP
Florida A&M Marching 100 Band during the game against Delaware State Hornets at Bragg Memorial Stadium on Oct. 1, 2011 in Tallahassee, Fla.
Florida A&M University’s famed marching band will remain suspended through the 2012-13 academic year as the school continues to wrestle with the aftermath of the hazing death of a drum major last fall.
FAMU President James Ammons made the announcement during a teleconference Monday with the university’s board of trustees. He said time is needed to come up with a new set of guidelines before the Marching 100 can be reinstated.
"I was heavily influenced by the need to be respectful to Robert Champion's family as well as the other victims," Ammons said. "A young man lost his life and others suffered serious injuries."
Eleven of the 13 people charged in the death of drum major Robert Champion are facing third-degree felony charges in what the prosecutor calls a case of 'homicide by hazing.' NBC's Kerry Sanders reports.
Authorities say Champion, 26, was badly beaten during a hazing incident on a band bus following a football game in Orlando. He died within an hour of the attack. His death, which was ruled a homicide, has drawn public scrutiny to what critics say has been a tradition of hazing at the Tallahassee-based university.
Band director Julian White, who had been with the prestigious band for 40 years, resigned under pressure last week. He had been put on paid administrative leave shortly after Champion’s death in November. Two music professors also resigned recently.
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Thirteen people were charged last week in connection with Champion's death -- 11 are facing felony hazing charges and two others are charged with misdemeanor hazing.
"No one would have expected that his college experience would have included being pummeled to death," Lawson Lamar, the state attorney for Orange-Osceola County, said at the news conference announcing the charges. “I have come to believe that hazing is a term for bullying, bullying with a tradition.”
The Marching 100, which incorporates dance moves into traditional marching formations, had been a source of pride for the school. It played in inaugural parades for Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and in several Super Bowls. According to its website, many of the Marching 100's techniques have become standard operating procedures for high school and college programs throughout the nation.
The suspension means there will be no marching band for the upcoming college football season. University officials are looking into the impact on football game ticket sales and other contractual obligations.
Ammons said there is no timetable yet for bringing the band back.
"Once I feel that the issues are resolved, then we'll look at the reimplementation of the band," he told trustees.
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Leave a Comment:
there have been plenty of white kids killed in benge drinking at white colleges.
What in the world does this have to do with anything? Were those kids forced to drink?
Where is the NAACP?
Wait, I know.
Black on black.
No future in whining about that kind of crime. After all what kind of national uproar can be caused by that.
Precisely. The media ONLY covers white on black crime... NEVER black on black and certainly not black on white. That would not fit the PC agenda, therefore heads are buried in the sand as are the true stories, facts and figures. A little research would reveal much of what is really going on in terms of violent crimes and who is actually responsible for what....
WTF does race have to do with college hazing?
Marlene, you must have a very short memory.
I'm still waiting for the Million Drum Major March, or politicians/sports "heros"/actors/actresses to appear in public wearing tall furry hats in rememberance of THIS man.
Across the board punishment is Communism wrapped in a politically correct wrapper. Its something that is being taught to our people to get them away from our Bible and Constitution. We are NOT TO PUNISH THE INNOCENT. Take the ones directly responsible and do what you will but to destroy the efforts of good intentioned people is Against God.
This does not suprise me, Florida is full of crazy people! When I travel to Florida, I do not feel like I am in the USA. They are all wackos down there, kids included! Stay in FL
I's a bantmember and I;ll tell you its fun
I'm glad the band is suspended..but I rather see a much longer suspension...more in the order of 5 years.
No one cares about a bunch of "Band Fags"
No more band at all. fire all involved with NO pay, strip all schoarships to All band members. In five years, start over with guidelines in place, RIP young person,
OK, now the precedent has been set. I expect similar punishment for all of the athletic programs that are found to have violated the rules. Any recruiting violation, players charged with crimes, players charged with drug violations, failing to make the grade or attendance, are all violations that should carry one year suspensions.
Hazing is a despicable practice that should have been done away with years ago.
The kids who submit to it must want to "belong" pretty badly.
It's simple
When you can't/won't or refuse to play by the RULES, "THEN YOU DON'T GET TOO PLAY"
Eating dog food is hazing. Being beaten to death is murder. Savages. They should all be on trial for murder and locked away from civilized society behind bars where they belong: in cages.
Wow all we need now is some white sheets and a crossing buring and we'll have a KKK rally
Boy, if a white guy had killed that kid, there'd be hell to pay. Instead, the band is suspended. Just a little tribal fun and games. Right, Folks? These goons mothers must be so proud of them.
Amazed that there is no mention of the victim being gay. They've had this hazing tradition for 30 years at least, hazed thousands, but this man was gay, and that's why he was beaten to death. That's why they kept beating him. That's why they didn't stop, becase it wasn't hazing, it was true deep seated hate.
This was a hate crime. Contrary to the stated position of the GOP, people ARE still being beaten to death for being gay in this country, gay hate IS a serious problem, especially in the African American community, and this man paid for that hate with his life.
The Trevor Martin case is insignificant compared to this. The entire band should be ousted from the school and the kids responsible charge with first degree murder. Are these Obama's kids also?
The band shouldn't be reinstated until every former member is gone from the school. Start completely over with new people who did not look the other way while this all was going on. Clean sweep from top to bottom, band staff included.
I don't think the entire band program should suffer because of bad judgement of certain individuals including Mr. Champion. HE HAD A CHOICE!