The Badger Herald: Opinion: Hope for change rests with band

Opinion

Hope for change rests with band

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Also by Tom Schalmo:

Clegg loses cool in tray battle (April 30, 2009)
Darryl Schnell: 1983-2009 (April 13, 2009)
End judicial elections (April 6, 2009)
ASM's outreach a painful failure (February 26, 2009)

By Tom Schalmo
Wednesday, December 3, 2008 12:00 a.m.

5 Vote 0 Votes

The University of Wisconsin football team’s next scheduled game at the University of Michigan’s Big House is set for Nov. 20, 2010. Given their luck there the past two years, the UW Marching Band might want to think about sitting that one out.

But then again, that’s a long way off.

And if indications from UW Band Director Mike Leckrone prove to become reality, there might indeed be a culture change within the now infamous marching band by that time. Yesterday, the Herald’s news department reported on specific changes Leckrone and the Offices of the Dean of Students have enacted, including hiring a “liason” to assist students in dealing with the stresses of being both a student and a band member and reorganizing supervision on road trips.

However, the Wisconsin State Journal printed an editorial three days ago calling for the UW administration to fire Leckrone if the hazing culture fails to end. While I respectfully disagree that the situation is as simple as that, there is no doubt Leckrone faces an incredible amount of pressure from here on out.

The State Journal’s editorial offered a simple “either-or” choice: “Either Leckrone gets the band to stop the senseless, repulsive hazing of younger members, or UW officials replace Leckrone with someone who can.”

But the situation isn’t as simple that. If anybody can get a group of 315 overworked college students to act like perfect little angels 24/7, that person deserves a book deal, television show and a lot more than the salary Leckrone is receiving.

Should UW fire football coach Bret Bielema for the actions of a fullback who beat up his girlfriend on Regent Street? Should UW Housing Director Paul Evans get kicked by the wayside if kids don’t stop puking in the dorm bathrooms? My gut tells me neither of those would happen. And if indications from several band members are true, Leckrone is highly respected within the band, even more so than by UW fans and alumni. Bringing in a new director would not necessarily give band members the same type of motivation to perform at their best on or off the field as Leckrone offers.

At this point, the pressure to end the hazing should not be as much on Leckrone as it is on the upperclassmen and section leaders within the band. Leckrone and UW were forced to suspend the band for this fall’s Penn State football game, leaving the group the laughing stock of the nation, including a sarcastic mention on ESPN’s College Game Day. That game against Penn State was definitely different — the band’s sounds blasting out of Camp Randall’s speaker sounded more like noise than music. Having the group there in person, though, is something special.

Leckrone has taken steps in the right direction, and while he should do his best to ensure responsible conduct when the band travels, his job title is band director, not babysitter. Band members need to step it up themselves or face losing one of the university’s most visible and praised individuals. I would be shocked to hear a band member endorse the notion of firing Leckrone, but his fate now rests almost entirely in their hands.

In some sense, Leckrone and the band are lucky the university went through a transition of leadership from the first incident on the Michigan trip two years and the one this fall. Back in 2006, then-Chancellor John Wiley threatened to enact a change in leadership should any other incidents occur, writing to Leckrone, “We either solve the problem now, and the band you have built to such legendary proportions survives, or we look at virtual extinction for a significant period of time.”

Had Wiley still been chancellor this fall, the band could have faced a much greater punishment than the one-game suspension they endured this time around — and certainly Leckrone’s job was in much greater jeopardy under Wiley. Lucky for all of them, Dean of Students Lori Berquam and our current chancellor, Biddy Martin, are giving them another shot.

So marching band, just stop it. Please. Not just for fans’ sakes or Leckrone’s sake but more so for your own. Over the years, the UW Marching Band has built a storied tradition and legacy that, if cut off, would serve the university a great disservice. The band deserves to have its fun, but must be responsible about it — and keep it all out of Ann Arbor.

Tom Schalmo (schalmo@badgerherald.com) is a senior majoring in journalism.

Due to a reporting error, this column should have said the UW marching band was suspended for the football game against Ohio State. We regret the error.

5 Comments | Leave a comment

Anonymous | December 3, 2008 9:22 AM | Reply
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“But the situation isn’t as simple that. If anybody can get a group of 315 overworked college students to act like perfect little angels 24/7, that person deserves a book deal, television show and a lot more than the salary Leckrone is receiving.”

John T. Madden does it everyday

Anonymous | December 3, 2008 9:25 AM | Reply
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ENOUGH ARTICLES ON THE FREAKIN’ BAND ALREADY! Find something new to write about.

Anonymous | December 3, 2008 9:54 AM | Reply
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So Badger Herald, just stop writing about the band. Please. Not just for readers’ sakes but more so for your own.

Anonymous | December 3, 2008 10:20 AM | Reply
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FACT CHECK: The Band was suspended for the Ohio State game on Oct. 4, not for the Penn State game.

Schalmo, this would not ordinarily be a big deal except for the fact that you do it constantly and…you’re a journalism major!! Research skills need improvement.

Anonymous | December 3, 2008 11:09 AM | Reply
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Hi, I am a member of the Spartan Marching Band at Michigan State University. Big Ten bands are highly recognized as being among the best marching bands in the world. The UW band is no exception. This excellence is due, in large, to hard work, a sense of pride, and unity amongst the members of the band and staff. Some tend to forget that it is not pure talent that makes a Big Ten band (BTB) great. My emphasis here is on pride and unity. I’m sure that the national headlines have damaged the pride of the Wisconsin band, as I know we in the SMB have been watching our fellow BTB closely. With hazing as a problem within your band there can be no unity and with such damaged pride everyone suffers from the actions of a few. I absolutely agree that the most pressure and responsibility here lies with the upperclassmen of the band, and all the members for that matter. We here at MSU hope to see the UW band recover from this tarnishing of your image because as I’m sure the members of your band know we feel great fellowship with you. At the same time it makes us respect and appreciate the tradition of respect that is holding our band together and makes us a true Big Ten band. I know that Wisconsin has this same respect though it may have been shadowed in the light of these recent events. We hope to see you again next fall. Sincerely, Your fellow Big Ten Band Member