The University of Wisconsin marching band will have a not so happy holidays after 90 freshmen and several band directors are being denied the trip due to spending cuts.
Earlier this week the UW Athletic Department announced they would only fund travel expenses for 225 band members out of the nearly 325 member band, John Lucas, UW spokesperson said in a statement. This means the other members will not travel to San Diego when UW plays University of Southern California in the Holiday Bowl Dec. 30.
The Athletic Department has supported the band and provided millions of dollars for them to travel to major athletic events, Lucas said. Some of these events include bowl games, NCAA tournaments and the Alabama game in Dallas earlier this fall.
“[UW] is also committed to fiscal responsibility,” Lucas said. “That philosophy dictates that bowl travel parties, including the band, will vary in size depending on the bowl game and the level of travel expenses for individual destinations.”
Though the Athletic Department determined the number of members they would fund, it was left to the band directors to determine which members would be included in that 225 group, he said.
The band directors decided freshmen and several band directors would not be able to make the trip, Wendy Margolis, UW band administrative coordinator, said.
“You can tell everybody has been very distressed about it,” Margolis said.
Dani Wetter, freshman and band member, said she knew it was serious Tuesday when UW marching band director, Mike Leckrone turned off his microphone during practice.
“As soon as he said there wasn’t enough space on the chartered flight for freshmen and not enough funding to charter another, I felt my heart sink in my chest,” she said.
Wetter said upperclassmen band members were moved to fill in the holes freshman left in the show. Many of them, Wetter said, also felt disappointed after hearing the news and comforted the freshmen.
Marching band directors have since been in communication with the Athletic Department to ensure this does not happen again in the future, Margolis said.
Though the band directors have been communicating with the Athletic Department about the trip, changes are unlikely.
Everyone appreciates the efforts and long tradition the UW band has established, Lucas said.
“We appreciate the band’s presence at athletic events and look forward to a great trip to San Diego,” Lucas said.
The UW Athletics Department did not respond to request for comment.
