This past week produced a flurry of media attention for the iconic UW marching band. Unfortunately, it hasn't been the kind of attention the organization is used to receiving. What started as the chancellor giving the band a post practice disciplinary speech regarding alleged misconduct during a road trip to Michigan, soon lead to words such as "hazing", "sexual harassment", and "double secret probation" floating through various media channels, most notably ESPN. The chancellor's office was being tight lipped regarding the actual "incident" which left the band leadership scratching their heads in disbelief. The marching band seemed destined to join many sports teams and fraternities who gained national attention for outlandish behavior and disrespectful attitudes.
As a former member of the UW marching band however, I knew one part of the story was being left out – the history of the band's legendary road trips. Were you to ask any former band member about road trip, you'd probably get a vague answer and a smile that would hint at something more to tell. Some stories would impress you at the ingenuity of college students to entertain themselves, others would leave you wondering whether the band is composed of adult college students, or nine year olds. Most stories, though, are unfit to be told outside of drunken alumni circles at reunion, because quite frankly, you would have to have been there to understand.
I admit, however, that some incidents from the past weren't always things to be proud of. In 2000, chancellor Wiley approached the band with a request that they clean up their act. Director Leckrone agreed full heartily, but needless to say, the band obviously wasn't as receptive. Although the questionable activities were never to the degree or scale as other high profile media cases, Leckrone knew the world was changing, and the band needed to follow suit. Many other conversations between Leckrone and the band were to follow. ("Conversation" is a very relative word if you've ever met Mr. Leckrone.)
The charges? "One band member having his head shaved" and "lewd semi-nude dancing". I must say, I was rather embarrassed at the trivial nature of the allegations.
The "lewd semi-nude" issue is irrelevant. Everyone on the bus is half naked after a game since they all have to change out of their uniforms, and yes, there is music, and heaven forbid, maybe some dancing. That leaves the only legitimate claim being that one underclassman felt peer pressured into how to style his hair. That is a serious charge. Peer pressured hair styling is a gateway into being pressured into buying trendy clothing and who knows what else. The other "past incidents" listed in the report are all things that occurred many years ago. Yes they were bad. Yes people were reprimanded. Recent suggestions by the Chancellor that gross acts of misconduct are still occurring are an insult to Mr. Leckrone and past and present members of the UW Band. Chancellor Wiley asked the band to change, and they met his terms. Now he still seems out to get them regardless of the circumstances.
My reason for writing this was not to vindicate the band; that has already been done by the release of the allegations. This story will now drop back to where it belongs, well below the media's radar, leaving only the black eye and stained reputation. The band and the chancellor still have some issue to resolve, and one of them is hopefully Wiley's need to apologize. Instead, I want to point out that the chancellor has once again over stepped the line of reasonability in his overzealous crusade to change the University's party reputation.
Some of you may remember back to 2002 when the Chancellor lead a coalition in an attempt to force campus bars to engage in illegal price fixing to "out price" students from drinking. The ludicrous idea was scorned by both students and bar owners alike, and luckily never came to pass. The only negative consequence was the Memorial Union Terrace having to stop serving beer in its legendary 48 oz cups. This 2002 push, however, is another perfect example of how the Chancellor is completely out of touch with real problems that students face, and is willing to take outrageous steps to punish the masses in response to the perceived negative actions of a few..
The Chancellor's effort to clean up the UW's image is a noble and difficult cause that I fully support. I don't agree with his methods though. Without a doubt, there are students on campus who have alcohol related issues. With surging enrollments, incoming freshman can find it more and more difficult to settle into a life with balanced collegiate and social priorities. If the chancellor really wanted to improve the UW, he'd work on ways to decrease class sizes so freshman could maybe actually feel some sort of an attachment to their introductory course work.
Instead, the chancellor prefers to go after more high profile symbols like the band, or the bars, thinking that if he treats the symptoms, the real problems will go away. It might make him look like he's addressing the issues, and get him some face time, but no real problems are solved. Who knows what aspects of student life he may take siege on next? It's about time he realizes that students are adults, and if he wants them to act like it, he needs to treat them like it. The more he fails to understand the real problems, he proves that he doesn't understand his job, and if doesn't understand it, he shouldn't be doing it.
So Chancellor Wiley, if you're listening, this is your notice. From this point on, consider yourself on double secret probation. One more screw up, and you're out of here. We don't need the likes of your negative attitudes dragging down our great university.
Derek Daun
BSEE 2003
Trumpet 97-03
