Digital Media Center
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Gate 61
920 Paul Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0370
(800) 654-4262

© 2024 Alabama Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
WHIL is off the air and WUAL is broadcasting on limited power. Engineers are aware and working on a solution.
Alabama Shakespeare Festival Enter for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Florida A&M Lifts Suspension Of 'Marching 100' Band

Members of the Marching 100, Florida A&M University's marching band, perform before the Super Bowl in Feb. 2010.
Win McNamee
/
Getty Images
Members of the Marching 100, Florida A&M University's marching band, perform before the Super Bowl in Feb. 2010.

Florida A&M's interim president announced Thursday that he was lifting the suspension of the school's famed "Marching 100" band.

The band had been suspended since November 2011, following the hazing-related death of one of its drum majors.

In a statement, interim President Larry Robinson said the re-institution of the band comes after "sweeping changes" that address hazing.

"When considering all of the measures we have put in place, I believe this constitutes us having the right conditions," Robinson said. "Our newly appointed Director of Marching and Pep Bands, Dr. Sylvester Young, will decide when the band is ready for public performances."

USA Today reports:

"Robinson has been working closely with university staff to address the culture of hazing on campus, creating two new positions devoted to fighting the practice, a compliance officer in the music department and a special anti-hazing assistant who reports directly to the president. The university also started an anti-hazing website where hazing can be reported anonymously, leading to the suspension of campus organizations.

"In addition, FAMU administrators required every student to sign an anti-hazing pledge in order to enroll, and every student organization was required to go through a new intake process focused on anti-hazing practices in order to be recognized by the university. Anti-hazing town halls and forums were held. There are still plans for a panel of national hazing experts to meet on FAMU's campus."

The newspaper adds, however, that there were 20 allegations of hazing involving student organizations in the 2012-13 school year.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.
News from Alabama Public Radio is a public service in association with the University of Alabama. We depend on your help to keep our programming on the air and online. Please consider supporting the news you rely on with a donation today. Every contribution, no matter the size, propels our vital coverage. Thank you.