Florida university ends marching band’s suspension over hazing death

Florida A&M; University’s renowned marching band, suspended since 2011 after the brutal hazing death of a drum major, will be allowed to take the field again, the school’s interim president announced Thursday.

An internal crisis management team has determined the “right conditions” were in place to lift the suspension, Larry Robinson, FAMU’s interim president, said in a phone interview after a morning news conference in Tallahassee, Fla.

The school has adopted a series of administrative and policy changes designed to prevent hazing, he said. Among those changes: a new administrative team, a compliance officer for the music department, a new band director and the new position of special assistant to the president whose sole focus will be anti-hazing.

“It was when we had all those pieces together,” Robinson said. “And I think we have that.”

Robinson arrived at the campus the week after drum major Robert Champion, 26, died of blunt-force trauma injuries after what prosecutors call the “crossing Bus C” hazing ritual. Official reports said Champion died Nov. 19, 2011, after moving past a gantlet of fellow band members who hit him with fists, drumsticks and other objects.

Twelve band members have been charged with manslaughter and one other person pleaded no contest in October. Champion’s family has also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against FAMU.

The scandal spurred national outrage and led to the resignation of the university’s president, James Ammons, and the retirement of the band’s director, Julian White. In the weeks after Champion died, the university formed an internal crisis management team chaired by Robinson.

That team, Robinson said, has spent the past 15 months formulating new policies and adding checks and balances to a system faulted in a December 2011 report for its failure to deal with earlier reports of hazing, including incidents involving the award-winning Marching 100 band.

As one example, the music department chair will no longer simultaneously serve as the band director. In addition, the department’s compliance officer, whose duties include monitoring practice hours and verifying the eligibility of participants, will report directly to the special anti-hazing assistant.

Students have seen a set of new academic requirements for band members, and a “zero tolerance” policy promised for any person who voluntarily participates in hazing, or who observes a violation and fails to report it. Freshmen are required to sign an online anti-hazing pledge upon registering.

The push to eliminate hazing went beyond the marching band to include other campus organizations, from the Greek system to athletic teams, that have had a history of hazing, Robinson said.

The university launched a website with information on hazing and a forum to allow students to anonymously report violations. While more students are readily reporting incidents on the site, some of the activities do not actually qualify as hazing, Robinson said.

“However, it shows the sensitivity to it, like it’s important,” he said.

Robinson acknowledged that despite all of FAMU’s recent efforts, questions persisted, especially when the university suspended two sororities last week over hazing.

“I don’t think anybody believes that after all the hard work we’ve done the last 15 months, as evidenced by some of the issues we had to confront during this time frame, that our work is done,” he said.

devin.kelly@latimes.com