TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - May 11, 2012 - Noon - will have more at 6pm
In order to show the students body that hazing is not allowed at FAMU. Dr.White has suggested to Dr. Ammons that the MARCHING 100 band should remain suspended until spring 2013. Dr.White stated that there could have been more he could have done to prevent things from happening that may have taking place within the band. Dr. White went on to say that Fall of 2012 is not a good time for the band to be on the field. A lesson must be place in action.
The resignation of FAMU Band director Julian White is fueling lots of speculation about the future of the Marching 100.
Dr. Julian White, longtime director of the band, resigned Thursday. Eyewitness News has a crew interviewing Dr. White right now about that decision. White was suspended in the wake of the hazing death of drum major Robert Champion. So was the band.
On Monday, FAMU trustees are scheduled to meet at 11am to decide whether the Marching 100 will take the field this fall or if that suspension should continue.
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Tallahassee, FL -- May 10, 2012 --
Chancellor Frank Brogan called on Florida A&M University to continue the suspension of its Marching 100 band on the same day that the band's longtime director retired in the wake of a deadly hazing.
Julian White's retirement announcement came two days after FAMU President James Ammons sent a letter to the board of trustees responding to 11 arrests of people involved in connection with the hazing death of drum major Robert Champion and outlining how about 100 band members were not enrolled in FAMU at the time of Champion's death.
Champion, 26, was allegedly beaten to death in a ritual hazing on board a charter bus during a band trip to Orlando in November. His death prompted university officials to suspend activities of the vaunted marching band while the investigation continued.
But in his letter, Ammons suggested he was considering allowing the band to resume its activities while the university's anti-hazing committee continues its work.
"Therefore, I have asked the Internal Crisis Management Team to speak with our supporters, such as faculty, student leaders, the alumni, the boosters and the Athletic Department, over the next two days to hear their input about the conditions for bringing the band back," Ammons wrote.
Ammons is scheduled to hold a conference call with the board Monday about the band.
Brogan responded Thursday, asking Ammons to hold off on reinstating the band while investigations continue.
The chancellor argued that the ongoing prosecutions in Champion's death, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement probe into "financial irregularities" inside the band, the work of FAMU's anti-hazing task force and questions about the enrollment issues were reason enough to hold back.
"Reinstating the band prior to these issues being resolved would side-step efforts under way, which could impact the band's long-term survival," Brogan wrote. "Reconciling these and other issues under investigation will ensure that the institution's operational priorities and controls are in place."
Brogan also said that he and the Board of Governors supported FAMU, but that the continuing revelations that have followed Champion's death were beginning to take their toll.
"At the same time, our concerns continue to mount regarding the ever-increasing body of issues that harm the institution, its students and, therefore, our State University System as a whole," the chancellor wrote.
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FAMU’s Board of Trustees Schedules a Called Meeting
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) Board of Trustees has scheduled a called meeting for Monday, May 14 from 11 a.m. to noon to receive an update from President Ammons regarding the band. The call-in number is 1-800-309-9169 and the conference ID number is 81170434.
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