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."
"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. 9(MDAxNzg0MDExMDEyMTYyMjc1MDE3NGVmMw004))
