Students to lead band culture change

Members of the UW Marching Band will help lead a long-term process designed to promote a culture of excellence on and off the field.

The drive for change comes about following a recent review of recent band behavior conducted by the Offices of the Dean of Students (ODOS). Reports of inappropriate conduct by band members led to the review, along with the group’s suspension for the Oct. 4 game against Ohio State.

More than 70 band members voluntarily came forward and provided information that confirmed the details of the complaints, generally centered on peer pressure, underage drinking and unacceptable sexualized behavior. However, early allegations of sexual fondling were not substantiated.

The ODOS review will remain open, but immediate concerns related to the health, safety and academic impact on its members have been addressed, according to Dean of Students Lori Berquam.

The band’s leaders, in cooperation with band director and professor Mike Leckrone, band staff and Berquam, will now begin a long-term process designed to promote solutions to past behavior and develop a more positive culture.

Junior Jon Alfuth and senior Alex Waskawic, both drum majors, say that being a part of the band is a privilege and that members will try to meet the expectation of the public and their fans.

“Positive changes have been instituted over the past two years, and progress has been made,” Alfuth says. “However, we recognize the need for ongoing improvements. A focus on our overall culture is one way to channel our energy.”

The band will be allowed to make a Sunday, Oct. 19, trip to perform at Lambeau Field. The Green Bay visit represents the last planned road trip of the regular season and an important opportunity for the group’s outgoing senior student leadership to set a new tone and example for returning students, says Leckrone.

Some of the new initiatives to begin the culture change include:

• Appointment of a staff member to work with band members and promote a positive culture change. This person will report directly to the Dean of Students.
• Review of the band as an educational activity in the College of Letters and Science. This will include a self-study by the band, a report from an external committee made up of other faculty in the college and a review by the L&S academic planning council.
• Establishing an ongoing review and monitoring process of band staff to enhance accountability for the behavior of members under their oversight.
• Additional changes to travel and performance policies. They include random seating assignments on band buses to break up instrument sections and class levels; a quiet bus option for those wanting to focus on studies; and a prohibition on all initiation activities.

More important than being an entertainment component of UW–Madison sporting events, the band is designed to be an academic and leadership activity through the College of Letters and Science, says Dean Gary Sandefur.

“At its heart, the purpose of the band is to enhance the educational experience of our students, not to impede it,” he says.

Both Berquam and Leckrone welcome the leadership of students moving into the future.

“Along with my staff and student band leaders, we will take a major role in changing the culture of this band as we move forward,” says Leckrone. “I hope these solutions will provide our band members with accountability and dignity. I hope that these changes will also ensure that our band will live up to our fans’ expectations and those of the entire community.”