Welcome to

The Florida A & M Marching 100 will sit out the 2013 Academic year and possibly longer. The suspension, which was implemented after the death of Drum Major Robert Champion in November will remain in effect and as Mike Vasilinda tells us, won’t be reviewed again until this time next year.

The suspension’s continuation comes after months of intense debate.

“One of our students died as a result of hazing, and I think that it is just so important that we be respectful to him and to his family,” FAMU President Dr. James Ammons said.

The bands absence promises to strain attendance at football games, especially at classics in Atlanta and Orlando. That could jeopardize about a million and a half in revenue for the school. The president is asking fans to not be fair weathered. He says there is much to be done before the band can come back.

“The band must be restructured, from who participates, how they are enrolled, through how long they practice,” Ammons said.

Retired band director Julian White agrees with the suspension.

“We need to get the message across that hazing is not going to be tolerated,” White said.

Clarinet player Travis Roberts spent the last four years marching without being hazed.

“Let’s take accountability for what happened and let’s put in measures so that this thing does not happen again,” Roberts said.

In June, the university will lay out the guidelines that the band will have to meet to come back, and there’s no guarantee that that is going to be in 2014.

The university does say it will honor existing band scholarships and continue to offer new music scholarships to worthy students.

New information today suggest FAMU Band and Police officials discussed not marching the band on November 19th, the day Robert Champion was beaten to death, but neither had the authority to cancel the bands performance.