ORLANDO, FLA. - The president of Florida A&M University on Monday announced that the school's famous marching band, which was suspended indefinitely shortly after the hazing death of drum major Robert Champion last fall, will not perform at all through the 2012-13 school year.
President James Ammons informed university trustees of his decision during a brief teleconference Monday.
Meanwhile, the FAMU chapter of an honorary band fraternity that was involved in a student hazing in 2010 will be closed for the next five years, the national headquarters for Kappa Kappa Psi announced Monday. Also, 28 fraternity members, including those who were undergraduate members during the spring semester in 2010, have been expelled.
The fate of FAMU's embattled Marching 100 band -- a symbol of the historically black university that has been instrumental in recruitment and fundraising -- has been up in the air. School leaders have debated for months whether to allow the group to perform at football games and other events this fall.
Earlier this month, 11 band members were charged with felony hazing in connection with Champion's beating aboard a parked band bus after the Florida Classic football game in Orlando on Nov. 19. Since then, a string of other hazing allegations and problems related to the band's operations have surfaced. The most recent revelation -- that about 100 band members did not meet the requirements to be in the band last fall, including at least two of those charged in Champion's death -- prompted Monday's meeting of university trustees.
On Thursday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott and University System Chancellor Frank Brogan both said the band was not ready to return.
ORLANDO SENTINEL
