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UW band members face the music one at a time

(MCT) Oct. 5--University of Wisconsin officials interviewed members of the university Marching Band one at a time Saturday as part of their investigation into “serious hazing allegations,” officials said.

Staffers in the UW-Madison dean of students’ office began meeting Friday night with the 300-plus members of the band, and the interviews continued Saturday, UW-Madison spokeswoman Amy Toburen said.

“They’re trying to do it as quickly as possible to get to a resolution,” Toburen said. “Hopefully, it can be a resolution that can bring the band back.”

Officials announced Friday that the entire band was suspended after Band Director Mike Leckrone received a tip with allegations of hazing. He would say only that the charges involved alcohol consumption and “inappropriate sexual behavior.” Several band members interviewed Saturday said they did not know what the allegations were about.

The suspension meant the renowned band did not perform Saturday night in the Big Ten football matchup between the Badgers and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Camp Randall Stadium -- the first time the band has been barred from performing in a game in at least 40 years.

To compensate for the band’s absence at halftime, the UW athletic department used the scoreboard and sound system for a package that included music and college football highlights. The department had considered several options for a halftime show, including asking the UW Alumni Band to perform, but department staff threw out that plan.

“I think some of us felt that if they took the field or if they played there might be some kind of negative, some kind of boos,” said senior associate athletic director Vince Sweeney. “Not directed at them but in disappointment (about the band’s absence).”

The UW athletic department offered band members’ empty seats for free to university seniors who had entered the football ticket lottery and did not get tickets, Sweeney said.

The band will be suspended while the university investigates the hazing allegations, but it’s unclear how long that will take. Meanwhile, Sweeney said, he’s trying to get through this week without the band.

“We’ve never had a situation like this,” he said. “We’re trying to deal positively with what’s a negative situation. ”It’s been a difficult situation for us, but not nearly as difficult for us as it is for the people in the middle of it.“

The band is a popular fixture on campus and is famous for its ‘’fifth quarter“ performances at the end of football games.

It’s not the first time the UW Marching Band has made headlines because of allegations of improper behavior. In 2006, the university put the band on probation for seminude dancing, sexualized banter and hazing that occurred during a road trip to the University of Michigan.

The following February, the band’s assistant director, Michael Lorenz, resigned after an investigation found he had behaved in an intimidating way toward a female colleague during the trip.

Officials said the most recent problems were similar to those of 2006. Stillwater, Minn., resident Danielle Dennison’s daughter Hayley has played clarinet in the band since 2006. Dennison said Saturday that her daughter told her she had no idea what the allegations were and had never experienced hazing.

”They are taking them individually one at a time into the dean’s office all day today, and all they keep asking is ’What do you know? What do you know?’ . . . We’re just so disappointed that 300-plus people should be deemed guilty and investigated,“ Dennison said.