FAMU Admin Suggested Suspending Marching 100 Before Champion Hazing Death
Written by HBCU Digest, Posted in Florida, Florida A&M University, Florida Classic, Leadership, News
The Tallahassee Democrat today reports that notes forwarded yesterday to the Florida A&M University Board of Trustees outlined executive calls for the suspension of the Marching 100 prior to last year’s Florida Classic. FAMU drum major Robert Champion was killed in the hours following last November’s annual football classic.
Notes from FAMU Dean of Students Henry L. Kirby, sent to board of trustees members late Thursday, document a Nov. 16 meeting between Provost Cynthia Hughes-Harris, Vice President of Student Affairs William Hudson Jr. and retired band director Julian White, during which Police Chief Calvin Ross recommended the band be suspended and forbidden from playing in Orlando because of reported hazing.
Kirby said White indicated “he did not think the whole band should be suspended.”
Ultimately, the future of the 100 and leadership of FAMU will come down to who knew what and what actions they took as a result. This revelation is a big step in making that picture a lot clearer.
