Home

What They Are Saying About: UW Marching Band on "double secret probation"

Submitted by Jesse Russell on Thu, 2006-10-12 14:34

bandbucky101206.gifUPDATE: Since this post was published the University has issued a much more detailed report concerning the events of September 23rd that led to probation. Read said details here.

When I was attending the University of Connecticut I dated a girl who was in Tau Beta Sigma (the marching band sorority). During that time I attended many of the joint parties held with Kappa Kappa Psi (the marching band fraternity) and I can honestly say I have been to few parties in my life that topped those. Band geeks, and I say that adoringly and with respect for all of the hard work and contributions to both the community and University, know how to party - and they do it like the world is coming to an end. So it comes as no surprise to hear the members of a University marching band are in hot water, but the question is "why?"

In this case, it is the University of Wisconsin - Madison marching band. University Chancellor John Wiley has targeted the marching band for unknown “violations of the band’s code of conduct.” The violations, which have not officially been revealed but some internet digging reveals possibilities (see below), occurred at the September 23 game against UW nemesis the University of Michigan. In an interview with the Associated Press, Wiley described the behavior as “boorish and offensive to patently dangerous and unlawful.”

So what the hell happened? Apparently, according to both the Badger Heraldand the Daily Cardinal, even the band doesn’t really know why they are on probation. Some possible answers are being tossed around the internet and we’ve pulled some of it up from the swamps. Remember, everything below is purely speculation and the only way we will know for sure is if the Chancellor unzips his lips. There is also a great deal of crude language.

The Aram from Ann Arbor, in the ufck.org forums, lays it out (again, take it with a grain of salt because he later says that “i don't know if it's just our band, or pretty much any other band i've ever encountered, but you don't drink on a band trip” which is straight up BS, marching bands drink on trips - this comes from personal experience with both the UCONN and UMASS Marching Bands):

The Aram wrote:
Funny this article doesn't say what their band did when they were still in Ann Arbor. Their entry cadence for their pregame show featured them yelling "Shit on Michigan!" repeatedly. Then after the game several of their band members decided it would be a great idea to go crash some person's tailgate and drink a bunch of Coronas when they were still wearing their uniforms. Their band is a fucking trainwreck with a terrible reputation. Last time they came to Ann Arbor, after the game they had our piano halfway on their equipment truck before anyone could get them to stop trying to steal it. We put everything on lockdown when Wiscy comes.

When they came off the field at halftime, a couple of them got in our faces and started yelling "BEAT THAT, MOTHERFUCKERS! BEAT THAT! BEEEEAT THAAAT!" i haven't seen something that ridiculous in quite some time... total assclowns. a total embarrassment to their university. and i think the funniest part of this is that their director is this really friendly, grandfatherly old man. and his band is a bunch of asshole hooligans.

Looks like their university administration is finally cracking down.

Over on Sommy’s livejournal a commenter writes a similar story:

cokewithdrawl wrote:
Their whole presentation seemed to revolve around alcohol or getting more alcohol. I was in the stands to watch postgame and they not only played "Tequila" but all of their movements resembled drinking.

Also, their parade back to Revelli (the band hall, the two bands recepted with each other) was a joke. At some times, some of the brass players would break away from the band, surround a Michigan fan, and blow an obnoxious note at them. And one of their vocals was "I want to be inebriated!"

This may not seem like a big deal, but they have no class or decorum. I seem to remember a similar incident where the last time they came to Michigan (which was several years ago) members of their band tried to steal the piano out of Revelli Hall when they were recepting with our band. So therefore, they were suspended from ever coming here.

Spring City Chronicle reflects on days in the marching band at UW-L:

Quote:
Not to sound like the old fogey I am but in my day, the UW-L Marching Chiefs took seven busses on road trips with one bus designated as the “party bus”. The level of depravity reached on that bus during one trip to a Vikings game earned us a similar rebuke.

Star Worz has an impassioned defense of the marching band noting all of the hard work they do for little reward (this is just part of it, you should really go read the rest):

Star Worz wrote:
I think Chancellor Wiley is doing a bad thing in a big way. I think I'm not the only one who's going to be outraged if the band, or sections of the band, are removed from the college atmosphere. The Wisconsin Marching Band is the "Best Band In The Land" and they have earned that title through hard work and dedication. They are fine representatives of both the school and the state. I was proud to be part of the band, I am proud of the band today, and I hope to be able to say I am proud of the band in the future.

The Sports Column Blog repeats the fact that band members don’t even know why they are on probation and writes:

Sports Column Blog wrote:
If it's one thing we've learned from "hazing" incidents is that they usually involve foreign objects and a rectum. Remember the good old days at band camp when girls would just stick a flute in their vaginas?