By a vote of 8-4, the board of trustees approved a vote of no confidence in Florida A&M president James Ammons. President Ammons, who became president in 2007 and signed a five-year extension to his contract a year ago, vowed to stay on and deal with issues confronting the educational institution.
Florida A&M has been embroiled in turmoil since the death of band member Robert Champion last fall from a hazing incident. President Ammons announced this week several measures to deal with the aftermath of the incident. While the band will remain suspended for the coming academic year, in the future, members will face stiffer eligibility and academic requirements. He also said that he plans to hire a compliance officer for the music department and a special assistant to the president to deal with hazing issues.
It is a shame that a model president is being marred by a senseless act. Bands at HBCUs are out of control and need processes but in place to deal with ineffective leadership and rouge activities.
This is a very untrue statement. There are HBCU band programs that exhibit excellent bandsmanship and showmanship. To think it is just at HBCUs is a huge and mistakenly assumption
HBCU bands are not out of control. Tragedies like this happen in other school organizations and not only at HBCUs. There are many school programs both HBCU and traditional that have encountered hazing issues. Hazing isn’t subjective to only HBCUs or their band programs. Many band programs have processes and procedures in effect to deal with students who participate in hazing activities, yet as a faculty member some band directors do not have the authority to remove a student from the school. The universities have to put procedures and processes in place that will empower them to take the necessary actions.