by Dr. Boyce Watkins
The board of trustees at Florida A&M University has come forward with a three-part plan to stop hazing on its campus. The revelation comes just two months after the death of Robert Champion, a member of the band who died as a result of a hazing-related incident.
The three part plan was designed by the public relations firm, Dan Klores Communications. The group was hired by the university in December to help it deal with the crisis. The plan consists of setting up a memorial for Champion, giving a scholarship in his name and creating an independent blue-ribbon panel to study hazing on the campus.
Belinda Reed Shannon, who is on the Board of Trustees, said she would lead a panel of five experts on the matter. The experts have backgrounds in law, academia, public policy, psychology and band organizations.
The only person on the board who did not support the plan was Narayan Persaud, who said that the strategy is “short-sighted.”
Robert Champion collapsed in Orlando after being hazed on a bus carrying band members to a halftime performance. The family’s legal team says that Champion died after ”some dramatic blows, perhaps (having an) elevated heart rate” connected to “a hazing ritual” on the bus.
No one has been charged in Champion’s death, but it has recently been ruled a homicide. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is launching a second investigation into the band, alleging that there may have been some financial fraud as well.
The move by the FAMU Board of Trustees certainly represents a step in the right direction. But as an outsider to the university, I am curious as to why the board never took significant action in the past. Robert Champion’s death was only the latest in a long history of hazing incidents on the campus (as well as others), and it is clear that this problem existed long before this student died.
But assuming that the board’s intentions on the matter go deeper than preserving its public image, one must ask what procedures will be put in place that will clearly have an impact on the culture of hazing on the campus? A memorial and a scholarship are very nice gestures, and might even serve as reminders to future students of how Champion died. But we have to wonder if there is a more effective way to dig to the root of the problem.
Will the blue ribbon panel have the authority to implement procedures to stop hazing on the campus? Perhaps there can be a whistle blower rule put in place to protect those who speak up on hazing or even incentives for reporting hazing to campus authorities? If students know there is a safe way to stop hazing when they see it and if they are properly educated on the consequences of hazing when they arrive on campus, marching bands and fraternities can become opportunities to thrive without risking life and limb in the process.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.
