Florida A&M President Will Not Be Suspended

December 19, 2011, 11:04 am

Florida A&M University’s Board of Trustees defied the state’s governor on Monday and chose not to suspend President James H. Ammons during an investigation into the death of a marching-band member, which has been ruled a homicide. Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, had called for Mr. Ammons to be suspended while authorities investigate the death of Robert Champion, a drum major who died during a trip with the university’s marching band. The death, which may be related to a hazing incident, has already resulted in administrative leave for the band’s director, Julian E. White.

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collegeeducator

How many more have to die? Looks like the band director has been given a paid vacation. The more I read about the history and culture of this hazing at this institution and others, the more shocked I become. First Penn State with long-term knowledge of events. Now Florida A & M. Makes you wonder if as much scrutiny was placed on higher education as the Roman Catholic Church what would be discovered. And all of this happening with OWS, taxpayer revolt, skyrocketing tuition increases, and the continued economic recession (unless you are laid off and/or lost your house which is representative of an economic depression.)
22199179

I haven’t read to much on this very sad incident, but is there a direct link between the President of Florida A&M to the Band Director? Is that why Gov. Rick Scott wanted the President suspended? Or was this a political move on the Gov. part?

If there is a history of poor supervision from the President on down the line to the Band director, then yes, they should all be on suspension. But if it was just the Govenor of FL trying to prove his is bigger than everyone elses….let it go, we don’t care! Let the investigators do their job, stop playing politics. This young mans death is not up for anyone to use for scoring political points. No one should dishonor him or his family in such a rude way.
tee_bee

Everything that happens on the campus, from a hazing death to a bad sandwich, is the president or chancellor’s fault. Because they are responsible for everything. Ask the folks calling for the UCD Chancellor’s head.
katisumas

There was violent hazing. Two weeks previously one woman band member was
“hazed” by being beaten on the legs with fists and an iron ruler. She ended up in the hospital with a broken rib. Shouldn’t this have led to some action by the president, the band leader and the police to prevent a repeat and in this case to preven escalation leading to death?
katisumas

She sure is responsible for sending in the campus police in riot gear to clear up a half dozen tents and for being naive enough for forgetting to tell the police not to use violence? Or perhaps she wanted the police to use violence? Perhaps she simply said: “I don’t want to see those tents by lunch time and I want those those miscreants punished! I have spoken!” ”And no, I don’t need to consult anyone else, I’m the chancellor!”

So yes, in this case since the chancellor gave a direct order, she’s responsible for the very predictable results.

Nothing to do with a “bad sandwich”. Actually most campuses contract outside food outfits to prepare the food on campus….
collegeeducator

Agreed! This was the point in my previous posting. There is a long, long history of the violent hazing incidents, and only of the ones that have been publicly reported. Maybe I am wrong, but I thought the woman had her leg broken as well.

Regarding the the suspension of the President, the hazings are something that has been ongoing without apparent abatement. Would not you as the new president of this institution not only have focused on the campus budget, but also on this high profile series of hazings over the years. Anyone walking into that job would have been aware and would have wanted to know that nothing was going to occur on his watch as president. Based on published reports, the President has led a financial recovery for the institution and yes, he is innocent until proven guilty. But the Governor simply asks for a (paid) suspension. Maybe a reason for the suspension is to help break up the atmosphere that inhibits free disclosure during the investigation. What did they know and when did they know it?

There will be an ugly book (or series of books) written (and NBC Dateline specials) about the administrative culture that permitted the Penn State events to occur. Don’t you think authors are already beginning to type the same for what has been occurring at this institution with not just the events, but the deeper culture that permitted, fostered, or ignored those events. The more I read about these events, the more it looks like only something that Hollywood could create in a terrible movie. And the reality is a young man is dead and many more have been wounded emotionally and physically over the years. At how many other colleges have the same events occurred (and still occurring)?