This Nov. 30, 2011 file photo shows a marching band
leading a horse-drawn carriage carrying the casket of Florida A&M
University band member Robert Champion following his funeral service in
Decatur, Ga. Florida A&M University's famed marching band is
suspended until 2013. President James Ammons told the school's board of
trustees on Monday, May 14, 2012, that he will keep The Marching 100 off
the field for the upcoming school year. Eleven FAMU band members face
felony hazing charges stemming from the death of Champion in November.
Two others face misdemeanor counts. Ammons suspended the band soon after
Champion's death, but his death exposed a culture of hazing within the
band.
(AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
For the past four
decades, at least one student a year has died as a result of hazing on
U.S. college campuses. Last year hazing claimed the lives of two young
people, one at Cornell University and another at Florida A&M. At
least 44 states have laws designed to curb harmful rites of induction
into fraternities, sororities, marching bands and other campus groups.
But those who break the laws are rarely prosecuted. Some anti-hazing
advocates call for ridding campuses of the Greek societies that often
have a long tradition of initiation rites that sometimes turn dangerous.
Others argue these groups and clubs do more good than harm. Guest host
Steve Roberts talks with a panel of experts about efforts to stop
hazing.
