05-15-2015, 02:00 PM
Not having been in a college band or knowing anyone real well who has, combined with the fact another major university had a band doing similar things, definitely changes my perspective.
I've always had a love-hate kind of view of the LSJUMB. Love the fact it is given the freedom to express itself, but don't always like how that expression is manifested. Making fun of UCLA handicapped parking scandal? Awesome. Making fun of the Irish Potato Famine? Not so much. My assumption was the "buttoned down" bands would be more university managed, and as a result not have issues going off the rails with inappropriate commentary and hazing.
The fact this isn't the case makes the punishment a little too harsh to me. Maybe ban them from going to the USC football game, but given the support (tangible or perceived) it provides Stanford teams on the road, it seems a bit too putative to take the entire road schedule of athletic contests for a school year off the band's itinerary. Redrum is right. You can't hold the whole band accountable, and punish the sports teams without doing some real collateral damage.
I've always had a love-hate kind of view of the LSJUMB. Love the fact it is given the freedom to express itself, but don't always like how that expression is manifested. Making fun of UCLA handicapped parking scandal? Awesome. Making fun of the Irish Potato Famine? Not so much. My assumption was the "buttoned down" bands would be more university managed, and as a result not have issues going off the rails with inappropriate commentary and hazing.
The fact this isn't the case makes the punishment a little too harsh to me. Maybe ban them from going to the USC football game, but given the support (tangible or perceived) it provides Stanford teams on the road, it seems a bit too putative to take the entire road schedule of athletic contests for a school year off the band's itinerary. Redrum is right. You can't hold the whole band accountable, and punish the sports teams without doing some real collateral damage.