From: "Gennis Emerson" <gemerson@banana.ucs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Re: Censorship
Summary: Cal Aggie Band-uh difficulties -- LONG
Keywords: Cal Aggie Band-Uh
Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1993 20:16:14 -0500

What follows is the version of events presented in a letter to Cal Aggie
Band-uh alums (and possibly others; I don't know who was on the mailing
list) from the Ad Hoc Committee of the CAMB Alumni Association. It's a 7
page document, so I'll only type in some relevant parts and summarize some
others. 

This letter dates from July 6, 1992, and should give you an idea of what
happened at the beginning of the affair. 

begin quoted material
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On Friday, February 7, 1992, following a basketball game, Julie Graham, a
female freshman band member, approached student director Andy Austin in the
Band office to ask for a replacement music folder. During their ensuing
conversation he chided her for not attending more functions (she had
attended 3 of the prior 47 events). When the conversation concluded, Austin
addressed her with a gender slur which she did not hear, but of which she
was informed by another freshman band member. Austin claims, and several
witnesses agree, the conversation was intended in jest, and he did not
intend to offend her. Graham disagrees.

Graham then went to the instrument room where an alumnus was standing. She
stated to him that she could not believe she had hyst been lectyred for not
attending Band more often. He replied that he would have lectured her as
well if he wasn't so tired. She replied with undisguised epithets against
the entire Band, and then indicated her intention to get revenge.

During the weekend several apologies were made by both Austin and the
Officers, and several attempts were made by other officers to get Graham to
allow them to assist in reconciling the situation. Graham refused such
pleas by both the male and female officers. Monday morning, 7 of the 10
officers went to the student activities office (SAO) and informed Student
Activities Coordinator Kerry Smith of the events of the previous week. She
told them not to worry as it was merely a private dispute between two
individuals. Sometime during the following weeks, Graham filed a complaint
primarily against Austin. On February 26, apparently at the urging of
Smith, She files an additional formal complaint against the Aggie Band
directed to Kerry Smith as follows: "Dear Kerry, As per your request..."
This complaint contained vastly expanded allegations. In it Graham accused
the Band of not only sexism and sexual harassment, but racism, homophobia,
hazing, and serving alcohol to minors. Her complaint related, as evidence,
hearsay information of events that allegedly occurred during retreat and at
which she was not present. She cited innuendo in cheers and innuendo on
buttons (e.g., "We blow and beat it for UC Davis") as examples of "graphic
sexual violence." She apparently relied for her homophobia claim upon the
practise of stating one's gag "sexual preference" during retreat
introductions (For those of you senior members not familiar, true sexual
preferences are not allowed to be stated. Some representative examples of
appropriate replies have included duct tape, ducks, stainless steel cheese
graters, turkey vultures, and tofu.) She failed to provide any support for
her charge of racism. She further indicted the Alumni Band in her complaint
stating that "Alumni band members only accentuate the problem of blatant
sexism, homophobia, and racism, among other problems, within the band."

----------------------------------------------------------------------
end quoted material; summary of some of the rest follows

Around February 27, three of the officers were confronted with the
complaint, threatened with the suspension of the Band, and not permitted to
explain that the allegations were either false or removed from context.

On February 28, the Band was placed on probation without a hearing. In a
letter from SAO Director Ted Adams on March 2, it was stated "'the
allegations, if true, are appalling and outrageous...Put simply, the Band
either will be reconstituted or cease to exist.'" The letter stated that
all buttons worn on uniforms and cheers used at games were now subject to
prior approval by Adams.

The Band complied with the letter.

The letter was released to the press along with Graham's story; the Band
was told by Adams not to speak to the press, or to the Alumni Band.

"During the next two months and through Picnic Day, the campus environment
became extremely hostile to Band members. Some were subject to repeated
discussions in their classes about sexual harassment with specific
reference to the Aggie Band. Some were subject to personal attacks in the
California Aggie [the student newspaper]. Some received repeated phone
calls at home in the middle of the night harassing them as members of the
Band. In two instances, a female Band member was physically assaulted in
the MU [Memorial Union] ny total strangers."

The administration continued to state that the Band was under
investigation, not being punished, but failed to take any action to ease
the campus situation for Band members.

Formal charges were brought against Andy Austin, who was found guilty and
removed from office. He appealed; as of last July, nothing further had
happened. 

A committee was formed to investigate the Band; the Band was not allowed to
mount a defense or to review the committee's report.

"During the investigation, the administration asserted several questionable
authorities. These include the right to place informants in private
residences of persons who are Band members, at non-university, non-band
functions, and use the information obtained to prove that the Band's
conduct is culpable. The asserted justification was that Band members are
Band members 24 hours a day, and as such, non-university, private conduct
may be addressed if it aggects the university. Other questionable
assertions include the administration's asserted right to seize any private
student bank account if the finds in it were solicited primarily on campus.
This was intended to justify why they may seize the Mav'rik (party) fund."

----------------------------------------------------------------------
personal comment

I've posted this for anyone who is interested in what happened. Everything
I've typed happened between February and May of 1992; current members are
your best bet as to what the situation was after that. I do know that
complaints were filed by the Alumni Band with federal and state agencies.

Everything here is from the perspective of Aggie Band alumni; at least one
lawyer was involved in writing the document I quoted from and summarized.

Here's a disclaimer, if IU thought I needed one for posting this.

Gennis
CAMB-uh 1987-1990
-- 
Gennis Emerson
gemerson@cs.indiana.edu