The fallout from FAMU drum major Robert Champion's death in November 2011 continues to be felt on-and-off campus, as the four students charged with hazing in relation to his death last week have now been dismissed from the school." The school's Board of Trustees announced on Monday that they would release the students from their academic obligations. The former band members, known around campus as "The Clones, will have a chance to appeal their dismissal before a student judicial committee.
Last week's arrests are another note in a sad saga that has rocked the university, angered a community, and devastated a family. Authorities charge that the unnamed band members participated in a hazing ritual which cost the life of the 26-year-old musician. Other students came forward to reveal that they were punched and paddled during initiation into the school's famed Marching 100 band.
What will be the final verdict on this heinous case? Can the Marching 100 program be saved? Or must it be dismantled for the good of its own students?
