Dance & Aux Forum

Christopher King, a student at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, says he was hit in the back of the neck so forcefully and often during a recent hazing ritual at the school that he blacked out several times.

King also was made to roll around in the mud or do strenuous exercises as part of a series of hazing activities by members of the marching band this past semester, he said. He said he did not want to participate but felt coerced.

"You feel like if you don't participate, you know, you're going to be that only one," said King, 18, who plays the baritone horn. "You're worried about reputation, and you're worried about what people are going to think about you."

He described how more-experienced members of the famed Marching Wildcats hazed and ridiculed the freshman members after band practice on some evenings.

King said it was all part of a well-known induction tradition at Bethune-Cookman — the longtime rival of Florida A&M University, which is a focus of national attention and a state investigation over hazing among its marching-band members.

Robert Champion, a FAMU drum major, died last month after an apparent hazing ritual following the annualFlorida Classic football game between FAMU and Bethune-Cookman in Orlando. Police say another FAMU student was beaten so severely during hazing activities in the weeks before the game that she suffered a cracked femur and bruised bones. She has since left the school and plans to sue.

Officials at Bethune-Cookman said hazing was not a major problem there. The university has been vocal about its zero-tolerance policy against hazing and other types of misconduct, said Dwaun Warmack, vice president for student affairs.

Citing student-confidentiality rules, Bethune-Cookman would not confirm King's report or share details about a recent hazing investigation at the school. But university officials did say they investigated a complaint by one student Aug. 29 involving the hazing of marching-band members.

One student was found to have violated the school's anti-hazing policy and was fined. Officials said the student was fined because he was present during the hazing but did not report it.

None of the students interviewed during the college's investigation — not even the accuser — would or could identify any of those who did the hazing. 

Warmack said police were not called to help investigate because Bethune-Cookman did not find evidence that a crime had been committed. There was no evidence of any injury, he said.

"Bethune-Cookman University takes all alleged misconduct issues seriously," he said. "Any report we have, we launch a full investigation and ensure they're adjudicated properly if there is a violation."

But King said a lot of students know about hazing and choose to remain silent.

What happened at FAMU, he said, could easily happen at Bethune-Cookman. Both are home to internationally known marching bands with talented musicians, some of whom are willing to suffer physical pain and degradation to prove they belong and are dedicated to the group.

Marching bands are a point of pride at historically black colleges such as FAMU and Bethune-Cookman. The marching band helps define these institutions, and the bands play a significant role in the schools' fundraising and recruiting.

The Marching Wildcats at Bethune-Cookman have been featured in TV commercials; the "Ellen DeGeneres Show"; the movie "Drumline"; and in Super Bowl and Pro Bowl halftime shows.

The fact that hazing is happening among marching-band members is not surprising to experts such as Mary Madden, a research professor at the University of Maine. She co-authored an extensive study on hazing at colleges nationwide and found that more than half of all students in a wide variety of student groups indicated they had been involved in hazing.

Madden said she hoped the fact that some students in Florida were coming forward might encourage others also to report hazing, which many people mistakenly perceive as a problem affecting primarily fraternities, sororities and athletes.

"We do hope more students will come forward, but it takes a lot of courage to do that," Madden said. "Most students know they'll be ostracized from their group if they report their group. And their group will probably get in trouble."

King moved home to the Atlanta area several weeks ago because he said he was harassed and criticized by other students for reporting the hazing at Bethune-Cookman. The university said it never received a harassment complaint from King.

"This has been the worst college experience," said King, who said he had been talking to the same attorney representing Champion's family. The attorney, Christopher Chestnut, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

King said students and colleges need to acknowledge that hazing is going on and do something about it.

"It needs to be more addressed — it needs to come to an end," he said.