May 19, 2013

12 FAMU Band Members Charged with Manslaughter

robert champion

*A little over a year later, after the hazing death of Florida A&M University drum major, 26-year-old Robert Champion, twelve former band mates have been charged with manslaughter. Two others have been charged in the incident as well. According to the Huffington Post, defendants are facing 15-year prison sentences. Champion died in November 2011 in [...]




No Jail for Student Involved in FAMU Hazing Death

brian jones

*One of the students who was involved in the death of FAMU Marching Band member Robert Champion during a hazing initiation was sentenced Monday to six months of community control, two years of supervised probation and 200 hours of community service. [SUBSCRIBE TO EURWEB's RSS FEED] Brian Jones, who had previously pleaded not guilty before [...]




UPDATE: Florida A&M Band Member Receives Probation in Hazing Death Case

brian jones

*Florida A&M drew intense criticism over the hazing death of their drum major, Robert Champion in 2011. Champion’s death resulted in the firing of the university’s president–who claimed to be resigning– and the university’s band director. Now one of the band members that were involved in the hazing Brian Jones, 23, of Parrish, Florida, plead [...]




Texas Southern University Band Suspended for Hazing (Video)

Texas Southern University band

*Hazing consists of some type of physical and/or mentally injurious action against potential members attempting to become members of a fraternity or sorority. By now everyone is aware of the incident that occurred at Florida A&M University last year where one of the school’s band members, Robert Champion, was killed during a hazing incident while [...]




FAMU Band Member Charged with Felony Hazing

dante martn

*Florida A&M marching band member Dante Martin faces felony hazing charges in relation to the death of former FAMU drum major Robert Champion. [SUBSCRIBE TO EURWEB's RSS FEED] Authorities say Champion was beaten to death in November by Marching 100 members during a hazing incident aboard one of the band’s charter buses.   Martin is [...]




FAMU Makes Sweeping Changes Because of Champion Hazing Death

robert champion

*(Via AJC.com) – Florida A&M University is planning to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and revamp school policies in the wake of the brutal hazing death of a school drum major. University trustees and top university officials said Wednesday that they are taking steps to deal with they called a “crisis” and a “significant [...]




Black Greeks, Sharpton Team for Anti-Hazing Campaign

robert champion

*Distressed by the recent hazing death of Florida A&M University band student Robert Champion Jr., a coalition of black fraternities and sororities have teamed with civil rights leader Al Sharpton and others in pledging to work harder to end the practice. [SUBSCRIBE TO EURWEB's RSS FEED] Leaders of the coalition told reporters Thursday that the [...]




Thirteen Charged in Robert Champion’s Hazing Death (Video)

robert champion

*(Via Miami Herald) – The shocking and tragic death of a Florida A&M University band member last November, which provoked an outcry in Florida and nationwide over the longstanding practice of campus hazing, culminated Wednesday when prosecutors filed charges — although none for murder — against 13 suspects. The 13 defendants who allegedly took part [...]




Florida Congresswoman Seeks Federal Anti-Hazing Law

U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson

*About a month after the hazing-linked death of FAMU band member Robert Champion, Miami-area U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson has announced plans to introduce a bill that would address hazing on a federal level, reports the Miami New Times. “Hazing is demeaning, dangerous, and, sadly, deadly,” said Rep. Wilson in a release. “It’s time that we [...]




FAMU President to Stay Put Despite Gov’s Call for Suspension

FAMU president James Ammons

*Florida A&M’s president will keep his job after the university board of trustees Monday rejected a call from Gov. Rick Scott that James Ammons be suspended while the hazing death of a band member is investigated. As previously reported, the decision comes three days after the state medical examiner ruled that 26-year-old Robert Champion’s Nov. [...]




Death of FAMU Drum Major Robert Champion Ruled a Homicide

robert-champion

*The unexpected death of Florida A&M University marching band drum major Robert Champion has been ruled a homicide according to USA Today. After being found in the back of a tour bus, the college student’s death looked like the result of a hazing incident. The Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the 26-year-old’s death was [...]




FAMU Hazing Probe Uncovers Possible Fraud

famu band

*Authorities in Florida looking into the unexplained death of a drum major at Florida A&M University said Wednesday the investigation has uncovered possible fraud at the school reports CNN. During the “scores of interviews” that have been conducted, “there was evidence gleaned that there were financial irregularities having to do with the band and several [...]




3 FAMU Band Members Arrested for Hazing Woman

james harris mug shot

*Three Florida A&M band members were charged Monday in the beating of a woman during hazing rituals that took place about three weeks before drum major Robert Champion was killed during a band trip to Orlando, reports CBS News. Police say hazing was also involved in the Champion death. Tallahassee police said that on Oct. [...]




FAMU Dismisses Four Students for Hazing Death

FAMU_w500

*Florida A&M University/FAMU President James Ammons dismissed four students for playing a major role in the death of Robert Champion, a marching band member last month. Ammons made the announcement in a memo to the FAMU Board of Trustees earlier this week. Champion, 26, was found unresponsive on Nov. 19 on a bus parked outside [...]




FAMU Band Suspended Following Death of Drum Major

Robert Champion

*Florida A&M President Dr. James Ammons announced today that the university has suspended band performances indefinitely following the death of drum major Robert Champion. Dr. Ammons also announced the school would form an independent task force to investigate Champion’s death, along with any “unauthorized activities” association with the school’s band, The Marching 100, reports Atlanta’s [...]