After FIVE MONTHS of digging through the Marching 110's attic...the university found:

* No Hazing
* No Systemic Code of Conduct Violations


The 110 members were finally freed from their cease and desist yesterday, but not before the members were subjected to TWO "interview" sessions. The first session was in December the week before finals. Through those interrogations, the administration reported they did not find systemic code of conduct or hazing violations.

Did they free the band then? Nope....they left the 110 on suspension for another two months and they pushed harder by informing all members on Feb 13th who still wanted be in the band that they were required to submit to a non-systemic code of conduct interview. Members had to verify their worth to the university. If deemed worthy to stay, they then were required to sign and accept enhanced code of conduct and anti-hazing rules.

I am spending $50,000 a year to send two daughters to Ohio University and this is how administration is treating their students. My daughters were suspended from associating with their friends for most of this school year. Try selling that story on prospective High School seniors when enrollment is already decreasing. Want OU to be a glorified high school? Hire some high school administrators. They could have cleared these students in a long weekend. Instead, OU students get the national embarrassment and the pomp and circumstances of huge SUSPENDED!!! headlines.

I feel bad for Faculty. They are the ones losing alumni donations from the fallout and falling student enrollment. Student Affairs Administrators does not have to deal with soliciting money from Alumni or are vested in student enrollment.

Student Affairs told the organizations, their alumni, parents and the local, regional and national media that this was about hazing:

"It is important to note that all remaining reports of hazing are just allegations at this time. If they are not substantiated through an investigation, organizations will not be charged with violations of the Student Code of Conduct."

https://www.ohio.edu/news/2019/10/university-provides-upd...

Then they made it NOT about hazing. Instead, they kept moving the goal posts out as they went until they could come up with a reason for their actions. More damaging than any hazing they thought they were saving students from.

Wish I had seen this before 6 so I could have let the dean of students read it over dinner at the next table over and asked what her reaction was. Truly sad.

rpbobcat,
Lots of people share your feelings that this "investigation" was mishandled, and continues to be mishandled.
I have a number of friends who are Beta alums, and from the information I have been hearing from them, the treatment they have been getting from the administration is hard to believe. If they carry out the suggested penalty that I have heard about, a large group of very well to do Ohio Alums are planning to step away from Ohio University to the tune of just under 1 Million per year.
Someone in the administration needs to step in and see that any punishment needs to "fit' any wrong doing that was found.

Just a quick follow up to this.

There's an article in today's The Post about the University cancelling the
110's Japan Trip.

Yet,unless I missed it ,they have never mentioned them being cleared.

I sent an email to The reporter pointing this out.

Let's see what happens.

The changes I've seen have been very positive - student entry to the Convo, Hardwood House, team bench switch for football, etc. What changes have you not liked?

We often wonder what will happen to the "participation trophy" generation when they grow up. Now we know. The University should be embarrassed.

First off,thanks to Bobcat110 for posting the Athens News Article.

As the article says,O.U. was supposed to be investigating the 110 for alleged hazing.

They didn't find anything.

So,lets keep going,including inventing a new category "cultural issues".

That lets O.U. look/act like their inquisition was somehow justified.
They also get to say "see we told you there were problems ".

I really love the last paragraph "27 trained OU investigators".

As I've posted before,O.U.'s "investigators",which included students like RA's, had a single 8 hr.training session.
This is somehow supposed to provide them with the expertise needed to evaluate and rule on the accusations/allegations made against the fraternities,sororities and the 110.

Apparently O.U. and/or their "investigators" allowed "hearsay",including third party hearsay.

"Rules of Evidence",why let that get in the way ?

I also can't believe O.U. forced all members of the 110 to sign an "I promise to be good" pledge.

In my opinion,O.U.should be ashamed of themselves for how they handled this whole matter and, especially in the case of the 110,they should apologize to the members and staff.

Yes, but BULLY for the BOBCAT SEVEN! They said, take this trophy and shove it. Giving up something they no doubt LOVE to exercise their right to free expression. Comrade you must go to the re-education camp or you may no longer play your instrument and march in the band.

In her intercourse with the education of students may OUr University always be right; but my University right or wrong. NOT

+1

I agree entirely. students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”

This is what Justice Abe Fortis said in the majority opinion he wrote in Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent School District (1969). Here's just a little more from that decision that should be read by the upper Ohio University administrators:

"In our system, state-operated schools may not be enclaves of totalitarianism. School officials do not possess absolute authority over their students. Students . . . are possessed of fundamental rights which the State must respect, just as they themselves must respect their obligations to the State. In our system, students may not be regarded as closed-circuit recipients of only that which the State chooses to communicate. They may not be confined to the expression of those sentiments that are officially approved. In the absence of a specific showing of constitutionally valid reasons to regulate their speech, students are entitled to freedom of expression of their views."

If this applies to high school students, it certainly ought to apply even more to college students.

Let me humbly suggest that they also take that dusty copy of the U.S. Constitution off the shelf and read and then re-read the First Amendment:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Though initially this applied only to the U.S. government and not state governments, in the wake of the passage of the 14th Amendment, the Supreme Court ruled that a clause in that amendment made these provisions applicable to the states.

“Among members organization-wide, recurring nicknames were used, including “old men,” “zeros,” “dumb-” and “stupid freshmen.””

The horror! How is it these monsters weren’t charged with terrorism and attempted murder for these vile crimes.

They need to clean house. Anyone involved (in the administration side, that is) with this farce needs to be sacked. As much time as is necessary should be taken, however, to find or create a justification for firing them with cause (so that they are owed no severance...if possible, stripping them of any PERS credit in the process)

Really?
You've got many legitimate concerns but you lost everything when you claimed "Worse than what they were trying to save the students from (Hazing)
Because no one with ANY commonsense thinks what you describe is worse than Death.
No one.

The editors probably got the word from administration to tow the line or the Post would be next!

That's part of it, I'm sure.

When the story about fraternities first broke, The Post enthusiastically supported shutting them down.

I don't recall The Post ever doing a follow up when they were cleared.

So I'm sure a number of The Post staff are in full agreement with the administration when it comes to evil organizations like fraternities and
the 110.

The reporter I wrote to said they were "currently looking at doing a larger story that discusses all of the studying organizations".

Let's see if that ever gets published.