The notorious Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band will undergo a complete cultural and organizational restructuring, following a year’s suspension.
After violating an alcohol and travel band previously imposed by the university, Vice Provost Greg Boardman informed the band leadership via a letter that all band activities will be suspended until Spring 2017. During the suspension, a joint committee of student affairs and athletics will decide how to restructure the band.
The famously student-led organization will now be overseen by a professional music director with direct university oversight. The university says it hopes to maintain the band’s “irreverence and exuberance.”
The band may petition the provost for reconsideration of the sanctions. A number of students and alumni have already started petitions, letter-writing campaigns, and op-ed pieces.
