Parent complaints sparked hazing inquiry

MADISON, Wis., Nov. 25 (UPI) -- An investigation into hazing by the University of Wisconsin-Madison band began after parents said freshmen were forced to drink alcohol, documents revealed.

The documents, obtained by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel under the state's open records law, revealed the parents of two male marching band members complained to the school Oct. 2 -- the day before the 315-member band was suspended and prevented from playing during a football game against Ohio State University, the Journal-Sentinel reported Tuesday.

The first complaint, an e-mail to officials, said the sender's freshman son had been was hazed "in a way that was both humiliating and required him to violate personal morals, standards and convictions against consuming alcohol."

A three-page letter sent to Chancellor Carolyn Martin by another freshman band member's father the same day as the e-mail said the student was forced by other band members to drink mixtures of mustard, ketchup, chicken broth and liquor. The letter also alleged the student's band mates forced him to spend hours in a bus bathroom and shaved his head in a way that "looked hideous on national television."

The band was reinstated after the investigation concluded Oct. 10, and the school said some students faced disciplinary action. University officials said they have increased oversight of the band since the end of the investigation and created a new staff position charged with promoting a positive atmosphere in the band.