IMAGINE if tomorrow morning when the U-Guides show upat Pavilion VIII, they find that the locks have been changed. They go to the administration, only to be told that, despite their years of loyal service, they can no longer give tours, and the administration is creating its own guide service. Think this could never happen at a University that so prides itself on student self-governance? Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened nearly five years ago to the Virginia Pep Band.
On April 24, 2003, the University announced its decision to remove the Virginia Pep Band from varsity sports. The alumni and friends of the Virginia Pep Band wish to mark this anniversary by recognizing the remarkable accomplishments of the Pep Band since that time. We also wish to inform the administration that we still remember the unseemly eviction of the Pep Band and the athletic apartment's ongoing exclusion of the Pep Band from varsity sports. We renew our call for the administration to invite the Pep Band back to perform regularly at varsity sports other than football and basketball.
For over 35 years, the Pep Band has been a remarkable example of student leadership. From 1969 to 2002, the Pep Band was the only entirely student-run band to represent a Division I school at varsity sports. With no faculty advisor, the Pep Band provided all music at home football and basketball games as well as various bowl games and tournament appearances. In addition, the Pep Band pioneered the practice of performing for lower profile varsity sports, such as soccer, volleyball and lacrosse.
From 1974 to 2002, the Pep Band provided the University with a unique identity by performing humor-based "scramble-style" halftime shows at football games. Although the Pep Band's humor is remembered for a handful of well-publicized controversies, in reality, these incidents were few and far between, and the Pep Band's shows caused much more laughter than indignation.
On April 24, 2003, the athletic department announced that the Pep Band would no longer perform at varsity athletics. This decision came on the heels of the Pep Band's halftime performance at the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl, following which the Governor of West Virginia demanded an apology for the Band's depiction of a WVU student wearing overalls and pigtails. The Pep Band first learned of this decision when its leaders arrived at the Band's instrument closet at Onesty Hall only to discover that the locks had been changed. The athletic department announced its decision only a few days before the end of classes, ostensibly to hinder dissemination of this controversial news and prevent any immediate backlash.
In response, the Pep Band received strong support from the University community. In June 2003 and again in January 2006, The Cavalier Daily published editorials calling for the Pep Band's return to varsity sports other than football and basketball. In February 2004, Student Council passed a resolution similarly calling for the Pep Band's return to varsity sports as part of a two-band system.
Inexplicably, the administration has ignored the will of the University community. Although the Pep Band continues to offer to perform at varsity sports other than football or basketball under close coordination with the athletic department and marching band program, the administration continues to exclude the Pep Band. This position is indefensible given the Pep Band's exemplary record of contributions to University life since 2003 and the fact that the marching band does not perform at all varsity sports.
The Pep Band has responded to its predicament with characteristic good cheer and resourcefulness. Since April 2003, the Pep Band has actively served the University and Charlottesville communities by performing regularly for club sports, other student gatherings and local charitable events. The Pep Band has also established working relationships with the Washington Capitals, the Washington Nationals and the pep bands at the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University and Columbia University.
We urge the administration to end the exclusion of the Pep Band from varsity athletics. After more than 30 years of service, it is wrong to deny the Pep Band a meaningful role to perform for its fellow students at the facilities of its own school. The Pep Band can fill a simple but important niche -- performing at varsity sports in cooperation with currently established University music programs. Student athletes and their fans would benefit from the Pep Band's spirited presence.
Although the administration may hope otherwise, the "Pep Band issue" will not simply fade away with time. Those of us who served in the Pep Band during our time as students cannot forget the single greatest affront to student leadership in the University's history. When the University lacks the heart to work with one of the oldest continuing student-run service groups on Grounds, the University has seriously lost its way.
Evan Macbeth is president of Friends of the Virginia Pep Band, Inc., and a 1997 College graduate.
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