Moms of Hazed Students Speak Out
LEMON: A lawyer for the family of Florida A&M; University band member Robert Champion accuses the school of turning a blind eye on hazing. Champion died last month after a halftime performance by the band. University officials say hazing was a factor. George Howell looks at the investigation into an alleged culture of hazing at the school.</s>GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Fans affectionately call it the best band in the land. The Marching 100 has long been the pride of Florida A&M; University. But since two hazing related incidents, one resulting in the death of the band's drum major Robert Champion, it's a campus in mourning.</s>UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What's the mood been like here?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The mood has been really sad. The Monday coming back to school was really quiet.</s>HOWELL (voice over): Police are now investigating a culture of alleged hazing within the band. In this 911 tape, you can hear band members on a bus with Champion, desperately trying to save him.</s>CALLER: Yes, I'm with him, ma'am. He's not breathing. I tried to give him CPR and he started to vomit.</s>HOWELL: Champion died at the hospital November 19th. Not even two weeks before that, another student told police she was rushed to the hospital with injuries after a several week-long initiation period. Dangerous and even violent behavior that former drum major A.J. Richardson says went underground after the school declared a zero-tolerance policy on hazing.</s>A.J. RICHARDSON, FORMER FLORIDA A&M; BAND MEMBER: Those things that began as innocent pranks have been added to over the years. We were asked to do push-ups, but we did not experience the kind of hazing that involved physicality, to get beat up. That just did not happen.</s>HOWELL: Richardson says he's worked closely over the years with the band's former director, Dr. Julian White, to try to eliminate hazing. White dismissed 30 students from the band for hazing-related incidents prior to Robert Champion's death. A week later, University President Dr. James Ammons fired Dr. White and expelled four students. (on camera): We reached out to several current and former band members but no one really wanted to talk about the hazing incidents or the students who were expelled. We found this to be a very tight-knit group. And many students on this campus tell me they are shocked that this even happened.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We hear about hazing sororities, fraternities. But when we hear the band, we are like, wait. We have hazing in the band? What's going on?</s>HOWELL (voice over): Investigators have not yet released details into what caused Robert Champion's death but the tragedy has left a cloud of uncertainty on this campus about its beloved band and the culture within its ranks. George Howell, CNN, Tallahassee, Florida.</s>LEMON: The mothers of two students from the Florida A&M; marching band speak out about problems their sons are having with hazing. That's next.