According to the Orlando Sentinel, “Wills was expelled from
FAMU three classes shy of earning a degree in criminal justice.” Federal law
prevents FAMU from confirming the names of students it dismisses, but
The FAMUan reported that the university also expelled Turner.
Wills and Turner have admitted that they assisted Champion
as he attempted to “Cross Bus C.” The hazing ritual required him to run through
a gauntlet of blows aboard a parked bus and touch the back of the vehicle. They
said they tried to keep the attackers away from him in order to help him finish
the process.
William Hancock, an attorney for Wills, believes that FAMU
should bear more blame than the students who took part in the illegal hazing
ritual.
Wills has pointed his finger at ex-band director Julian
White. He said White didn’t do enough to stop hazing.
“Well, honestly, I mean, we went to Dr. White [about hazing]
and told Dr. White things before. ... It was always just a slap on the wrist
or, ‘OK, I'll take care of it,’ and it basically just turned into a speech —
one of those speeches they give the band [about hazing] that nobody pays
attention to,” Wills said.
Even if Wills’ claims about White are true, they are no
excuse. Wills and Turner should have immediately called the police as soon as
they learned that Champion was heading into an illegal activity. By refusing to
report the planned beating beforehand and attempting to help Champion complete
the ritual, they knowingly supported a senseless hazing tradition.
This is all the more reason for FAMU to refuse to revisit
any of the expulsions it executed against those who were involved in Champion’s
hazing. “Zero tolerance” means that students are either for the anti-hazing
rules or against the anti-hazing rules. Any student who tries to “help” a
student break an anti-hazing rule is part of the problem and should receive no
mercy in the disciplinary process.