The editorial boards of the Tampa Tribune and Lakeland
Ledger declined to take the low road against FAMU as they developed their
opinions about the Marching 100 controversy.
Their approach was a far cry from the one taken by Tampa Bay
Times and Orlando Sentinel editorial boards, which both chose to hold the FAMU president to a
different standard than other State University System of Florida presidents.
The Tampa Tribune editorial board pointed out that the
hazing problem within the Marching 100 should be seen as part of the larger
problem of “festering problems in popular [higher education] programs,
particularly sports.” Student deaths have also occurred in the scandal-ridden
football programs at the University of Florida, Florida State, and the
University of Central Florida.
The Lakeland Ledger acknowledged that “Florida A&M's
famed Marching 100 is one of the best college bands in the land.” But it added
that “much needs to be cleared up and understood. Only then may efforts be made
to reconstitute the band as a safe-and-controlled entity.”
FAMU should be held responsible for ending the hazing problem
within the Marching 100. But the actions of students who broke the law should NOT be
used as an excuse to treat FAMU in an unfair manner. It’s good to see that the
editorial boards of the Tampa Tribune and Lakeland Ledger know that.