TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The president of Florida A&M University received a no-confidence vote Thursday from school trustees for his handling of the hazing death of a drum major in its famed Marching 100 band, but he said afterward that he won’t resign.
The board voted 8 to 4 to approve the no-confidence measure against university president James Ammons.
Ammons signed a five-year contract extension last year. He said he plans to remain in his post and help the university stamp out what many call a culture of hazing surrounding the university and its nationally recognized band, which has played at Super Bowls and inaugurations.
“This is very serious for the future of this university,” Ammons said after Thursday’s vote. “You have my commitment to fix them and get this job done.”
The school has been reeling since the November death of drum major Robert Champion. Eleven members of the band have been charged with felony hazing for allegedly beating him to death. The death exposed a wide culture of hazing at the school. Critics say Ammons and other administrators ignored it.
Champion died after being beaten in a band bus outside an Orlando hotel after a football game. Ammons suspended The Marching 100 soon afterward and last month announced he was continuing the suspension for the coming year.
Ammons became president in 2007 following a budget scandal that threatened the school’s accreditation. He said recently that the current crisis triggered by Champion’s death marks the biggest challenge of his career.
