Jonathan Waters, who has served as director of the renowned band since 2012, is credited with revolutionizing its performances at halftime of the university’s football games.
Jonathan Waters had led the band since 2012 and served in lesser capacities for a decade before that. His halftime shows for what’s known to fans as “The Best Damn Band in the Land” were considered revolutionary and drew millions of viewers on YouTube.
Ohio State President Michael Drake, on the job just three weeks, said in an Associated Press interview that he was “profoundly disappointed and shocked” by findings of a two-month investigation that began before his arrival.
The probe uncovered a “sexualized” culture inside the band and determined Waters knew about and failed to stop it. Email and phone messages were left for Waters and the band alumni association seeking comment.
“This is 2014, and we respect our students as young adults,” Drake said. “We respect women, and we respect all the different people who work with us, we respect that diversity. We just had to make a square-wave change between this report, which was unacceptable, and the future, which we start today.”
A spokesman said the university was required to promptly perform the probe under federal Title IX sexual discrimination laws, after a parent complained that band members were asked to swear secrecy oaths “about objectionable traditions and customs,” some in place well before Waters took over.
Those included a late-night march, described as optional, in which band members stripped down to their underwear. Investigators found band staff and directors, including Waters, had sometimes attended. One female student said more senior members of the band would warn newcomers to wear “fuller coverage” undergarments for the event; others wore pajamas or shorts, but some marched naked.
