Dive Brief:
- The University of Oklahoma’s marching band director resigned on Thursday, less than a week after the band took out more than $20,000 in newspaper ads criticizing the university president and the band’s leadership.
- Meanwhile, Ohio State University has filed a response to its fired marching band director’s lawsuit, revealing a previously unreported sexual assault allegation made by a female band member against a male band member during his tenure.
- Ohio State also said in court documents that it discovered videos made by students that included partial nudity or simulated sex acts, and the fired band director appeared in one of them, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
Dive Insight:
At the University of Oklahoma, President David Boren announced the resignation of Justin Stolarik, who decided “to step aside in order to unify the (band) and maintain its tradition of being one of the greatest bands in America,” the Oklahoman reported. Boren had met with band members on Monday and pledged to address their concerns by the end of the week.
At Ohio State, former band director Jonathan Waters claims in his lawsuit that the school fired him illegally in July. The university is trying to show that it had grounds to terminate Waters, who it blames for failing to put an end to a culture of objectionable band traditions like alcohol abuse and sexual harassment.