{"id":11975,"date":"2011-12-19T16:14:19","date_gmt":"2011-12-19T21:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flsentinel.com\/?p=11975"},"modified":"2011-12-19T16:03:07","modified_gmt":"2011-12-19T21:03:07","slug":"famu-alumni-president-calls-hazing-is-a-national-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flsentinel.com\/?p=11975","title":{"rendered":"FAMU Alumni President Calls Hazing Is A National Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"

BY IRIS B. HOLTON<\/strong>
\n Sentinel City Editor<\/strong><\/p>\n

On Sunday, Tommy Mitchell, Sr<\/strong>., Florida A & M University National Alumni Association, held a press conference on the steps of Lee Hall. During the press conference, Mitchell<\/strong> addressed the recent death of a drum major, the call to suspend the president, and the problem with hazing.<\/p>\n

During a telephone interview, Mitchell spoke of the death of 26-year-old Robert Champion<\/strong>. \u201cFlorida A & M University alumni all over the country and I are devastated by the death of Drum Major Robert Champion<\/strong>. Our hearts go out to Mr.<\/strong> and Mrs. Champion<\/strong>, their family, FAMU family, and friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis death is a tragedy and we are very sorry that one of our own has died. He was an alumni.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Tommy Mitchell<\/p><\/div>\n

A National Problem<\/strong>
\nMitchell<\/strong> further stated that the school plans to put methods in place to address the issue of hazing. \u201cHazing is something we are going to have to do something about because it is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Mitchell<\/strong> pointed out that most of the incidents of hazing, including the incident that allegedly led to Champion\u2019s<\/strong> death, does not take place on campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of this takes place away from school and the students are going to have to put a stop to it. We can address any issues that happen on campus, but it is very difficult to control when it happens somewhere else. The incident with Champion<\/strong> happened on a bus in another city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitchell<\/strong> said while all of the attention is on Florida A & M University, hazing is a national problem. \u201cThere has been 15 cases of hazing reported this year, I know because we did the research. Just last week, on December 13th, a student died at Bowling Green University.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not trying to minimize Champion\u2019s<\/strong> death because we are very sorry and he is one of our own, but why is this one case getting so much attention?\u201d<\/p>\n

The case in which Mitchell<\/strong> was referring took place at Bowling Green State University last Tuesday. Joseph Monroe<\/strong> died after he was discovered unresponsive in the fraternity house of Pi Kappa Alpha.<\/p>\n

Police have not released a cause of death and the investigation is continuing.<\/p>\n

Mitchell<\/strong> further stated that his research includes hazing records dating back as far 1838. \u201cName another president who has been fired over hazing. There has never been another incident.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students Support President<\/strong>
\nLast Wednesday was the final day of classes for students at Florida A & M University before the winter break. However, on Thursday evening, nearly 1,000 students marched to the Governor\u2019s mansion after learning that he was calling for the suspension of Dr. James Ammons<\/strong>, president of the university.<\/p>\n

Mitchell<\/strong> said he was aware of the march and was not opposed to it. They were supporting our president who is being mistreated. This is why we need the support of our alumni, when things occur we need the body,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In response to the march, Governor Rick Scott denies treating Dr. Ammons<\/strong> unfairly. Scott<\/strong> called for the Board of Trustees to suspend Dr. Ammons<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Scott<\/strong> said Sunday, \u201cI have not and will not try to influence their decision. I simply offered my advice and opinion based on the events and the facts I was made aware of.\u201d<\/p>\n

During a second meeting Monday, since Champion\u2019s<\/strong> death on November 19th, the Board of Trustees decided not to suspend Dr. Ammons<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Board Issues Statement<\/strong>
\nThe Board of Trustees issued the following statement: As a board, we are vested with the power and authority to govern and set policy for Florida A & M University. To clarify any concern, we are fully aware of our authority. As is always the case, the board will act with the best interests of the University in mind and will not be influenced by pressure from political or other outside forces. Our deliberations on all matters are underscored by our commitment to pursuing the right path for the University and its future.<\/p>\n

\u201cFurthermore, it should be noted that the board is closely monitoring all ongoing investigations. Until information and results from the ongoing investigations are made available to the board, enabling it to effectively conduct a fact-based deliberation on the role of the administration and the President in these matters, the board is deciding to leave the status of the President unchanged. The board is committed to convene and act promptly, as soon as information from the investigating agencies becomes available.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cause Of Death<\/strong>
\nThe state medical examiner recently released the cause of death in the Champion<\/strong> case. It has officially been ruled a homicide.<\/p>\n

According to the medical examiner, Champion<\/strong> was severely beaten and died within an hour of the beating. The report stated that Champion<\/strong> suffered internal bleeding that caused him to go into shock. He reportedly had bruises on his chest, arms, shoulder and back.<\/p>\n

Anti-Hazing Steps Taken<\/strong>
\nIn addition to the steps being taken by the university, a group of African American ministers have also formed a task force to battle hazing at all historically Black colleges and universities.<\/p>\n

Additionally, FAMU student leaders have launched an initiative as well. They are encouraging every student, club, and organization to sign an anti-hazing agreement. Those who refuse risk being sanctioned by the student government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor On Sunday, Tommy Mitchell, Sr., Florida A & M University National Alumni Association, held a press conference on the steps of Lee Hall. During the press conference, Mitchell addressed the recent death of a drum major, the call to suspend the president, and the problem with hazing. During […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":210,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flsentinel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flsentinel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flsentinel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flsentinel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/210"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flsentinel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11975"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/flsentinel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11975\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flsentinel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flsentinel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flsentinel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}