Despite the University's 48-22 victory over West Virginia University in the inaugural Continental Tire Bowl on Dec. 28, controversy surfaced immediately afterward concerning a contentious half-time performance by the Virginia Pep Band.
According to Pep Band director Adam Lorentson, the performance in question contained a skit intended to make fun of two reality TV shows, "The Bachelor" and the soon-to-be-developed "The Real Beverly Hillbillies."
In the skit, a bachelor was forced to choose between two female students, one from WVU and another from the University, who was ultimately selected by the man.
Many West Virginia fans complained that the WVU student, who was wearing overalls and pigtails in her hair, promoted a negative stereotype of their state.
The performance also included reported references to hillbillies and a square dance.
Both universities were deluged by calls and e-mails following the performance.
Two days after the game, West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise wrote a letter to University President John T. Casteen III denouncing the band's performance and asking for an apology.
The same day, Bowl officials banned the Pep Band from performing in any future Continental Tire Bowl.
Following an investigation, Casteen issued an official statement Jan. 2 in which he blamed the Pep Band and officials from both the University and the Tire Bowl who approved the Pep Band's script prior to the game.
"Regrettably, our Pep Band's halftime performance offended quite a number of people from both schools because it ridiculed West Virginians," Casteen said in the statement.
"We will examine how the band works and how performances might be improved in the course of the next several weeks," he added.
While Lorentson did not deny many of the allegations regarding the performance, he said some details of the performance were blown out of proportion or fabricated entirely, such as the rumor that the WVU student was not wearing shoes.
"A lot of the complaints I've been getting are about really crazy stuff we didn't do," Lorentson said. The performance "was actually pretty tame in comparison to other performances and in general."
The Athletic Department typically cuts 50 percent or more of the Pep Band's initial scripts before they finally receive performance approval, Lorentson said.
This is not the first time the Pep Band has offended WVU. When the two teams last met, in 1985, the band reportedly made references to outdoor bathrooms in West Virginia and birth control.
Opinions from fans who watched the performance ranged from apathy to outrage.
"Having watched the Pep Band carefully, I did not think it was insulting or offensive," said University Rector John P. Ackerly III.
As of this time, the Pep Band has not been sanctioned in any way by the University for its conduct and will maintain its current performance schedule, University Athletic Director Craig Littlepage said.
"Right now, I think the first thing that needs to happen is to set expectations for the Pep Band," Littlepage said.
The Pep Band controversy has, however, raised talk of possibly creating a University marching band in addition to, or in replacement of, the current Pep Band.
"That's one of the possibilities that's been floated in the media
so why not put it on the table for discussion?" Littlepage said. "Let's look at a range of options to meet our goals."
The creation of a marching band would be a long-term project for the University.
"I think the discontinuance of the Pep Band would be a policy matter for the BOV," Ackerly said. "The key question would be if there was a donor to contribute the money to start a marching band."
Ackerly estimated that figures for starting a marching band would range from a half a million to $1 million dollars. Additionally, it would cost a couple of hundred thousand dollars each year to maintain a marching band.
The Pep Band continues to perform at men's and women's basketball games in addition to soccer games, lacrosse games and other sporting and community events.
"We're a scramble band," Lorentson said. "We're a comedy band. We put jokes on the field and jokes should be taken as jokes. We're out there to support U.Va. athletics and help people take life a lot less seriously."
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