Coinciding with the announcement of a $1.5 million donation for the creation of a concert and marching band, University officials informed the Pep Band yesterday it will no longer perform at University athletic events.
Amy Cronin, chief of staff in University President John T. Casteen, III's office, said because of other athletic department budgetary concerns and limited funding available in the athletic budget for a band, the school cannot afford to maintain two bands.
"They're going one way and we're not that way," former Pep Band Director Adam Lorentson said.
Cronin and University Athletic Director Craig Littlepage informed the outgoing and incoming managing boards of the Pep Band of the decision to discontinue their performances yesterday at a 9 a.m. meeting.
Littlepage said the decision to establish the marching band is part of a larger effort to make the University more arts-oriented.
Cronin also maintained the decision to create a marching band was in no way a punitive move against the Pep Band, which celebrates its 30th anniversary next year and has been the source of recent controversy.
The band received criticism last December when it performed a skit at the Continental Tire Bowl that some people said they felt demeaned West Virginians. The skit prompted West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise to send a letter to Casteen requesting an apology from the University.
The jokes in the routine had been pre-approved and the incident was entirely blown out of proportion, Lorentson said.
The band continually has been treated in an unprofessional way by the athletic department and the most recent transgression goes above and beyond any previous reproach, he added.
Tuesday, Lorentson said he discovered the locks had been changed to the storage room where Pep Band-owned and individually-owned instruments are stored. At the time, he said, he believed facilities management had changed the locks. Lorentson said he subsequently received conflicting stories from facilities management, Littlepage and the sports promotion office about who ordered the change.
"I cannot express the depths of my disappointment," Lorentson said. "They lied to us yesterday. They lied to us today, and they'll probably lie to us tomorrow."
Littlepage said yesterday he spoke with Lorentson about setting up times for band members to get their instruments, but did concede that possibly this message was not adequately conveyed. He added that the locks were indeed changed, but only to slow down in and out traffic and to ensure the safety of the equipment.
Lorentson said the band helps the University to remain unique and distinct from other big name public schools. Band members genuinely are enthusiastic about University athletics and will strive to find a way to support the school's programs, including lower-revenue teams often overlooked by fans, he added.
"From day one, we've been here to support athletics," Lorentson said. "We've always found a way to do that, even though the Athletic Department finds a way to frustrate that."
Current Pep Band Director Scott Hayes agreed that, without a Pep Band, the divide between football and basketball and other sports will persist.
"We did our best to combat that by giving our attention to lesser known sports," Hayes said.
Hayes said after meeting with members and getting a general feeling from the band, the managing board will formulate a response to the new changes.
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