Stadiums around the Southwestern Athletic Conference stand to get a bit quieter, due to newly imposed state budget cuts.
The Southern University Marching Band became the next victim of state budget cuts, with the band only scheduled to travel twice during the 2010 football season.
The Human Jukebox is scheduled to travel to the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Orlando, Fla., against Delaware State Labor Day weekend. Its only other road game on the slate as of now is the Bayou Classic in late November.
“There is an ongoing effort to raise funds so that the band can travel to more away games,” university spokesman Edward Pratt said.
Exactly what those details entail was not revealed, but Pratt said the university and its supporters are trying to find ways to raise money to pay for the band travel expense which include renting buses and meals for the band members.
“The state budget cuts not only affect the academics at the university, but also the extracurricular activities like the band and athletic department,” he said. “If the university could help with the effort for band travel they would, but the university’s main goal is the academic success of its students.
The main focus of Southern University is to provide a learning environment that is conducive to the success of the students and the faculty.”
Due to the funding by ESPN for the MEAC/SWAC Challenge game and the available funds for the Bayou Classic, these two games were picked out of the six away games on the 2010 football schedule.
The remaining away games that the band will not attend include Alabama A&M, Jackson State, the Shreveport game against Prairie View and Alcorn State, unless the efforts for travel are made.
Pratt believes that Lawrence Jackson, director of bands, would like to travel to every location on the schedule but believes that he understands the university financial situation. Jackson declined comment regarding the marching band’s traveling situation.
“We also know that he leads the best band in the country, so the administration feels the necessity and the want to be able to help get that band to more games,” Pratt said.
“The university understands the importance of the marching band going to the away games because the fans want to see the band no matter where there travel to but there is an expense involved,” said Pratt.
“When your budget is cut to the degree that our campus budget has been cut, the administration has to make some tough decisions.”
The marching band is also performs annually at New Orleans Saints home games. Those appearances are not affected by the cuts because either the Saints or the NFL pays the band.
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Budget cuts put pause to Jukebox travel
August 27, 2010
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