The findings from a year-long investigation show that Florida A&M University officials failed to follow state laws and regulations on hazing.
A 32-page report released Dec. 28 concludes that the school lacked internal controls to prevent or detect hazing. The report comes from the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state university system. It ordered the investigation after the death of FAMU band drum major Robert Champion in Orlando 13 months ago.
Champion, who was gay, died in November after being beaten by fellow band members during a hazing ritual aboard a charter bus parked outside an Orlando hotel following a football game against the school’s archrival.
The report comes the same month that a regional accrediting organization placed the school on probation for 12 months. The university has one year to prove it is turning itself around or could have its accreditation revoked.
