Marching band avoids permanent relocation
After three ASUSU Executive Council meetings, a space conflict between USU’s football team and marching band has been resolved.
The USU marching band will keep their practice space in the Romney Stadium parking lot, thanks to a unanimous vote by the council.
At a meeting on Sept. 4, ASUSU President Christian Thrapp said football players were parking in the band’s practice space due to heavy construction in the area.
At the same meeting, Athletics Vice President Karson Kalian said intramurals were also part of the space problem.
As of the start of the school year, the band was temporarily moved to the fields outside Mountain View Tower, and the council was debating whether to make the move permanent.
Before the vote Tuesday, USU parking representative James Nye said the band has been using the lot near the stadium for years, but this year there hasn’t been enough space for them.
He said 40 parking stalls on the north edge of the stadium were taken out by construction, making the walk to the Stan Laub Training Center or to the Student Health and Wellness Center longer.
Band representative Sarromg McIff said the move might have be good for the band because it would be more accessible.
McIff said if the band were to move to the Tower field, the members and equipment would get there more quickly, allowing them to get started with their practice sooner.
“We have a lot of equipment that we have to haul back and forth, and where the location’s at down on the parking lot we usually end up having to start class late,” McIff said.
Additionally, McIff said the tower field is flatter than the band’s parking lot, making it easier to march in straight lines.
Thomas Rohrer, band director, said the field would have to be painted to accommodate the band every couple weeks at a cost of about $800 compared to $200 to paint the stadium lot.
This money would be cut from the slim funds the band uses for their trips and uniforms, he said.
“Right now we don’t have enough uniforms to fit everybody that we have in the band,” Rohrer said. “We have the cymbal line wearing uniforms from 1989.”
Another problem the Campus Recreation department, several ASUSU members and Rohrer saw was that the band’s movement would likely destroy the field.
“I’ll candidly tell you, there’s nothing that’s worse for grass than a marching band,” Rohrer said.
Campus Recreation director Kevin Kobe said the space USU has for recreational activities is already below standards and has been dropping due to the various construction projects on and around campus.
Scott Wamsley, assistant director of Campus Recreation, said the Tower field couldn’t be used because people are on it all day. If the band were to take it for even a few hours a week, it would cut into the already slim opportunity that students have to use the field, he said.
After a short time on the fields, several residents of the Towers came to the band with complaints, said band member Sarah Keene. Keene said the band tower, a construct that helps the director see the entire band, would need to be moved and modified if they were to move.
After hearing all sides, the council took a formal vote to keep the Aggie Marching Band in their original practice area.
“Unless there’s another as good or better alternative for the Aggie Marching Band, I would encourage you to support the Aggie Marching Band staying in the parking lot where they’re at,” said Academic Senate President Jordan Hunt.
– addison.m.t.hall@gmail.com