“We expect every member of our community to live up to a common standard of decency and mutual respect and to adhere to university policies. Moving forward, we must abide by a zero tolerance policy at the University — both with the Marching Band and the entire campus community — for any behavior that creates a hostile culture at Ohio State,” Drake said. “I view this as a new day and an opportunity for the Ohio State community to come together and embrace the values and behavior that have made this University great.”
The ouster of Jon Waters came at the conclusion of a two-month investigaton by the Office of University Compliance which Drake says “revealed serious cultural issues and an environment conducive to sexual harassment within the Marching Band.”
Drake says the probe found that Waters knew about the culture, or should have, and did not “eliminate it, prevent its recurrence [or] address its effects.”
The marching band season will continue during a search for an interim director, Drake said.
In addition to the firing of Waters, Drake hss appointed former Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery to lead an independent task force that will review the incident and report directly to Drake and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.