Former Ohio State Marching Band director Jonathan Waters said he still hasn’t decided whether he’ll sue OSU during a Tuesday interview with The Lantern.
He was fired July 24 after a two-month investigation into the band found a culture conducive to sexual harassment. It was determined Waters was aware or reasonably should have been aware of that culture and did not do enough to change it.
His attorney David Axelrod said Waters has acknowledged that he needs to start looking for a new job, but said he hasn’t started yet because he wants his position at OSU back.
Since his termination, many OSU Marching Band members, alumni and others have showed support for the ousted director with numerous letters to the editor, letters to university administration and rallies, among other things. Most call for Waters’ reinstatement.
The student squad leadership of the band from 2012 and 2013 released a statement Tuesday through Axelrod’s office that called the report’s findings “false and misleading” and said the investigation was “severely flawed.”
Another display of support for Waters surfaced Tuesday when a 10-page document of Waters’ attempts to change the band culture was found on the marching band alumni club website. One instance in the report describes how Waters looked down upon mistreatment of new band members.
“We could not publicly (or in front of Jon Waters or any staff) refer to first-year band members as ‘rookies.’ We were required to refer to them as first-years in order to reinforce equality among ranks. Jon stressed that even a reference such as first-years was a form of hazing, and not something that was supported by the OSUMB,” it reads.
Waters said Tuesday afternoon he hadn’t read that report and couldn’t provide direct comment on it. “Without reading it, I’m sure I stand by what they’re saying,” Waters said.
