Athletics cuts then reinstitutes pep band performances at basketball games

The St. Joe’s pep band will not have its schedule cut significantly this season, which would have eliminated many of their usual appearances at men’s and women’s basketball games.

A revised schedule sent to the band directors in late November, which The Hawk obtained, cut 16 games from the band’s schedule for the remainder of the season. The games still to be played included both team’s senior nights and both team’s alumni day games. The games left on the schedule were all televised games. The games cut were not.

Tim Laushey, who is in his 26th season as director, informed the band about the proposed changes.

“We didn’t have any input,” Laushey said.

In a Nov. 20 meeting with Athletics Director Jill Bodensteiner, J.D., several days before they received the revised performance schedule, Tim and Sue Lashey said Bodensteiner explained the athletic department couldn’t support the program in the way it had in the past. For the past two seasons, each band member has received a $40 stipend per game. Prior to that, they played without one.

The pep band wasn’t given a chance to play the potentially cut games for free, according to the directors and band members.

For Sue Laushey, who directs the band with her husband, breaking the news to the students was tough.

“When we first told some of the students about the revised schedule, they were really upset,” Sue Laushey said. “They wanted to know why. We really don’t know exactly why they were revising it. I equated it to your parents telling you they were getting divorced and you are saying to them ‘What did we do? Was it us?’”

Senior Shannon Scimecca, pep band president, said she found the news about the schedule changes disappointing.

“Obviously this was really upsetting,” Scimecca said. “It was more for the look of the university and didn’t take into account how the students or the directors felt about the decision.”

Senior Marissa Arnold, vice president for the band, said she was also upset by the news.

“It was really disappointing,” Arnold said. “It is something I have been involved in since my freshman year. I am very committed to the program. It was pretty disheartening.”

The athletic department declined to answer The Hawk’s questions about the reasoning behind the decision to cut games from the pep band’s schedule.

When news of the schedule changes spread on social media, St. Joe’s students and alumni rallied behind the pep band, reaching out to athletics asking them to reconsider.

“I’m calling out to all of my followers but more specifically SJU alumni to either @ our athletic director or email her asking to keep the pep band and add them to more games,” Twitter account @thwnd_harold said. “The energy they provide to the atmosphere cannot be matched without them! #THWND”

Fans of St. Joe’s expressed their view that the pep band was an important part of the game day experience.

“I am VERY disappointed about this  decision regarding the @SJUPepBand,” Twitter account @SJUhawk4ever said. “They are integral to the overall fan experience and game time environment. I will be sharing my thoughts about this with those who have the ability to make the necessary and appropriate change.”

Scimecca said seeing an outpouring of support on social media meant a lot.

“It was heartwarming for me and my directors because I didn’t realize people really cared about us so much,” Scimecca said. “I feel like people think we are a tradition that is standing for the university. They wanted us to stay. They were reaching out to the athletics department. There was a big alumni presence that was reaching out and the students as well.”

Tim Laushey described his reaction to the social media support in one word: “shocked.”

“We are up there in the stands in our own little world,” Laushey said. “We aren’t in the lobby before and after the game. We don’t have a lot of contact with a lot of people. It was shocking to see the support that we had. How can that not make you feel good?”

On Dec. 2, the Lausheys said they got a call from Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs Rob Sullivan notifying them that the band was back on for a full schedule. They weren’t given an exact reason, but after the band was absent for the St. Joe’s men’s game against Saint Francis University (PA) and women’s games against American University and Drexel University, the Lausheys were told the “feel and look wasn’t right.”

“As soon as I got the call that we were back on, it was incredible,” Arnold said. “I couldn’t believe how fast it happened. I was really overwhelmed with support from the student body and alumni.”

The athletic department did not respond to questions about why the original schedule was reinstated, but in a statement to The Hawk, the athletic department offered its support to the band for the rest of the upcoming season.

“The SJU Pep Band plays a crucial role in the energy and excitement that are sig- natures of Hawk hoops, and will continue to do so for all home games this season. We look forward to working with the pep band and Hawk fans to create the best gameday experience that we can moving forward,” according to the statement.

But while the band will play as originally planned for the rest of the 2019-2020 season, its future is still up in the air.

“They already called us back and said, ‘Just so you know, the current budget we have will not support the pep band for next year,’” Sue Laushey said. “We have already talked about what fundraisers we can do. We are reaching out to alumni. We can see that different times are coming.”