As a long time fan, and someone who was at least willing to give an altered pregame show a chance, I can't help but offer how disappointed I was in, well, everything.

Please let me make it clear that my observations are not directed towards the kids in the band, who are only doing what their directors and leadership are telling them to do, but the changes being made by the leadership are just, well, wrong.

First, the decrease in size is a horrendous mistake. For whatever reason, band acoustics in OU's stadium have never been ideal, but the reduction in players (by at least 10% I'd guess) makes the volume issues that much worse. It looks worse on the field.

Second, the changes to the pregame have absolutely killed the crowd warmup dynamic. The goofy new run-on has no rhythm, no cadence, and frankly looks amateurish. The songs were virtually unlistenable.

Third, the PA announcer supporting the band has a script that sounds like it was written for a high school.

The rumors I hear indicate that a regent, who has musical production ties, force-fed the changes down to Boren because he wanted a "more Broadway style" from the band. I don't know if that's true, but I can't fathom that anyone familiar with the history of the Pride would say these changes are to the Pride's benefit, or to the crowd's benefit, nor to the overall atmosphere of the game. I know the Pride's prior director, Brian Britt, came under heavy criticism for his apparent predisposition to exacting musical accuracy from the band rather than crowd entertainment, and when I heard he quit last year, I thought perhaps cooler heads would prevail and the band would return more to its roots as established under Gene Thrailkill. I didn't think it could get worse. But it has. And apparently no small part of these changes have been imported from Wisconsin, via a directory with UTexas roots. I won't even begin to pretend I understand that.

I realize a school band's pre-game show isn't an issue like world peace, so its very unlikely anything will change, and this supposed regent will get (well, has) his toy band to play with. It's just sad to see a great pre-game tradition blown apart merely for the sake of blowing it apart. It doesn't help anyone.

Well this is just depressing. I was out of town Saturday but will be at the West Virginia game. OU's pregame band performance has always been a highlight of every football game, something my family always looks forward to (with the exception of the cheesy "Grand Old Flag" song, which has become insanely tired).

Hopefully people will raise holy hell and restore what is one of the great traditions in college football.

Well going by the Daily's story: OUDaily.com | Pride director not qualified for position (http://www.oudaily.com/news/2013/aug/31/ou_pride/)

Max Weitzenhoffer is the regent who forced this through and so far is refusing to speak about it.

I'm glad to see a lot of people on the same page. I used to play in the marching band, so I have some perspective on things. I've never understood why band directors go over board with musical accuracy. Granted you don't want certain instruments blaring, but at the same time when you think marching band you think brass and drums. Marching band isn't supposed to be a wind ensemble on the field. It's there for one purpose, crowd entertainment. They need a director in there that is willing to keep to the traditions, and add some spunk back into the band. I feel for the band members, cause it's my guess they are just as frustrated with it as we are.

Here's hoping that it gets better.

We dropped our season tickets finally (time factor), but if the pre-game formation via the OUDaily site is indeed the formation that was on the field, then I can say that's absolutely pathetic. Throughout my many years going to games, I always got a thrill when the band got ready to come out. You could feel the energy shift, and the crowd really got into it. Not having experienced it first-hand, I certainly don't feel qualified to write the University itself at this juncture, but if every other person who commented HERE were to write President Boren, and cc the OU Daily, along with the Regents, that may get somewhere.

Posting to a public message board may be a great way to make a public complaint about something like this, but unless you write directly to the people who are in a position to make changes, it won't accomplish anything but make you feel better for having complained.

I would also think that a dedicated campaign from the OU Pride alum group would help matters.

Apparently 282 made the band but only 225 are allowed to march. That's why we couldn’t hear the band.
There were about 325 marching band members 10 years ago.

I would also think that a dedicated campaign from the OU Pride alum group would help matters.

The Alumni Band should make it back to Norman for Homecoming in massive numbers to show they want better for the Pride.

The Alumni Band should make it back to Norman for Homecoming in massive numbers to show they want better for the Pride.

Hmm...wonder if perhaps just the opposite might prove a more effective form of "civil disobedience," if ya get my meaning...get a wave of "anti-support" by not going to the alumni band day. Just sayin'.

Hmm...wonder if perhaps just the opposite might prove a more effective form of "civil disobedience," if ya get my meaning...get a wave of "anti-support" by not going to the alumni band day. Just sayin'.


I thought about that too, but since only a few ordinary show up it would probably make a bigger statement if hundreds showed up... They could present Boren and the BOR with a petition asking that the band be lead by somebody they had confidence in.

If you want to let President Boren know your opinion about the changes to the Pride this year, you can send him an email at actionline@ou.edu. I sent mine on Sunday.

Well going by the Daily's story: OUDaily.com | Pride director not qualified for position (http://www.oudaily.com/news/2013/aug/31/ou_pride/)

Max Weitzenhoffer is the regent who forced this through and so far is refusing to speak about it.

Word on the street is that Mr Weitzenhoffer offered to donate a considerable sum of artwork to the Fred Jones museum if they hired his preferred candidate.

Word on the street is that Mr Weitzenhoffer offered to donate a considerable sum of artwork to the Fred Jones museum if they hired his preferred candidate.

Have heard/read very similar info from other places. This also ties in (indirectly) with the OU Daily piece, and arguably is the "missing piece" that explains why an underqualified candidate was hired.

You know...band frustrations aside....a publicly-exposed "good ol' boy" hire through Boren's office (all alleged, I stress) could spin into a non-trivial problem...for all involved. Not saying Boren hasn't dodged his own set of political problems in the past, but this one could get very uncomfortable very quickly, especially if it comes out that any substantive rules covering state hiring et al were not followed properly. Not naive enough to say its never happened before, but with the attention on this particular situation seemingly increasing, I'd think the discomfort level over it all would be getting relatively high.

And the Pride gets caught in the political crosshairs in any case. And that stinks - particularly when it seems nobody gives much of a care about the product on the field, except the kids playing it (who are just trying to do what they're told).

I hate politics.

If Boren agreed to hire a candidate that wasn't the most qualified, all for a donation, it doesn’t speak well of Boren's character.........
This issue could become something rather substantial.
Other than the OU student news paper, where is the local news media been on this story?

It's looking more and more likely that it would probably be in the university's best interest if Max Weitzenhoffer were to resign his OU regents position.
OU students deserve the most highly qualified faculty that can be hired.

Anyone who wants to voice their opinion can send an email to actionline@ou.edu.

I just fired this off to the email given above. If anyone has a better line or any other ideas on putting a fast stop to this idiocy, please let me know.
======================

Dear Dr. Boren,

I have rarely been moved to make such communication to my alma mater and the school my ancestor helped found (through Kingfisher College) but I feel I must do so today.

The Pride of Oklahoma marching band was certainly not a "pride" this past weekend. The pre-game tradition had clearly been changed and the band was significantly smaller than in the past. Perhaps it is due to new leadership and perhaps it is due to budget cuts but whatever the reason, the directing and production of the band was the worst I have ever heard in my 40+ years of attending football games in Norman. I want to make it clear that my complaint is not about the band itself or any member of the playing band but to the arrangement and production of the performances both pre-game and at halftime.

My main complaints are:

1) Though I sit on the 13th row on about the 30 yard line, I could barely hear the band. There is no excuse for this. In the past, there were times I almost had to put my fingers in my ears it was so loud and hard-hitting. It was wonderful. Now it's like going to an outdoor symphony without amplification. By the way, I am not hard of hearing. No one around me could hear it sufficiently, either.

2) Why was 20% of the band sitting in the stands? What do we pay our donations for?

3) The production and musical choices and arrangements were, without mincing words, just plain awful.

Though I have thoroughly enjoyed the pre-game tradition for many years, I am not so set in my ways for some adjustments to the program, if adjustments are to be made. Personally, I saw no reason to change it other than one song. The "Grand Old Flag" portion was rather cheesy but, for the most part, the pre-game show had wonderful rhythm, it was powerful and it revved up the crowd for the game to come. The crowd participated in the pre-game. Today, everyone just stood there looking at each other. The new rendition of Boomer Sooner is nothing more than flat and didn't capture the spirit of the song and the order in which the songs were played in the pre-game were not conducive to pepping up the crowd.

The half-time show was equally, if not more awful than the pre-game show. The announcer sounded like someone who was trying to greatly exaggerate what an announcer would sound like - - only he was serious. He over hyped the music, the writing, and therefore the announcing was excessive and when the band started to play, it was completely depressing. The musical choice could not have been more pop-bubble, syrupy and depressing. Honestly, is Barbara Streisand and a slow-dance version of "The Way We Were" appropriate for a football game?? The group around me were all appalled and what they saw and heard. There were groups that were laughing at how horrible it was. There were others who were asking "What XXXXXXX arranged all of this?"

Please Dr. Boren, return our formerly great marching band back to it's glory. It was not a "pride" Saturday but an embarrassment. This is not the place for a symphony. We need to feel the music and feel pride and be moved - not to tears but to victory. We don't want to hear the marching band equivalent of MUZAK.

Thank you.


***alias****(mugofbeer)

OUDaily.com | New Pride of Oklahoma leader invokes reaction (http://oudaily.com/news/2013/sep/04/pridereactions_story/)

Sounds like we have a band revolt.....could we have a band walk out?


“over a hundred members confronted their director with concerns after their first performance.
Pride’s leadership team and seniors were asked to meet in Boren’s office after addressing their director”

OUDaily.com | New Pride of Oklahoma leader invokes reaction (http://oudaily.com/news/2013/sep/04/pridereactions_story/)

Sounds like we have a band revolt.....could we have a band walk out?

Also from the article:

In the meeting, Boren assured Pride members that any frustrations they felt after their performance Saturday were not matched by their fans, said Blaxton, botany senior. He told them to give Stolarik time to implement the changes he’s made to the performance.

I think it's pretty clear that Boren is somehow invested in this...

Also from the article:


I think it's pretty clear that Boren is somehow invested in this...

The allegation/rumor/urban legend (whatever disclaimer-type words are appropriate) I've read indicate Weitzenhoffer, a regent, allegedly wanted the Pride to be more stylish and Broadway-themed, and allegedly a quid-pro-quo situation was constructed in the form of a donation of some art from Weitzenhoffer's private collection to the University allegedly in exchange for hiring Stolnarik as an allegedly sock-puppet director.

When news that the band changes were coming back in the summer, some loose information to this effect (but not nearly so detailed) was making the rounds, and seemed too ridiculous to believe. Later, I heard some radio discussion about that where someone tossed this information to someone with some Pride/University ties, and the response was to the effect of "uhmmm, well, that actually isn't too far off..."

The OU Daily story is the only concrete journalistic piece that even begins to hint at something truly inappropriate (and that may be too strong a word) about the hire, with Stolnarik not meeting the qualification criteria for the director's job, yet getting it instead of two other candidates who did meet the requirements. Obviously, politically motivated hires are nothing new, but if the allegations about some sort of quid-pro-quo prove true, that could turn into a much bigger problem for those involved than changing the pregame routine. I think there are at least some laws about requirements and state hiring practices that have to be followed, and what seems to be might be next are some FOIA requests from the Daily or other journalistic entity.

If David Boren is truly deluded enough to think the fans like these changes, his judgment may be in question. That the band has possibly been drawn in to some sort of political or personal (?) power struggle is, if true, disturbing, to say the least.

Methinks the fact that 100+ existing Pride members, in effect, staged a revolt tells me that someone, somewhere knows exactly what's going on. I strongly suspect we've not heard the last of it. At least I hope we haven't.

The allegation/rumor/urban legend (whatever disclaimer-type words are appropriate) I've read indicate Weitzenhoffer, a regent, allegedly wanted the Pride to be more stylish and Broadway-themed, and allegedly a quid-pro-quo situation was constructed in the form of a donation of some art from Weitzenhoffer's private collection to the University allegedly in exchange for hiring Stolnarik as an allegedly sock-puppet director.

When news that the band changes were coming back in the summer, some loose information to this effect (but not nearly so detailed) was making the rounds, and seemed too ridiculous to believe. Later, I heard some radio discussion about that where someone tossed this information to someone with some Pride/University ties, and the response was to the effect of "uhmmm, well, that actually isn't too far off..."

The OU Daily story is the only concrete journalistic piece that even begins to hint at something truly inappropriate (and that may be too strong a word) about the hire, with Stolnarik not meeting the qualification criteria for the director's job, yet getting it instead of two other candidates who did meet the requirements. Obviously, politically motivated hires are nothing new, but if the allegations about some sort of quid-pro-quo prove true, that could turn into a much bigger problem for those involved than changing the pregame routine. I think there are at least some laws about requirements and state hiring practices that have to be followed, and what seems to be might be next are some FOIA requests from the Daily or other journalistic entity.

If David Boren is truly deluded enough to think the fans like these changes, his judgment may be in question. That the band has possibly been drawn in to some sort of political or personal (?) power struggle is, if true, disturbing, to say the least.

Methinks the fact that 100+ existing Pride members, in effect, staged a revolt tells me that someone, somewhere knows exactly what's going on. I strongly suspect we've not heard the last of it. At least I hope we haven't.

It was hard for me to believe at first as well, the proposed conspiracy theory seemed silly at best. However you are correct, the more that comes out about this, the more real it looks. I'm not big on conspiracy theories but something doesn't seem right here. Boren has gone way too far out of his way a few times calling the pregame the best in years after the game and saying that the fans don't notice any difference, when in reality the was opposite true and everyone noticed... I haven't agreed with everything Boren has done at OU (mainly the dry campus policy) but he has been great for the University in nearly every way. Needless to say, if any of this crap is true, I would be pretty disappointed in him.

From a member of the Pride on the OU Daily website:


The best way to contact Boren and give your opinion is to send a letter. There are people in his office making sure all letters addressed as so will be given to him.

Mail to:
President David Boren.
660 Parrington Oval. Rm 110
Norman, Ok. 73019
ATTN: PRIDE
(very important to put PRIDE).

Also make sure there is a full return address, they won't deliver the letter without it.

This is all a perfect example of the "If It Ain't Broke, Don't Break It" concept.
(a subset of the "Change Can Be Good, yet Change for the Sake of Change is Idiotic" theory)

I would like to see the OU marching band increased in size to 400 marching members.....
That way we could hear them.
Several other marching bands have had similar numbers.

From the comments section of the OU Daily article today...hope it's true!


Justin Moore · Branch services at Arvest Bank
Alumni got word today that Stolarik has changed everything back to the original form. And all but the regular alternates for each section get to march.

From the comments section of the OU Daily article today...hope it's true!

AWESOME!!! I HOPE this proves true.

The bigger question remains - is Stolarik planning to remain as director? Getting trumped twice by public opinion your first month on the job might indicate you haven't quite matched your skill set to the job market... :)

AWESOME!!! I HOPE this proves true.

The bigger question remains - is Stolarik planning to remain as director? Getting trumped twice by public opinion your first month on the job might indicate you haven't quite matched your skill set to the job market... :)
Is seems like The Peter Principle in effect here, he was an assistant to a long time director, what did he really do at Wisconsin? Seems like he may not be ready for this type of job at this level. If the failed Rob Johnson tenure at JC Penny showed, an underling to someone who has total control of an operation usually doesn't know what to do because they haven't had the responsibility of making those decisions themselves, they always had to defer to someone else.

NOT SO FAST! I went back to check later articles in the Oklahoma Daily and it seems the "alternates" that were relegated to the stands will be playing but the pre-game routine is not going to change from what it was this past Saturday. I really don't know what to make of this situation. Has there been any additional information out about possible "irregularities" with the hiring of the new director? From what has been written in the Oklahoma Daily by a couple of people, both the pre-game routine and the halftime routine were carbon copies of U of Wisconsin shows (replaced with Oklahoma songs and formations). Why on earth would someone take one of the top 5 rated pre-game traditions and turn it into a U of Wisconsin show and think it is OK?

NOT SO FAST! I went back to check later articles in the Oklahoma Daily and it seems the "alternates" that were relegated to the stands will be playing but the pre-game routine is not going to change from what it was this past Saturday. I really don't know what to make of this situation. Has there been any additional information out about possible "irregularities" with the hiring of the new director? From what has been written in the Oklahoma Daily by a couple of people, both the pre-game routine and the halftime routine were carbon copies of U of Wisconsin shows (replaced with Oklahoma songs and formations). Why on earth would someone take one of the top 5 rated pre-game traditions and turn it into a U of Wisconsin show and think it is OK?

mug, I touched base with someone who is a former Pride member and he said that the chevrons and W's were, in fact, going to go, and that matched up with what I'd read independently that the block intro was going to be restored.

I guess we don't/won't know until Saturday night.

Wouldn't the prime time to make any big changes be after the Tulsa game on September 14th? After that date, the next home game is October 19th.

Boren is a politician to his core and very aware of public opinion. He's already been bombarded with complaints about the fanfare and responded by having it reinstated. He's not been bombarded again with complaints about the new director trying to turn The Pride into "Wisconsin South" and the chevron's and W's are going away. But that doesn't address the problem of the overall quality of the band being worse today than it was last year. West Virginia is supposedly bringing their entire band, 400 strong, to Norman this Saturday. That will bring into stark contrast what our band has become. I think that will start an entire new wave of complaints. Also, people are beginning to let it be known that their contributions to the university will cease until the situation is resolved.

I hope that this ends up being a one-year experiment. If not, I'll be very disappointed in Boren, who has always had my support.

EDIT: I just ran across this on another board: http://firejustinstolarik.com/

I think the biggest issue is not the band product on the field, but rather the events that apparently surrounded the hiring of what some have said was a lesser qualified candidate.

If the hiring was made as some have suggested and for the reasons that some have suggested, its a serious breach of trust on the part of Boren and OU's leadership.

In recent weeks we have seen a big out cry about the band and about OU's seat cushion and chair-back policy’s... One must wonder about the quality of decisions being made across the campus on a wide range of issues?

I think the biggest issue is not the band product on the field, but rather the events that apparently surrounded the hiring of what some have said was a lesser qualified candidate.

If the hiring was made as some have suggested and for the reasons that some have suggested, its a serious breach of trust on the part of Boren and OU's leadership.

In recent weeks we have seen a big out cry about the band and about OU's seat cushion and chair-back policy’s... One must wonder about the quality of decisions being made across the campus on a wide range of issues?

The fact that the recommendation of the committee wasn't followed doesn't bother me that much. From what I understand, the President always has the last word.

The bothersome thing to me is that I've always heard that there have been donors in the past that tried to tie their donations to some sort of change they wanted and they were always told "Thanks, but no thanks." I would hate for that philosophy to have changed. Anyone can make a mistake in a hire. I just hope that he realizes his mistake and cuts his losses.

I wish he would stop the "dry campus" garbage. They haven't stopped drinking at all. They are here in the neighborhoods staggering around, screaming and punching each other and crying about their mothers til 8 in the morning. They don't even come home til 2:30, whacked out on legal meth (adderal), crying. There is NO supervision. The girl who fell off of the building used to "party" across the street. I'm not surprised anyone fell off of anything. We called a landlord in the middle of the night because they were on the roof of a house daring each other to jump (two stories to concrete landing) and others screaming "NO! NO!" If I had a dollar for every time they drive home extremely drunk while the others cry in the street "Stop! Stop!" You are too drunk to drive!!" and the tires scream and they blast through the stop signs, weeping hysterically, at 100 mph, I would be semi-rich. If these are your children you are nuts. Boren belongs to an organization that pays college presidents to have dry campuses, and your children are going to kill someone or die or be a quad, forever. We are really really tired of being kept up all night by a bunch of rich entitled drunk children. Stop it. We aren't rich and we have to go to work and we don't want them to die or kill some poor guy getting off of the late shift. This is ridiculous and stupid and entitled. We the regular people of Norman are really sick of this. This is terrifying and rude and we are at the end of our ropes while he waddles around being Mr. Important and putting the lives of other people at risk. We are almost done caring if the students fall off - we just don't want them to land on some housekeeper at 5:30 in the morning.

I think that something needing to be repeated over and over again is that nothing said on this subject is to reflect on the students performing in the band. They have no say (even after apparently meeting directly with President Boren) in what is going on. What concerns me is that if/when the band goes on the field and the performance is as bad as last week's, there will be a chorus of boos coming from the audience.

The fact that the recommendation of the committee wasn't followed doesn't bother me that much. From what I understand, the President always has the last word.

The bothersome thing to me is that I've always heard that there have been donors in the past that tried to tie their donations to some sort of change they wanted and they were always told "Thanks, but no thanks." I would hate for that philosophy to have changed. Anyone can make a mistake in a hire. I just hope that he realizes his mistake and cuts his losses.

President has the last word...until it involves state hiring rules. Think even Boren/OU have to follow state hiring rules/laws, and that's where I wonder if something squiggly is going on here. Might bear further review.

I wish he would stop the "dry campus" garbage. They haven't stopped drinking at all. They are here in the neighborhoods staggering around, screaming and punching each other and crying about their mothers til 8 in the morning. They don't even come home til 2:30, whacked out on legal meth (adderal), crying. There is NO supervision. The girl who fell off of the building used to "party" across the street. I'm not surprised anyone fell off of anything. We called a landlord in the middle of the night because they were on the roof of a house daring each other to jump (two stories to concrete landing) and others screaming "NO! NO!" If I had a dollar for every time they drive home extremely drunk while the others cry in the street "Stop! Stop!" You are too drunk to drive!!" and the tires scream and they blast through the stop signs, weeping hysterically, at 100 mph, I would be semi-rich. If these are your children you are nuts. Boren belongs to an organization that pays college presidents to have dry campuses, and your children are going to kill someone or die or be a quad, forever. We are really really tired of being kept up all night by a bunch of rich entitled drunk children. Stop it. We aren't rich and we have to go to work and we don't want them to die or kill some poor guy getting off of the late shift. This is ridiculous and stupid and entitled. We the regular people of Norman are really sick of this. This is terrifying and rude and we are at the end of our ropes while he waddles around being Mr. Important and putting the lives of other people at risk. We are almost done caring if the students fall off - we just don't want them to land on some housekeeper at 5:30 in the morning.

You had me with the anti-dry campus deal but lost me with the crazy stuff half way through. People are still drinking in all of the fraternity houses, its just not near as open. Also I agree (I think) that more people are partying off campus then driving home. The only person I know that fell from a building was a friend from high school and she fell from Evans Hall on campus, so not sure what you're talking about there.

LOL

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BTXw9OdCQAEFfE2.jpg:large

As one of the more vocal folks on here about the OU band concern, it seems the leadership listened to the complaints. Fair-is-fair and I will have to say the shortened halftime presentation iof the Pride this last weekend was 1000 times better than week 1. I did not get to see the pre-game show to see if they reverted back to the old format or not. The volume was certainly up and it looked like everyone participated at halftime. Anyone have pregame observations?

As one of the more vocal folks on here about the OU band concern, it seems the leadership listened to the complaints. Fair-is-fair and I will have to say the shortened halftime presentation iof the Pride this last weekend was 1000 times better than week 1. I did not get to see the pre-game show to see if they reverted back to the old format or not. The volume was certainly up and it looked like everyone participated at halftime. Anyone have pregame observations?

I was wondering the same thing. I had prior engagements so my wife and a friend went but she missed the opening. She said the volume didn't sound that much louder at half-time, but it seemed as though they made some adjustments.

For the first time in 42 years of going to home OU games, I didn't bother making the special effort to get in early enough to see the band pregame. I'd been hopeful that some rumors indicated Stolarik had hit the reset button on all the dumb changes he made, but later heard that was not accurate. So I finally had to realize that I'm just a fan in this, and a regent with deep pockets and an art collection holds more leverage than anyone worrying about things like tradition. From what I could see on the video board as I walked up the west ramps, the pregame looked exactly the same with the dippy tiptoe run-in, the Wisconsin W's, and the absolutely embarrassing new interlocking OU that I saw just as I got to my seat.

Bottom line is that I just have resigned myself to the fact that Boren just doesn't give a rip about this, and/or the competing influences that have rationalized this sellout are simply outside even the illusion of my influence. And the tradition of the Pride pregame is just another victim along the way. That OU has hired a guy who appears to have no business running a major college band isn't even relevant. The regent is happy, and to heck with anything else along the way.

For the first time in 42 years of going to home OU games, I didn't bother making the special effort to get in early enough to see the band pregame. I'd been hopeful that some rumors indicated Stolarik had hit the reset button on all the dumb changes he made, but later heard that was not accurate. So I finally had to realize that I'm just a fan in this, and a regent with deep pockets and an art collection holds more leverage than anyone worrying about things like tradition. From what I could see on the video board as I walked up the west ramps, the pregame looked exactly the same with the dippy tiptoe run-in, the Wisconsin W's, and the absolutely embarrassing new interlocking OU that I saw just as I got to my seat.

Bottom line is that I just have resigned myself to the fact that Boren just doesn't give a rip about this, and/or the competing influences that have rationalized this sellout are simply outside even the illusion of my influence. And the tradition of the Pride pregame is just another victim along the way. That OU has hired a guy who appears to have no business running a major college band isn't even relevant. The regent is happy, and to heck with anything else along the way.

I guess I'll wait until the season is over to pass final judgement. I'm not sure if it would be fair to the current band members to make a change in directors in mid-season. And, even if they did, I don't know how much could be changed as far as what they are doing on the field. After the Tulsa game there are only 3 more home games. I will be extremely disappointed in Boren if someone new isn't the director of the Pride next year. But, I'm not a deep pockets donor. I'm just an alum and life long resident of this state.

I don't think too many, including members of the band, are looking for a new band director. If it were to turn out that Stolarik is truly not qualified for the position and his hiring is simply a favor for a lover of Broadway show tunes, then it should be thoroughly investigated and corrected, if necessary. I do wish some of the media would take a good look into this to ensure there isn't any wrongdoing.

I simply think Mr. Stolarik was given some directions that a complete change to the band was needed when, in reality, it was not needed or wanted. The fans clearly enjoyed the pre-game tradition the way it was (with a minor tweak or two) which may have caught Mr. Stolarik a little off guard. He's new and he deserves to be given a chance, but in my mind, he doesn't earn the right to change 40 years of tradition.

I certainly hope that Pres. Boren has learned a little lesson that he doesn't run a kingdom with his friends. He runs a school that belongs to the citizens of Oklahoma.

In case anyone is on Facebook, there is a new Facebook page called Restore the Pride of Oklahoma:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Restore-The-Pride-of-Oklahoma-Marching-Band/329854407158479?hc_location=stream

It has a total of over 2,800 followers. It's picked up over 700 since 6 PM today,

also this site has popped up Fire Justin Stolarik (http://firejustinstolarik.com)

In case anyone is on Facebook, there is a new Facebook page called Restore the Pride of Oklahoma:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Restore-The-Pride-of-Oklahoma-Marching-Band/329854407158479?hc_location=stream

It has a total of over 2,800 followers. It's picked up over 700 since 6 PM today,

Restore the Pride now has over 5,000 followers.

I still can't hear the OU band.
They had some of the worst sloppy lines that I had ever seen when they marched off the field at half time when playing
Boomer Sooner.... They don't look like they are having fun.... and they should.

But the student section in general sucked today as there were thousand of empty seats.
If the Students are not going to show up OU should reduce the number of seats in the student section.

I wasn't able to go to the game. Is the pre-game show back to the traditional version or is it still the same as on game #1?

I wasn't able to go to the game. Is the pre-game show back to the traditional version or is it still the same as on game #1?

It's not back to the traditional version. Supposedly, the 40 - 50 'alternates' who have been left in the stands during the first three games will be marching by the next home game.

Latest round of rumors I heard is that Boren is so sick of hearing complaints about the Pride that he's told staffers to stop routing to him any correspondence about it, and he's apparently still getting a bunch of it. Stolarik is allegedly refusing to speak to senior band members (with proper "cred") about the problems they see and believe need attention, special practices, all stuff that an apparently experienced band director is supposed to already know. Other rumors suggest that Stolarik, himself, has been so upset about the negative commentary and the calls from within the band for additional practices to learn his "schemes" allegedly drove him to tears and leave practice recently.

Some have suggested its too late in the season to revert the pregame to the real/classic version, and as there are only three home games left, we're stuck with this disaster the rest of the year. We can only hope that cooler heads prevail in the offseason and this disaster can be cleaned up.

David Boren has done a lot of good for OU. His management of this situation has, however, been abominable, and the hiring of Stolarik an inexcusable mess, regardless of any alleged regent pressure brought to bear on the hiring. It's apparently understood by everyone involved the guy really isn't qualified to run the band, and that lack of experience is what has the senior band members asking him for special practices and the like. He's not even understanding that the request is to support him, to help the band get better, so ultimately everything I've heard and read is that this entire situation is an unequivocal disaster.

And its equally clear David Boren doesn't care.

As an OU alum, although absent any band ties myself, this situation is a real embarrassment. Worst of all, it was entirely self-inflicted.

The latest is that all but 3 members of the tuba section boycotted practice yesterday. There's an article about it in today's Oklahoma Daily.

This letter was posted on the Restore the Pride Facebook page (which has nearly 6,000 members now). It's a very powerful letter that outlines the ramifications of this fiasco to the entire music school. I can barely find middle C on a piano myself, but this guy knows his stuff.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/smzbzdlhzdgkbv1/Regents%20Letter%20-%20Swinney.pdf

Don't know the author. Never involved myself in band after high school. Still, that was indeed a spot on letter, addressing the far more serious issues of what the future may hold under the present course.

Don't know the author. Never involved myself in band after high school. Still, that was indeed a spot on letter, addressing the far more serious issues of what the future may hold under the present course.

If that doesn't catch the attention of the Board of Regents, nothing will.

If that doesn't catch the attention of the Board of Regents, nothing will.

Here's the thing that catches my attention: You have a significant number of (apparently) upper-class members engaging in staged walkouts - and the article indicated this was only the "first section" to take action. That tells me more such walkouts are ahead, and it is my opinion that those kids wouldn't engage in such an action if they didn't have at least some informal orchestration from someone higher up, someone with some measure of influence.

If what I consider the worst of the rumors to be true - that the guy literally ran out of practice in tears, openly sobbing due to complaints - the guy has no business in the position.

That the situation has evolved to this is embarrassing.

Some members of 'Pride of Oklahoma' refused to practice | Oklahoma City - OKC - KOCO.com (http://www.koco.com/news/oklahomanews/some-members-of-pride-of-oklahoma-refused-to-practice/-/9844008/21988368/-/12ga46cz/-/index.html)

Boren needs to buy out this guys contract and make ''Coach" the interim Band director.

So what I am reading on some other sites and in the Oklahoma Daily is that the band members seem to be saying there are changes being made but that the changes take time. They are saying most band members don't necessarily dislike the band director but that he has some faults.

Too bad wisdom didn't play into this for the new director. Here is a comment from former band director Britt made several years ago:

"Fans had two concerns when I took over in 2001,” Britt said. "They wanted to know if I was going to change the pregame show and whether the drum major was still going to do the famous strut down the field. I told them I wasn't coming here to make this my band; I was coming to be the next caretaker of this band. That meant ensuring that the kids had the same great experience I had when I was (a student) here. I decided things would change on an evolutionary basis rather than on a revolutionary basis.” Mr. Britt

Old article from 2008.
band/article/3286945

A good read on the band
http://www.soonerguys.com/?p=7410

Berry Tramel's article: Oklahoma football: The band has become OU's biggest controversy | News OK (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-football-the-band-has-become-ous-biggest-controversy/article/3884197?custom_click=rss&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter)

Note the comments following the article.

I often watch the band on YouTube. I was first shocked at the change, then saddened. The old pregame was exciting to watch and it appeared the band had a lot of pride bringing it to us. This is not true of the current pregame show.

Several music education blogs and websites have now started picking up on this story - I suspect at least in part because a conventional newspaper like The Oklahoman made it a story - and the whole thing is really making OU leadership look bad. This is starting to damage whatever reputation might have had in music education circles because it now seems our band director's hiring process was fishy, and the stories are emerging that the guy really is out of his depth.

Now comes the story that either today or yesterday, Stolarik engaged in a screaming tirade against the entire Pride during practice, and "forbid" them from speaking to any of the media.

This is not going to end well. It already hasn't ended well. Whatever it may cost Boren in personal pride or Weitzenhoffer's (alleged) art donations, its time to cut losses and get rid of this guy today. The damage to the University isn't worth it. The guy can't possibly be that good - and clearly he's demonstrated he's far from it.

Restore the Pride now has over 5,000 followers.

Last time I checked, it was now over 6,800. The thing is gaining steam, and Boren is in the precisely in the middle of the eye of this storm he created himself.

This is Boren's fault. He needs to fix it. Now.

An online survey about The Pride of Oklahoma:

Pride of Oklahoma Survey (http://surveymonkey.com/s/prideofoklahoma)

An online petition regarding The Pride of Oklahoma:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/129/313/167/supporters-of-excellence-in-the-pride-of-oklahoma-marching-band/

An online survey about The Pride of Oklahoma:

Pride of Oklahoma Survey (http://surveymonkey.com/s/prideofoklahoma)

An online petition regarding The Pride of Oklahoma:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/129/313/167/supporters-of-excellence-in-the-pride-of-oklahoma-marching-band/

Thanks for posting this^
Its interesting?