I don't think it's the band's fault. It's a matter for the authorities.
You are correct. I suspect the band members first went to their leaders because they thought that would be the most appropriate thing to do. The first step. ?? The young man who was struck in the arm by the bottle said he gave the info to the band leader who then forwarded his and others' stories to Barta. The young man even sent his own email to Barta. I believe UI officials initially never said anything about looking into their allegations but instead instructed them to "watch what you post to social media."
5 days later and 2 or 3 days after the statement by Barta (or Harreld) notifying everyone that the investigation was over, the band member who was struck had yet to be contacted by anyone from the UI. We know Pollard didn't want to investigate, and apparently Barta and Harreld didn't either, OR higher ups at the Regents level or the power brokers who actually dictate what direction and action the universities take instructed them to do nothing. They could have forwarded the information they received from band members or the band director to the authorities in Ames or even at the state level. They apparently chose not to. If so, why?
What is perplexing is where was the "security detail"? The 4 officers, 3 of which were from Polk County? It sounds like the band may have gotten separated into smaller groups following the game and this is when the young woman was cornered by fans and groped. Is this the sexual assault that has been reported? Is this the same member who allegedly suffered fractured ribs? How was this immediately handled? Was she transported to an Ames hospital and how? Hopefully the officers will be interviewed.
The accompanying photographs of the news stories showing the band seated in their section sandwiched between ISU dominated sections show no apparent officers or security detail. This was during the game. I have no idea how many band members travel but it appears to be close to a couple of hundred from the photograph. Maybe this was only part of the band and the officers were out of the picture?
Lots of questions and it seems impossible that anyone or any agency could have completed an investigation in two days. The band member related that they were in a rehearsal when the news broke that the investigation was over. They put their misguided trust in UI officials. That is when they went to social media out of anger.
The national media got involved and UI officials did damage control. Given the context don't be surprised if the "reopened investigation" is a bigger joke than the original investigation. On Friday, UI spokeswoman Janeane Beck released a statement that reads, and take note what her inital emphasis is: "The communication on social media made it clear we had not shared enough information with our students about the steps the university has taken to address the concerns raised by members of our marching band."
It is obvious they still don't want to seriously investigate. Seems to me she is saying the investigation was fine, they just did a poor job of communicating all the dedicated and hard work they conducted. Yeah right. That is total bullshit. Tell that to the band members who weren't even interviewed.
And what about Jamie Pollard? What has he been up to? This happened on his turf. Who will he blame next when he finally crawls out of his spider hole?
