Iowa State, Iowa Athletic Departments issue joint statement on student bands

The Iowa State University and University of Iowa Athletic Departments issued a joint statement today regarding the treatment of their respective student marching bands. The full release can be found below:

ATHLETICS DEPARTMENTS ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT

On Saturday, most fans from both schools celebrated the day and the rivalry in a positive manner showcasing all that’s good about the state of Iowa. Administrators and Public Safety officers at both schools are focused on improving the environment around this important game moving forward.

JOINT STATEMENT FROM GARY BARTA AND JAMIE POLLARD REGARDING GAME ENVIRONMENTS

“Both the University of Iowa and Iowa State University are committed to providing a safe environment for everyone attending events on their respective campuses. This includes members of the school’s marching bands. Unfortunately, both the Hawkeye and Cyclone marching bands have been the target of unacceptable behavior at football games in Iowa City and Ames in recent years. Some of the conduct directed at the students in our respective marching bands recently has been rude, vulgar, and in some cases, violent.  We should all feel embarrassed when students in the bands don’t feel safe when performing at an away game. Each of our athletics departments is committed to doing whatever is necessary to improve the environment for visiting school marching bands in the future. A significant part of the solution is insisting our fans help address this issue by showing more respect to our visitors. We owe it to these hardworking performers to have a safe stage on which they can showcase their spirit and talent.”