After 12 years of clarinet playing, senior Caitlin Steinert was one day away from the ultimate prize.
Steinert, a four-year member of Ohio University's Marching 110, attended countless men's and women's basketball games with the hopes of being one of 30 members of the Varsity Band to travel to the Mid-American Conference Tournament in Cleveland.
But on Wednesday, one day before Steinert and other band members were set to travel to OU's second-round game against Bowling Green, Director Richard Suk told band members that the trip had been canceled because of a lack of funding.
In February
the university took $7 400 from our budget. Five-thousand of this was money set aside to support our teams in the tournament Suk said in the e-mail.
Suk, who has directed the band for 13 years, said that this is the first year since he's been the director that the band will not attend the tournament. Travel and lodging for the band to attend the men's game last night and the women's game tonight would have cost $4,500, Suk said.
The university cut the funding in February, anticipating further state budget cuts. The School of Music decided to eliminate the funding.
President Roderick McDavis will also be sitting out of this year's tournaments. McDavis, who has attended both men's and women's games in previous years, decided not to attend the tournament because of budget concerns, according to Becky Watts, his chief of staff.
In September, McDavis spent $30,000 from his office's discretionary fund to pay for the Marching 110's trip to Ohio State University.
We're extremely grateful
Suk said. The president has been really good to us.
In his e-mail to band members, Suk thanked them for their strong support of the teams this season and said he looked forward to future tournaments, but for graduating members like Steinert, the e-mail provided little solace.
In order to go to the tournament, Varsity Band members had to earn points by attending and playing for regular season games. The top 30 point-earners are allowed to travel to the tournament.
I pretty much went to every game this year with the hopes of going to the tournament
Steinert said. It's tough because it would have been my first and last chance.
While Suk said he expected band members to be disappointed, he also said the trip's cancellation could affect the teams' performances.
I feel more sorry for the team that's not going to have their fight song when they're on a big run
Suk said.
This article originally included incorrect information about the decision to cut funding for the band trip. The School of Music, directed by the university to cut costs in anticipation of future state budget cuts, eliminated the funding. The Office of Student Affairs did not make the decision. The Post regrets the error.
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Wesley Lowery
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