Did Ohio State Do the Right Thing by Firing the Director of the Best Damn Band in the Land?

[by Bruce Hennes]

Put aside for the moment IF the band director for Ohio State University’s storied marching band should have been fired. 

Certainly, one can make the argument that under university policy, the university administration had a strict and legal “duty to act.” And under the Civil Rights Act, provisions in Title IX prohibiting sex discrimination in education compelled OSU to take “prompt and effective steps to respond to sexual harassment.”

On the other hand, the argument can also be made that OSU did not have to actually fire the band director.  While the conduct of the students was odious, boorish, misogynistic and morally reprehensible, the students are, after all is said and done, legally adult.  So while their behavior is difficult to defend under the best of circumstances, these were hardly capital offenses.

Regardless of your position on this issue, the deed has been done.  The band director has been fired and the university president has appointed a former state attorney general to spearhead a wider investigation.

The question for business, nonprofit and government executives is this: was the firing done the right way?  We contend the answer is yes.

The mantra of effective crisis communications is simple:  Tell the truth, tell it all and tell it first.  And that’s exactly what Ohio State University President Dr. Michael Drake did yesterday when the announcement of the band director’s firing was made.  Here’s what we saw:

1. An email went out to students and parents.  The email included a written statement and a video by President Drake.  In those communications, Drake was direct, forward and forthright about what happened, the actions he took and the reasons for those actions.
2. The president’s communications included a link to what appears to be a very professional and thorough investigation by OSU’s Office of University Compliance and Integrity, exemplifying the very essence of transparency, while technically complying with FERPA-related privacy issues.
3. The appointment of a task force comprised of nationally recognized experts reporting directly to President Drake and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, to review this matter in its entirety.

Another mantra of effective crisis communications:   It’s not what you say — it’s what you do that really counts (or to put it another way, you’ll more often be judged not by what happened, but what you did after you found out it happened).  Again, Ohio State University gets high marks for this, especially given the fact its new president has been in office just a scant few weeks.

Regardless of your position on this firing, it should be clear that Ohio State University set the standard yesterday for acting expeditiously in the face of controversy — and then communicating its actions quickly and decisively.

While his comment predates the situation at Ohio State University, Warren Buffett perhaps said it best:  Get it right.  Get it fast.  Get it out.  Get it over.