The furor over the Kansas State band's Starship Enterprise formation on Saturday has taken another turn. If you believe in the Wildcat faithful, it would be considered one for the good of director Dr. Frank Tracz and the school band.
For the backstory, click here. In short, the band's effort at halftime of the South Dakota game was found to be inappropriate by some, leading to sanctions against Dr. Tracz and a $5,000 fine.
The Starship Enterprise formation was found to have an off-color scene that involved some band members in the shape of rival Kansas' Jayhawk mascot.
After a social media furor, K-State took the following actions:
■ A self-imposed $5,000 fine to be paid to the Big 12 Conference for violation of the league sportsmanship policy.
■ A single-game suspension for Tracz. The suspension will take place on Nov. 28, the game at Kansas.
■ Prior approval for the content of all band halftime shows by representatives from the Office of Student Life and the Athletic Department.
The community was not about to let Tracz -- known as "DT" absorb the financial hit and it went to Gunfundme to raise the money to offset the fine.
Dr. Frank Tracz has been an inspiration to the Kansas State community. He is heralded as one of the preeminent band directors in the country and will be awarded the prestigous [sic} Sudler Trophy for directing the top marching band in the country.
The legacy of Dr. Tracz and The Pride has been tainted with one field set from the September 5 football game. The $5,000 fine was imposed by K-State. We would like to show our support of "DT" and help pay him back for everything he has done for us.
The money will go directly to the band and its scholarship fund since the fine will be paid by the Office of the President.
As of this writing, in 12 hours, nearly $9,000 had been raised through more than 300-plus donations.
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