AthBand President Remains Optimistic Despite Budget Cuts

The Pep Band participating in the tradition of 'Walk Around' at a UMD hockey game. Photo provided by Justin Mortensen

In mid-March, Athletic Pep Band students found out that they would be going from a school-sanctioned class to a student group as of next year. Dean Youde announced the change during their rehearsal which prompted students to fear for what the future will look like for the Athletic Bands. 

“It was not something I was expecting to happen,” Justin Mortensen, AthBand president said. 

The structure students have grown accustomed to will shift completely in terms of Athletic Pep Bands being a university-sanctioned class, yet, Mortensen doesn’t feel deterred. 

“I believe that we have strong enough student leadership that we can get through the transition just fine and persevere. But it is scary, I will admit” Mortensen said. 

While there isn’t a clear understanding of what the pep bands will look like in the fall, generally speaking, it won’t veer too far from the original concept. 

“It won’t look super different from what it is this year,” Mortensen said. “We’re still going to be meeting at the same time, we just won’t be the university-sanctioned class so there will no longer be credit for the class.” 

While more responsibility will be placed in the hands of student leadership to assist in the preservation of the Athletic Pep Bands, the pep band leaders feel confident in the ability to create a smooth transition from one format to the next. 

“It’s a lot of responsibility and a lot of change. I think we’ll make it through ultimately” Mortensen said. 

The biggest change will probably come in the form of playing fewer games than in previous years, however, the pep band still intends to thrive at UMD.

“We’re still here,” Mortensen said. “We’re not going anywhere. It’s scary but we’re here to stick around.”