Columbia University band shuts down, cites troubled history

  Columbia University Marching Band, which had run-ins with school administration over years over situations like mocking its own team, has decided to voluntarily shut itself down over what it called a history “grounded in prejudiced culture and traditions."

In a statement issued earlier this week, band said a town hall had been held over weekend in wake of recent anymous postings that made accusations “of sexual misconduct, assault, ft, racism, and injury to individuals and Columbia community as a whole" over years.

band's statement did t detail specifics of any allegations, but said re were more than 20 current members at meeting, and band “unanimously and enthusiastically decided to dissolve."

“ band has maintained a club structure founded on basis of racism, cultural oppression, misogyny, and sexual harassment," statement said. “While substantial efforts have been made in recent years toward undoing decades of wrongdoing, we as a band feel ultimately that it is impossible to reform an organization so grounded in prejudiced culture and traditions."

It was unclear how band's shutdown would proceed. Emails to band leadership were t answered.

In a statement, Columbia University said, “We respect efforts of band’s student leadership to address in a serious manner recent reports of offensive and unacceptable conduct entirely at odds with values of our university.”

band, which called itself “Cleverest Band in World,” has had a contentious relationship with administration. It got in trouble over some of its antics like a tradition of playing in a campus building night before a particular class exam despite university prohibiting it.

In 2011, it was temporarily banned from playing at a Columbia football season finale because band made fun of team's poor performance with alternate words to school fight song. Musicians were allowed back after an apology.