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Ohio State President Meets With Band Leaders

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Student and staff leaders of the Ohio State marching band have met with the university's president to share concerns over the firing of a popular band director.

A university spokesman confirmed President Michael Drake met with interim directors and some of the band's 33 student squad leaders Thursday.

Spokesman Gary Lewis says Drake and other senior university officials have held a series of such meetings since Jonathan Waters was fired July 24.

Drake and university trustees have said they won't reconsider the firing, although Waters, his attorney and the powerful band alumni association continue to push for his reinstatement.

Waters was fired after a two-month university investigation concluded he knew about but didn't stop a "sexualized" band culture of rituals that included partially-clad marching, groping games and sometimes explicit nicknames.