The director of the marching band at Vanderbilt University abruptly left the job Thursday amid questions over an inappropriate relationship he had with a high school student while serving as a band director in Kentucky more than 10 years ago.
Elizabeth Latt, a Vanderbilt spokeswoman, told The Tennessean late Thursday that Joseph Corey Francis was no longer the director of university bands, a position that oversees Vanderbilt’s Spirit of Gold marching band. Latt said Francis left Thursday, but would not say if he was fired or resigned.
Francis also wouldn’t say whether he was fired or resigned from his position, but told The Tennessean he participated in inappropriate conduct with a student while he worked as an assistant band director at a high school in Kentucky.
“Absolutely. Yes, that’s why I spent the last 12 years of my life trying to rebuild myself, go through grad school and fix my life from a mistake that I had made,” Francis said.
He said he did not bring up the inappropriate conduct during the hiring process with Vanderbilt. Latt also said “we did not have that information at the time” Francis was hired.