After recent negotiations with the University, Barry Houser, director of the Marching Illini athletic band, opted to stay with Illinois. 

Houser visited Ohio State University in Columbus Monday and Tuesday of last week to see about taking a job with their band. 

“There has been some financial support that has been provided for the future of the program,” said Houser. “We have one of the larger athletic band programs in the Big Ten and the support for that has not always been there. Now we are more in line with the rest of the Big Ten.”

Ohio State Senior Director of Media and Public Relations Gary Lewis said last week that Houser was one of a few finalists being interviewed for the position.

Houser said that he decided not to follow through with the rest of the interview process. He also said that he was sought after by Ohio State’s band program and that he did not initially interview of his own volition.

Houser said that negotiations regarding the University’s support of the band went through many different people including directors and deans “all the way up to the provost.”

He said that he was not working through the entire scale of those entities, but that negotiations were being worked out “through the proper channels.”

“I am just glad that we are done with it now and we can move forward,” said Houser. “This is a place that I love and I will always bleed orange and blue.”