What the DCI BOD/ WC corps has already done regarding G7 proposal

[Glenn426]

Reading through the lengthy conversations about the G7 and the proposal. I have not seen this topic discussed.

According to the DCW article;

DCW Article

May 12-16, 2010 -- A philosophical division over the future direction and long-term sustainability of Drum Corps International has developed within the leadership of the organization’s member corps. While those differences will not threaten DCI’s 2010 summer tour -- and officials within DCI report ticket sales are running ahead of projected targets in many markets -- they have already produced action on the future leadership of the organization.

Those actions started in a board of directors (six corps directors and three outside, non-affiliated members) meeting in Rosemont, IL, on Wednesday, May 12, and Thursday, May 13, and led to a special May 16 conference call among the full DCI voting membership (22 World Class corps).

During the conference call, leaders of DCI’s World Class corps decided by a 12-9 vote to make adjustments to the composition of the board in an effort to better balance the representation of all of its members. An interim board was proposed and subsequently ratified by a majority of the corps represented on the call, installing four new members and leaving four of those already seated.

The full membership will conduct a regular election to fill the nine board positions at DCI’s January 2011 annual meeting, in compliance with the bylaws of the corporation.

But four directors from the corps cited in the presentation -- The Cadets, Bluecoats, Phantom Regiment and Santa Clara Vanguard -- were serving on DCI’s board of directors. And since board members are elected to represent the DCI “collective” and not individual corps, leaders from many of the other 15 DCI World Class corps found their collaboration on the presentation to be a potential conflict of interest.

For that reason, they called the special conference call meeting of the entire voting membership on Sunday, May 16, “out of a shared concern for the future of the DCI collective.”

What this tells me is the NON-G7 corps acted quickly to make sure that the BOD was not dominated by the G7.

A source close to the Cadets tells me that Hopkins was indeed removed from the BOD that day, As I would assume also that the remaing G7 directors where removed from the board as well. Does anyone else have information confiming the fact that the G7 Directors where removed?

Also another topic, who are the remaining people that are left on this board? Who are these Interim replacements for the G7 BOD's? What affiliations if any do they have to the Member Corps.

While Hopkins wrote in an e-mail to Drum Corps World that the formal proposal was moved to further review when the July board meets next, he reportedly emphasized at the Rosemont meeting that the G7 corps have the backing of their boards and that they were “united in their goals.”

So this meeting will be of the BOD only? If the BOD is not comprised of G7 representation, How likely would it be that this even takes of the ground?

A point of interest in the press release is centered around this;

According to several credible anonymous sources, the board of directors had also taken action at the Rosemont meeting which may affect the tenure of DCI’s executive director.

Does this mean that the BOD have already decided something that will in effect removed Dan Acheson as the Executive director of DCI?

“The actions of the board that were undertaken last week at this particular moment are still in place,” said Steve Auditore, chair of DCI’s marketing advisory committee. “I guess it’s probably reasonable to assume that the reconstituted board is going to look at those things fairly quickly moving down the stream.”

This makes it unclear to me the role that the BOD has in passing and legislating the rules concerning DCI.

If the voting memebership of the World Class corps has to vote on all matter for them to be in effect, What exactly does the BOD do? Do they decided what passes the proposal stage and moved to be presented to the voting membership?

If that is the case, then with an Interim Board consisting of non G7 members what is the likelyhood that this will even make it to be voted on by the Voting Memebership of the WC corps.

With the (deserved) uproar that the G7 created, these points in the DCW press release have been missed.

[craiga]

So who was left standing when the music stopped?

[BAC oboist]

And we thought Wagner wrote complicated plots!

[SomeOtherJoe]

I'm reading between the lines, but the article appears to give some pretty good hints. If one had to guess, I'd say it went down as follows.

1. Board starts out 9 members: 6 corps and 3 outside, non-affiliated members.
   
   • - Cadets (G7)
     
   • - Bluecoats (G7)
     
   • - Phantom (G7)
     
   • - Santa Clara (G7)
     
   • - Blue Knights (COB)
     
   • - corp x (?)
     
   • - Dan Acheson (Exec Director)
     
   • - non-affil #2 (?)
     
   • - non-affil #3 (?)
     

[*]Hop presents proposal

[*]Board, as constituted, elects to review further in July

[*]Board, as constituted, elects to oust Exec Dir (leaving 8 members)

[*]Someone gets on the horn and says "##### has hit the fan" (one of 3 non-affils?)

[*]Emergency meeting called

[*]Member corps elect on 12-9 vote to remove & replace 4 corps yielding "better balance"

On scale, one would think that G7, since it reps about 1/3 of World's should have a 1/3 board representation. Likewise, since 4 were removed/replaced and 9 voted against, the four new members must have come from the other 12 (otherwise, why bother replacing the original 4).

Seems pretty clear Cadets, Bluecoats, Phantom, and Santa Clara were removed from the board. Seems also to suggest that Blue Knights and corp x were the other 2 in the 9 and were left on the board to yield "balanced" representation.

The "the board will have to look at that action as well" comment implies that the "new" board will have to look at reversing the Exec Dir's removal exec'd by the "original" board.

Major power play, major power play squash, and major division.

Hope this turns out well. Considering the extra votes needed to ratify the proposed changes would have to come from a few corps that aren't part of the benefited few, a cynic might think this was a move along the "ask for far more than you want, get what you really want" lines. Jettison of Open Class support? Adoption of rules voted down in the past? Better mechandising deals?

Interesting events.

[chaddyt]

A source close to the Cadets tells me that Hopkins was indeed removed from the BOD that day, As I would assume also that the remaing G7 directors where removed from the board as well. Does anyone else have information confiming the fact that the G7 Directors where removed?

I can't confirm this, but I heard the same thing as well.

[PunkRawkBandGeek]

Board starts out 9 members: 6 corps and 3 outside, non-affiliated members.

1. - Cadets (G7)
   
2. - Bluecoats (G7)
   
3. - Phantom (G7)
   
4. - Santa Clara (G7)
   
5. - Blue Knights (COB)
   
6. - corp x (?)
   
7. - Dan Acheson (Exec Director)
   
8. - non-affil #2 (?)
   
9. - non-affil #3 (?)
   

If I'm not mistaken, I believe "Corps X" is the Colts. Right?

[Reservoir Dog]

Seems pretty clear Cadets, Bluecoats, Phantom, and Santa Clara were removed from the board.

SCV was not removed from the Board......

[AlexL]

Reminds me of the episode of house where Vogler (the guy with the money) wants to oust house (must have unanimous consent), wilson votes against it, so vogler has the board vote Wilson out.

[SomeOtherJoe]

SCV was not removed from the Board......

Thanks.

So, who was the other? COB BK?

[Fred Windish]

It would seem foolish to remove Dan A. at this point in the year. No?

Then again . . .