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Repeat after me, everyone: "The organization is not the activity"

Agree with this 100% I have said this before, and will say it again - If you are really upset with the handling of these serious issues by DCI and the corps directly in some/most cases, then stop supporting them with your wallet. I know there are innocent bystanders that also get the hurt, but this is the only way to send the strong message that what they do/don't do is not going to be tolerated. We all have a choice for the use of our entertainment dollars. Drum corps should not be a choice for now. Hate even saying it, but it is the harsh reality.

Sorry to break this to you, but while DCI does have a rule, the enforcement is not spelled out in said rule. That is left to the discretion of the DCI office staff (or as you would say, made up on the fly). I have no objection to the rule, or the concept of enforcing it. But in this case, the punishment does not fit the crime. It punishes dozens of other people who had no role in the crime. Most notably, it punishes the same people DCI just spent a five-day convention pledging to protect above all else - their participants - in an instance where not one of them did anything remotely wrong. No. And now that you mention it... had DCI proceeded with the evaluation, and kept them in SoundSport for any reason (including social media policy), probably not a whimper of angst would be heard about any of this. The only reason this is a thing is because, of all the issues that have ever entered DCI airspace, the one that prompted the swiftest, most decisive public action on their part has been a social media post that went toenail-over-the-line for disparaging another corps. Think about it - it took a WEEK for DCI to levy probation for a corps with a serial rapist running them and a BOD intent on knowingly keeping him there, but a social media post saying corps X "violated trust" receives SAME-DAY action.

I'm out. Done, (at least) until there's a new CEO for DCI. I canceled my Flo account. I purchased tickets to two shows in 2019 from DCI's website. I'm now looking into how to request a refund. I don't plan to attend any DCI events, donate to any corps, or continue in my fandom until the activity corrects its ways. The Arsenal situation is the last straw, but the cover-ups, the lack of any meaningful reform at the annual meeting, the refusal to talk to the press, the tolerance of predator enablers remaining in charge of corps, and the lack of any reasonable apology, contrition, and healing from anyone involved in running DCI has led up to this point. It's disgusting.

Yet, DCI HQ says it will have a strong whistleblower program in place for the future, where they'll be transparency, and people who speak the truth about sexual misconduct will not be threatened, nor be the recipients of harsh rebuke. Well, I guess we can all agree that this new 2018-2019 DCI stated DCI policy of no recriminations for simply speaking the truth ( even about about already determined and verified misconduct ) is not off to a very good start now is it ?

To think, I was hoping that the days following the DCI OMG Summit on Participant Safety Pretending Nothing Else Matters would finally see DCI take a stand, and announce a zero tolerance policy for failed background checks. Instead, they now have zero tolerance for public criticism. Case in point - Arsenal, not even a full-fledged "corps" yet, but a SoundSport group applying for DCI open-class status for 2019, just had their application suspended. Apparently, the entire corps is being punished because their director made a social media post critical of corps who failed to keep participants safe. (If you think the irony cannot get any thicker, better keep reading.) The apparent offending portion of the post: No names or specifics were given, just the context of identifying two corps - one of which just had their membership revoked by DCI for precisely what he alludes to, and the other having just cancelled 2019 because of insufficient recruitment due to precisely what he alludes to. But while Pioneer may be fair game, Oregon Crusaders are (hold your nose) still a member in good standing as far as DCI is concerned. Therefore, the post crosses a line, and is fully deserving of action from DCI. Like, for example, a warning that speaking ill of other corps (even if true) is unprofessional, or suggesting he apologize for forgetting the word "allegedly". ... or suspending the entire corps, pending removal of the director. Whichever. Okay, if that is the new DCI standard: Anyone think the Oregon Crusaders were "respectful, professional and courteous" when they thanked Mike Stevens for all he did while there? I guess the person who wrote that is gone, because the corps has not been suspended. Genesis should be suspended pending removal of Chris Magonigal. His crime was speaking out concerning Crossmen hiring Joel Moody. In this case, it was not a direct social media post, but speaking to a reporter for a major newspaper. Nevertheless, the DCI ethics guidelines have a similar provision for this - "it is DCI's expectation that all participating organizations, their staff, staff volunteers and participants will conduct themselves in a professional and ethical manner in any interactions with all members of the DCI community and the public". And participants? Well, then we have more corps to add to the suspension list. Music City had a member use their I&E performance time to recite from court documents regarding the George Hopkins case. And Oregon Crusaders, for all the postings on Facebook, Reddit, etc., should probably be suspended for 154 seasons. One last example. If someone with legitimate access to DCI.org posted there, characterizing the DCI Board of Directors as "mired in egoism and self-righteousness", should they lose their job? Judge for yourself: https://www.dci.org/news/from-the-desk-of-the-dci-executive-director

That is odd. Leafing through the DCI ethics guidelines, I do not see anything about suspending a whole corps over a social media post. What I do see is this: "DCI community members may be disciplined for personal use of social media when usage is in violation of other DCI policies." Also: "DCI community members should be respectful, professional and courteous in posting and communicating." I will save my thoughts on the social media post for later. Right or wrong, clearly only one person should be disciplined, not an entire corps. If DCI has a problem with the social media post that can only be solved by removal of that director... well, he resigned yesterday. Problem solved. Any questions about who replaces him, are they still on track, etc., can be addressed in the evaluation process - as they would have been anyway. Therefore, Arsenal should have their application process un-suspended before anyone gets their morning coffee today. Anything short of that is a colossal failure of public relations, basic judgment and fairness, which I see as just as severe a violation of DCI ethics guidelines as the one they appear to be reacting to in the first place.

So, Aresenal Director’s fatal error was speaking truth to power. Or can someone correct me here? Makes me think he must have hit a little too close to home. What other skeletons are the n DCI’s crowded closet?

I’m not sure I’m ready to agree Arsenal’s director violated anything. In my mind he was stating the obvious. If that “makes dci look bad”, well, they all should be ashamed. They made themselves look bad. Arsenal’s director isn’t one of the many corps directors and staff accused of abusing MMs. He had the audacity to apologize on their behalf. Because they won’t do so themselves. Shame.

Whatever you paid for that inside information, you deserve a full refund.

"...you decided to call out people instead of falling in line...SHAME!!!" this is a disgrace. Someone had the balls to do it, and they get slapped.

So RB and Pioneer gets given a chance to get their stuff together and months to do it. And this was on safety issues. A corps trying to be a new DCI member gets NO chance because the director misspoke. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

If DCI's social media policy forbids the condemnation of individuals who put kids at risk, then that social media policy is garbage and whoever is responsible for it needs to be fired.

Yeah the more I’m reading with the fact I was made to expect far more information justifying the decision I’m more convinced than ever dci’s Entire governance structure needs overhauled top to bottom. the one time they provide swift and decisive action, it’s this?

Are those the same "tweens" who make up the entire membership pool of DCI corps... the same ones who voted with their feet, causing Oregon Crusaders to sit out 2019 for lack of members?

The corps are DCI. They should have figured it out at their annual meeting. Instead, they threw support to the current CEO and buried their heads in the sand. If it takes a boycott for them to wake up, so be it.

so... I guess we know why other corps do not speak out about issues in DCI. Guess the light isn't getting shined where it needs to on other issues because of policies like this. This is a new level to circling the wagons. Sexual predators? no problem sexual assault? no problem unsafe travel practices? no problem mistreating kids? no problem noting publicly that another corps was doing any of these things? BAN

@Jeff Ream was right. This totally changes the narrative. Oh wait. No it doesn't. It just confirms exactly what everyone was outraged about.

THIS. This right here is the crux of the argument against DCI. I can see and understand DCI's need to uphold its social media policy, but essentially putting the kibosh on the pending promotion of a group that, from everything we've seen lately, was extremely likely to happen? For a goddamned REDDIT POST where they were trying to help members who suddenly found themselves corpsless? DCI has completely lost their way on having the punishment fit the crime when disciplining corps. And at a time where they really couldn't afford to make ANY more gaffes, this is just the cherry on top of a #### sundae. DCI is not worthy of my money, or the money of ANY of their patrons in the state they are in at this point.

The director resigned. Why deny the entire corps? There’s is something fishy in Denmark.

Or better yet, how about T-shirts that say, “I Am Arsenal”

Except in 2010, two highly influential Corps Directors of 2 top tier DCI Corps in a Powerpoint Presentation " disparaged "Open Class Corps enmasse by stating that ( their exact words ) : " these Corps bring no real value to DCI ". They spoke on behalf of themselves and a few other their elite level DCI Corps at the time too. DCI HQ sat on the sidelines and made no statement at all at the time about " the disparagement of other Corps ", and DCI HQ took no punitive action on either these two individuals, not on their Corps they were affiliated with. DCI Membership Corps themselves did convene an emergency meeting and voted in a new DCI Executive Board replacing these two... But DCI HQ themselves.took no action on any of it.

Form something new. Happened in '72, who's to say it couldn't happen again? In fact, with all the disrespect that open class has been getting lately, maybe they might be better served trying to start their own circuit that better serves their needs.

According to a facebook reply by one of their apparent staff or board, they were actually not given a chance to rectify the situation. Interesting...

How’s their credibility and integrity doing with Fred Morrison still here as Crossmen executive director? Right now IMO DCI is straining at the gnat and passing the camel. Or, if you prefer, removing a speck from Arsenal’s eye while not noticing the log in their own eye.

Sadly, I agree. At this point the burden of proof should be on DCI to identify other communications that support their claims.

par·a·mount /ˈperəˌmount/ adjective more important than anything else; supreme. Seriously odd priorities at this time.

Ok, you want " 2018 " ? DCI HQ has remained silent for a couple of months now with the knowledge that one of its membership's current Corps Directors ( according to press reports ) apparently paid a firm to keep the past sexual violations with youth of a staffer in their emply away from the scrutiny of DCI HQ, parents of marchers, and parents of prospective campers at the Corps. Think about this for a moment. The Corps Director certainly knew that the staffer's hire and retention would not play well with the public if the guys past sexual creepiness and sexual violations with minors came to light. So rather than be forthcoming, honest, and transparent, he attempted to secretly pay a firm to bury that info from public scrutiny. No matter how one tries, no one can not justify the actions to secretly pay a firm to keep from the public their Right to Know, especially when these Corps Directors act as proxies for parents with their children for months on end. Compare the actions of this Corps Director with that of the Arsenal Corps Director's fully open and transparent actions, and words he typed on Social Media that actually were the TRUTH. Compare the swiftness and rather harsh penalty too that was imposed by DCI HQ upon this young and ambitious Corps Director and its entire Corps with that of the silence by DCI HQ. with the potentially far more threats to marcher safety of a current Corps Director ( that served on the DCI BOD recently ). All in " 2018 ". As a matter of fact, it is now " 2019 ", Jan.16th, and as of yet DCI HQ. has had no statement on that Corps, nor its Corps Director's far, FAR more reported unacceptable behaviors, ( not just some rather harmless words on Social media by the young former Corps Director with Arsenal. )

http://www.philly.com/news/drum-corps-international-arsenal-sexual-harassment-george-hopkins-spenser-lotz-20190116.html

So, showing up at any shows (including Indianapolis) and supporting the thousands of marching members who work their butts off is to be looked down upon? What would y'all suggest we tell all of these members who show up to empty stadiums, or shows are cancelled because WE, the supporters of this activity stayed home? I'm all for pointing out what DCI has done wrong in all of these situations, but what about the members? Isn't that what it's all about?

Thank God for Tricia she is a busy reporter who is all over her other stories but still finds time for healing at dci, way to go.

Tricia is the hero we need, but not the one we deserve. Dan Acheson is so #### stupid. Did he really not see this coming?

Snitches get stiches right Dan Acheson? I guess you showed ‘em! Meanwhile how’s your buddy Fred Morrison, the corps director who knowingly hired child harassers, doing?

Flo is having freeze up problems and not running real time yet...🤪

I don’t post here often, but I’m heavily involved in the marching arts and a deep consumer of DCI’s products. I’m taking the year off. I’ll come back when they bring in a professional board of directors not answerable only to current member corps. I insist that this organization, when contemplating action, ask themselves “what is best for the kids” and then do that. Absent evidence of that change, I’m out. I can’t support this any more. And that’s sad. The leadership appears to view everything that’s happening as a PR problem rather than an existential crisis of leadership culture. (No, I’m not Chuck. We share a name)

So if you are running or thinking is starting a sound sport corps would this make you think twice about it? Looks like you speak when tired or say something verboten you get chopped off at the knees. Seriously bust your butt for a few years and get shot down for apparently misspeaking? DCI needs a release on this.. even if the true details reflect badly on DCI

I guess protecting Roman’s reputation (whatever it may be at this point....that horse left the barn a long time ago) is more important to Dan Acheson than some young energetic new drum corps with its future ahead of it. I think the job has gotten too big for Dan. This is yet another in a growing series of ham fisted performances. Speaking of performances, I will be speaking with my wallet this year. And it will be tightly shut, Dan.

Couldn't of said it better, as a relatively younger member this is highly concerning. I age-out 2023 and I am already planning my coming summer with my corps but at this point, with the way DCI has been handling transparency I'm highly considering marching past 2019. Honestly I find this very disappointing on DCI's behalf, the original Reddit post may have called out staff members who put their students at risk but I did not find it to be a rude or condescending tone. This corps had a very promising future that DCI is ruining at this point.

some paint and elbow grease really ramp up the appearance of the YEA! lobby - wow!

I just saw the emails. "It is of paramount importance that DCI groups don't speak badly of each other" Okay LoL but fixing the rot within DCI and the organizations, protecting the health and safety of members on a variety of fronts, and ending the tradition of letting sexual misconduct slide ... not of paramount importance. Let it burn

As their activity was rocked last year by a series of scandals, leaders at Drum Corps International at times seemed sluggish in response. They delicately avoided in public statements naming a former Pennsylvania corps director accused of sexual misconduct. When the young members of a Wisconsin ensemble complained of poor conditions, they took weeks to suspend the corps, and even longer to announce the move. They chose to not discipline directors who knowingly hired people with sexual misconduct in their pasts. But on Monday, Drum Corps International (DCI) showed it is capable of swift, decisive action. Less than 24 hours after the executive director of small New Mexico affiliate criticized leaders of two corps, his bid for membership in DCI’s more elite Open Class was put on ice. His infraction? Speaking “in a derogatory manner about another participating organization or about DCI," in violation of DCI policy. ADVERTISEMENT J. Spenser Lotz, who in 2016 founded the affiliate, Arsenal, resigned out of frustration, as the drum corps community on Wednesday voiced outrage over DCI’s decision. “DCI is a brand, and they want to protect that brand identity. And I understand that,” Lotz, 23, said in an interview. “But at the same time, this censorship — which is what it is — is not good for the activity. If the leaders of the activity cannot speak out against actions by the other leaders, and everyone is supposed to toe the party line and let DCI control the message, change becomes difficult, if not impossible.” The controversy surrounding DCI’s punishment of Arsenal is only the latest in what is nearing a year of ongoing turmoil for drum corps, an activity that draws in thousands of young musicians and dancers each year. In April, the Inquirer and Daily News brought to light sexual misconduct allegationsagainst George Hopkins, then director of Allentown’s Cadets drum corps. The story sparked widespread calls for changes to better protect participants. Most recently, the newspapers showed how flaws in the activity’s hiring practices resulted in nearly half of the activity’s World Class corps having employed teachers previously disciplined for misconduct with their students. ADVERTISEMENT The fallout continued last week with the announcement that two corps highlighted in the story would not participate in this year’s summer tour. One, Pioneer, had its membership revoked amid allegations that its corps director knowingly hired a registered sex offender. The other, Portland’s Oregon Crusaders, is taking a voluntary hiatus after participation dropped in the wake of revelations that an instructor had sexually harassed female members over the course of nearly a decade. Those announcements came during the activity’s recent annual meeting in Indianapolis, attended by more than 350 members of the drum corps community. Lotz was among them. He said that on his flight home Sunday, his mind turned to the members of Pioneer and the Oregon Crusaders, many who would be without a place to march this summer. He wrote a short message, inviting them to join Arsenal and even offering discounted membership fees based on experience. “You are welcome in the Arsenal family,” he said. “As students,” he added, in the portion of the note that riled drum corps leaders, “you placed your trust in adults and leaders who you believed worked in your best interest. These adults violated that trust and placed you in harm’s way, which is inexcusable. We, as directors and educators, demand that you give your all and work your hardest, and it is shameful that there are so many among us who do not likewise give their all to keep you healthy, happy and safe.” Lotz posted the message on Reddit — a popular forum for drum corps fan’s — late Sunday. Monday afternoon, he received an email from David Eddleman, coordinator of DCI’s Open Class. In the email, which Lotz provided to a reporter, Eddleman said DCI’s CEO brought the post to his attention and decided “the violation requires that your application for Open Class be suspended.” That CEO, Dan Acheson, declined to speak with a reporter for this story. In a statement Wednesday, the organization confirmed that Lotz’s post violated DCI’s media policy and said Lotz was given a chance to “correct the issue.” When he did not, DCI said, the corps’ bid for Open Class was suspended. ADVERTISEMENT Lotz said he was offered no such chance. He said he first heard from DCI officials when Eddleman emailed, informing him of the suspension. He later offered to take down the post but decided against it, given that it had been reprinted widely on social media. Lotz said he had been unaware of DCI’s social media policy but acknowledged that his statement was in violation. Nonetheless, he stood by his critique. “I didn't say anything about the Bluecoats or the Blue Devils or the Cadets or any actively fielding organization,” he said, referring to some of the more prominent corps. “I spoke out against corps that were not fielding because of their own disruptions in their own houses.” Given Lotz’s resignation, Aresnal’s board of directors plans to meet soon to discuss a path forward. The corps can still compete in the lower level of DCI but will not be allowed to reapply for Open Class admission until next year. Lotz’s end at Arsenal is especially poignant considering his reason for starting the group. Lotz marched two summers with another DCI corps, where he said he was verbally berated by an instructor and given inadequate medical care for an injury, leaving him with back pain today. His experience left him disillusioned. He started Arsenal, a job for which he wasn’t paid, hoping to foster a more positive experience for other members. In 2016, the group had 33 members. Last year, it had grown to 49. This year, Lotz expected closer to 70. Xander Gosney joined last year, taking a Greyhound bus 48 hours from Ohio. The 16-year-old mellophone player called Lotz a “straight up, honest” director. He said he has hoped to one day march with a World Class corps and was honing his skills with Arsenal. “I was going to stay there for another one or two years,” he said. Now, he is not sure if he will return. Lotz has decided he is finished drum corps. “I’m done with the activity,” he said. “After this, I wash my hands of it.”

There would be consequences for an employee who makes disparaging remarks on social media, sure. However, I feel this is more akin to me bashing my competitors, and then all the competitors circle up and somehow are able to demand that my company be liquidated. Both instances seem extreme given the transgression.

And the truth is, not everyone was onboard with DCI and the combine back then. It took a few years to make it the only game in town.

DCI replaced local circuits, the VFW and American Legion.

Up until now I've given DCI the benefit of the doubt that they were not being proactive, rather than assuming they were being malicious. Now they've shown they can and will take action against corps that don't meet their standards. The only problem is that violations of the "media policy" are major issues but hiring sexual predators or discouraging members from using the whistleblower form are minor and not cause for concern. I'm kind of tempted to go outside a show next summer and hand out papers detailing everything DCI has done wrong with links to the news articles about these things. Or go to the show wearing a shirt that says "Dan Acheson protects and enables predators". Maybe that would get the message across? Because all of the whistleblowers, news articles, and people complaining to DCI clearly hasn't.

While true, the DCI HQ's imposed penalty for the apparent violation of DCI's " Media Policy " seems like overkill and extraordinarily harsh here, imo. It was the entire Organization that was penalized here as it was the ORGANIZATION'S application for consideration of Open Class Membership that had the brakes put on it. But for what ? An apparent few words on Social Media by the Corps young and ambitious Director that really seems pretty innocuous to most people ? Ok, so perhaps in retrospect he might have posted his words a bit differently. He might even acknowledge that now. But his intent was to be helpful here, not harmful. Unless, he had violated some other DCI guidelines earlier on other occasions, perhaps DCI HQ could have given him a stern warning/ reminder of the DCI policy here, and not engage in what many are sensing as an excessive punitive penalty to an entire Organization for something that seems so comparatively minor to many. Maybe theres more to this story the public is not presently aware of. Thats possible, perhaps even likely. But DCI's inability to communicate in a statement by now re. their action here with the Arsenal Drum Corps Organization, and reason why, only increases the public's frustration with DCI HQ, imo.

Now is not the time and this is not the place for DCI to become a stickler about social media rules. This action is unbelievably tone deaf on their part.

Arsenal just posted this explanation in a reply to a Reddit post on this subject: "ArsenalDBC Arsenal had been doing our due diligence with regards to the Open Class evaluation process. All of our documents were submitted on time, and we were planning to have a DCI representative at our February camp for our in-person evaluation. This suspension is the result of a breach of DCI's Media Policy caused by our former director, and has nothing to do with the financial or operational status of Arsenal Performing Arts."

There has got to be more to this story as to WHY DCI has revoked Arsenal's application. I've read the director's reddit post. That thing is tame af. Where did he go wrong? DCI...LATELY...you've turned into an organization that I really can't get behind and I really don't like feeling that way about drum corps either...