luv4corps

I never said that all accusations fit into the 'hypersensitive' category. But some do. Lines are blurred right now and society has not fully adjusted. As much as I support the MeToo movement, having been the victim of sexual assault and harassment MYSELF, more than once, I know the difference between assault and being hit on. They are two VERY different things but get lumped into the same category. Now please, I'm not speaking to any specific OC situation with this statement. I am trying to make a point.

The MS stuff alone could be a Hopkins case. That I will admit.

Well, it's not just me 'not seeing everything'. There is my son and several of his corps friends he is still in contact with, one of whom marched and was then on staff as an assistant tour manager. They all marched OC for many years. I can only speak to what I know and saw with my own eyes and what I heard from members, volunteers, the board, etc. I think we live in a hyper-sensitive age that is going to take some time to adjust to and I guarantee if this stuff is going on in OC, it is going on EVERYWHERE. We are at the tippy tip of the iceberg. Also, I may be outnumbered but that doesn't disavow what I have to say!

My heart is breaking for this corps and the ED and the board, many of whom I know and have worked with. They are GOOD PEOPLE. This is devastating.

Hello people... I'm going to say again that the OC accusations on Reddit are flying fast and furious and I feel compelled to defend the corps and I will continue to do so. There is a grain of truth to some of the charges, and OC is addressing these issues but they are GETTING BLOWN UP AND OUT OF CONTROL. I was on tour with OC in 2014. Let's just take the case of the homophobic bus driver. I RODE THE PERCUSSION BUS WITH THAT JERK and yes, he was awful. The drivers were employees of a hired bus company. NOT OC's FAULT when in the middle of tour the complaints about the drivers start rolling in. What were they to do? I do believe the bus company WAS contacted and told of the horrible attitude of the drivers and to my knowledge, they never used that company again. The brass bus driver had to be kept awake by the cook mom on the bus who then had to freaking make breakfast at 5 AM. That was a horrible situation but again, NOT OC's fault. I clearly remember one of the other cook moms and I talking at length with the board president after DATR about the percussion driver and he was VERY RECEPTIVE to our concerns. As far as how MQ handled the gay member's assault, I can't speak to his exact actions but I refuse to believe he did it the horrific way described on Reddit. I have been in contact with MQ recently, and have talked at length with my son about all of these accusations and....neither he nor I believe this puffed up rumor mill. He marched with the corps for FIVE YEARS and saw none of this. Yes, everyone knew that a certain percussion staff member known as MS was a jerk . I wasn't surprised that he was gone for the 2018 season. I'm sure there will be repercussions regarding his actions and I will attest that the information about him specifically could be fact but all the rest of this stuff I am having a hard time believing was as horrific as described. I have never stuck my neck out here on DCP but I'm doing it now. Flame me all you want. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I would not hesitate to have my child march OC again.

I think it's important to recognize the fact that there is a lot of poppycock floating around concerning OC. Not everyone who comments knows what they are talking about, and in some cases, not even the more 'knowledgeable' posters, or even OC members or staff to some degree. There are issues of privacy that make some details impossible to make known. OC will rally and get past this and be better for it. Count on it.

As many of you know, Oregon Crusaders is my home corps. My son marched with this corps for five years and had the time of his life. And as a corps volunteer for those same years, I have to say, so did I. The ED and several board members are still people I can walk up to and say "Hi, how are you doing?" All the talk about some horrible thing that went down with OC has been deeply disturbing to me. I know this corps and whatever the nitty gritty details are, I know that at its heart, this is a corps that has always strived to put the member experience first. I know some of what went down this year, but not all. I can only say that OC will learn and grow from the experience. I would like to share this letter sent out by the board president. This is the reaction that I would absolutely expect. The Oregon Crusaders would like to thank the over 200 people who were part of the OC family in 2018. It truly takes a village, and together we have created memories that will last a lifetime. The drum corps activity, and the Oregon Crusaders specifically, is always in motion, as are the Oregon Crusaders. Just as the fleet returns home and the members have said their goodbyes to their friends, it’s time to review the past season and then look ahead to plan the next step in our journey. In evaluating the 2018 season, there were many people, several members and staff included, that didn’t feel heard or supported this season. The Board of Directors and administrators want to provide the most progressive, positive, and fulfilling culture in all of drum corps. In order to accomplish that, we are planning several steps to improve communications channels. Among other activities that we’ll outline in the coming weeks, we will be creating overarching staff and administration sensitivity and cultural training. We will also be chartering a Human Resources Committee of the board that will serve as a common channel for all personnel-related policies, practices, and escalations of staff and member concerns. While many of the relevant human resources policies already existed, the Board strengthened them this past spring in response to Drum Corps International’s efforts in this area (http://oregoncrusaders.org/policies-and-procedures). We have also reached out to other drum corps leaders to ensure that we include the best practices available in the activity. We are pleased to announce that Donna Batchelor, co-chair of the Drum Corps Board Consortium, will serve as an independent consultant with the Oregon Crusaders’ board and administrative leadership throughout this process. We will also re-emphasize the qualities that we as Oregon Crusaders value most -- love, support, equality, understanding, teamwork, strength, confidence, and professionalism. Our OC team will be the first to dedicate ourselves to those qualities, and if you have an interest in being with the Oregon Crusaders for the 2019 season and becoming a part of this renewed and exciting cultural focus, we welcome you! Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you on the road ahead.

Yes, tolerance of sexual harassment in an office setting has pretty much gone the way of the three martini lunch. And for good reason!

Actually, robots, or even holograms for that matter, could be a very cool motif or accent in a show, but please never remove the human element entirely from the performance!

I am not ready for such a huge transition. Pretty soon, everything will be electronic. Why not just have holograms doing drill?

This kind of stuff has gone on since time immemorial. Anyone who thinks it is worse now is fooling themselves. It's just that people took the path of least resistance and looked the other way 'in the good old days' - so communication channels went nowhere. Secrets were kept and easily brushed under the carpet because they ran into dead ends. That is not possible in this day and age with both cameras everywhere and the rapid spread of information (whether true or false) via social media. It's just a different time now and every institution must adapt.

Great topic and I've enjoyed reading some of the various responses. My 2 cents: An important question to ask is if the popularity of drum corps expands, who exactly become members of the now expanded audience? If they are just any Joe Schmo off the street, one who may or may not have any particular music, dance or theater background to foster a deeper appreciation of what they're hearing and seeing, would shows eventually be dumbed down? I would hate that if it happened. Drum corps reminds me a lot of barbershop (a milieu I grew up in and am very familiar with). It is niche, its fans are whole-heartedly enthusiastic, knowledgeable, loyal and appreciative! They perform in and attend shows.... and then everybody goes back to school or work on Monday and life goes on.

Ouch.

Thank you for this. It makes total sense and sounds like what I would expect of PQ, especially calling into question the appropriateness of using the WP over simple complaints about food or having to get up too early. I haven't a clue what the details are of what went down with OC, but I know this corps, and I know the director and at least some of the board. This is a caring group of people who, to the best of my knowledge, have always put the member experience FIRST. I say this in strong support of the Oregon Crusaders who have always had their act together... and it will take some strong evidence to convince me that they don't continue to have their act together.

This is the hope of all of us.

I actually withdrew my comment because I found some stuff on Reddit that is more to the point, but I'll also check out the facebook DCP. I had been aware that there was massive migration but I had no idea why, so I'm investigating. Jeez this is a rough year for drum corps. Sad. :(

Comment withdrawn.

yikes

When I was a child (early 70s), I stumbled upon a full ensemble run-through (had NO idea what it was at the time) of the Seattle Imperials on a baseball field, yes, a BASEBALL field. I was transfixed and though it would be decades before I was re-introduced into the activity, I never forgot the experience. I have never been able to shake that name: Imperials. Great name!

I know, right? Do you ever get the feeling we've only scratched the surface?

Yes, I am well aware it is off topic! I just couldn't help myself. LOL.

This isn't anything about Pio, just a comment on how much I dislike the changes to the DCI website. For old eyes like mine, it's REALLY HARD TO READ. Anybody else agree? From the sheets to articles, to schedules to everything. I am not a fan.

Yes. This could work.

See my edit. I expanded. Boston's 2015 show was a medieval show as well! I remember loving the fabric of the guard outfits that year.