footform

Totally a non-factor. Occasional trains can be, but not often.

Pioneer people who come upon this: To all of you I taught, taught with, and worked alongside to guide students and keep care of them, thank you. Thank you for what you learned -- and what you taught me. Thank you for the decent, hard-working youth you came with -- and the maturity and growth you achieved. Thank you for giving your all -- and for giving back, as members and staff -- immediately and over the long haul. Your worth is not in question. Hold your heads high. You did win!

You are mistaken.

If true, the person was on a different tour than I from DeKalb through San Antonio.

Spent last week with Pio and saw no evidence of any of this. Regular runs for medical treatment when needed, no food shortage, no threats to members, so ...

Can't speak to her drum corps experience, if any. Her web presence looks like the person for the job, though. http://www.franczek.com/attorneys-67.html

I would poll the members and staff first, then, if they can handle it, do the show. "Sound of Silence" might be just the thing needed -- for The Cadets, for others. Tough call because it could be cathartic and it could be horrible (I could see it be a literal show stopper.). And it could be just what we need. "But my words, like silent raindrops fell, And echoed in the wells of silence "

That is the one from last week, so (fortunately?) not a fresh piece.

Easy to do. Between the $5.5 mil library and the $1.5 mil organization, I've got enough detail of my own to worry over. I guarantee I can't speculate on someone else's number details.

"The Case of the Pilfered Pieces" a tasty novel, indeed.

This could be a case where directors and boards decide that it would be easier for them to have an overarching policy that would save them from making up their own and having some separation in order to do the deed of sending someone away. That is: "You know we love you, BUT DCI has this rule, ya know, of zero tolerance, so bye." The nebulous "they" can be a wonderful thing [especially when it is a friend involved].

Agreed. The librarian in me said, "Somethings not right about this quote" after I read it out loud to my wife, so I went back to the original post for the clarity. Madisonsmiley might have been better off leaving it as NFL and saying "This is what should be." Live and learn.

The disclaimer was there, just not clear. It didn't make the "quote" cut.

Likely true. The options are going to get limited if they don't get in front of this. Right now, trailing the story badly. Too harsh sounding, but the PI story is going to keep spreading.

Friends, I don't think we have gone as far as HockeyDad may feel, but he sounds a proper cautionary note. We (or some) may know things about the inner workings, but the general public mostly does not. To the future members, parents, and people who know of drum corps, but do not know drum corps -- what they likely know is GH is Cadets, Cadets is DCI, DCI is drum corps (especially now). The past is the past. It is coming back to haunt us. Nothing we can do about that except support the victims and let the storm do what it will do. What we -- as individuals, corps, DCI -- can do (and seems we are, at least starting to) is to ensure that the space for future predators is highly restricted. As a university dean, we see ascending layers: the legal requirement, then, the public requirement, then, our standard above all. Drum corps' standard in everything else has always been to be the highest level. Time to step up our game. It's on us.

Seems rather like what the BOD's Serious Investigation should have done. Just maybe try to find out the scope of the problem.

Yes, for me, too. Then, when I thought I had gone far enough, my wife said, "Did you really need that?" and it was "WOW!" again. This will not be easy. It must be done. For all the #metoo in our families (yes, every single one in mine, wife and 3 daughters) and in our activity.

This was not a high schooler. My point is that staff must be far more aware of what we demand and how we teach it. Does that routine need to be done that way? Do I have to touch the member to adjust that? Should we design that into the show? That self awareness needs to become standard -- and that means asking the members, among other things. They won't volunteer it normally, at any age. Few adults will in a workplace abuse situation, let alone young people who want to please us. It's on us.

Maybe not too far. Would they (any of them) have said something? Mostly, no. Few of the students will bring it up, based on long experience. We, as staff, are the adults and we have to pay better attention. This is something that staff must consider, even if we never did before. I started teaching marching in 1974 and even last summer, I still had to check myself. I staged a guard scene where a member (male) grabbed another (female) by the neck and cast her down. It was only after I was flying home that I really thought about the possible response to that. At the next opportunity, I checked with the grabbed one to be sure it wasn't going to be a problem for her. Even with that being okayed, did I need to stage it that way? This is now a part of my checklist for all of my actions. It has to be.

1973 Des Plaines Vanguard in the Racine, WI show. Finished almost 2 minutes before the gun went off. Bass drummer got a bit excited off the line. Really cool judge comments when we came racing out of the fog backfield, though. Yes, aware that was unlikely to be the OP question.

Just to add some age: Joy to the World (Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog ...) with Scarlet Knights, 1974 and Oliver with Pioneer, 2002. I taught drill for both. Yoiks!

Last from me on this, then never Revo again: Stu had nothing to do with the Revo problem. Stuart had nothing to do with the Revo problem. New staff didn't have anything to do with Revo problem. It happened, though, and for many (staff and students) it remains an open sore. It is what it is.

Can't speak for all but, for me: No, not even a thank you letter.

Old management walked away without paying debts they owed; new management doesn't respond (even in the few cases where they even call back) with things they promised; last year's staff and those who helped the corps out of a bind are not even respected, let alone paid; where do we see a change?