Popular Post Drumdad Posted August 15, 2011 Author Popular Post Share Posted August 15, 2011 Clarification: Yes the corps had problems with the bus company on a small remaining balance of over charges and the bus company was making threats to terminate early. Under the recommendation of staff I did allow them to solicit funds from members to help those that were unable to pay their tuition to finish contract and many stepped up and did salvage the season to go beyond Open Class Finals. Every year the corps struggles because we can never fully collect a tuition that is already low for the amount of touring we do but we always manage to make things work this year was just more difficult. As I told the kids that night the last time this happened back in 2006 it was a much difference situation and I forced those in charge to resign and even though this was different I would still follow suit and remove myself from the day to day in order to find someone who could be more tough and hard lined when it comes to collections and other issues. Just for info the balance was @9000 and there was 11000 in tuition still outstanding. Once again thanks to all that stepped up to contribute to those families unable to pay their bill so we could pay the bus company. Also for the record I never let that balance affect the food lines and due to a great response at the beginning of the summer to our canned food drive and the work of our food staff, the corps never went without a good meal all summer. After world quarters, that night I left $50 for food staff to do a Milk run in the morning and took a student to their flight arrangements and made plans to stay in Indy that night rather than drive back (1hr) in the dark in my car (the corps was housed out in Trafalger). There was some miscommunication and some thought I had left and only left $50 which was not true. Those that knew the plans were not aware of the some staff judgements and were asleep and unable to correct these assumptions until the morning. Friday came and since we have no cook truck and we are not allowed to cook in the lot and with our housing assignment 1hr away, we made sure to leave more food rations at the bus said our goodbyes as the plan for our departure on Friday afternoon was part of the plan since Day 1 and left a 4 year senior staff member who had asked to step up to a Admin position the instructions and direct contact with me for their ride back to San Antonio and instructions on using souvie funds to continue to feed the corps heading home but most meals as it has been in the past on Free time would be on their own and food would be at busses for those that need it. I fired no one. A discussion I had with another staff member was mis-interpreted and he communicated to the staff that I had fired them. I have never been with the corps on the ride back in every year since my return in 2007 as I am not a paid position and have a full time job that has me due back first thing Monday AM. Vacation time only takes me so far and this year I have school orientation and a very important Dr. visit which after my battle with colon cancer the past two years I do not miss. Saturday morning I get a call saying that the percussion staff had left cause they were fired and the battery decided it would not do the parade. I did tell Bryan that the parade is a required performance and anyone not willfully participating would have to find their own way back since the average age of the battery was 20 I was not going to let that defiance ruin the trip back because if they did not follow directions here I did not want Bryan to have to deal with their behavior on the ride back and give the younger members reason to ignore the rules. As stated the pit members who had no loyalty to caption just their tech decided to step up and complete the parade. We have had problems with this bus company since day one and it did not surprise me that they left to their hotel early and locked the busses. This has been an issue all summer from running over tubas and luggage to locking busses, smoking on school grounds and going into forbidden areas at housing sites. Bryan tried to contact them to get back over to busses to re-open but they had turned their phones off. We sent and email to the owner and got the driver to open the busses but at that they had heard the rumor that all staff was fired and worried that the trip back would be unsupervised even thought they knew bryan and other staff were still there. That evening the bus company decided to finish the tour in Arlington and told the kids this as they were loading up the busses because a 3650 over charge balance was still due. After several calls to the owner and our lawyers a settlement was reached and the busses are due in San Antonio this morning. So even while I am not on tour I have been working to resolve the issues. We have had a great long tour and it is sad that it ended this way. The busses are traveling back with the Genesis busses just in case the bus company tries to do anything else (Bryan made these arrangements with Chris Magonigal) and I was just informed that 1 bus has a radiator problem and they are packing all remaining members into the other bus to finish off the ride. I just love how no good is ever exposed on this forum when in regards to Revolution but when something goes wrong, it explodes. I walk away from this knowing the truth and that is my comfort. On to the next chapter in my life. Enjoy your rantings I will take part no further. John R. As I write this, on Monday morning, there are still (former) Revolution staff members who believe they were fired (I have heard from some of them). As far as they know, they are no longer part of the corps. Why is that? IF it was nothing more than a misunderstanding, why has the record not been set straight? Texts, emails and/or the grapevine are not the way you handle things like this. And, when you realize things have gone awry, you step-in and fix them... immediately. The battery is like no other section in your corps. You had numerous veterans (which explains the average age of 20) who returned to the organization solely BECAUSE of the percussion staff. When you pulled that rug out from under them and didn't stick around the explain it, or clear-up the "misunderstanding", they lashed back in protest. That's what 20-year old men do when they feel they've been wronged and there is no one available to tell them otherwise. Did they have an obligation to march in the parade? Sure they did. But, choosing not to do so hardly compares with the corps basic obligation not to leave them stranded on the side of the road, 1,000 miles from home, regardless of their age. If for no other reason because they literally paid for the bus ride home. 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle B Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 How can things be misinterpreted as "fire the staff?" 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle B Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Also... Why are you making people responsible for the 1000+ mile trip home who didn't perform in a required parade, when you yourself resigned BEFORE the season was even over? Wasn't it your responsibility to manage that corps, just like their responsibility to perform in the parade? I get the fact that you aren't a paid person, but what about those members who you wanted to leave stranded, you think they had the $ to pay for a plane/train ticket back to Texas. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bstar82 Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I agree with drummantx. The very very least that should have been done is the director sit down w/ the entire corps and staff after their final show/ parade/ performance sometime afterwards and lay out the remainder of the itinerary just as you have the daily schedule posted. It would have eliminated any confusion. But how would you plan on collecting outstanding debt the corps members still owe? I would hope it wouldn't be the same circumstance as not marching the parade. You still have a moral and professional responsibility to make sure every member is returned home safely. As much miscommunication as there was (i.e. leaving instructions w/ another staff member) it is possible there may have been as little as one member that were not aware they were required to march the parade in order to get home? On a side note read my tribute to Robert Lendman. In 1982, the Blus Stars were breathing their last breath financially and did not field a corps in 83 or possibly again thereafter. But Bob and Allison made a promise to every out state member and their parents that they would be returned home safely. And at that time, there was a lot of out of state members, most of them 1500-2000 miles from home. But Bob and Allison took the bull by the horns and personally drove those kids home from LaCrosse to Denver, Salt Lake, LA and the Seattle area. And there was very little if any money left in the coffers! Now the Blue Stars bus was the corps bus so they didn't have to deal with a charter company, but I know Bob and Allison didn't plan on spending an additional week on the road after an already brutal cross country tour. I guess I was fortunate to have somebody like Bob and Allison at the helm. What I"m probably trying to say to you John is, I understand you have personal issues and deadlines and I wish you well in dealing with your health, but don't you need to evaluate all of your personal factors before going on tour or at the least communicate to the corps and staff who is in charge when you are not present? I"m not attacking you, I'm just reading your post and your statement of the threat of leaving kids on their own imo is not the way to handle this even if it was just a way to get them to comply with marching in the parade. I have known many kids who started with Revo that have gone on to SCV, BK, Colts to name a few. I hope these types of situations would not be the reason why they left for greener pastures. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scv9396 Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I agree... DCP is not the place for this. This needs to be handled by parents of the members, staff, boosters and board members. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84BDsop Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I agree... DCP is not the place for this. This needs to be handled by parents of the members, staff, boosters and board members. Unfortunately, the damage is already done.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaestroBen Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 (edited) I agree... DCP is not the place for this. This needs to be handled by parents of the members, staff, boosters and board members. Mannie, Normally, I agree that we shouldn't air our dirty laundry publicly, especially when the 'discussion' is just unfounded accusations being thrown about. I only felt the need to comment on a statement made by the director himself, and it seems that that statement is now what concerns several people. This is no longer a baseless personal attack, it is a discussion about the publicly-stated attitude of a corps director. (edited to direct this directly to Mannie, whose name I saw in his signature.) Edited August 15, 2011 by MaestroBen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamarag Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 There has to be a place people can come to discuss incidents like this one. The tricky part is on the moderators...making sure DCP treads the fine line between productive discussion and baseless rumor. In this particular case, I believe the original poster had a valid reason for posting, and I have no problem with that. Additionally, it was further validated by Revolution's director (former?) responding. The actions described by both parties have done a lot to hurt Revo in the short run and Texas drum corps in the long run. I see no reason to close the thread, or prevent discussion. i urge the mods to tread with caution, but leave the thread open. I just hope it doesn't descend into unwarranted personal attacks. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drumdad Posted August 15, 2011 Author Share Posted August 15, 2011 Mannie, Normally, I agree that we shouldn't air our dirty laundry publicly, especially when the 'discussion' is just unfounded accusations being thrown about. I only felt the need to comment on a statement made by the director himself, and it seems that that statement is now what concerns several people. This is no longer a baseless personal attack, it is a discussion about the publicly-stated attitude of a corps director. (edited to direct this directly to Mannie, whose name I saw in his signature.) Short of what he calls a "miscommunication", John Rodriguez's post was simply a confirmation of the facts in the original posts. A lack of confirmation on his part would not have made the facts less accurate and certainly not "unfounded". Those of us with first-hand knowledge of what happened don't need a statement from him to be concerned and/or angry. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idess Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 I'm pretty sure there is a section in the member contract where it states members can be thrown off of tour and required to find their own transportation home for things like refusing to perform. Since every member has to fill out this paperwork (and parents too if the member is under 18) then the members and their parents already knew if they refused to perform then they could be kicked off tour and required to find their own transportation home. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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