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First The Cadets, then Pioneer, now Genesis


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I will never understand why a corps (or other organization) decides it’s ok to bring in someone with a background like this.  And now we have a number of examples of this very thing.  So there is absolutely no one in the entire world without a stain in their background that can do their job the same, if not better?  Really??

How does that hiring conversation go?  “So we’ve got this guy who got his teaching license suspended for sexual misconduct.”  “Great - we have to have that guy, he’s hired!!”

For the love of God, why would you even go there?  Don’t the people running the corps have the ounce of forsesight it takes to realize that it is going to be a very bad thing to do?  And yet they do it anyway?  

Don’t people running a corps have a responsibility to look out for what’s best for all of the people involved, and not just what’s best for a single individual?

What makes the people with backgrounds like this SO special, that the corps that hire them absolutely cannot exist without them?

Edited by Quad Aces
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1 hour ago, Quad Aces said:

I will never understand why a corps (or other organization) decides it’s ok to bring in someone with a background like this.  And now we have a number of examples of this very thing.  So there is absolutely no one in the entire world without a stain in their background that can do their job the same, if not better?  Really??

I would guess that if someone equal or better was available and interested in the position, they would have been hired instead (contingent on background check).

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13 hours ago, WaxDCIFan said:

tend to agree.  The OP on Reddit is apparently a parent that did not take the time to be involved in their kids lives until after tour.  This Genesis staff issue was vetted with DCI, and communicated to parents and members before tour ever began.  The recent additional communication parents was just that - another attempt by a caring director to communicate openly with the families.  We should be more circumspect about holding anonymous posters in such high regard.  It borders on slander to spin only part of the truth and inflame people.

I have spent  a good part of the last 4 years volunteering with Genesis, and have taken the time to meet and know the vast majority of the staff.  They greatly value the quality of experience for the youth.  The post on Reddit is full of innuendo and was meant to spin people up.  Too many took the bait.

 

Trying to figure out how this is okay in your mind and we shouldnt put the organization out there... 

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11 minutes ago, cixelsyd said:

I would guess that if someone equal or better was available and interested in the position, they would have been hired instead (contingent on background check).

I work DoD and if anyone with a shady security background would apply for a job, ability would not be considered. Wouldn’t matter if they were top of the heap in ability, just can’t take the chance. 

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1 minute ago, JimF-LowBari said:

I work DoD and if anyone with a shady security background would apply for a job, ability would not be considered. Wouldn’t matter if they were top of the heap in ability, just can’t take the chance. 

Sure.  I am not endorsing the hiring decision - only pointing out that the mere existence of a better percussion guy/gal is of no relevance to Genesis if the guy/gal is not available or interested in working with them.

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Just now, cixelsyd said:

Sure.  I am not endorsing the hiring decision - only pointing out that the mere existence of a better percussion guy/gal is of no relevance to Genesis if the guy/gal is not available or interested in working with them.

Ok I didn’t read all the posts so missed the point.

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1 hour ago, lifeisaround said:

Trying to figure out how this is okay in your mind and we shouldnt put the organization out there... 

was waiting for someone else say what I was thinking. Thanks. 

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Many of us are questioning why some corps hire the people they do, and in the context of this discussion, why Genesis and Crossmen hired the two questionable people they hired. Most likely both corps could have hired people as qualified, perhaps more qualified. I know in the past there have been instructors notorious for misconduct and while I take many of the wild days of drum corps stories with a  grain of salt, I do believe many of these stories about staff. Some were the best in the business. Perhaps in time the two individuals hired by Genesis and Crossmen could become the best in the business, right now they are not. I'd like to give an example fo why I think they were hired using a situation that has nothing to do with sexual misconduct but illustrates what often happens when criminal behavior is involved.

I knew a man who was a great guy. He'd so anything for anyone. Wonderful husband and father, always ready to volunteer. He worked for a supermarket that was unionized and as shop steward, championed the little person. He was also active in the labor movement and when he was fired for theft, everyone who knew him believed it was in retaliation for his union activities, and when the union itself did not come to his defense, his friends and family and even fellow union members believed it was political and the union was corrupt. He went to work for a second chain and was fired again. This chain happened to be unionizing at the time so we believed him when he said it was because he was viewed as a threat. Third job was at a bank. His brother in law, one of his staunchest supporters got him the job. He was an assistant branch manager and it was his job to audit cash draws. He was caught on camera stealing. Looking back, we all should have seen the signs but we didn't. Knowing a person makes us more unlikely to be objective. 

In general, I think most people want to believe the best about people but often this does not lead to the best decisions. Proper reference and work history checks, criminal background checks, and proper hiring practices are critical. I believe Jeff Ream suggested a DCI "Do Not Hire" list. You do have to make sure you have all the legal matters handled. Though it happens, black listing is illegal, but  what could happen is that there is a clause in a staff person's contract that lists reasons for termination that are reported to DCI. These would have to be serious matters such as sexual misconduct, drinking and drug offenses, abusive behavior, or arrests while on tour. I'm sure there are other reasons as well. The list is kept by DCI, DCI simply says "not for rehire" and if the person questions the matter, he/she can appeal the decision. 

 

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3 hours ago, cixelsyd said:

I would guess that if someone equal or better was available and interested in the position, they would have been hired instead (contingent on background check).

The question being, how hard was 'better' looked for?

Over the years, its easy to notice that its often the same names getting recirculated among the corps. Drum corps prefer to hire people who already have a drum corps history, rather than go for someone 'up and coming'. By doing this, are others not given an opportunity? Could a section tech have excelled if given the chance at a caption head job that was instead given to a retread? Could a spot have been filled just as well by someone new, outside the existing staffing 'circles'. I've never been involved in hiring or the search for staff, so i'm kind of curious what the applications:hires ratio looks like.

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4 hours ago, cixelsyd said:

Sure.  I am not endorsing the hiring decision - only pointing out that the mere existence of a better percussion guy/gal is of no relevance to Genesis if the guy/gal is not available or interested in working with them.

How do I say this without it sounding bad. This is Genesis we are talking about here. They could have found any one of a thousand people in TX alone that work with HS lines to fill his shoes that would have been as good at worst in the end. I bet if they would have announced they have an opening for a Perc Caption Head they would have been flooded with applicants.

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