A Message from DCI CEO Dan Acheson

[Jeff Ream]

7 minutes ago, MusicManNJ said:

I get that, Jeff. So who in your opinion would be held responsible? Just individual corps? DCI? Both? Neither? I am not being flippant but want to understand your view on where the buck stops. Dan? Board? Individual Corps? 

IMO, a lot depends on the situation. If more than just the individual corps knew, then it could be the whole organization. I know people at hq we’re contacted about Morgan Larson 6 years ago, and his record was easily verified through public records. I’m sure people wanted to blow it off as some of his time was spent with a DCA corps, but that corps was an affiliate member. 

 

Do i I think dci has had some credible evidence on some? Yes. Most? No. I also think dci as an organization set themselves up to police each corps individually for many reasons. Why? The more you had a home office with more and more responsibilities and power, the less money flowed back to the corps. Legally: key word: the organization as a whole CYA’d themselves to not be liable until the new rules went into place. Right or wrong, in a court of law, they’d win most times (Larson being an exception I know of). Remember the law allowed a guy like Scott Atchinson to get his record expunged. 

 

So unless DCI had credible proof, legally they should be safe with the laws as they stand. And given what I’ve seen from the courts the last few years and how politicized they’ve become, I don’t expect much change

 

 

[DWW11]

2 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

She’s been posting it since the spring. 

ah!  was not aware.  i should just keep my mouth shut!

[Terri Schehr]

3 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

IMO, a lot depends on the situation. If more than just the individual corps knew, then it could be the whole organization. I know people at hq we’re contacted about Morgan Larson 6 years ago, and his record was easily verified through public records. I’m sure people wanted to blow it off as some of his time was spent with a DCA corps, but that corps was an affiliate member. 

 

Do i I think dci has had some credible evidence on some? Yes. Most? No. I also think dci as an organization set themselves up to police each corps individually for many reasons. Why? The more you had a home office with more and more responsibilities and power, the less money flowed back to the corps. Legally: key word: the organization as a whole CYA’d themselves to not be liable until the new rules went into place. Right or wrong, in a court of law, they’d win most times (Larson being an exception I know of). Remember the law allowed a guy like Scott Atchinson to get his record expunged. 

 

So unless DCI had credible proof, legally they should be safe with the laws as they stand. And given what I’ve seen from the courts the last few years and how politicized they’ve become, I don’t expect much change

 

 

The corps Morgan Larson was in competed in DCI Open class shows...with the Colts Cadets. 

[Jeff Ream]

4 minutes ago, Terri Schehr said:

The corps Morgan Larson was in competed in DCI Open class shows...with the Colts Cadets. 

I was thinking the Kilties, but yeah. And the guy at Pioneer was well known.

 

but see background checks aren’t perfect. If someone just surrenders their teaching license but no criminal action, a background check doesn’t show that. Hence Moody, Atchisin and others. And dci was not set up to be the super police. In fact legally in some cases had they tried to block people that passed the universally accepted background checks, they could have been sued and lost. 

 

[JimF-LowBari]

47 minutes ago, Terri Schehr said:

Sara Ganim had victims reaching out to her long after she thought she’d finished the Penn State story. 

Yep she was with the Harrisburg paper when rumors came out that something was going to break. IIRC she talked to mother of one victim and (just like metoo) once one victim came out more felt comfortable that they could speak too and not be accused of lying, etc. Victims still coming out as Sandusky was being tried. 

Edited November 4, 2018 by JimF-LowBari

[HockeyDad]

1 hour ago, Jeff Ream said:

IMO, a lot depends on the situation. If more than just the individual corps knew, then it could be the whole organization. I know people at hq we’re contacted about Morgan Larson 6 years ago, and his record was easily verified through public records. I’m sure people wanted to blow it off as some of his time was spent with a DCA corps, but that corps was an affiliate member. 

 

Do i I think dci has had some credible evidence on some? Yes. Most? No. I also think dci as an organization set themselves up to police each corps individually for many reasons. Why? The more you had a home office with more and more responsibilities and power, the less money flowed back to the corps. Legally: key word: the organization as a whole CYA’d themselves to not be liable until the new rules went into place. Right or wrong, in a court of law, they’d win most times (Larson being an exception I know of). Remember the law allowed a guy like Scott Atchinson to get his record expunged. 

 

So unless DCI had credible proof, legally they should be safe with the laws as they stand. And given what I’ve seen from the courts the last few years and how politicized they’ve become, I don’t expect much change

 

 

I think the court of public opinion is more important to the survival of dci than a civil or criminal court. And that's where the organization is failing in my opinion. It won't take much more bad press for sufficient numbers of schools to refuse to play host to corps or sponsor shows and make the whole situation untenable. 

[Ghost]

4 hours ago, Newseditor44 said:

  Speaking of Dan, is it me or does it look like his health has been declining over the past couple years?

Without seeing him in person, he's either had a successful diet or he has an illness.

[JimF-LowBari]

1 hour ago, HockeyDad said:

I think the court of public opinion is more important to the survival of dci than a civil or criminal court. And that's where the organization is failing in my opinion. It won't take much more bad press for sufficient numbers of schools to refuse to play host to corps or sponsor shows and make the whole situation untenable. 

Both must be considered as DCI can go broke defending against a lawsuit, even if they win.

[Jeff Ream]

4 hours ago, HockeyDad said:

I think the court of public opinion is more important to the survival of dci than a civil or criminal court. And that's where the organization is failing in my opinion. It won't take much more bad press for sufficient numbers of schools to refuse to play host to corps or sponsor shows and make the whole situation untenable. 

If the court of public opinion sees dci taking steps to fix it, America’s fascination with short term memory, long term damage will be minimal. 

Schools have their own issues to clean up right now, and corps are willing to pay for housing in many cases. $$ speaks 

[garfield]

On 11/3/2018 at 10:51 AM, MusicManNJ said:

Never said it was in the press (other than UPENN). Start calling them up for verification. Hell call YEA they have a list. Again, you asked for people to share and I have based on my experience. 

 

On 11/3/2018 at 3:55 PM, Jeff Ream said:

There were schools that refused in the Allentown region due to the news last spring

37 bands at the USBands mid-Atlantic Champs in MD yesterday.  Run by a parent, I understand.  Pretty good day and the word is that visible and meaningful changes to programming have made big differences.

And that's in less than a year after the Cadets' news.  Possibly the damage control will be restricted to locally around the individual corps involved and to be named, and not permanent at that.

 

Edited November 5, 2018 by garfield