“Failure to Protect”

[JimF-LowBari]

24 minutes ago, garfield said:

Regionality and geography are the difference.  There's one Penn State and only one PA.

There are a bunch of states with drum corps in them.  The decision was made long ago to allow the corps to deal with issues such as this in the light of their local governments and acceptable mores.  Maybe coordinating national standards is easily accomplished now with technology.  Maybe back then it was such a daunting project that they made the decision to pass down all such issues to the corps to deal with locally.

 

You missed my point. During the PSU fiasco people were saying the school did nothing wrong because the people there did what they had to do legally. At the time they did not have to report to legal authorities and they did not. So everyone should get off of PSUs back as they were “clean” legally. And that bit about abused kids? Well they didn’t HAVE to alert authorities so why are people upset. Just way too many parallels

and don’t think there are any states where you can get into trouble reporting possible abuse so blaming inaction on differing state law is bogus

Edited December 14, 2018 by JimF-LowBari

[dark-helmet]

Ugh, people that don't understand the structure are not going to be helpful.  The structure failed, but if you don't understand why, how and what it takes to LEGALLY change it, you are failing too.  Could DA have done something different? Probably.  But the structure of a competition committee is different than a wholly owned operation.  Much like 501c10 orgs fall under an umbrella and 501c3 orgs operate on their own.  One follows the governing body structure similar to service orgs that have local chapters and a national body and the other is like your local art center that may belong to an association, but runs under it's own rules.  

Just yelling that DA didn't do enough doesn't do anything.  The question that needs to be asked is what structure can we create that allows corps to retain their identity, but force them to give up control and self governance.  Would BD enjoy sharing the wealth their ingenuity and success have created with Spirit or Madison?  No, OK so then what?  So, being serious, now what?  Change is needed, but how do you get all of the members on the same page without watching the G7 threat return.   Obviously, it needs to be fixed.  But instead of simply blaming DA, let's fix the structure that failed in a useful and legal way.  It's not easy, and ultimately the lack of foresight might be the end of an activity we all enjoyed.

 

[JimF-LowBari]

9 minutes ago, garfield said:

Yea, it sucks, doesn't it?

I'd imagine the current BoD members were very quick to change the information flow.  Including hiring a blind reporting number to ease reporting.

And the timing of the changes was... oh yeah people started to find out. That’s sucks too

[karuna]

5 minutes ago, garfield said:

And the new person they put in that role will be encumbered by the same employment contract as the existing ED.

Well, it is YOUR mind that's boggled.  Mine is perfectly clear!

You actually have no idea what a new contract would specify.  In any case you've made many unfounded claims.  I doubt that the BOD ever directed the CEO to ignore sexual abuse.  In fact I doubt the topic ever appears in the minutes of a board meeting or in any corporate documents.  And I doubt that Dan is legally covered here in any case.  In many jurisdictions failing to report suspected sexual abuse when the suspicions turn out to be accurate is actually felonious conduct.  Forget being sued -- those are criminal charges.

Leadership matters.  Dan's in no position to lead.  DCI will IMO be far better off with new leadership.  

[HockeyDad]

Here we go again. Yes, the "but you don't understand, the organizational structure of DCI precluded me from taking action" excuse. We can reminisce about that one after DCI crashes and burns. I'm sure people everywhere will find that to be a perfectly valid excuse for standing by while multiple corps under the DCI umbrella placed predators onto their staffs. Unbelieveable. By the way, is Fred Morrison still with Crossmen?

[BigW]

5 hours ago, DCIat14 said:

I have a question about this though...and I'm not being snarky when I say it.  The college whose coach was sexually assaulting people, did they have to take a season off or not be housed at certain places because of what their coach did?  I understand the problem, I do, but the kids aren't the problem and it feels like everyone is just ready to walk away from them.  Does stricter guidelines and processes need to be in place moving forward?  Absolutely!  My MM started corps at 14 & I am the first to say I put a LOT of faith in to that staff!  I would be crushed if something like this were to happen or come to light.  ...but I also know what this activity has done for my MM and I am grateful for that.  DCI as we know it is in trouble, the ripple effect of this will be huge.  Adults should know better (duh!), but obviously there are some rotten apples in the bunch.  I'm trying to figure out a way to provide a database of information that could be useful for all corps because I not only want to see change to prevent these types of situations, but I also want this activity to continue for the sake of the many kids whose lives it positively impacts.   

Any chance you'll send me a PM with some of those names?  

There has been one name bandied about here and there in the past and caused some issues when its been mentioned. I think that's the one where everyone's waiting for the shoe to drop on.

[dark-helmet]

And finger pointing with no viable solutions.  No one is defending what happened, we are asking how to fix it in a meaningful way that has a chance of getting voted on favorably by the membership.  I don't see a good answer.  Dftk, that's easy.   However for any meaningful oversight the corps would have to become part of the DCI organization.  If not, see blast!   DCI had no control of star other than field competition.  If DCI was truly the umbrella, cook wouldn't have been able to just leave.   DCI is toothless other than suspending corps from competing in DCI.

So, show me a viable way to change it that would pass with the corps.  Otherwise we're just trolling each other to sound important.

[karuna]

2 minutes ago, dark-helmet said:

And finger pointing with no viable solutions.  No one is defending what happened, we are asking how to fix it in a meaningful way that has a chance of getting voted on favorably by the membership.  I don't see a good answer.  Dftk, that's easy.   However for any meaningful oversight the corps would have to become part of the DCI organization.  If not, see blast!   DCI had no control of star other than field competition.  If DCI was truly the umbrella, cook wouldn't have been able to just leave.   DCI is toothless other than suspending corps from competing in DCI.

So, show me a viable way to change it that would pass with the corps.  Otherwise we're just trolling each other to sound important.

I disagree that a change in leadership is an unimportant matter.

I think there have been some viable changes. Providing a reporting mechanism for members is important improvement.  Establishing hiring practices and organization-wide standards are also significant.  There is certainly more to be done. 

Is direct control of the corps required?  Suspension from competition is viable enforcement mechanism (especially since it's now clear it will be exercised) . Sure a corps can leave DCI but there's virtually no other venue for it's continued existence.   IMHO Blast! is an exception not a rule.  

If corps sign on voluntarily to all the changes,  I don't think DCI needs to have direct control of each non-profit.   In this atmosphere,  it's not likely any corps will refuse to sign on.  

[HockeyDad]

22 minutes ago, dark-helmet said:

And finger pointing with no viable solutions.  No one is defending what happened, we are asking how to fix it in a meaningful way that has a chance of getting voted on favorably by the membership.  I don't see a good answer.  Dftk, that's easy.   However for any meaningful oversight the corps would have to become part of the DCI organization.  If not, see blast!   DCI had no control of star other than field competition.  If DCI was truly the umbrella, cook wouldn't have been able to just leave.   DCI is toothless other than suspending corps from competing in DCI.

So, show me a viable way to change it that would pass with the corps.  Otherwise we're just trolling each other to sound important.

Crisis management 101 is to remove the person in charge when the sh't hit the fan. Dan Acheson must resign or be fired. Similarly, Fred Morrison must resign or be fired by Crossmen BOD. If they won't act, DCI must suspend Crossmen from the 2019 tour. Similar action must be taken across all other similarly tarnished corps. DCI must develop enforceable and meaningful zero tolerance regulations and checks. Corps directors must give DCI the power to act. That's a few ideas for starters. Do you have any?  Or are trolling too?

Edited December 14, 2018 by HockeyDad

[N.E. Brigand]

1 hour ago, garfield said:

No, the CEO is responsible for following the protocol that his BoD has laid down or resign.  He chose to follow the direction of his BoD.

You might not like it, but he'd likely win any lawsuit claiming he should have acted differently.

OK, to rephrase karuna's question:

Does a CEO who becomes aware of sexual abuse within his independent member organization have a moral or ethical duty to report those suspicions to the appropriate authorities?