Arsenal Drum Corps Offers Tuition Discount To Pioneer/Oregon Crusaders Vets

[Jeff Ream]

46 minutes ago, jeffmolnar said:

...uh, exactly. That's the point I've been making this entire time.

Just because something is a rule (or law), doesn't make it morally right.

 

The fact that DCI put out a "statement" at all regarding Arsenal is due to social media. They wouldn't have published anything in the first place if they weren't getting dragged on Twitter.

Social media creates awareness. "#####ing on the Internet" created awareness. Drummie McDrummer might bring something up to a director later on which influence a particular change, but he only became aware of the issue in the first place from people on social media. "The conversation" is an important part of the process. "#####ing on the Internet" is an important part of the process.

DCI isn't some magical organization that is immune to social media power dynamics. It still relies on corporate sponsors, private donors, and the general goodwill of the fanbase. Social media has the power to destroy those things.

DCI didn't have to say anything. Period. They chose to. And now how many hours later, have they gone back and softened their stance? Nope. If anything, they've only dug in harder. Remember, be careful when you try to publicly shame someone, it can only make it worse.

[Jeff Ream]

10 minutes ago, BRASSO said:

 Sort of puts to bed once and for all the silly notion advanced here on DCP ( not you, Jeff ) last  March/ April by a couple of DCP posters that DCI HQ is merely a " show scheduler " and they have little to no control over what their membership Corps do or say..

as I said...things changed when that story broke. Prior to that story...i agree with their position.

[BRASSO]

34 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

Nor should they have to. Sure it'd be a good move, but when have we ever accused DCI of being smart with PR? And remember, they aren't doing a #### thing unless their lawyers tell them to do it.

 True. There is no obligation for DCI to say anything at all about any findings in an investigatory newspaper piece that states some very disparaging things about one of their current Corps Directors. They exercised that right to clam up on it. Readers are then left with how they prefer to assess a very, very, serious charge, with no rebuttal to it.

Edited January 18, 2019 by BRASSO

[Terri Schehr]

10 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

sad...believe it or not, that's the first one I've seen. Now reading it...i am not sure he is defending what happened to people. I think he just feels like DCI is under attack from people trying to blow it up. 

IMO, both.

[jeffmolnar]

9 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

DCI didn't have to say anything. Period. They chose to. 

There you go again stating obvious things that everyone already knows.

They chose to because they're getting dragged on social media. Period.

 

9 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

And now how many hours later, have they gone back and softened their stance? Nope. If anything, they've only dug in harder. Remember, be careful when you try to publicly shame someone, it can only make it worse.

Right, and they'll continue to be dragged throughout the summer. People have already discussed handing out flyers in the lot and other such methods of protest. Stuff like that will be organized on social media this summer if Dan doesn't step down. Count on it.

Eventually maybe it leads to a sponsor being pulled. Maybe awareness builds and someone gets investigated for criminal negligence! Maybe nothing happens at all this summer, and it takes years to finally build into something real. The conversation taking place now is step 1 of that process though.

Now I'm saying a bunch of things that should be obvious too, but alas. 

Edited January 18, 2019 by jeffmolnar

[Gizmit26]

The Arsenal BoD posted a response on the corps' Facebook page. It reads as sort of an apology to DCI and they attempt to distance themselves form the former Arsenal Director's statements.

[skevinp]

3 hours ago, MikeD said:

His group applied to become an open class corps. It is not DCI's job to "train" him on their rules. They are readily available to him, and he should have made sure he was familiar with them as part of his application process. 

Play that rationale out in your head as it applies to sexual harassment, and ask yourself how comfortable you would be with DCI issuing a response to that effect.

[wilkituba]

16 minutes ago, Gizmit26 said:

The Arsenal BoD posted a response on the corps' Facebook page. It reads as sort of an apology to DCI and they attempt to distance themselves form the former Arsenal Director's statements.

On Sunday, January 14, 2019 a post was made on Reddit by our Executive Director, J. Spenser Lotz. The post, “To the members and alumni of the Oregon Crusaders and Pioneer”, led to the suspension of Arsenal’s application to Open Class due to its violation of DCI’s Media Policy that “No participating organization may speak in a derogatory manner about another participating organization or about DCI”. Following the suspension of Arsenal’s application, the board members received a notice of Mr. Lotz’s immediate resignation. After multiple requests by board members to delay announcing his resignation until the board could convene an emergency meeting, Mr. Lotz chose to make public social media statements and give media interviews regarding his resignation, correspondence with DCI regarding the suspension of Arsenal’s application, and his personal views about the challenges DCI is currently facing.

The original Reddit post and subsequent social media posts, as well as media interviews by Mr. Lotz were made without the board’s knowledge or approval. Unfortunately, we now find ourselves in the uncomfortable position of being in the middle of this ongoing controversy that we know little about. What we do know is that as an organization we have a standard to uphold that has been clearly laid out by DCI’s governing policies. Arsenal Performing Arts and its director are not exempt from those policies and we respect DCI’s decision. The Board has accepted Mr. Lotz’s resignation.

In dealing with this controversy, our top priority is our marching members and the health of our beloved organization. Although we don’t collectively agree with the actions of Mr. Lotz over the past few days, we do have the utmost respect for the work and dedication he has contributed to creating Arsenal Performing Arts. Without the dream and energy of Mr. Lotz, none of us would have had the opportunity to work with the amazing young adults and founding members of our corps. For giving us Arsenal, we will always be grateful.

We currently do not know what the future will bring for Arsenal Performing Arts, but we are dedicated to doing what we feel is right and is in the best interest of our marching members. To DCI, we commit to you that we will continue to do our best to support the performing arts and drum corps activity.

Arsenal Performing Arts Board of Directors

[Bluzes]

1 hour ago, jeffmolnar said:

Maybe nothing happens at all this summer, and it takes years to finally build into something real.

That is what we all should be working towards. IMO there is no doubt dci spent a lot of time last week discussing the stuff on Change.Org. These types of protests .are not wanted at LOS, or anywhere around drum corps. Their protests tend to turn ugly and not many of these folks care what dci stands for they only know what it is against...

The petition was first posted on a Whitehousenweb web site in 12/28/18 needed about 100k signatures by January 27: The title is below, I have no idea what R.B. means

Stop the harassment and sexual abuse of women and underage people in the Drum Corps community.

Created by R.B. on December 28, 2018

I have been looking at this since new years thinking it must be a hoax? Then Change.org took over with these posts. 

Petition update

We Need a Protest at Lucas Oil Stadium

Christina Bishop

Waterford Township, MI, United States

and now; Reinstate Arsenal DBC's Open Class Evaluation and Replace Dan Acheson

 are past beating each other up over if dci made the right decision.

 

Edited January 18, 2019 by Bluzes

[Terri Schehr]

19 minutes ago, Gizmit26 said:

The Arsenal BoD posted a response on the corps' Facebook page. It reads as sort of an apology to DCI and they attempt to distance themselves form the former Arsenal Director's statements.