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Time for DCI to cancel season?


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On 3/16/2020 at 3:38 PM, garfield said:

Why not?  What else are committed MM's going to do that drum corps is holding them up from doing?

Summer classes? Working as a brass/visual tech for HS band programs? 
 

That’s what my MM is already lining up just in case. But at some point he’ll have to commit. 

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19 minutes ago, PopcornEater1963 said:

Summer classes? Working as a brass/visual tech for HS band programs? 
 

That’s what my MM is already lining up just in case. But at some point he’ll have to commit. 

That's an opportunity, not a commitment.  If your MM was actually marching, summer classes and tech work are not in the picture.  Only if they call the season is your MM looking for work.  But, BUT, it seems to me that your MM already made the decision of what's most important when he accepted the contract to march.

 

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Just now, garfield said:

That's an opportunity, not a commitment.  If your MM was actually marching, summer classes and tech work are not in the picture.  Only if they call the season is your MM looking for work.  But, BUT, it seems to me that your MM already made the decision of what's most important when he accepted the contract to march.

 

Very true. And if there’s a season that’s exactly what he’ll do. I’m just hopeful DCI won’t drag out a “shortened season” decision too long. And at least consider the MM’s whims also considering the member corps and DCI itself as an organization. 

 

 

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Per Government Plan (100 pages) for policymakers the pandemic could be an 18 month (Trump referenced today) affair with multiple waves.  Possible shortages and health care short comings addressed.  Would post link for plan , but although the plan heading states unclassified  it also states not for public distribution.  Wrong time to go to the slammer.   Unfortunately just don't see the tour happening this year.  I'm vested also in tickets and donations for 2020.  Phoenix and San Antonio, was looking forward to it.

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12 minutes ago, PopcornEater1963 said:

Very true. And if there’s a season that’s exactly what he’ll do. I’m just hopeful DCI won’t drag out a “shortened season” decision too long. And at least consider the MM’s whims also considering the member corps and DCI itself as an organization. 

 

 

I have a corps board meeting this weekend and will bring up your very important point.  It would be doubly-tragic to lose some fee money, not be able to march, and then be blocked out of a summer job.  If bad things come in threes, your MM is on the verge of something big and good!

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11 minutes ago, DCVNVET said:

Per Government Plan (100 pages) for policymakers the pandemic could be an 18 month (Trump referenced today) affair with multiple waves. 

1918 had at least 2 waves IIRC. Don’t have book anymore and scientists not sure if more than 2. Scary part is the second wave was the bad one.

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4 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

right, we just dicked around mobilizing it

I keep mumbling learn from this for the future.... but humans have such a short memory and ##### history.... 

#1 lesson should be we ain’t that different from the rest of the world. If crap hits there it probably ain’t gonna skip us because we’re ‘merica so get ready to change things. Slight soapbox moment as think a PA county doesn’t have any reported cases because lot of people there are the “this only affects other people” crowd. Hint on county: one lawmaker wants to overturn the guvs emergency declaration. 😖

Edited by JimF-LowBari
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On 3/16/2020 at 9:48 PM, TwoValves said:

Most corps have collected at least half of tuition by now,

I'm dubious. Members who got their contracts in January have had only 2 months' worth of payments so far. I'd like to see data on this before I agree. 

 

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have already incurred expenses that leave them far less cash on hand than they could refund.

 

No. The bus leases -- a huge chunk of the budget -- have not yet been paid. The food -- another massive slice of the pie -- has not been bought. The instructor wages --- which are not paid in advance, but during the season -- have not yet been paid. The instructor travel costs -- flights in and out of various cities along the tour route through the summer -- have not yet been purchased. Have corps incurred some expenses related to the 2020 tour? Of course, but nowhere near the bulk of the planned expense budget.

That said, "cash-strapped" and "drum and bugle corps" are nearly synonymous terms anyway. They are almost never flush with cash -- not for very long.

 

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Do you think parents would just sit by if the season was cancelled and say... that's OK, just give us back whatever you can?  Nope.  There are contracts in place and the corps could easily be seen in breach.  Not sure how many corps would be willing to open up their books to show exactly what has already been spent and what obligations still remain, in order to justify less-than-full refunds.  You have to take into consideration that lots and lots of people are losing jobs and if this goes months longer we will be in a full-blown recession.  People won't easily wall away from thousands of dollars when they are feeling desperate. 

No, I don't think parents/member would "sit by;" nor did I indicate they would. Audition fees and other charges related to camps that already have been concluded would/should not be refunded, but every corps would refund 100% of tuition if the summer tour is cancelled.

There are contracts, and there are contracts. DCI corps membership contracts are not those kind of contracts. For one thing, (those that I have seen) are not signed by anyone representing the corps. They are, at most, a terms-and-conditions agreement signed by the customer -- the marching member, some of whom aren't old enough to make legal commitments anyway. And in most states, the amount of tuition at stake for any individual is firmly in small-claims-court territory, not the kind of venue where tort lawyers battle it out in front of a jury over contract terms.

But as I said, corps would make full refunds of tuition if the season is outright cancelled full stop. Corps have policies that spell out their refund terms, and of course at some point in the season no refunds will be made. But these terms apply under normal operating conditions, and 2020 doesn't look like "normal operating conditions" will be the applicable term.

Edited by 2muchcoffeeman
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