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And the floodgates are opening


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I'm waiting on some stuff from Crown to pop up. A few years ago it was pretty bad there as well. 

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I think we need to look at the reality of the situation a bit...

DCI is a huge undertaking each year. There are literally thousands of performers and staffs (many very young themselves) touring together and living in each others pockets for weeks on end. NOT in any way excusing it, inapprpriate stuff IS going to happen. It's been going on since the very beginning... and that does not in any way make it acceptable or OK, but I am afraid it'ss unavoidable. What is important is HOW it is handled and dealt with by those that are supposed to be in charge. Our leaders HAVE to do better. In this instance, those leaders being the corps directors and DCI. Corps optics at the expense of individual safety is utterly and completely unacceptable. We MUST demand accountability and consequences for actions... AND inactions. We live in a world of accountability and INSTANT communication. EVERYONE has an audience online and hot button topics will blow up VERY quickly if mishandled by those in positions of responsibility. Perhaps it is time for more women to be in charge (how many female corps directors are there? How many women are board chairs an and how many women have been in charge of DCI? Not many and NONE on that last one). Boards perhaps need to be more representative of the memberships... younger, more diverse, more in touch with how things work TODAY. 

AND EVERY SINGLE CORPS MUST HAVE A COMPLIANCE OFFICER WITH ULTIMATE ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY... ABOVE AND BEYOND THAT OF THE CORPS DIRECTOR. I'D EVEN SAY THAT EVERY CORPS SHOULD HAVE AN ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICER THAT REPORTS TO NOBODY BUT DCI DIRECT.

My two cents there...

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I'm advisor and board member of a social fraternity at IU that was suspended last summer for various things, including hazing. 12 organizations in IU Greek life are now booted off campus, about 1/5 of the total. Five more are in trouble with a status of cease and desist while investigations are ongoing. Eight others are on some form of disciplinary probation. 

You don't have to search long to find similar troubles at other colleges and universities. A couple of high school football teams have been in the news recently regarding hazing.

Much like DCI, national fraternity headquarters' leaders, and the national association supporting most major fraternities, have all the right things to say, and by now many well-meaning policies in place. But enforcement is weak until a major disaster has unfolded. Supervision of 18-20 year olds mostly in charge of things on the ground in Greek organizations is even tougher.

Drum corps and the tour offer unique circumstances for awful behavior. But awful behavior is wide-spread, maybe cultural in some way. Most days, I've no clue how to combat this. But also most days, I get reminded of how many of my students in the classroom are really decent kids anxious to have really decent lives.

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42 minutes ago, Poppycock said:

The list of shady characters involved in this activity dates back 50 years. The list of names would not be surprising to some and would be shocking to others. The level of arrogance increases with every new pageantry leach carving out a livelihood. The number of sexual predators in and around the activity is nothing more than a microcosm of our society that entered into the activity, and is increasing with each season. Many risk factors are apparent -  member isolation, relationships with other members, adult staff, and volunteers, all interacting making it possible to target higher-risk groups like the drum corps touring model. The greater the number of sexual assault risk factors, the greater is the likelihood that a person will be a perpetrator or a victim.

IMO the organizations need to be held accountable for the actions of those affiliated in either a dependent or subordinate position. DCI is too incompetent to thoroughly address predator-prey interactions. (911) is your friend. Don't expect any organization to have your best interest in mind, they're protecting their livelihoods that you are funding. 

 

34 minutes ago, Cainan said:

I think we need to look at the reality of the situation a bit...

DCI is a huge undertaking each year. There are literally thousands of performers and staffs (many very young themselves) touring together and living in each others pockets for weeks on end. NOT in any way excusing it, inapprpriate stuff IS going to happen. It's been going on since the very beginning... and that does not in any way make it acceptable or OK, but I am afraid it'ss unavoidable. What is important is HOW it is handled and dealt with by those that are supposed to be in charge. Our leaders HAVE to do better. In this instance, those leaders being the corps directors and DCI. Corps optics at the expense of individual safety is utterly and completely unacceptable. We MUST demand accountability and consequences for actions... AND inactions. We live in a world of accountability and INSTANT communication. EVERYONE has an audience online and hot button topics will blow up VERY quickly if mishandled by those in positions of responsibility. Perhaps it is time for more women to be in charge (how many female corps directors are there? How many women are board chairs an and how many women have been in charge of DCI? Not many and NONE on that last one). Boards perhaps need to be more representative of the memberships... younger, more diverse, more in touch with how things work TODAY. 

AND EVERY SINGLE CORPS MUST HAVE A COMPLIANCE OFFICER WITH ULTIMATE ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY... ABOVE AND BEYOND THAT OF THE CORPS DIRECTOR. I'D EVEN SAY THAT EVERY CORPS SHOULD HAVE AN ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICER THAT REPORTS TO NOBODY BUT DCI DIRECT.

My two cents there...

I think the entire model for both the Open & World Classes should be restructured.  I just told my wife that the thought of having a 14 year old early HS female student tour with a 21 year old college student ( and according to their birthday could tour as a 22 year old) causes me to scratch my head.  (And I was heavily involved as a corps staff member in my college & early band director years.)  As a band director, I've always encouraged our students to wait until their senior year, right after graduation, to march.  I've always thought that they would be more mature & would appreciate the content of their experience.  Most students followed my advice except for one or two.

My question is could DCI restructure the age limits for open & work class to help off set these vast age differences?  Open Class 14-17 with 'high school" style oversight & world class 18-22 college age students?  I forget the age limits for open class but it could be used as a 'feeder' format for world class?  (I realize that it's already being used for that purpose but just speculating.)  

I, as a father, would not allow my 14 year old daughter to march in the current format unless I was on the bus with her as a staff member or volunteer.  And I think any form of "Rookie Talent Night" should be in an open format in front of the entire corps plus staff.  We have something similar at band camp every year but it's an open format & we're able to control the events.  (All section leaders must show our staff the content, gag gifts, etc that will be presented.)  

I don't know, just thinking out loud.  On a forum... 🤔🧐     

And I love the drum corps experience & product...      

Edited by keystone3ply
cx
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3 minutes ago, keystone3ply said:

 

 

My question is could DCI restructure the age limits for open & work class to help off set these vast age differences?  Open Class 14-17 with 'high school" style oversight & world class 18-22 college age students?  I forget the age limits for open class but it could be used as a 'feeder' format for world class?  (I realize that it's already being used for that purpose but just speculating.)  

        

I agree with this 100%

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After almost 35 years in this activity, I'm essentially done. I have one teenage son that is a potential future member, and based on what I've read there is absolutely no way I would allow him to march. It absolutely kills me to say this, but Dan Acheson needs to go,leadership at the BOD needs to change, and the activity needs to take a year off and address each of these issues before I would even consider allowing my son to march or pay money to go to another show. 

This has now reached a point of absolute absurdness. As a parent and a former marching member, I am disgusted. 

Edited by Newseditor44
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39 minutes ago, Cainan said:

I think we need to look at the reality of the situation a bit...

DCI is a huge undertaking each year. There are literally thousands of performers and staffs (many very young themselves) touring together and living in each others pockets for weeks on end. NOT in any way excusing it, inapprpriate stuff IS going to happen. It's been going on since the very beginning... and that does not in any way make it acceptable or OK, but I am afraid it'ss unavoidable. What is important is HOW it is handled and dealt with by those that are supposed to be in charge. Our leaders HAVE to do better. In this instance, those leaders being the corps directors and DCI. Corps optics at the expense of individual safety is utterly and completely unacceptable. We MUST demand accountability and consequences for actions... AND inactions. We live in a world of accountability and INSTANT communication. EVERYONE has an audience online and hot button topics will blow up VERY quickly if mishandled by those in positions of responsibility. Perhaps it is time for more women to be in charge (how many female corps directors are there? How many women are board chairs an and how many women have been in charge of DCI? Not many and NONE on that last one). Boards perhaps need to be more representative of the memberships... younger, more diverse, more in touch with how things work TODAY. 

AND EVERY SINGLE CORPS MUST HAVE A COMPLIANCE OFFICER WITH ULTIMATE ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY... ABOVE AND BEYOND THAT OF THE CORPS DIRECTOR. I'D EVEN SAY THAT EVERY CORPS SHOULD HAVE AN ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICER THAT REPORTS TO NOBODY BUT DCI DIRECT.

My two cents there...

CJ, totally on point.

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