I Kept Quiet for far too long. This. Is. WAR!!!

[Rion Atkinson]

Let me point out that I do not mean to attack him. I am simply trying to understand his reasoning.

Originally Posted by CraigHickman

So, is the TL;DR for this post "Bawwwwww, they won't let me do the volunteer job I used to do?"

That's all I read from it...

Forgive me if that's a little harsh, but FIRST isn't yours. It isn't an open organization nor is it controlled by outside members. FIRST let you help out. It's their organization, and thus their choice who helps and who doesn't. We appreciate your help in the past, don't get me wrong. But opening up some dirty laundry isn't exactly the best image to be showing off of oneself...

Point 1.

From what I understood his email was not about not being able to do the job he wanted. Yes. He was mad about that. But by looking at this email as a whole is covers that fact that, yes, he was unable to do his job. Why? Because of something that happened that he saw no problem with at the time. He was then blacklisted. And not told. (Personally, I think a person has a right to be told when they have been blacklisted) This hurt his chances of volunteering at all. So overall, He is not crying about not getting the spot he wanted. But instead addressing the simple problem he was faced with. He was blacklisted, not allowed to work where he desired due to being blacklisted, not told until AFTER someone and changed where he said he wanted to. And on top of that, lied to.

That is just what I got out of his letter. I didn't hear crying as I read it but a calm voice with passion behind it. Could you please explain to me how you came to your conclusion?


Point 2.

On the note of FIRST isn't ours, if not the teams, then whose is it? If not for those who help run it, how could it be here? Who exactly does it belong to?

[Karibou]

I feel like this is honestly a situation that could happen to anyone. If this was based off of a team-related issue, I would agree that it does not belong on Chief Delphi. However, this is a FIRST-related issue that, theoretically, could affect anyone. I do not believe that Dan posted this to gain sympathy or to necessarily rally us against FiM/FIRST, but to make us citizens of the CD community- the dedicated students, mentors, sponsors, volunteers- aware of a situation that probably DOES affect a handful of people across the globe.

Also - after reading this thread, I do not believe that Dan was trying to bash FiM, or that his actions in regards to whom he contacted were out of line. Dan, would I be correct in saying that, had FiM not existed and the same events were to occur with the Volunteer Coordinator and Regional Director not getting back to you, that your position and actions would remain the same?

Many people tend to jump the gun when making decisions, which is what happened here. It is very hard to judge the outcome of a situation without ALL of the background information, and sometimes there are not enough hours in a day (or several days) to get all of the information and talk to all sources.

The only part of this that I just cannot understand is why anyone would make decisions such as this without informing all parties involved.