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Important thread on HSQB

PostPosted: Wed May 30, 2018 2:19 pm
by QuizBoss
Please read the whole thread, though the link goes directly to my post in it.

Probably NSFW. Content, particularly the posts quoted from external blogs, may be disturbing.

http://hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewtopic. ... 79#p346170

Re: Important thread on HSQB

PostPosted: Wed May 30, 2018 3:40 pm
by tomoore
I don't think this issue begins and ends with Matt Bruce, alone.

I think this situation's gravity extends beyond Matt's conduct, beyond Matt himself, and instead encapsulates the entire presence of Matt at all NAQT events as well as those who 'looked the other way' and, by default, enabled Matt's presence at any and all NAQT events. Matt's postings are literal ipecac; however, the way I see it, that's not even the bigger issue (looking full-circle, here.) The bigger issue is that someone, at some time, and possibly several people, likely knew that Matt expressed pedophilic speech on several public forums - with his own g.d. name attached to it, too - and didn't think "oh, we should definitely not have this guy in the same conference room as innocent, unsuspecting minors under the auspice of a quizbowl match". It's not even about the speech itself (as repulsive as it is) so much as him shamelessly expressing himself as being a g.d. pedophile --AND, his demented and criminal expressions be damned, still being allowed to work tournaments with children!

With regards to responses on the thread: (broader quizbowl community) stakeholder activism is great, and this definitely is a situation that calls for it, but don't let the endgame simply be "get Matt Bruce the f--- out of your organization" (obviously, he does need to 'GTFO', and GTFO now). That's low-hanging fruit, as anyone with a backbone and a soul can recognize that Matt Bruce needs to be banished. Instead, at least the way I see it, drive deeper and demand more answers: investigate how many, and for how long, internal NAQT stakeholders (members and employees) knew about Matt's expressions. This is way bigger than "guy who shouldn't be within 1,000 yards of a school somehow worked *NCT events across various age levels"; it's institutional failure on NAQT's part, an institutional failure that proved to have put hundreds unto thousands of children into potentially harms way, for God knows how f---ing long.

When you think about it, if indeed it is true that people within the NAQT ranks knew about Matt's expressions (be it his abhorrent blog postings, or the oft-referenced Facebook posts about his son) and did nothing, this isn't too dissimilar from Jerry Sandusky/Penn State. The only difference between the PSU horrors and this Matt Bruce saga is we know there were 'physical' victims in the former, whereas with the latter we only know so far about 'visualized victims.' Regardless if there are any victims of physical/sexual abuse in the Matt Bruce saga, it's safe to say that everyone fell through the "missing stair" (to borrow from an HSQB post by Tamara Vardomskaya.)

Re: Important thread on HSQB

PostPosted: Wed May 30, 2018 7:39 pm
by ppadmanabhan
Jakob Myers has created a document listing members of the quizbowl community who are boycotting NAQT until Matt Bruce is fired. It can be signed here.

Re: Important thread on HSQB

PostPosted: Thu May 31, 2018 4:24 pm
by QuizBoss
This entire situation is sad. That said, I am happy that Joe Czupryn has added his name to the list. I hope that the other members of the committee will be made aware of this, and possibly discuss signing as an organization, at the summer meeting of the situation has not resolved itself by then.

I am concerned that no current members of the OSU team have signed. I will be interested to see if that continues to be the case going forward.

Re: Important thread on HSQB

PostPosted: Thu May 31, 2018 5:11 pm
by tomoore
QuizBoss wrote:This entire situation is sad. That said, I am happy that Joe Czupryn has added his name to the list. I hope that the other members of the committee will be made aware of this, and possibly discuss signing as an organization, at the summer meeting of the situation has not resolved itself by then.

I am concerned that no current members of the OSU team have signed. I will be interested to see if that continues to be the case going forward.



So, I’ll differ from Greg here and will say that OSU/Chris Ray probably hasn’t boycotted yet because this is such a recent development in the quizbowlsphere that word probably hasn’t really reached them as to what happened and that the boycott is, indeed, ‘a thing.’

Re: Important thread on HSQB

PostPosted: Thu May 31, 2018 6:15 pm
by gbdriver80
QuizBoss wrote:This entire situation is sad. That said, I am happy that Joe Czupryn has added his name to the list. I hope that the other members of the committee will be made aware of this, and possibly discuss signing as an organization, at the summer meeting of the situation has not resolved itself by then.

I am concerned that no current members of the OSU team have signed. I will be interested to see if that continues to be the case going forward.


Yes, this (an official boycott of NAQT by OAC as an organization) is definitely something that will be discussed on June 21st if NAQT has not come to an acceptable resolution by then. And if that is the case, I have no doubts that it will be a unanimous decision to join the boycott.

Re: Important thread on HSQB

PostPosted: Wed Jun 06, 2018 1:28 pm
by Bluejay
According to the document Ohio State is on board.

Re: Important thread on HSQB

PostPosted: Thu Jun 07, 2018 3:54 pm
by Bluejay

Re: Important thread on HSQB

PostPosted: Thu Jun 07, 2018 8:15 pm
by ashantidw
Looks like justice has been served.
Kudos to the executive staff at NAQT for making the right decision.


Doug Wheeler
Head Coach, WRA Quiz Bowl Team