On Sunday February 18, 2024, members of the Titans board became aware of an issue of bullying that transpired between two club members. The current board of the Titans does not condone bullying, especially if there are social and/or organizational power imbalances present.
In the two weeks since, the board investigated the incident of bullying. It was decided the board could not conduct a more thorough investigation beyond the initial incident until after at least banning the accused party. The communication of this decision was not properly and formally shared with the victim. We caused additional harm to the victim.
We failed people and we failed in our communication. Our grievance process is inadequate and unacceptable. We cannot undo the way we conducted ourselves through the process.
Going forward with respect to our process, the board of the Titans of the Midwest will:
- Revise the grievance process to center on transparency. This will include:
- Clear and easy-to-find ways to communicate incidents.
- Guidelines as to why a board member should recuse themselves from a given investigation.
- A response in writing about the stages of the investigation process that outlines the ways information will be gathered, documented, and evaluated.
- A timeframe in which the board will review the information.
- Ongoing communication via email in a monitored inbox to all parties until the conclusion of the investigation.
- A decision with the outcomes clearly listed.
- When possible, actions the accused is recommended to take to be considered welcome back into membership at a future date.
- Publicly share and post the grievance policy, with applicable forms in an easy to find location.
- Be willing and open to act upon community feedback and input regarding our grievance process.
The next draft of our grievance process will be posted on our website and on Facebook within the next 14 days. For further reports or questions, feel free to reach out to report@titansofthemidwest.org.