In a missive sent to KDHX's volunteers late last week, Director of Volunteer Connections Andrea Dunn makes the downright shocking assertion that the station's internal communications "are being shared with the media, namely the RFT" (gasp!), as well as with a group of the station's former volunteers who in the last year were either fired or quit in solidarity with those who were.
Dunn takes aim at the "volunteer or volunteers who have continuously not heeded the request for confidentiality" and announces that the station is "actively investigating who may be behind the sharing of our communications." She also makes it crystal clear that all of the station's volunteers are easily replaceable in her mind, writing, "We continue to receive applications every week from people who want to be here in service to our community, not in opposition to KDHX," and further describes the countless unpaid hours of work said volunteers freely give to the station as a "privilege — not [a] right."
At issue, according to Dunn, is the fact that the station is unable to plan events for its volunteers due to the fear that outside groups might learn about them and show up uninvited.
"We have been slow to schedule our next social gathering — a gathering meant to be a fun and intimate opportunity for you to get to know each other better — because anything we schedule at this point will be known to these outside groups, and we must assume that there will be 'protestors' and press who will attempt to infiltrate and intimidate," Dunn writes.
The catalyst for this whole kerfuffle is more than likely a recent event that KDHX's volunteers were invited to attend, which the RFT then apparently predictably showed up at uninvited. On the evening of Wednesday, March 27, the local chapter of the Recording Academy held a mixer that was sponsored by KDHX Board President Gary Pierson's law firm Capes Sokol, and on the day prior Executive Director Kelly Wells sent out an internal communication inviting volunteers to attend, which was then leaked to the RFT.
That event was set to take place on the Hill. The RFT is also located on the Hill. Specifically, we're located in the same building as the event space where the mixer was held, on the same floor, literally two doors down. Being that they made it so easy — we'd argue that, in fact, they came and crashed our party, not the other way around — we sent our intrepid staff photographer Zachary Linhares out on the long journey past the elevator that gets stuck sometimes and the bathrooms with the bewilderingly black toilets to see what he could see.
Zach hit the RFT's Slack within 10 minutes of the event's kickoff and alerted us that, "I’ve been in some awkward situations and man this takes the cake." (Sorry not sorry, Zach!) He'd apparently chatted with Pierson for a few minutes, who reportedly didn't seem terribly enthusiastic about the situation but at least didn't kick him out (that wouldn't have been very neighborly, after all). Zach stuck around for an hour or so, snapped a photo of Pierson just in case we would have a need for one for future publishing purposes (like this blog post!) and then made his exit.
So it's understandable that Dunn would come down in such a heavy-handed manner on those who would dare to leak the station's missives. After all, what if they try to throw an event inside the home of someone whom they don't want to attend? It'd be downright menacing of them to show up, and we certainly can't have that.
"By sharing these communication pieces, you are encouraging and inciting these groups and their followers to continue their harassment of your fellow volunteers and the staff," Dunn writes. "Enough is enough. If you have issues and concerns, there are protocols in place for you to express them. You MAY NOT continue to put your fellow volunteers in vulnerable situations, and you certainly cannot continue to jeopardize the future of this station."
Read the full letter yourself below, but please don't tell anyone at KDHX that we showed it to you. We wouldn't want to get in trouble.
The Volunteer Digest is meant to be a place of positivity, to highlight the station's work and the contributions of all the volunteers who generously donate their time. Forgive the slight detour for today!
This message is to the volunteer or volunteers who have continuously not heeded the request for confidentiality and who continually betray the trust of their fellow volunteers by sharing this Digest and every communication piece sent to volunteers. Our communication pieces are being shared with the group(s) of former volunteers who are relentlessly attempting to defund and essentially destroy KDHX, and they are being shared with the media, namely the RFT.
When communication pieces are shared, protestors and the media show up at internal KDHX meetings, harassment of volunteers ensues, and fundraising efforts are thwarted. We have been slow to schedule our next social gathering–a gathering meant to be a fun and intimate opportunity for you to get to know each other better–because anything we schedule at this point will be known to these outside groups, and we must assume that there will be “protestors” and press who will attempt to infiltrate and intimidate.
By sharing these communication pieces, you are encouraging and inciting these groups and their followers to continue their harassment of your fellow volunteers and the staff.
Enough is enough. If you have issues and concerns, there are protocols in place for you to express them. You MAY NOT continue to put your fellow volunteers in vulnerable situations, and you certainly cannot continue to jeopardize the future of this station. Ask yourself why you are volunteering at KDHX. Are you here to serve our listening audience and to work in unity with your fellow volunteers to fulfill the mission of KDHX? Or are you here to jeopardize the future of this organization that you have the privilege–not the right–to volunteer for?
We continue to receive applications every week from people who want to be here in service to our community, not in opposition to KDHX. We are actively investigating who may be behind the sharing of our communications.
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