ACA Home Forums Worst Staff Stories

yeah, that can be tough! I have had similar problems with some of my friends just kind of deserting me. It sucks, though I am now friends with her again, and I blame middle school for her desertion! ha!

it really sucks. she really left me at a vulnerable time in our friendship, but i guess i have to trudge on with a 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' mantra.

yup, sometimes we just have to do that!

When we had CIT interns we had to treat them the same way as we treated UC's except that they weren't allowed to be alone with the kids! It was up to each intern whether they told the campers that they weren't full campers. I am actually looking forward to our 4 interns coming back as staff this summer cos they were so much fun, even now I laugh when I remember some of the things they said or did! Last summer 2 were able to say and work for the last session but 2 couldn't but all planned to come back this summer! Yeah!

that's basically the same policy we had at our camp.
i chose not to tell my kids at first, mostly because the other patrols in my unit had girls my age, and even a year older than me.
i'm rally looking forward to my interview, and hopefully working at camp!

I really look forward to my interview also. My CD sent my an email saying that a contract will be out soon. Sooo...excited!

Thats interesting about your camp and CITs. At my camp, we do not have CITs. But, at my old camp, there were CITs, but you just thought they were little counselors.

Once we had a staff member that drank too much...waaaaaaay too much on time off. Came back to camp and laid down in his bed and stopped breathing. He needed to be resesitated and suffered from acute alcohol poisoning. Needless to say, he was gone the next day.

Wow. That is extremely sad that would happen.

I have a question to propose to you. If a staff member would happen to go to the hospital, and at the hospital, it was discovered the person had either consumed alcohol (underage or during time they should not have been) or pot, and the CD found out (because she/he was there), would the CD have the right/or would fire them? The reason I say so is because technically the CD did not have cause to give a drug test or any true belief that the person was on drugs. And two, it is a medical test...?

I think it's a judgement call for the CD. It also depends on the staff member. Was this a good veteran staff member that had an error in judgement or was this a first year staff member that wasn't doing well anyways? I think once the CD knows, he/she knows and that is that. I wouldn't recommend the CD being present to hear medical information in the first place as that is personal. If the person is stupid enough to have the CD with them during the examination and they had consumed booze or drugs...they probably deserve to be fired!

How would it change the situation if the staff member was under 18? Would that change the situation?

However, if the person found out prehaps from overhearing something said in the hospital or they find out based on the discharge instructions or anything?

I think it is a very messy happening, because technically they heard throguh something that is medical and only heard. Isn't medical knowledge supose to be extremely confidential, and firing based on that knowledge would somewhat go against it? Well, it would in my mind.

But, I do agree that it is based on the staff member.

I don't think that it would change if the staff memeber was under 18 too muxh because pot is illegal for any age and the drinking age is 21. With alcohol anyone under the age of 21 is drinking underage.

Our camp for the most part only has 2 or so under 18 staff. Only the dishwashers/kitchen aids can be under 18. Except for after CIT 2 the CIT2s are given the opportunity to be on staff. However, they can only be kitchen or DC staff or they need to have a co- which means they wouldbe working with another counselor or two with the special needs kids. It has to do with legalities or something that an under 18 year old can't be incharge of their own group on their own and I guess DC you are usually around others. I don't know for sure since I was 18. Heck I turned 19 while on staff during the last 5 weeks of summer!

No, the reason why I added under 18. Because, if someone was to go to the hospital and the CD was there (parents not there), the CD most likely would be with the staff member due to his/her age. Therefore, would it make a difference then if something was found out within those rooms?

If I was a CD, I would not know what to do. Because, if you found out that informatin in other way, you most likely would fire them. However, you found them out in a confidential fashion.

I dont drink - but even if I did I would never go onto camp drunk! Because I know that I get a natural high on sugar I even avoid too much of that while i am on camp!

I too get a natural high... I think the nature atmosphere does that.

hmm, that is a tough question. I might jsut end up talking to my CD about it, just for the fun of it sometime. I probably won't though, but I might mention that we on the boards were talking about it and wondering.

I know that we had a UC/UL get fired for drinkng in the staff room on the weekend. Most of the counselor's were outraged! They even dedicated something they read at a camp fire to him and al lthis. Personally I believe, not knowing all the details, that they had a right to fire him. It says on the application before you submit it (online app!) that camp is an alcohol and drug free environment and i believe it even says that you can't do these things even on the weekend. And now for some reason (rumor) they are possibly considering possibly hiring him back. What the heck! I mean, true it was the weekend and he was a good UC from what I know, and also his first known offence (as far as I know) but still. Plus, what idiot drinks or leaves beer cans on the table in the staff room!!! There are lots of windows and the CD and ACD have been known to enter! Just drink it in your cabin if you don't want ot get caught!

I also get a natural high from camp!!

I also get one from sugar and from overtiredness!! It is amazing! I have no need to drink!! and I don't! And there is no way that I would ever ever be able to even consider drinking on camp property even on the weekend. Even at the end of the summer!!

I think even the better thing to do is drink off camp on your TO and be overage. Solves most, if not all problems.

Yeah, I know it is a very tough question. I might bring it up to my CD, but then that might be a little akward or something. I don't know. But, the entire situation brings up a lot of issues. Would you fire over one instance, even though you did not catch them? You did not find them drinking or smoking or even under the inflence? If it was not for the medical situation, you would not have found out? How much proof do you need to fire someone over drinking/smoking? Would a rumor, a well-told rumour cut it, would actions under-the-inflence, getting caught, or something make it okay?

Oh my goodness I am just crazy when i get over tired - everything is funny - and then random I tend to end up crying!

I am soo crazy that i dread to think what I would be like on alcohol or drugs!

I totally agree that it should be off camp, overage, and on your TO too. But I am just saying that for those idiots who try to drink at camp they sure didn't hide it very well! Obviously never in your cabin during the week, but I am talking about weekends. Plus our camp is 185 acres!! There is soooo much of camp that you could go smoke or drink at and never be found! I do not advise this though becuase I do not think you should ever drink on camp property! Ever!!!

That sounds like our camp - we actually have a remote site that we use that isn't actually camp property - but it can only be accessed by a path from our camp so the owner lets us use it! Anyway people would go there to drink until the CD cottoned on and banned them doing that cos it meant that they had to bring the alcohol onto camp to get it to 2 rocks!

Campkgurl, I agree with you too... My camp has over 400 acres. Drinking and/or smooking in the cabins is crazy. If I truly wanted to smoke/drink, there would be no way I would do it in a cabin or anything...go far into the woods.

Alright, on the same lines of questioning, do you report you fellow counselor if you catch them? Or if you can just tell? Like for me, I'm allergic to pot. I've never done it, but the smell of it gives me a pretty decent asthma attack, so I would know they were doing it regardless.

I would report people on drinking and pot - I have no tolerance for that crap. I've never had more than a sip of alcohol and that was 10 years ago. It's one of my things that just bothers me. Besides, with the asthma I literally can't work with a pothead.

What if your co was sneaking cigarettes then in a smoke-free camp? Would you report that one?

To be entirely honest, reporting one of my co-counselors would be very hard to do and would be considered person by person. If I caught someone, would I report it? It might sound bad, but I seriously do not know. If the person was smoking or drinking where it DIRECTLY made children liable or in danger, then yes I would without a doubt. Ex... lifeguarding or counselor drinking during the day. However, if it was a night or they were TO or on the weekends or something along those lines, I do not know. If the counselor was an amazing counselor and this was there only downside, then probably not. If it did not affect their job, probably not. But, it would take some thought.

It is a lot easier here to say, "of course," I would report them than actually reporting your very good friend that might have made one error of judement that would result in them leaving camp forever, probably.

Again, I do not know about the last one. It would all depend on the circumstanes, surronding it, etc.

I agree with you twirl. I would have a horrible time reporting someone on TO, unless it was where a kid could easily see or be in danger or anything. However, our TO is only 2 hours long so technically they would be in charge of kids when they still had it in their system unless it was like 1 can of beer like 2 minutes into their TO. Still, I would probably report it. Even on nights out, you can't leave camp and you are technically responsible for your kids again at midnight, so I think that even then it is really wrong.

Ok, so one of my friends was in a situation last summer and I want ot see what you guys say. Let me know if there is any confusion or quesitons.

So at our camp there is supossed to be 2 people "in" at the fire pit while the other staff are out. Sometimes though it ends up that only one is there because the other one leaves or whatever. So my friend Sally* (original, I know! ha) was in by herself for whatever reason. Two people who were living in the unit came back. One (Suzie*) had definitely been drinking but Sally didn't know about the other (Jane*). They had been drinking in the staff cabin for the older girls unit, if I remember correctly. So when they got back after drinking Sally wanted to go down to the office to let the CD know, but didn't want to leave the unit since as far as she knew, both of them had been drinking. She didn't have the office or the CD's number and we don't have radios around camp so she couldn't have excused herself to get sometihng out of her cabin or anything to call. So in the end she didn't do anything because if one of the girls needed sometihng (this was the youngest unit, so bedwetting and homesickness were entirely possible) and came out and the 2 people were drunk, that could be bad.

So when he told me this I basically said that she probably should have gone and told the CD anyway, especially if they seemed composed enough to deal with a camper since she didn't even know if the other one had been drinking. But once that summer was up, telling the CD wouldn't really do anything since the night was over and it would almost be tattling at that point. However if anything else happened she needed to tell them and figure that none of the girls would need something since it was almost 3 hours after bedtime.

So, thoughts, anyone?

Here is my question, why couldn't Sally tell the CD the day after it happened.