A call for the reinstatement of Sue Marcoux
October 8, 2014
The Board of Directors
Camp Fatima and Camp Bernadette
c/o Bishop Peter Libasci, Chair
153 Ash Street, Box 310
Manchester, NH 03105
Dear Members of the Board,
We write to you today as a camp community deeply troubled by the recent termination of Sue Marcoux as Resident Director of Camp Bernadette. As you know, Sue has served in the position of Resident Director for sixteen years and Camp Bernadette has thrived under her stewardship and passion. We are distressed by the absence of an explanation for Sue’s termination and gravely concerned about the negative consequences Sue’s abrupt departure may pose to future campers. For these reasons, we unequivocally call on you to reinstate Sue Marcoux to the position of Resident Director.
Sue's termination appears to manifest a disturbing recent pattern of arbitrary and potentially harmful changes to camp. The decision to host starter week campers during first session at Bernadette not only threatens to disrupt the activities of the entire camp but will cause the diocese to needlessly lose out on full session tuition from as many as 25 campers. Beyond the logistical and financial implications of that decision, the move demonstrates a disregard for the returning campers who will not be able to attend camp that session or possibly at all because their spots have been filled by starter campers. This comes as campers’ families will soon be asked to pay to participate in change weekend and seasoner activities, which have been free for decades. Despite Bernadette’s relative affordability when compared to other New England camps, many families must work hard to find ways to pay for their daughter to go to camp, and these new fees will only add to their financial burden.
Executive Director David Thibault, who has demonstrated little understanding of the camping world, made these questionable decisions without the input and even against the advice of Sue Marcoux, who has run camp and its finances with extraordinary success for sixteen years. These decisions also ignored the input of the head staff who amongst them hold decades of collective experience as camp staff. We are aghast at the hubris required not only to ignore Sue's counsel on these matters but to jettison it in all future matters. We are particularly concerned at the irresponsible decision to leave Camp Bernadette without an experienced leader as it faces the reaccreditation process this summer. The five ACA accreditations Camp Bernadette has received under Sue's leadership are not an accident. Nor are the glowing reviews given by campers at the end of their stay at camp, the hundreds of decisions to return to Bernadette made each off-season or the annually-formed waitlist of girls who hope for their first chance to attend. These testaments to camp are a tribute to the way Sue runs it, placing camper safety, Catholic values and positive human development above all else. To remove her without cause is to commit a grave and arrogant error.
Sue’s success as Resident Director is evident to all who know Camp Bernadette. She has cultivated and nourished an innovative and enriching program that weaves our Catholic faith and mission into the very fabric of camp. Under Sue’s leadership and example, Camp Bernadette has offered girls a safe and loving environment that has afforded them the opportunity to grow in their understanding of a loving God through caring relationships and respect for creation. But her profound impact on the lives of so many young women is not as obvious from afar. Over the past few weeks, many campers, staff and parents have shared with you the ways in which Sue has touched their lives and her certain role in their futures. Some have shared experiences that are deeply personal and have had profound impact. But although we have shared our heartfelt testament to Sue’s character and her devotion to Bernadette campers and staff, we as a community know nothing of the decision to remove her from the role in which she has earned our trust, our deep admiration and our love. This is wrong.
We know that if the decision to terminate Sue Marcoux was made in the best interest of campers, that it would be understood by all who care about Camp Bernadette. We have been offered vague, scant and unsatisfactory responses by Mr. Thibault, who has held the position of Executive Director for less than five months and has no prior experience as a senior camp professional. He has also been unable to offer any adequate reasons as to why some of the program and fee changes are being implemented while stating that these changes are being made after discussions that occurred with staff. Yet many current head staff were not consulted about these decisions, and if they were, their advice was contrary to what Mr. Thibault has now unilaterally implemented. The decision to fire Sue was similarly made without the input of stakeholders and still has not been explained. We cannot accept this lack of transparency.
Camp has thrived under a system of respect, responsibility and transparency that Sue Marcoux helped to create, and we are all obligated to future generations to ensure that that successful model remains in place. The first step in ensuring this is to reinstate Sue Marcoux to the position of Resident Director. We ask that you consider the voices of the campers, staff and camp families past and present listed here and promptly take whatever steps are required to ensure that the Bernadette campers of Summer 2015 are afforded the same extraordinary experience we have all been privileged to enjoy under Sue Marcoux’s leadership.
Sincerely,
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