Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => Facility Question and Answers => Topic started by: nimdA on July 14, 2007, 07:02:36 PM
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Answer the questions posted.
Refrain from flaming, trolling, and etc.
I'll try to post one question at a time before asking the next one.
First question:
When did you attend Elan?
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1974- 1975
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1)What was your first reaction when you were informed you were going to Elan?
2)Did you have any part of that decision making process?
3)Did you or your parents tour the school prior to your admission?
4)What was your first impression upon arrival?
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1)What was your first reaction when you were informed you were going to Elan?
2)Did you have any part of that decision making process?
3)Did you or your parents tour the school prior to your admission?
4)What was your first impression upon arrival?
1)I was in McNeal Hosp. right before going to Elan it was a very very much watered down elan so I guess I tought how bad could it be....
2) No not really I was one of Doctor Shwartz 's it was a givin he said where you would go,
3)F?*k I dont know I walked into a hugh house of ppl screeming and yelling. I was taken up stairs for a Quill shower you know to de- bug you... I think for the most part I was in shock...
4)My parents seen Elan when I gradutated not before that....
PLEASE forgive my god awful spelling...[/quote]
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1)What was your first reaction when you were informed you were going to Elan?
2)Did you have any part of that decision making process?
3)Did you or your parents tour the school prior to your admission?
4)What was your first impression upon arrival?
I arrived at Elan February of "91" and left September of "93".
I was 14 walking in and 50 walking out. If you catch my drift. I had a few grey hairs. The hairdresser found them when I got my hair cut and dyed a few days after arriving home. She made a joke about me being like the girl in "Nightmare on Elm Street", Nancy, that got grey hairs after fighting off Freddy Krueger. I said "You don't know how close to the truth that is honey" and we all laughed only my dad and I were laughing a bittersweet laugh. The entire ride home I filled him in on the "Elan" experience. My God I have a ton of things that happened to me that I am bursting at the seems to share but I will refrain and stick to the topic at hand. Being able to type fast has it disadvantages too :)
I had been a ward of the state of Ct. for a little less than 1 year at this point. I landed back at my dad's house and he was preparing to enroll me in the local high school when we got a call from my "DCF" worker. (Department of children and family services) and she said that she found a "GREAT" place for me to go to in Maine. I asked a zillion questions about it and she could not answer them all. THAT alone should of been a warning bell to me but I was 14 at the time and my dad was in the room but was cooking and keeping one ear open on my conversation. I asked her if it was like the "Hyde School" because I had a friend that went there and it was supposed to be "OK". She said it was NOT "Hyde" but just as good and it was a boarding school for kids with problems like me and they were nice and would support me and help me. I agreed, excited to go to a boarding school in Maine. I assumed like my dad that it was an actual boarding school with a therapeutic twist to it. I assumed like my dad that I would do the school thing and maybe a few one on one sessions, a few group therapy sessions,get to see a psychiatrist about my depression and maybe get on meds for it, have free time, go skiing, go out and about the town on the weekends, Etc. He was excited that I was getting a great oppurtunity to be in a school that would focus on my learning on an individual basis and that I would be near Portland Maine so I would get to soak up the local culture and see the cool stuff Maine has to offer a young person.
A few days later after my dad took me shopping for clothes and supplies I was packed and ready to go and we met the lady with her driver and they handed my dad some papers and a brochure of Elan and put me in the car and off we went on the long journey from Ct. to Me.
My dad never saw the place in person until about 2 years later. I was there about 32 month altogether.
Upon arriving I wanted to stay with my stuff I brought my radio and sketch books and the Snoopy bank I had for years. They made me leave and said I would get my stuff later on. I believed them. I had my sketch books taken, my radio, my arts and crafts stuff taken away, my books and magazines, my clothes that they deemed "innapropiate" I was into dark colors and long skirts and long sleeves I was into that dark phase a lot of adolescents got into. All my stuff was ripped apart and I ended up with less than 1/2 of what I came in with.
I was taken into Elan 3, I was overwhelmed! People were screaming "Knock" "Headcounts" "Expeditor" "Who's out there", Etc.
I met my "Big Sis" Mindy Grey not to be confused with Mandy Grey. I met a kid named James Clark that I thought was Mindy's BF cuz he obviously liked her. A blind person could see that.
I asked her if they were an item and she got so upset and was like " NO, Don't EVER say that type of thing out loud again"!
I had the whipped puppy dog thing going on and began to wonder what I had gotten myself into...
Where was the nice boarding school campus I was promised? Where was the snow? Where were the cute skiier/snowboarder dudes? The cool chicks I would giggle with late into the night and share makeup tips with?
I was starting to freak out big time! I was actually having a "Panic Attack" years before they were the "IN" thing. LOL.. I could of used some "Xanax" right about then!
I was taken into a dorm and it was a dank, mildew-y, smelly, ugly, dark, damp, room with bunk beds everywhere! I was asked to undress and get into the shower and I "Kwelled" and got dressed only to be told I could not wear this or that or this or that. I said "Jesus, what am I supposed to wear a sheet"?!
Back up at the house I met a few more people and was told to sit down and I was wondering why all the chairs were set up a certain way and I was wondering if the boy upfront was going to put on a performance for us and before I knew it here came Marc and Jeffrey and Linda Roy and they were a screaming and a hollerin and swearing at this young boy and people ran up to him to scream in his face and I started BAWLING. I mean I was crying like I have never cried. I freaked the fuck out! I was screaming get me out of here, this place is nuts, you people are nuts, why are you all trying to kill that boy, If anyone screams at me like that I WILL spit on them back, God help me, God help you, Etc..
I was in "Communications" running around like a trapped rat I was so far from my dad's house and it was awful and there were no phones or nice dorm rooms with homey decorations
and pictures of peoples friends and pets hanging up, there was no campus like atmosphere, there was no skiing and there were no kind people tripping all over themselves to help me and the other kids.
I wondered this, if the kids screamed at each other like that and went on a system of "ratting" on one another, and the staff encouraged it then who was there to protect us from one another? Kids ruling kids? Fucked up kids ruling other fucked up kids?
This reminded me of a movie I saw and a book I read about a group of boarding school kids that get stranded and they revert to a primitive state of being. "Lord of the Flies"?
We were all alone and it was obviously a survival of the fittest thing and I knew I was so weak (at THAT moment) and too sensitive to "kill" so I allowed myself to be killed...For a little while that is.....TBC....
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awesome post.. I'll put in the questions for reference later.
Thanks for giving me a chance java.gurl.
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Could each of you describe the intake procedure and how it made you feel?
(Java.gurl you already did this somewhat, but if you could elaborate that would be great.)
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To be honest it was so long ago,,,
Just remember being picked up at the airport , the kids that picked me up were strenght, which I didnt know at the time.
We went into the house and I kinda go blank, I forgot so much.... I just remeber that nasty shampoo the nasty smell and thinking how unreal this was, that they even thought I had bugs! I was 14 what can I say....
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To be honest it was so long ago,,,
Just remember being picked up at the airport , the kids that picked me up were strenght, which I didnt know at the time.
We went into the house and I kinda go blank, I forgot so much.... I just remeber that nasty shampoo the nasty smell and thinking how unreal this was, that they even thought I had bugs! I was 14 what can I say....
The kids that picked were strength. What is that?
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Strenght you know Cordinator's and higher up like that.... Kids that were trusted.
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In Straight, they'd describe certain "oldcomers" as being 'strong', which pretty much equates to being a program-pushing hard-ass.
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Higher stages of Dependable Group Member or Responsible Group Member at Three Turds.
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IS IT OVER ALREADY?
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I'm waiting on you guys.
But while we are waiting could you tell me about the ring?
What was all that about?
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The ring. Well it was to be used on people who were bullies to others, you know like an eye for an eye type of deal.
But like everything else back then it too got out of hand. I can remember some wild ones, while I myself never went in I can remember one res. R.M. that guy was used for the ring all the time.
They would always put the bigger ones in to defeat the weak and yes they did wear gloves.
Yeah there was blood and broken nose's problly was it insane I think so, what was really the scary thing about it is how the house would be the ring we would all from a circle so that the two inside could not break free.
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What if you didn't want to fight?
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What if you didn't want to fight?
You were not given a choice.
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So I'm guessing Gandhi's nonviolent approach would catch you a hell of a beating?
Also could you please explain the hierarchy of Elan? From lowest on the totem pole to highest?
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More or less thats what would happen. If they fealt you needed ot you for sure werent going anywhere, I found the GM's that usally went with the ring much more scary.
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What is a GM?
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Now there a good question.
Back in my day they were to worst of the worst if you got a GM you knew you did something really really wrong.
They would call the GM it would start by a director telling whom ever he picked to go call a GM that person would go out yelling GM IN THE DINNING ROOM! Thats where they were all held.
Now came the wait we would all be in the dinning room , all facing the dreaded wall where others before this had been slamed into it, and yes I mean slamed into its a wonder theres not a perament dent .
The wait sometimes was long and it was slient, they meaning strength would walk around and if you were nodding off they would walk up behind you and yell YOU GOT GUILT! Other times they would have cups of water and throw it at you to wake you up.
How it ever got as crazy as they did I will never know..
I had seen people slamed screamed at, put in customs, cover in what they call electric sauce,tar and feather with sauce , one girl was covered in this shit then wraped up like a munny, and then taken for a swim in the lake custome in all.
GM's were so the whole house could deal with what they called negitive attitudes.
I myself made it without any GM's I got stood up and some water poured over me but nothing like what I had to sit and partake in....
CAN I GET A WITNESS?
GM CHANT:
Slowly I turn inch by inch
step by step
CHARGE!
Anyone remember that?
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Do they have restraints at Elan?
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YEP but they really didnt need to use them. However I do remember them using a Straight jacket on J.S.
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What is the staff hierarchy at Elan?
What training did entry level staff get?
You remember what system of restraints they used?
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What is the staff hierarchy at Elan?
Well Directors and Assistant Directors and then others below them,
What training did entry level staff get?
None as far as I knew they all went to elan and were Grads of the program.
You remember what system of restraints they used?
Only seen them used once and that was on J.S. I cant remember what had happened but somehow she ended up naked as a J Bird running all over the place with just that Stright Jacket on, thats something you cant forget, J.S, M.O. and a few others were what seemed to be main targets. I think they thought they could cure them of their mentel Illness.
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How did they come up with the name Elan?
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I had always heard: "for the love of life"... I would say "Lust For Life," but I don't think they were Iggy Pop fans.
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?s ... ch&va=elan (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?sourceid=Mozilla-search&va=elan)
Main Entry: élan
Pronunciation: A-'län
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Middle French eslan rush, from (s')eslancer to rush, from ex- + lancer to hurl -- more at LANCE
: vigorous spirit or enthusiasm
Main Entry: élan vi·tal
Pronunciation: A-län-vE-täl
Function: noun
Etymology: French
: the vital force or impulse of life; especially : a creative principle held by Bergson to be immanent in all organisms and responsible for evolution
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Where are we in this interview?
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How did they come up with the name Elan?
At Elan they told us in means
"with eagerness of spirit"[/color]
I looked it up on babblefish:
Definitions
élan
noun
1. literary
Impressive and energetic style.
Thesaurus: flair, dash, verve, flourish, animation, vigour, liveliness, style, panache, vivacity, zip, esprit, pizzazz; Antonym: apathy, lifelessness.
Etymology: 19c: French.
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What is a GM?
This is what it FEELS like:
A General Meeting is when your whole house gets together,
usually in the dining room
A stage is set
They wait for you
All of your "peers"
With twisted hatred
you stand before them
Then the house arises (1 house only 200 ppl)
And rushes toward you
yelling and spitting on you
Releasing brainwashed phony hatred
After a while (10-20min)
After everyone has "got their feelings off for you" (major spitting in the face uccurs durring this activity)The Director takes over as MC for the show.
He flays you piece by piece. (Emotional Humiation)
The crowd feeds on the sickness
This could last 2-24 or more hours.
Depending on how many houses. (1-5 houses in my time)
How many people are getting a GM. (1-you guess)
How Many Costumes/Signs ect. (There is always a major Learning Experinces Handed out with a General Meeting. Costume for sure with a sighn and you are shotdown (the lowest position and given some outrageous chore too)
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sounds like a wild old time.. what is the worst one you ever underwent?
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sounds like a wild old time.. what is the worst one you ever underwent?
I personally had 2 GM"S. The first one I came downstairs into the
Elan 3 Dining room singing "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath.
Jeff Gottlieb (a director) said " get her out of here she loves this attention"
So, back in the Corner I went.
The second one was for splitting, I never took it too seriously, because I split from the corner. They gave me a Giant pair of silver wings to wear at the end and sent me to Elan 8 from Elan 3.
When I ot to Elan 8 they immediately removed the wings. I was back in the corner within the week. :rofl: Eliscu2
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If I remember correctly you spent about 4/5ths of your stay sitting in the corner?
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Ya, most of my time.
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What passes for education at Elan?
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vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
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It helps a great deal as I believe you are the most current student to date. Please feel free to scan through the interview and answer and comment as you see fit. Very good post on your part and thank you.
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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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I still to this day remember the hurt, confused and dejected look in his eyes as we all had to get up in rows of 5 deep and scream in his face. Noone wanted to, and I can't recall as halfhearted a GM as that day. We had no choice, participating in these things was mandatory or you faced very serious consequences and would become the example yourself for not having a hand in the abuse. While it does not excuse my participation or anyone elses, you can not judge someone for it, or pretend to know how you would react if you were in the same position. You simply cannot.
damn this is scary.
[/b]
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gfggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg
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Ramrod: First responsibility position. Ramrods are in charge of directing the Workers in their respective departments. This level earns being able to use modest jewelry, light makeup and hair stuff like mousse and cheap-ass gel that for some reason always gave me dandruff. Strictly monitered calls once a week.
Was their any abuse in the form of sexual harrassment between peer levels?
did the "ramrods" try to ram their.. err.. in a lower stage kid?
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hjhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
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so sexual harrassment did happen, but it tended to happen in the men's dorm more often?
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klllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
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Next obvious question.. was there sexual harrassment from staff to student?
and what does being "booked" entail?
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Well back in my day sex didnt go on between staff and residents not to my knowledge, but shit between residents, I think they were always trying to stop it. If you got booked that means someone saw you acting on your feelings and reported it.
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And what was your time frame?
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Those Gm's were nothing compared to what they used to do.....Did you guys ever throw anyone into the lake?
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i think my name says it all
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i think my name says it all
DO IT FAGGOT
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:rasta: :jerry: ::poke:: ::unhappy:: ::fullofshit:: ::deadhorse:: O0 :moon: :guesswho: ::puke::
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When I was in E3 from 91-92 (92-93 was spent in E7) There were a few male/female relationships. Stupid stuff. Flirting, kissing, Etc. I know a few got away with boinking. A female who had sex in E3 told me the following "It was better for him than me. How could I concentrate & "let go" enough in this place to cum? "Sam" rushed to get his nut off & not get caught at the same time he barely even remembered I was there!" While teenage boys may have the ability to "go all night" that does not make them patient & caring & sharing sexual partners. You have 2 kids having sex, someone is bound to come away unsatisfied! :wall:
Most of the sexual relationships happened in the males dorms. I know of one guy who had sex with quite a few males. It was crazy because the males were all macho & girl crazy on the floor but in the dorms they were willing partners with this openly gay guy. It caused quite the ruckus in E3. One of the boys was supposed to be "in love" with a female & she was pissed & hurt & it was utter chaos! I felt sorry for her. She & he had faced all kinds of bullshit over their "relationship" for a long time & here he was in the dorms..
What did the staff think would happen? You put all those young men at their prime sexually in an environment where it is wrong to even smile & laugh with a girl & then lock them up with other young men who only talk about sex all night & walk around shirtless, Etc. It was a matter of time before masturbation would not do anymore & someone would have same sex- sex just to release the tensions they had sexually.
I laughed when it all came out. I saw nothing wrong with ppl having "feelings" for others or having "eyes" for others. It was normal & natural. No one was made of stone for crying out loud! A lot of times we were lonely & enjoyed the friendship. It was not sexual & perverted the way Elan made it out to be. Some duded were pervs in Elan however..Like the "Pantie Raiders" one or two dudes stole panties off of the porch out of the returned laundry bags on gym day. They got GM's.
I had a very close male friend who ended up splitting & not getting caught & I faced all kinds of bullshit about that. I was even blamed for his splitting!
Elan took normal simple friendships & turned them into warped, twisted, nasty, evil things ::evil:: ::OMG:: :bs:
It's a wonder we can even have relationships at all as adults! Many of us could not actually..
Young relationships-another thing Elan took & ruined for us. We understood we could not run around boinking one another for obvious reasons but when you're kids & authority figures try so hard to prohibit you from doing something that makes you want it that much more. IF Elan allowed us to have "normal" relationships with one another maybe..just maybe a lot of what happened would not of happened.
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How do you feel about your friends today?
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I do not have a shitload of them but the ones I do have I trust a lot & have yet to let me down. As a matter of fact 3 of my closest friends in this world were in Elan 3 with me. LOL.
When I first got out of Elan I was 17 & had NEVER been to a public HS so I fell into the pot smoking, acid takin, hippy crowd but that's OK cuz I saw a lot of cool shows & met a lot of cool ppl.
Because of Elan I thought I had a more "mature" perspective as to what "friends" should be about & they consistently fell through but being a teenager I just continually lowered my standards & realized these kids lived care free lives from 9th grade till 12th or whatever grade they were in & could not possibly understand what Elan was all about & what it did to ppl who should of been leading the care free lives these kids had been all those years.
It took me a bit of time & "re programming" to find my niche in the world but I eventually did.
Good ol' Elan... Continually destroying lives & relationships-At least they were consistent with SOMETHING!
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I wish we had some people who have recent experience with Elan. Given the age range of respondents to this interview the information would be telling about the evolution of the school.
But..
What questions would you like me to ask?
I know so little about Elan, the structure, and the people it boggles my mind. Yet it seems like so much more should be asked.
What do you want to discuss... because I'm out of questions for the time being.
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More ppl used to come around but they have all moved on for the time being. Ppl who have been at Elan in the last 6 years or so interest me too. I would like to see how the place has changed. I know they consolidated E7 & E8 due to low intake numbers. I know they got rid of "The Ring" (I heard that through a rumor...) Tis true?
I wonder how it actually does differ now VS the 1991-1994 era.
I know they took their sports teams to a new level & Elan competes against normal schools in the area & has been recognized as a "normal" ::OMG:: school itself.
What else? Do they now offer a Vegetarian & Kosher menu? God knows we asked for one when I was there.
We would get pasta dishes loaded with animal flesh & had nothing to eat ourselves & were told to pick the meat out of the pasta dish. It has been saturated with meat juices how is that veggie or Kosher? One had to literally BEG to make toast or PB&J when such a meal was served. We were told to eat salad, that's great but we needed a protein replacement especially at the ages we were. We were either becoming men or women & needed to eat accordingly. If u were not a high posistion & u asked for toast or PB&J u were treated like it was a big fucking priveledge to be allowed to eat toasted bread with PB on it!
How hard would it of been to slop pasta without meat on another plate for us few veggies/Kosher kids?
God knows enough was paid to Elan on behalf of us to do that ONE tiny tiny thing...
That's my rant about Elan.
Oh well.
I am alive & pretty happy in life today as we speak so I can easily come here & say my piece & leave & go on as usual.
There are things that will remind me of Elan or something that happened there. But I do not allow it to control my being.
When I was the ripe old mature age of 18 I did :cry:
Have a great one peeps!
RIP PAUL NEWMAN- You were so nice to me when you bought flowers from Stop & Shop's floral section in Westport. I appreciated your compliments on my arrangements. You will be missed & were a great talent & did so much for the needy kids of Ct. & other places...Luved your products BTW...Met you in Stew Leonards too when your products first came out & Stewies was the only place hawking your wares. My Dad loved meeting you too..My Aunts loved your blue eyes ::)
Your wife on the other hand... ::OMG:: ::poke:: :wall:
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Did you ever see anyone sent to the ring over not wanting to eat the food due to their principles?
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I was sent to Elan from February 4th of my junior year in highschool, to late october of my freshman year in college. The schools traditions are based on severe verbal abuse,whereby a student who does not comply with the stringent rules is routinely verbally abused in an attempt to break his spirit and make him submit. I would strongly advise against anyone sending their child there, even years after finally leaving, it is hard to imagine that i survived such a soul crushing prison. I lost two years of my life in that cold hellhole off of number 5 road, and I hope that no one else has to share the same fate.
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Rise up stool people! Rise up and cry havoc!
:rocker:
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To the original poster:
Where is that Elan program located?
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The original poster, nimda, is me. One of my old accounts that I used to use.
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The original poster, nimda, is me. One of my old accounts that I used to use.
LOL I have a hard time believing YOU would say something like this:
Refrain from flaming, trolling, and etc.
:sue:
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Mod edit please for femanon's blatant flaming.
Bye now.
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Bump!
I feel that this discussion needs to be re-opened considering these bastards are still in operation as we speak.
Any knew people to this forum have anything to say about ELAN. Some survivor who isnt A NEWBIE to this board please inform our guests exactly where ELAN is located, and please give us all more details on their program modality.
Thanks in advance!
-DP
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These Corrupt bastards need to be shut down. I went through two years of hell there. it all went fairly quickly once the institution effect set in. Now there is no ring but the same effects are in place. General meeting! shit how many times jeffery has spat all over my face yelling about how i did something that i didnt understand as being wrong. i wonder how many times i served as a janitor. as of now i have been out for three or four monthes and every time i hear anything that resembles "Cheif!" i jump. when someone drops something i look around for jeffery to pop out of no where and say " to be aware is to be alive"
the system is so screwed there that because the one person they put in charge of everyone each day has their panties in a knot, i once had to burst into tears to get a cup of water because i was so thirsty in the locked up dining room of elan three that i was about to black out. fucking took me 5 hours to get to the bathroom where i was watched. if i tried to just go to the bathroom i would surely be tackled by 5+ people and put into computer zipties where i couldnt use the bathroom for at least another half hour.
Right now i am a senior in highschool. i think that this is my first year if highschool though because the school there is not school. the educations director put on my transcripts something misspelled. and this was after she thought that i didnt take the class because i couldnt have with no time. we took an ap calculus class out of regular school hours and she didnt even know about it. there are such gaps in the teachings there i am screwed in highschool.
So i sit at home deprived of an education. almost deprived of a family because my family wanted me to be in the family. after two full years of closely monitered contact that i would rarely get because the fucked up system there prohibited me from doing so, i am just not really here in my family. i dont have a place.
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Drop the hammer, lock the action.. yeeeah baby. Rock n' Roll.
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http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2qjFT9Pimg
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:shamrock:
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:fuckoff: