From: dagoura@MIT.EDU
Message-Id: <9402170025.AA05893@milquetoast.MIT.EDU>
To: mitgaard@MIT.EDU
Subject: The Board and You
Date: Wed, 16 Feb 94 19:25:30 EST


Greetings to everyone!

I recently had a chat with someone in the Borough who'd been following
the Board of Directors mess, who was under the impression that the
opinions of non-paid-members weren't welcome or relevant.

This is wrong.  It doesn't matter whether you've paid the corporation
or not.  Your opinion counts.

First off, the King is still your King, and the Queen is still your
Queen.  They can't be expected to keep tabs on every person and nook
and cranny of the Kingdom.  You, as their subject, have to tell them
that you are here, and you have to tell them what you feel, or they
won't have any way of knowing.  And for *once*, in this mess, the King
and Queen are not mere figureheads: a majority of the Royalty of the
Society can impeach the Board.  

Look at it this way: assume for the moment that you object to $20
mandatory membership because you would probably decide that you can't
really afford a hobby with a $20/year surcharge -- but you don't tell
Their Majesties.  You can't assume that anyone else will do so, if you
don't.  So when "paid" members write the King and Queen saying
"There're all these people who can't afford this tax", the King and
Queen -- for lack of evidence -- might rightly reply "Where are all
these people who can't afford this?  Everyone we've ever heard from
could afford it!"

Secondly, you don't have to be terribly, terribly active to matter.
You are perfectly within your rights to write to the Board and say
"You know, I just got here, but I think this would be a nicer place if
you .... [put your opinion here]."  You don't have to have to come up
with a killer rationale, or the argument to end all arguments.  Just
writing to let the Board and Their Majesties know "This is how I feel,
this is what I want to see; please keep it in mind when making plans"
is valuable.  Letting them know "If this happens, this will be the
ramifications in the way or upon whether I do the SCA" is the only way
they'll find that out.  Don't decide for them that your opinion
doesn't matter.  Let them make their own decisions about whom they
want to hear or not; you might be pleasantly surprized.

Thirdly, it's really easy from here to pick up the impression that the
SCA feels it can punt people who don't give their souls to it.  This
is not true.  The Board made these decisions unilaterally, and pissed
off a good chunk of the Society.  A survey had been done last year in
which 80% of the respondants said they OPPOSED this move, and the
Board announced that in light of this would take no action in this
direction (needless to say, they lied).  

Now, I won't lie to you: the Board's decisions have popular support.
Nobody knows how much support.  We find out soon, we hope, when
everyone who care WRITES to let the Royalty and the Board know how
they feel.  If it turns out that the people of the Society support
this state of affairs, *I'm leaving*; I don't want to be part of a
Society like that.  But I have some faith that the people of the
Society *don't* actually all think that the when-they-can and the
shoestring participants are expendible.  DON'T assume that it's
already a lost cause; it's not over till it's over.

[IF YOU OPPOSE THE BOARD'S POSITIONS: Please be aware that the letter
from the Board to all the paid members intimated very strongly that
the people who don't pay are "troublemakers" (their term) and not only
don't help out, but actively raise hell and try to destroy the
Society.  NOW is the time to stand up and be counted, to say "I
haven't paid, but I don't think I'm such a detriment to the Society;
this is what I've done, this is what I'd like to do in the Society."
Make the people who would be so exclusive look those gentles in the
metaphorical eyes whom they would exclude!]

     SO...write to:

        Their Oriental Majesties Gregor & Christence:
        Scott & Terry Heist
        68 Main St.
        Ashbury, NJ 08802

This is our King and Queen.  They will be replaced by their Heirs
before the next Board meeting, so it would be a good idea to "cc" the
Prince and Princess, so they'll have a copy when they take the
thrones:

        Their Oriental Highnesses Lucan & Jana:
        Jaye & Jana Brooks
        905 Branch Ave., 2nd floor
        Providence, RI 02904

Also, send a copy to 

        the Oriental Seneschal, Baron Laurence Thornguard:
        Joel Doner, Esq.
        100 Miller Ave.
        Lindenwold, NJ 08021

He's the equivalent of the President of the "East Kingdom" Chapter of
the SCA, Inc.

And of course, write to the Board, itself:

        SCA Board of Directors
        PO Box 360743
        Milpitas, CA 95036-0743

You can, if you want, address letters to specific Board members; let
me know and I'll get you the specific address you want, but the above
address will get copies of your letter to everyone on the Board.  You
may want to send a cc of your letter to the Board to their hired
executive director:

        Mr. Tony Provine, Executive Director
        Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.
        PO Box 360743
        Milpitas, CA 95036-0743

SPECIAL BONUS OFFER: The Barony has volunteered to pay the postage.
Write your letters (make a copy for your own records), and put them in
an appropriately filled out envelope, bring them to either 4-402
Monday night at 8:30 or 16-310 Wednesday night at 7:30, and give them
to Eowyn; they will be stamped and mailed for you.  Of course, feel
free to use your own postage -- you can mail your letters directly
yourself.  

Yours in Service,

Tibicen
dagoura@mit.edu

"They can have my sword when the pry my cold, stiff fingers from the
hilt."                                                       -- Anon.