Date: Fri, 11 Mar 94 11:22:13 EST
From: justin@dsd.camb.inmet.com (Mark Waks)
Message-Id: <9403111622.AA07452@dsd.camb.inmet.com>
To: DCROSS@bentley.edu
Cc: carolingia@bloom-beacon.mit.edu
In-Reply-To: <01H9UA26L2MQ001T0M@bentley.edu> (DCROSS@bentley.edu)
Subject: Re: A Plot to keep our burough "members"

Elaine posts a suggestion that older members "adopt" college students
if the pay-to-play thing happens. It's a nice idea; unfortunately, it's
also quite insufficient.

The real problem with pay-to-play isn't so much for the hard-core
borough members. Some of them couldn't afford it, and we'd have to
devise some way to help them. The real problem is the fringe. For
every hard-core member, we've got three less active ones. Those less-
active members *are* good folk, and are useful, and they often wind
up, after a few years, getting more heavily involved. But pay-for-play
is most likely to drive them away, and they're precisely the people
*least* likely to get "adopted" like this.

Bear in mind that, when the boroughs are healthy, they're very, very
*big*. When they peak, it's often the case that we've got somewhere in
the ballpark of one borough member for each active non-borough member
in the Barony. We're simply not going to be able to line up enough
sponsors to deal with that many people; I'd be surprised if we could
find more than 20 or so people willing to sponsor someone long-term.
$20 a year is enough to give most people pause...

It's a good idea, and not all that new a one -- there are at least a
few people out there who pay for their associates' memberships. But
it's simply not enough -- in the long run, pay-for-play *will*
strangle this Barony. And I won't stand for that. (Fortunately, I
suspect I won't have to -- I think we've still got a long fight for
root-and-stem reform at the top, but I think we're close to winning on
the pay-for-play front. Not that I intend to drop that fight until
we've won...)

				-- Justin

Random Quote du Jour:

"Partridge Family recordings may only be destroyed if there is
 imminent danger of them being played."
		-- Ranger Norm