Date: Mon, 24 Jan 1994 14:24:06 -0800
From: kleber@math.berkeley.edu (Michael Kleber)
Message-Id: <199401242224.OAA25865@math.berkeley.edu>
To: Carolingia@bloom-beacon.mit.edu
Subject: Board decision: info from ex-chair

Keith Cartmell, recently chairman of the Board, posted this to the
Rialto.  It's some of the best solid information I've seen yet.
I've also heard that the two dissenting Board members were
Randal and Karen Hatten (from Georgia); can anyone confirm this?

---------
From: keithc@nucleus.cuc.ab.CA (Keith Cartmell)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Jan Board meeting info.
Date: 24 Jan 1994 13:57:26 -0500

I have spoken this evening (Sunday) with 2 Directors.  Bear in 
mind they are dog tired from a long weekend and flights home.  I 
know how one feels after a Board meeting, and I'm grateful they 
called me.  What follows is my interpretation of what they said.  
The Bylaw change to allow a requirement for membership to attend 
events has been passed in a special meeting.  It seems to be the 
Board's intent to impliment the policy as soon as the officers can 
do so.  There is a plan in progress to allow new people to check 
us out for some amount of time, 6 months to a year seems to be the 
time frame.  The Board is planning to write the whole thing up and 
if I understand correctly, do a mass mailing to the membership.
It appears that costs have increased dramatically.  They spent 
at least the morning before the public meeting reviewing the 
budget and did chop quite a bit out. None the less, assuming that 
the membership numbers stay constant the Corporation is looking at 
an additional $200,000 or so in revenue over the coming year.  I 
was led to believe that the increase was necessary to cover costs, 
though I was not offered any specific $ amount increase for any 
particular budget item.  What do I think, you ask?  No comment.
 
Increasing the number of memberships required to open, maintain, 
and advance branch status has not been passed.  It is my 
understanding that the Society Seneschal is looking at it.
 
My advice for the moment is to hang tough until the Board produces 
something in writing about the membership and rate increases.  
They have to produce it sooner or later.  What I have is all 
verbal so far.  When some written documentation is produced, 
people will then have to make up their minds what their reaction 
is.  These are very serious changes.  If you disagree with them 
you *MUST* write the Board.  A million postings on the Rialto will 
not make the slightest difference to the Board.  Think about it 
carefully, based on the information given.  The actions you take 
will quite possibly determine the future of the SCA.
Ragnar
Keith Cartmell
recently Chairman of the Board.