From: patmcg@home.merit.edu (Pat McGregor)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Decentralization--what we can do
Date: 15 Oct 92 14:25:26 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan
NNTP-Posting-Host: home.merit.edu

tbarnes@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (thomas wrentmore barnes) writes:


>I would be in favor of getting the BoD to reverse its course. I fear
>that without some sort of central organization the S.C.A. will fragment
>and fragment again until its' separate parts are weak and unrecognizable
>as the S.C.A. I know.
>	I get the sense that people feel that the BoD is unresponsive to
>their wishes. How might we get them to change.

>Lothar
 
Having worked for 3 years as Corp. Chronicler, lived about 2 miles
from Joe Radding for a number of years, having known Tim Moran and George
Johnson and Cecelia Weisenberger for more than 10 years now, I *cannot* 
let this "sense" go unchallenged.
 
People who serve on the Board *care* very much what people think. They 
ask for input all the time -- at revels, private conversations, etc.
They do seem to try to keep their "board" persona and their SCA personas
separate, but sometimes it just doesn't work. (For example, I once
saw Sir Garrahan/Tim sit for almost 5 hours trapped in the same alcove
at an event listening to people who had concerns about a particular
issue before the board. And I heard him take those concerns to the 
Board at the next meeting.)
 
People who serve on the Board take years of experience and contact
with us regular folk with them when they go. They include their
own feelings, preferences, and wishes, of course, but they do
indeed hear what we have to say.
 
Of course, sometimes we don't say it. We gabble here on the Rialto about
things (which get passed on to the Board, don't fear, but they don't
"officially" get to them), but we don't as a rule write letters,
answer surveys, or go to Board meetings.
 
It's disappointing in a group as large as we are to get, on average, 20
letters on any particular issue, particularly things where the Board
*knows* there are a lot of good strong feelings out in the Known World.
 
We here in the world have a lot of good ideas about how to "fix" things,
but I seldom see us doing a lot about it. When Kingdom or principality
officers can't get replacements for Months or Years, until the officer
just about drops over dead from burnout, or someone who doesn't really
want to do it but will take it on out of the goodness of his/her heart,
or, gods help us, someone who isn't really qualified gets the job
and then screws it up, but there wasn't any other choice, then I begin
to wonder where all the bright, intelligent, problem-solving people
I know in the SCA are hiding.
 
Sorry. ;-) I didn't intend to turn this into a tirade. I just hope that
if you have a chance to attend one of the rotating Board meetings
in the Kingdoms you will. I thnk it will open your eyes.
 
  siobhan
 

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
       Siobhan Medhbh O'Roarke                Pat McGregor
       Shire Cynnabar, Middle Kingdom         3638 Greenook Blvd
                                              Ann Arbor, MI 48103-9143
       patmcg@merit.edu     
       smor@um.cc.umich.edu                   (313) 426-3506
       UserW02V@umichum.bitnet


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