[Ansteorra-announce] [Announcements] President's Report on the April 2003 Board of Directors meeting

[Baron, Meg]

Greetings unto the esteemed members of the Society:

Following is a brief summary of the highlights of the Board's actions at its
most recent quarterly meeting, held April 26, 2003, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
(Kingdom of the Middle).

Respectfully submitted,

Meg Baron
President, SCA Inc.

------------------------------------

BRANCH STATUS CHANGES

The Board took note of the following branch status changes:

Shire of Lionsdale (Kingdom of An Tir)
Barony of Ildhafn (New Zealand)
Barony of Mordenvale (Kingdom of Lochac)

The Board granted the petition for the elevation of the Crown Principality
of Tir Righ (Kingdom of An Tir) to full Principality status, effective as of
the successful completion of a Coronet List and the investiture of the first
Prince and Princess.


OLD BUSINESS

A. New Zealand Border Adjustment

The Society Seneschal presented the results of the polling of New Zealand
regarding transferring New Zealand from the Kingdom of Caid to the Kingdom
of Lochac. A majority favored the Kingdom change. The Society Seneschal
recommended that this change be made.  This change was also supported by the
Crowns and Kingdom Seneschals of both Caid and Lochac.  The Board voted to
transfer the groups in New Zealand from the Kingdom of Caid to the Kingdom
of Lochac. The change is to be effective as of Lochac's May 2003 Crown
Tournament.

B. Drachenwald Kingdom Newsletter Stipend Adjustment

Director Lis Schraer presented a brief verbal report regarding postage costs
in Drachenwald. More research remains to be done. Chairman Moore directed
Lis Schraer to prepare a full report for the next meeting.


NEW BUSINESS

A. Change to Corporate Policies, section I.B.

The following changes were made to section I.B. of the SCA, Inc.'s Corporate
Policies. The changes were necessary due to the recent "unbundling" of
Tournaments Illuminated from membership, as well as the recent changes to
International memberships.

Corporate Policies I.B.1. now reads as follows:

Sustaining Membership conveys eligibility to hold office in the SCA, a
subscription to a Kingdom newsletter, the option to subscribe to other
Corporate publications, and any other privileges designated by the SCA or
its subdivisions as accruing to members of the SCA. This type of membership
is considered a subscribing membership.

Corporate Policies I.B.2. now reads:

International Membership conveys the privileges of Section I.B.1. This
membership type is available only to mailing addresses outside the United
States or Australia. This type of membership is considered a subscribing
membership.


B. East Kingdom Non-Member Surcharge Implementation Variance

The Board upheld the six-month variance to the Non-Member Surcharge
implementation policy which had been granted to the Kingdom of the East by
the Society Treasurer and Society Seneschal. This variance allows the East
Kingdom to send checks received from branches directly to the Corporate
office instead of combining all checks into a single check from the Kingdom
account.  The Board additionally specified that checks and reports will be
transferred to the Corporate office no less frequently than once per month.
Chairman Moore directed that, if this variance is to be renewed, a
compelling reason must be presented to the Board in writing.


C. Outlands Building Fund Transfer/Medieval Properties Inc.

Chairman Moore ordered this item returned to the Kingdom for a By-Laws
modification, as the new corporation's By-Laws had no provision for what
would happen in the event of dissolution. The Board also wanted verification
that an attorney had been consulted in this process.


D. David E Jenkins (Llywelyn ap Cadwalladre) resigned membership in the
Order of Chivalry and the Order of the Pelican. The Board accepted the
resignations.


E. Corpora Interpretation

The Board upheld the Society Seneschal's interpretation of Corpora I.A.2.,
which states that one form of proof of membership is a letter from the
Corporate office has been received. The Society Seneschal's interpretation
was that a confirmation form printed from the website after an online
membership purchase met this definition, and is valid proof of membership.


F. Border Adjustment - Kingdoms of the Middle and Meridies

The Board accepted the petition of the Kingdoms of the Middle and Meridies
to transfer the zip codes comprising the branch of Redewolf from the Kingdom
of the Middle to the Kingdom of Meridies, effective immediately.


G. Margo Lynn Hablutzel (Morgan Cely Cain) resigned membership in the Order
of the Pelican. The Board accepted the resignation.


H. Dwayne Sisk (Gareth le Bruin) resigned membership in the Order of
Chivalry. The Board accepted the resignation.


I.  The Board granted the requested variance to the waiver text for Pennsic
War. The text is the same as that for last year's War.



OFFICERS' REPORTS - action items and policy decisions (note: officers not
mentioned here had no action items or policy decisions to present for Board
review)

Society Seneschal

The Society Seneschal's action items, approval of the Pennsic War waiver
variance and her interpretation of Corpora I.A.2., were addressed earlier in
the meeting. She also requested a warrant for Audrey Epple (Yseult de Mont
Aigu) as Deputy Society Seneschal-Society Children's Coordinator. The
warrant was signed during a break.

Society Treasurer

The Treasurer requested that the Board uphold the Non-Member Surcharge
implementation variance for the East Kingdom, which was addressed earlier in
the meeting. He also requested a warrant for Susan Earley (Margherita
Alessia, called Ghita) as Society Chancellor of the Exchequer.  The warrant
was signed during a break.

Chief Information Architect

The Chief Information Architect requested that the Board allow limited
access to the Corporate Office network for purposes of remote training and
support. The Board noted that it has been the policy that such access was to
be granted under exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the
Vice-President of Corporate Operations, and supported her interpretation
that current circumstances are not exceptional. The request was denied.

Society Chronicler

The Society Chronicler presented a new policy to be added to section B.13.d.
of the Society Chronicler's Policies, which concerns advertising in
newsletters, as follows:

"While it may be permissible for the SCA or an individual group under the
SCA to sell instructional pamphlets and other documents that would assist in
the creation of alcoholic beverages as an educational re-creation function,
it is not permitted for SCA publications to sell, offer for sale, or accept
advertising for sale, any alcoholic beverage."

The Board upheld this policy.


Laurel King of Arms

Laurel presented several policy interpretations and new policies for the
Board's review.

1. Several badges were ubmitted by the Kingdom of Trimaris against possible
future need. Laurel ruled that this was an abuse of the privilege of
Kingdoms to register an unlimited number of badges. The Board noted that
Laurel has reaffirmed existing precedents of his office, and his ruling is
within the authority of his office. No Board action was required.

2. In light of the expansion of encyclopedias made possible in the online
world, Laurel ruled that an encyclopedia entry was no longer sufficient for
a real person to be protected from all name conflict. Commenters in the
College must evaluate whether an historical person was sufficiently
important to protect when citing conflict from an encyclopedia entry. The
Board upheld this policy interpretation.

3. A set of sample letters for transfers of armory and documentation of a
legal relationship to invoke the grandfather clause were presented as
additions to Appendix D of the Administrative Handbook of the College of
Arms. The Board stated that this is an operational matter for the Herald's
office, and as such within Laurel's purview to enact. The changes were
noted.

4. Laurel formally defined "requests for reconsideration" in a new section
of the Administrative Handbook (IV.F, moving the current section IV.F to
section IV.G.) The policy defines requests for reconsideration of changes
made as a result of requests for authenticity as resubmissions for the
purpose of payment of fees. The Board upheld this policy.

Society Marshal

1. The Society Marshal approved the Frameas javelin for SCA use. Approval
was remanded to the next meeting pending notification from the Marshal as to
where this will be found in the Society Marshal's Handbook. Note that, since
the policy was not reviewed by the Board, it remains in effect until and
unless it is overturned.

2. The Society Marshal requested direction on finding a way to access
information on injuries without violating patient privacy rights. The Board
directed the Society Marshal, the Society Seneschal, and the Society
Chirurgeon to work together on this issue.

3. The Society Marshal presented a policy interpretation that the
dispensation for the modification of some of the rules of combat for Pas
d'Armes tournaments does not include a dispensation for grappling. However,
as the Kingdom Earl Marshals had apparently not yet been made aware of this
decision, it was remanded to the next meeting. Note that, since the policy
was not reviewed by the Board, it remains in effect until and unless it is
overturned.

Society Chirurgeon General

The Chirurgeon General presented a policy interpretation that, since it does
not charge for medical services, the SCA is not subject to the government
privacy rules recently enacted under HIPAA. The Board noted that, since this
is not an interpretation of SCA policy, no Board action is needed. The Board
thanked the Chirurgeon General for the information.

Grand Council

The Grand Council reported on the results of its discussions concerning
whether an individual's criminal actions outside the SCA should be grounds
for SCA sanctions. Their conclusions were that sanctions for such activities
may or may not be appropriate, and should be considered on a case-by-case
basis.

Legal Committee

The Legal Committee presented the results of its deliberations on several
questions, but had no action items for the Board.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

The results of actions taken in Executive Session will not be reported here,
as the individuals involved have not yet been formally notified of these
decision.


PERSONNEL CHANGES

This was the final meeting for Director Paul Foster. Many words of thanks
and praise for his service on the Board were voiced by various Directors and
officers. Director-Elect Hal Simon assumed his seat as a Director as of the
close of the meeting.

This meeting also marked the end of the terms of two Society officers. Kathy
Palmer (Mistress Katherine Angelique d'Artois) stepped down as Society
Chancellor of the Exchequer. The new Society Exchequer is Susan Earley
(Maestra Margherita Alessia, called Ghita), of the Kingdom of the Middle.
Gloria Woodard (Mistress Honor of Restormel) stepped down as Society
Chronicler. The new Society Chronicler is Eric Schooley (THL Duncan
MacAllister) of the Kingdom of the Outlands. The Directors thanked both
outgoing officers for their excellent work in their offices.

New Ombudsman assignments are as follows:

Linda Moore: President, Executive Vice President for Legal Affairs, Society
Seneschal, Corporate Office, Legal Committee

Dena Cady: Caid, Lochac, West, Chirurgeon, Communications

Beth Morris Tanner: Ansteorra, Meridies, Trimaris

Gary Raine: An Tir, Calontir, Heralds, Information Technology

Lis Schraer:  Atlantia, Ealdormere, Drachenwald, Arts & Sciences, Board
Recruiting

Hal Simon: Development, Atenveldt, Artemisia, Outlands, Grand Council

Fernando Vigil: AEthelmearc, East, Middle, Financial Officers, Marshal


QUARTERLY MEETING SCHEDULE

The Third Quarter 2003 meeting will be held July 19, 2003 in the Kingdom of
Caid. The location is the Radisson Hotel in Fullerton, California.
The Fourth Quarter 2003 meeting will be held October 18, 2003 - location to
be determined
The First Quarter 2004 meeting will be held in Kansas City, MO (Kingdom of
Calontir).
The Second Quarter 2004 meeting will be held in Tampa, Florida (Kingdom of
Trimaris).
Comments are strongly encouraged and can be sent to:
SCA Inc.
Box 360789
Milpitas,  CA 95036

You may also email comments at sca.org or reply to this message.
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