ANST - GC Proposal

[Mitchell-CON, Paul T]

Galen of Bristol here!

Thanks to Don Modius for posting this proposal.

While I am not prepared to say that this proposal is what should
happen in the SCA, my initial reading of it raises no red flags.  
One of the things I look at whenever people propose changing
the SCA is how it would effect things at the local level, on the
tourney field.  How much involvement would those who just
want to play the game have to have in the high-level politics
of the corporate structure, under this proposal?  As near as
I can see, no more than now. 

> ----------
> From: 	Erik Langhans[SMTP:modius at cityscope.net]
> Reply To: 	ansteorra at Ansteorra.ORG
> Sent: 	Tuesday, August 26, 1997 7:44 AM
> To: 	ansteorra at Ansteorra.ORG
> Subject: 	ANST - GC Proposal
> 
> Greetings, as Ansteorra's rep to the Grand Council (GC) I am pleased
> to submit this GC proposal to you all this comment.  Please do so in
> copious 
> amounts if so warranted. I/we need your insight and comments
> to make the GC work the way it was intended.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Don Modius von Mergentheim
	<snip>

> SUMMARY:
> I. Issues addressed: members of the Society in non-US jurisdictions
> have found it necessary to form a number of corporations, apart from
> the
> Milpitas based SCA, Inc.. Current SCA governing documents do not
> deal with this reality well. Where  local corporations exist, Society
> officers must often hold dual memberships. Only SCA, Inc. memberships
> count towards branch totals. Corpora demands procedures that are
> either pointless or illegal in foreign jurisdictions. Growth outside
> the US
> is hampered by a real or perceived US centrism. And the Board is
> badly overworked by its many responsibilities.
> 
> II. Actions proposed:
> A. SCA governing documents revised. Document called the Great Charter
> defines the elements of  medieval recreation common throughout the
> Society.
> Lesser Charters, defining medieval practices specific to particular
> realms
> and controlled by the people of that realm, would also be permitted.
> Modern
> administration defined in other documents.
> 
> B. Recognized corporations or other mundane governing bodies that
> agree to
> follow the Great Charter would control modern administration within
> their
> jurisdiction. They would make payments to support international SCA
> rulemaking and support bodies.
> 
> C. All resident subscribers to local Kingdom or Principality
> newsletter to
> count towards population requirements for branch status, regardless of
> whether or not they are members of  SCA, Inc.
> 
> D. A new body, the World Council, would control the Great Charter and
> the recognition of SCA corporations. Each Kingdom and Principality may
> choose one representative to that body.
> 
> E. Review, appeal and jurisdiction issues. 1. Realms permitted to set
> up
> bodies for review of in-game matters, subject to appeal. 2. Local
> corporations to have jurisdiction over violations of their governing
> documents, performance of their officers, matters affecting their
> legal
> or financial integrity. 3. World Council controls Charter, recognition
> of SCA
> corporations, disputes between more than one SCA corporation where
> parties are unable to agree. World Review Panel created to hear
> specific
> appeals. Any interpretations of  Charter it makes are sent to World
> Council
> for confirmation.
> 
> F. Proposal to be phased in gradually, with World Council and World
> Review
> Panel beginning as advisory bodies to Board.
> 
> G. The most significant cost of this proposal might be $10,000 a year
> for
> World Review Panel travel costs. Some revenues and expenses would
> shift
> from SCA, Inc. to other corporations. Savings are likely for
> international
> members.
> 
> I. THE PROBLEM
> In many countries a local corporation must exist before the Society
> can be legally recognized or function within that country. In others,
> only local non-profits qualify for important benefits. Often, the
> Board as
> agreed that these local SCA corporations are desirable to meet the
> needs of the Society, and recognized them on an ad hoc basis. However:
> 
> 1. Currently, Corpora requires participants to be members of SCA,
> Inc. to serve as officers or count towards membership requirements for
> branch size. Where local corporations essentially support all local
> operations, many participants must hold memberships in both
> corporations. This is often seen as unnecessary and burdensome.
> 
> 2. Corpora specifies that the appointment and removal of officers is
> controlled jointly by the Crown and by officers of SCA, Inc.. This
> often
> creates anomalies in foreign jurisdictions. For example, the Exchequer
> of Nordmark might be considered either an officer of SCA, Inc. (In
> which case he controls no money, since SCA, Inc. does not operate
> or legally exist in Sweden.) or an officer of the Swedish Corp. (In
> which case he is appointed contrary to Corpora.)
> 
> 3. While there are now several corporations that support Society
> activities,
> the rules of the game are controlled by only one, centered in the US.
> The
> current structure often assumes that the whole Society should follow
> requirements that meet US needs, but that hamper the growth of the
> Society
> in other nations.
> 
> 4. Currently, the Board of  SCA, Inc. not only oversees operations
> within its
> jurisdiction, but also controls and interprets the rules of the
> Society
> worldwide, has sole responsibility for sanctions against improper
> Royal
> actions, and determines which foreign corporations to recognize and
> what
> their relation to the Society will be. The Board is seriously
> overworked.
> 
> The Board could develop a formal procedure for recognizing affiliated
> corporations, give them control of mundane administration within their
> jurisdiction, and rewrite Corpora to allow members of those
> corporations to
> be considered members of the Society for purposes of satisfying branch
> membership totals. While desirable, this would not fully address
> problems
> 3 and  4. The following proposal attempts to outline a more complete
> solution.
> 
	<snip>

My compliments to those who have worked so hard to put 
this together; I look forward to the hearing the debate.

Galen of Bristol, Viscount, KSCA, etc.
http://www.flash.net/~pmitchel/galen.htm
pmitchel at flash.net (hm)
paul.t.mitchell-con at lmco.com (wk)
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