Awards Policy

[Baker, Mike]

Preface: Ansteorra has no "Order of Merit". We have an Iris of Merit and a 
Star of Merit, so please forgive if I am a bit vague in the following 
discussion.

It is my belief (based upon the wording of the complaint & my own past 
experience) than the original poster may be complaining more about a 
situation where a given gentleperson may be active at a level other than 
"local", than about their actual "national" membership status.

FitzBubba has provided one of the most cogent quotes otherwise appearing in 
this thread, and I consider it to be more than worthy of repetition:

> In fact, a grant-level service award (for example, a Star of Merit) is
> generally given for service to a Kingdom or Principality, not to a
> group.  A person who is not providing service to a local Shire could
> still qualify for a grant-level award based on their service to a
> Kingdom.

Payment or non-payment of membership as a prerequisite for receipt or 
preservation of awards is an old-and-still-raw wound in Ansteorra. Awards 
granted to individuals without evidence of local participation are an even 
older and more contentious matter, which has in the past and apparently is 
once again being exacerbated by an individual who is at odds with their 
local group.

I, for one, do not consider it appropriate for any individual to actively 
oppose the development of the SCA as an organization at any level _and_ 
still receive major awards.

However, Mr. Bosko (acrubray at wtrt.net ?) may have misunderstood the award 
process.  The Crown can only act based upon the information actually in 
Their possession. If all they have seen are recommendations based upon the 
artistic achievements of an individual, or the service achievements, or the 
combat prowess, it is not Their fault that a local issue of which they have 
no knowledge may cloud any award given.

Now, if the forms of communication have been followed, the chain of 
complaints adhered to, and an individual such as described by Mr. Bosko 
still was given a Star of Merit, there may be cause for more serious 
consideration of the matter.

Now, I think it's time for us to emulate the estimable Daniel de Lincoln, 
grab our fishing poles, and head to the lake...

Amr ibn Majid al-Bakri al-Amra
     currently residing in Barony of the Steppes, Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mike C. Baker                      mbaker at rapp.com
Any opinions expressed are obviously my own unless explicitly stated 
otherwise!

 --- quoted message follows ---
From: ansteorra
To: ansteorra
Cc: ansteorra-digest
Subject: Re: Awards Policy
Date: Wednesday, January 15, 1997 10:54AM

Joe Bosko wrote:
> I have a question.. In order for someone to receive an Order of Merit (or
> for that matter ANY SCA Award) shouldn't they be a "PAID" member of the
> society?  If not, then I believe the procedures need to be changed.  An
> individual CANNOT be deserving of the above mentioned award (or any) if
> he/she DOES NOT attend ANY Shire events; discourages other members of
> his/her household from attending or participating in Shire events or help
> the Shire in any way.. Can I get some other views (acrubray at wtrt.net)

Am I missing something here?  In what way does not being a
paid member of the SCA inc. imply that the person does not
attend any shire events and discourages others from doing so?

A person can contribute to the betterment of their local
chapter, their Kingdom and the Society as a whole without
sending any money to the SCA inc.  Are they any less deserving
of recognition because they haven't sent a check to the
corporation?  Some people would say yes.  I'm not one of
them.  There are many ways a person can contribute to the
Society, and I think that sending your money to Califorina is
the least of them.  I have been a paid member for years with
occaisional brief lapses.  Not because I think that I have any
duty to be a paied member if I play in the SCA, but because I
feel that the benifits of membership *BARELY* justify the
expense.

I do not believe that membership should be required in
order to be eligable for awards.  I also feel that charging
extra at events for non-members is a vile and reprehensable
practice, and I generaly avoid attending events held by groups
that do so, even though I am a paid member and it doesn't
apply to me.  I am very proud of the fact that Northkeep has
never charged extra for non-members.  When the mandatory
non-member surcharge was in effect we collected the money
ourselves and did not collect it from our guests.

Just my opinion, your mileage may vary.

Robert Fitzmorgan
Barony of Northkeep