Awards Policy

[Jeanne C. Stapleton]

> Hi, Joe!
> 
> 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?
> 
> Not in Ansteorra.  It was decided that paid membership should not be
> a requirement for awards.  Some other kingdoms require it, but I'm
> not sure which ones.
> 
I don't know all of the kingdoms' policies on awards requirements;
the Outlands requires that you be a paid member, and I believe
Atenveldt does as well.  Neither the West nor An Tir require paid
membership for award receipt.

> > 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)
> 
> You are taking a very specific situation and trying to generalize.
> 
> 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.
> 
I'd have to agree with the foregoing:  it is not required that 
service for a kingdom award include mandatory participation in
the local group.  Nor has the SCA ever required that you play only
or primarily with the group you live in.  Many people find that the
local group doesn't quite match up with their own interests or needs
and are fortunate enough to have a group close at hand that does.

> In Ansteorra, Shires may submit their members for the Sable Comet of
> Ansteorra, which is an Award-of-Arms level award designed to
> recognize individuals' efforts to a group lower than Baronial level.
> 
The Outlands has a similar one,the Trefoil (but I believe it's 
specifically "service to a shire"...but it doesn't have to be "your" 
shire, which means it can apply to travelling to other shires and 
helping out there, teaching, fighting, helping with demos, etc.

> All this notwithstanding, I would argue that a person who doesn't
> support local groups and, in fact, undermines the group's efforts by
> discouraging other members from participating, shouldn't get any
> kind of award.  Even as I hold a deputy kingdom office, I still
> participate in my local group's activities and support the groups
> around us.
> 
I think my answer would depend on whether the person in question was 
refusing 'support" to just their own local group or to local groups 
in general.  I've run across some weird flaky types (in another 
kingdom) who were so household focused that they were paranoid
about any local group.  In that case, no, they were not deserving of
an award.

Avoiding a local group:  I guess I'd have to know why.  As far as 
discouraging other members of their household from doing so:  well, 
it's still up to the individuals in question whether they take that 
advice or not.  Households are a weird organism--I don't know where 
they fall on the scale of things in Ansteorra.  They're not at all 
big in the Outlands, in An Tir they're a huge social factor.  
Households are not official SCA groups, and therefore they fall 
somewhat outside the pale:  I'm not in favor of recommending people 
for awards for service in building up that household, unless that 
household is then turned outwards as a tool to serve kingdom, region, 
group, office.  (I'm in a household like that.)  An inwardly focused 
household that does no service anywhere...no.

This is long-winded, but I guess the ultimate point is that there are 
at least two sides to every question.  This would seem to be one of 
those cases.

Countess Berengaria de Montfort de Carcassonne, OP
Barony of Caerthe
Kingdom of the Outlands