Awards Policy

[Jeanne C. Stapleton]

> At 08:23 PM 1/14/97 -0600, you 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? 
> 
> Ansteorra is one of the few Kingdoms in which being a paid member is
> less important that what contrubtions you make. 

Actually, although I have not lived in all of the kingdoms, I don't 
know of any where being a paid member is "more" important than
the contributions a person makes.  Paid membership is not required 
for receipt of awards in the West or An Tir.  It is required in the 
Outlands, but simply having a paid membership will not get you an 
award.  Outstanding contributions will.

 Original no one had
> to be a paid member to receive recognition for work done.  Many
> poeple in this Kingdom are active particapants without being a paid
> member.  Yes, there are some things that rightly require a paid
> membership, SCA offices and fighting for Crown.  But, we would be a
> poorer group if only paid members were allowed to receive
> recognition for the work they do.  Plus, what do you do to the peer
> or lord whose membership lapses?  Do you strip them of there awards?
>  
I've never heard this proposed anywhere.  It doesn't happen in the 
Outlands.

> 
> >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.
> 
> Here you will get no argument from me.  Anyone who is not
> particapating and/or is discouraging other from participating is not
> working for the betterment of the SCA.  But, I feel that these are
> two different topics. Plus, it is possable for a indivdual to be
> active on a Kingdom level while choosing not to participate localy. 
> I do not agree with this perspctive but, I recognise that t exsists.
>  And some of these people have contributed to the SCA in very
> constructive ways.  Just my two shillings worth.
> 
I think a big question that is not being raised in this discussion 
(which could be a whole new thread) is *why* people might choose to 
not participate in their local group and would choose instead to 
"play only kingdom".  I've never made a conscious choice to "play 
only kingdom", but that does sometimes end up the result.  The reason 
is not always disgruntlement with a local group as a personal need 
for challenge.  There is also the quesiton of the scarce resource of 
time.  There is a fallacious underlying assumption I've seen in the 
commentary so far that one needs to have a "regular" base level of 
participation in their local group and *then* add a layer of regional 
or kingdom participation.  For most of us, there needs to be a choice 
made!  

Also, while I generally come to find some very close friends in my 
local group, not all of them become close friends; I tend to select 
activities based on people first, with interest in the activity a 
close second.  In a very small group, doing the same things over and 
over again, I rapidly acquire a level of boredom like lactic acid in 
my mind.  :-)  For stimulation and challenge, I often participate in 
a selected activity (such as dance and cooking) and travel around my 
region to the activities that are related.  For example, if it's a 
choice between an archery practice in my local group (which is a 
minimal interest to me, I'll do it, but it's not a passion) and a 
dance practice two groups up the road, I'll go to the dance practice.

This wanders far afield, but I think it's important to mention that 
there can be *constructive* reasons for choosing to play elsewhere.  
The implication in the tone is clearly that this is not the case, but 
I'd prefer to know more before passing some sort of judgement on 
merit for awards.

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