ANST - A missive from the Crown concerning Gulf War

[KochKA at gvl.esys.com]

> Unto the members of the Ansteorran mailing list do Gunthar and Sara,
> Rex and Regina Ansteorra, send greetings.
> 
> In the past three days, there has been a lot of traffic on this list
> concerning the cabin reservation situation at Gulf War.  Last night,
> We spoke to Sir John, the autocrat of Gulf War, at great length in
> order to clarify exactly what has happened with regards to the
> allotment of cabin space.  It is the intent of this missive to clear
> up some of the rumors and misunderstandings in the sincere hope that
> we, as a kingdom, can close this issue and turn our energies to more
> positive and productive discussion on this list.
> 
> First, a few facts about Gulf War (I know these aren't going to answer
> any of your questions, but I think they say something about the scope
> of War that is entirely relevant to this discussion - so, bear with me
> a moment):
> 
> *Gulf War has grown every year since the first year.
> *Gulf War had an attendance of 2862 people last year.
> *Last year, there were 400 reservations in by January 6.  This year,
> that number was 797.
> *This year, 276 reservations (mostly for cabin space) were received on
> the first day - December 1.
> *There are 120 beds open to the general public for reservations.  
> *There are more than 120 beds total - the beds beyond that 120 are all
> allotted to royalty, entourage, and staff.  This is traditional, and
> not in conflict with advertised policy.
> *There are only 10 cabins.
> *Every year, the Meridans clear more space and the owners of the site
> make improvements to the land in order to help accomodate the growth
> of the War.
> 
> Now, to refute a few of the things that have been written to this list
> (most of these are paraphrased):
> 
> "The cabins have all been assigned to royals."
> We already know this is untrue.  108 of the 120 beds were assigned to
> people who were *not* royalty, entourage, or staff.
> 
> "12 people got bumped for royalty who didn't make their reservations
> on time."
> There are indeed 12 more beds.  They have *not* been assigned to
> royalty.  The remaining beds are one here, two there, etc...spread out
> in different places.  This made it difficult for the GW staff to
> assign those beds to those who had registered in groups.  Indeed, some
> turned the bedspaces down, expressing their unwillingness to camp away
> from the rest of their group.  Instead, those beds are being filled
> with individuals, typically those with disabilities who, for whatever
> reason, must be indoors to attend the War.
> 
> "I have reservation # 49 - we should have gotten cabin space because
> we were in the first 120."
> The number that you received in the mail is your *packet* number, not
> your reservation number.  Therefore, you might receive a low packet
> number, but still have a high reservation number.  There were 59
> packets on December 1, but a total of 276 reservations.
> 
> "The GW people denied our cabin space, took our money, and now we have
> nothing to show for it."
> The Gulf War staff kept our money so that our pre-registrations would
> remain intact.  Keeping our money ensures that we get the December
> rate, and not the higher January rate.  If you were denied cabin
> space, you should have received a card in your Gulf War booklet that
> offers you three options: tenting reservations (with refund of the
> difference), daytrip pre-registration (with refund of the difference),
> or a full refund.  You have to return your card to the Gulf War staff
> by February 20 so that they know what course of action you prefer.
> If, for some reason, you did *not* receive such a card, you can
> contact the Reservations Coordinator to make her aware of your
> preference:
> THL Kathlene Simonetta
> (mka) Cathy Craft
> P.O. Box 6092
> Bossier City, LA 71171
> (318) 742-4230
> gwarsrsvp at hotmail.com
> 
> "We didn't get cabin space, but they cashed our check and they're
> making interest on our money."
> The account that our money went into is a non-interest-bearing
> account.
> 
> "The Gulf War people aren't going to bother to make any changes in
> their procedure for next year."
> We have John's assurance that the Gulf War staff intends to review the
> process for selling and assigning cabin space in order to insure that
> it is as equitable as possible next year.  They want to avoid a
> reccurence of this situation as much, or more than, we do.
> 
> One thing that has caused some discussion is the issue of 'first come,
> first serve', and whether or not the Gulf War staff adhered strictly
> to that advertised policy.  It is our firm belief that they did their
> utmost to stick to that policy.  Of course, more than 120 reservations
> arrived on the first day, and deciding who was technically 'first' was
> no doubt a difficult decision.  But they delivered the 120 beds
> advertised, they did so to people whose reservations arrived on
> December 1, and they did not usurp any of the promised bedspace for
> Royals.  That all the beds would be filled on the first day was a new
> situation, and they dealt with it, in Our opinion, in as fairly a
> manner as they could.  Next year, there will be a more detailed policy
> regarding the reservation of cabin space.
> 
> Here are some things to keep in mind for next year:
> *Just because you mail your reservations to arrive on the first day,
> that doesn't mean you are _assured_ cabin space.  There are lots of
> other people who will do the same thing.
> *Make an alternate plan.  If you are unable to camp for health
> reasons, reserve a hotel room at the same time you send in your
> pre-registration and reservation for cabin space.  If you get a cabin,
> you can cancel the hotel reservation.  If you do not, then you can
> still attend the War.  
> *If you reserve tent space, be aware that the space in the main
> Ansteorran encampment is extremely limited, as it has been for several
> years now.  Approximately 5 out of every 6 Ansteorrans will end up in
> our other allotted space, which is down Queen's Highway, where we were
> last year.  There's a map of the site on the Gulf War webpage at
> www2.netdoor.com/~rament/Gulf/Site Map.html.  
> 
> Stephen's suggestions are also very good:
> 1) Arrange to camp with a group.
> 2) Help your group to reserve a spot in the land allocation 
>    by pre-paying.
> 3) Arrive as early as possible, to help ensure you have a spot even
>    with the reservation system.
> 4) Take plenty of shovels, axes, saws etc to clear the land if (when?)
> 
>    you end up out in the far reaches of the event.
> 
> Ansteorra is allotted only a certain amount of space in the prime
> camping area near the merchants, list field, and bath houses.
> Ansteorra, Trimaris, and Meridies are all allotted the same amount of
> space in that area - we believe this is fair and equitable.  However,
> this arrangement means that the vast majority of Ansteorrans (and
> Trimarans, and Meridians...) will end up camping 'in the boonies'.
> We've camped there ourselves on more than one occasion, and always had
> a wonderful time.  
> 
> For the first time this year, we have an officer in charge of the land
> allocation *within* our kingdom space in order to prevent some of the
> confusion and chaos from last year.  It is Our sincere hope that this
> will help make the land allotment in the prime kingdom space fair and
> equitable.
> 
> Here are the suggestions that We're making to the Gulf War staff for
> next year:
> *If the policy that first consideration for bedspace goes to Royals,
> make it a published policy in order to avoid confusion and
> misunderstandings, and implement a cut-off date for when Royals can
> obtain bedspace.
> *Hold a lottery, prior to the opening date for pre-registration, to
> determine who will receive bedspace.  Payment for the bedspace and the
> pre-registration can then be made with the knowledge that the bedspace
> is *guaranteed*.  
> *Failing the implementation of a lottery, require a separate check for
> cabin space than for pre-registration (to prevent the need to cash the
> entire check to preserve the pre-registration).
> 
> Finally, We'd like to address the one issue here that disturbs and
> perplexes Us the most.  In the course of this virtual discussion, We
> have seen the words 'lawsuit' and 'false advertising'.  We have heard
> accusations that the Meridians 'lied', 'cheated us', and 'gypped us'.
> There have been insinuations of incompetence, or stranger yet,
> malicious intent.  We would urge you to remember that the Meridians
> are our fellow SCA members, our friends and neighbors.  They work long
> and hard for the better part of a year organizing this event for our
> benefit, and the benefit of the Known World.  They shoulder the
> largest part of the burden of the work that goes into making this War
> happen, while we enjoy the fruits of their labors, and then they share
> the profits with us.  We seem to have entirely lost sight of why we
> are here, what we are trying to recreate, and what it is about our
> game that makes it so unique and so special in this day and age.  It's
> the creeping disillusionment, bitterness, and litigiousness of life in
> the twentieth century that drains the joy and life out of this
> beautiful dream.  Of course, the Meridians are responsible for their
> mistakes (though We believe they've offered little or no offense in
> this matter).  Of course it's our right and duty to make suggestions
> on how to improve *our* War, the War we share with them.  But We
> sincerely hope that we can do so in a manner that pays honor to them
> as our friends, our hosts, and our neighbors.  We've met many of the
> staff, and know them to be kind and generous, hard-working and
> reasonable; not unlike Our own populace.  We must stop viewing the
> Meridians as one of 'Them' and come to the understanding that they are
> only one of 'Us'.  They volunteer their valuable time with no
> absolutely no financial compensation, just as we all do to keep the
> society running, in spite of the considerable obligations of work,
> school, and family.   
> 
> While We understand the frustration that resulted from this situation
> (stemming in large part from rumors, lack of information, and rampant
> speculation), We are unspeakably shocked and deeply, deeply saddened
> by the belligerent, aggressive, and sometimes threatening tone of many
> of these letters.  It saddens Us even more profoundly that the dark
> and angry correspondence that the Gulf War staff has received with
> regards to this matter has been almost exclusively from Ansteorrans
> (We offer Our sincerest gratitude to those of you who approached the
> situation with courtesy and restraint).  We are doing, and will
> continue to do, everything we can to make sure your concerns are
> addressed entirely to your satisfaction.  Please feel free to ask Us
> any questions that you feel this missive has left unanswered, or to
> inform us of any course of action you feel should be taken that has
> not been, and We will do Our utmost to help you find a satisfactory
> resolution.  All We ask in return is that you treat our Meridian hosts
> with kindness, deference, and respect; patience, tolerance, and
> understanding.  
> 
> As the steward is well aware of all of our concerns and problems by
> this point in time, please, send him only your ideas and suggestions
> for next year, and resolve, as We have, to move on to lighter topics.
> 
> In service to Ansteorra and the Society,
> Gunthar, Rex
> Sara, Regina 
> 
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