[Ansteorra] Member or Not?

[Colin MacNachtan]

On Thursday 10 January 2008, Jay Rudin wrote:
> You will not be counted as a sustaining member unless you buy a sustaining
> membership.  Only sustaining memberships sustain the local branches in
> Ansteorra, and you were never told otherwise.
>
> The membership requirements for shires and baronies, since I joined in the
> 1970s, have been based on sustaining memberships.  You will not be counted
> as a sustaining member unless you buy a sustaining membership.  This is not
> "unfair"; this is not denying your rights.  This is simply part of the
> rules of the game.

After seeing the governing documents as quoted elsewhere in this discussion, I 
see that you are indeed correct.  However, I would also point out that this 
information is very well hidden.  To the ordinary person filling out the 
membership form the only difference between sustaining and associate is 
whether you receive the kingdom publication.  I believe Rose's point, and 
indeed my lady is in the same position, is that if they knew of this 
difference they would have opted to get a sustaining membership.

I do agree it's not up to SCA Corporate to identify this distinction since it 
is Ansteorra-specific, but I also find it significant that the difference is 
so well hidden that even some kingdom officers did not know it.

Colin