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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Michael wrote:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>> But personally, I think we've still got the cart before the horse.
</DIV>
<DIV>> We're talking about the mechanics of how a college should be</DIV>
<DIV>> structured, when we don't yet have a clear definition of
what</DIV>
<DIV>> a college should do.</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>By contrast, I feel like I'm fighting a rearguard
action, trying to keep us from putting the cart before the horse. We
aren't ready to discuss the mechanics of how a college should be structured *or*
what a college should do, until we talk to a lot more people.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The key word in your paragraph above is "we".
Who is "we"? The "we" for the college has mostly not heard about the idea
yet. "We", the very few people active on this list, can't begin to discuss
this yet. First we need to contact a lot more bards. Only then can
"we", the bards of Ansteorra, including the people on this list and a whole lot
more, begin to have meaningful discussions.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>What the few of us who want a college should do,
for the next couple of months, is spread the word about the idea of a college,
and then *L*I*S*T*E*N* to what each person says. You've all heard way too
much from me already. You need to listen to the newer bards who don't know
about the list, the people who have no time for the list, the would-be bards who
wouldn't sign up for such a list yet.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>> Earlier today, I wrote:</DIV>
<DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT class=Apple-style-span color=#001fd7>We've
asked several times (in effect) "What do you mean by 'a </FONT><FONT
class=Apple-style-span color=#001fd7> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT class=Apple-style-span color=#001fd7>college'?
What will it do for us, exactly, that we aren't doing or </FONT><FONT
class=Apple-style-span color=#001fd7> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT class=Apple-style-span color=#001fd7>couldn't
do for ourselves?"</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">> I'd still like to see a reply to that question
from Robin before taking</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">> another step towards discussion of a
college's structure. Let's please</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">> define "function" before we spend any more
time talking about "form".</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px">> Otherwise we're just spinning our
wheels.</DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder><FONT face=Arial
size=2>No. I am *not* going to start discussing what the college should do
until I've listened to a lot more bards than I can hear on this list. I
really, really, really mean it when I say that this list alone cannot decide
what the college should do. My first step, for myself alone, is to listen
to lots of bards -- as many as I can reach, from as many places as I can hear
from.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2>I really, really, really
believe that the college should respond to its members -- and most of
them aren't active on this list. I have a project or two in mind for
the college if it gets started, and I'm not going to bring them up at this
stage. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2>The function of the college is
to do things together that the members propose. Step one is to listen to a
lot more people, and I will not get involved in step two until we've managed
step one.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2>If I wrote down the functions I
want to see, and then they happen, that's not a college; it's a military uinit
-- one commander and many willing soldiers. I don't want to lead a unit of
bards; I want to join a group of bards for collegiality.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>The biggest
problem with an e-list for this purpose is that conversations run much faster in
this venue than anywhere else. I suspect that for the next few months, my
major activity on this list will be to say, over and over, "Slow down -- we
haven't heard from the rest of the bards." We will have to guard ourselves
from the fallacy of believing that the results of a discussion by this
small self-selected group of people represents the will of the Ansteorran
bards.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2>For instance, I am still not
yet convinced that enough bards even *want* a college for us to move forward to
the step of discussing its form or function. I hope we'll have enough
information from enough people to begin considering that by Twelfth Night, but I
won't be surprised if we don't.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2>I think I'll see if I can have
a meeting of the Steppes bards soon. I recommend that anyone else
interested in spreading the word get out to your local guilds or meetings, or
invite bards over to your place. And remember that a message on your local
e-list is good, but does *not* reach enough people. Go talk it up at the
branch meeting. Go out to fighter pactice. get the word out beyond
the computers.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>When I
suggested lots of meetings, everywhere, I'm not discussing form before
function. I'm attempting to let everyone we can reach into the discussion
of both form and fucntion.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2>What do I want from the
college? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2>A group presence.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2>A sense of belonging that is
more definite than "all the Ansteorran bards already form a community,
kumbayah". </FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2>A structure to make it easier
for us to develop group projects like the Sir Orfeo, Nine Worthies, and Crowns
of the Sable Star projects.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2>A group body ready to take
classes on the road. (Yes, many of us are ready to do so. But there
is at present no group of people ready to do so as a body.)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2>The functions of the college
aren't something that a few of us will decide on in advance and tell everybody
to do; it's what the college decides to do, month by month. Maybe soon the
"function" of the college will be to set up another Sir Orfeo project .
Maybe at another time we'll be organizing a trip out west with lots of bards
bringing lots of classes. Somebody suggested badges indicating
expertise. I have no interest, but if enough people want to do it, then
they can.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2>But step one is to talk to more
bards and find out if they want a college, and what *they* want a college o
do.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="MARGIN: 0px"><FONT face=Arial size=2>Robin of Gilwell / Jay
Rudin</FONT></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>