BREW - [MK-BnV] Proposed Guild By-Laws - DRAFT (fwd)
Pug Bainter
pug at pug.net
Wed Jan 14 13:41:07 PST 1998
:::::::::::
Bylaws of the Brewer's and Vintners Guild of the Middle Kingdom
Objectives:
To encourage, recognize and support the excellence in the Brewing
and Vinting Arts through discussion, positive critique, review,
training and support.
To research of the Guild system itself by operation of a
medievally guided Guild structure.
To support research of the B&V art by creating and supporting
an active library of shared resources. The composition and
distribution of this library shall be decided upon annually by the
Voting Guild members.
To train is a standard requirement of all persons who join the
Guild.
To hold instructional classes on all aspects of the B&V art
for public attendance.
To publish a newsletter dedicated to the B&V arts.
Membership and Rank:
A member of the Guild need not be a paying member of the
Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., unless otherwise
specified in the bylaws.
An Apprentice is a person who has voiced an interest in
the Guild, attended at least 1 business meeting and has
submitted one Presentation. An Apprentice holds no rank
and has no voting rights within the Guild.
A Journeyman is a person who has submitted at least 3 acceptable,
journeyman quality Presentations as determined by the Guild Masters
present at the Tasting, present 1 Class, be proposed by the Guild
Masters, then approved by a simple majority of the voting members
of the Guild during a business meeting.
A Master within the Guild shall be called "Guild Master" and
shall be elevated upon by a simple majority vote of the Guild
Masters', with the single exception of the Guildmaster who
shall hold Guild Master's rank while in office. The requirements
for a Guild Master will be determined by the Guild Masters
themselves as they see fit, but shall include research,
reconstruction, performance, teaching, proctoring, watch-dogging,
and choreographing of the B&V arts.
Reciprocity of Mastership in the Imperium Guild is recognized within
these Bylaws with appropriate documentation. The Guild Masters must
vote upon the candidate as a Master by a simple majority. Minimum
activity for a member should be attained as soon as possible.
A Journeyman rank may be granted by acclamation by being
proposed by the Guild Masters and approved by 3/4 of all
Guild Voting Members.
Voting membership will lapse when the Guild member fails to attend
one class in a calendar year and at least TWO of the following:
2 presentations teach 1 class
attend 1 class write 1 Newsletter article
The Guildmaster may waive the minimum Voting membership requirement
by announcing the waiver for the voting member at a Business
Meeting.
Lapse in membership will cause a loss of all Guild rank
unless a simple majority of Guild Voting members approves the
reinstatement of the previous rank.
Officers:
Guildmaster:
Oversees all Guild activity and represents the
Guild in all outside matters. Advises members on
all aspects of Guild policy and concerns. Reports
to the Seneschal and MOAS of the Middle Kingdom on
the state of the Guild.
Steward:
Shall conduct Tastings, introduce Presentations,
take notes, and count votes during the Guild Functions.
Keep the list of members Voting members, Guild Masters,
and officially curate the Bylaws. Report to the
Guildmaster on the state of the Guild.
Exchequer:
Oversee all monies and reviews all budgets.
Reports to the Guildmaster the status of the monies
and advises members about budgetary concerns. The
Exchequer will also report as required by the bylaws
and the Society for Creative Anachronism.
Librarian:
Schedules Tastings and generates invitation lists.
Handles library and equipment circulation and billing.
Edits and publishes the newsletter. Reports to the
Guildmaster on the status of the Library and makes
recommendations as to content of the books and
equipment.
All officers must be Voting Members and hold membership within
the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.
A term of Office is 1 calendar year.
The Guildmaster may remove any officer from office for
nonparticipation in Guild meetings, not meeting reporting
requirements, or nonconduct of duties of that office. This
action must be voted on by a simple majority of the Voting
members at the next business meeting.
Officers will be elected by popular vote with at least a simple
majority at least once per year.
No Guild member can hold any office more than 3 terms (whole
or partial) consecutively.
If an office is open, the Guildmaster may appoint a Voting
Guild member to that office for the duration of that term.
A Voting Guild member may request an election of an appointed
officer by presenting a referendum request to the Steward who
must poll the Voting Guild members for a simple majority within
2 business meetings of the request. If successful, the Steward
will call a special election for the office in question within 2
business meetings. A referendum may only be requested within 2
meetings (business or Tasting) of the appointment.
All officers will write quarterly reports to the Guildmaster who
will summarize them for presentation to all Guild members.
The Guildmaster will make an annual report of all activities for
the past year to the Guild and propose goals for the upcoming year.
All officers will take on a drop dead deputy acceptable to the
Voting members of the Guild, who will be capable, willing and able
to take on the duties of the office in an emergency.
All officers may delegate any task assigned to them to a
designated deputy with the sole exception of the Guildmaster,
who may not delegate any business of the Guild Masters except
to another Guild Master. The Officer is still responsible
for that activity, and any failure to complete the task is the
Officer's, not that of the Deputy. Note that a Deputy need not
be a voting member.
Any decision by any officer may be appealed in the following manner:
First to the officer themselves, then to their immediate superior,
following to the Guildmaster. The final arbiter of Guild matters
beyond the Guild is the Middle Kingdom MOAS.
Voting and Bylaw Amendment:
Voting Guild members consist of Journeyman, Guild Masters and
Officers.
Non-budgetary bylaws must be approved by a simple majority.
Any new money spent must be approved by a 2/3 majority of the
voting Guild Members.
Ongoing monies are those that will be spent to continue a service,
such as a magazine subscription.
Ongoing monies spent must be reviewed annually and approved
by a simple majority of the voting Guild Members.
The Guildmaster may veto any vote save as specified in these bylaws.
Decisions by the Guildmaster may be overridden only by a
3/4 majority of the voting Guild members unless otherwise
specified within the bylaws.
A vote of no confidence of the Guildmaster will consist of a
4/5 majority of the voting members of the Guild. A successful
vote of no confidence immediately removes the Guildmaster and
forces immediate elections of all officers within 2 business
meetings. The Steward shall preside over the Vote of no
confidence and the election of Officers.
These bylaws may be amended by proposing changes to the voting
Members, then publishing the proposed change in the newsletter,
then voted upon at the next business meeting.
A 2/3 majority vote of the voting members is required to amend
these bylaws.
Any point of business can be tabled for 1 business meeting by a
simple majority vote. A point of business may only be tabled
once. It must then be voted upon as stated in these bylaws.
A Guildmaster who has suffered a vote of no confidence will
lose all voting rights for 1 year, but otherwise has no loss
of rank.
A simple majority is 50% + 1 of all Guild Voting Members.
A quorum is a simple majority of all Guild Voting members
and must be attained at business meetings to be official.
The Guildmaster may direct the Steward to individually poll
members for an official vote outside of the normal meeting
cycle if both deem it necessary. The preferable format for
this poll is written correspondence signed by the Voting Member.
This type of poll requires that all Voting members be notified
and given the opportunity to vote on all issues.
Any member may withdraw their own Voting Rights at any time.
A Guild member's voting rights may be revoked by the
Guildmaster for nonparticipation in meetings, violation of the
bylaws, violation of the Laws of the Middle Kingdom, or
violation of the rules of the Society for Creative
Anachronism, subject to majority review by the Voting members
of the Guild within 2 business meetings.
If a Guild Member is convicted of a felony in the mundane world,
or is censured by an SCA Court of Chivalry, the Guildmaster may
request that the Guild Voting members remove the offender from
the ranks of the Guild, stripping them of all Guild rank. This
requires a 4/5 vote by the Guild Voting members.
Voting rights may be restored by a simple majority in the
case of voluntary withdrawal, or by the same ratio of Voting
Guild members that was required to remove the Voting rights,
unless otherwise specified in these bylaws.
All Guild Master's votes will be secret, as they see fit. All
general votes will be public, with the exception of officer's
elections, which will be by secret ballot.
No rule may be passed by the Guild retroactively.
Voting within the Guild may occur in the following ways:
1. Direct Polling of members during Business Meetings
2. Mail in signed poll(s).
3. Verified email poll(s).
4. Signed Proxy valid for 1 vote each.
5. A Hall Master may take a vote and bring it to a
Guild business meeting.
Meetings:
Meetings will be held at most every other month, at least quarterly.
with a Tasting meeting being held at least every business meeting,
or as directed by the Voting members of the Guild.
There will be a quarterly meeting of all Guild members and Hall
representatives.
Monies:
There will be no monetary dues to join or hold membership within
the Guild.
Tasting supplies will be paid for by the Guild, not the members.
No monies will be spent on alcoholic beverages.
The guild may purchase and resell any ingredients and equipment it
sees fit, save as restricted in these bylaws.
All profits garnered by the Guild belong to the Guild and will be
spent for equipment, library materials, or as the Guild Voting
Members see fit (as designated under Voting).
Money will be charged for equipment rental, Library use, Tastings,
Newsletters, and other functions as Guild Voting members see fit.
Monies will be handled as per the Society for Creative Anachronism's
Exchequer's Handbook.
A written record of all accounts of the Guild will be immediately
available to any Guild Voting members upon written request to the
Exchequer.
Tasters:
The invited attendees to a Tasting of Presentations. This list
of persons need not be Guild members, but shall be those, in
the opinion of the Steward, who can give useful, positive
criticism to the Presenters.
Tasters will grade Presentations for quality according to the
Middle Kingdom Arts & Sciences criteria or as designated by the
Steward at each Tasting.
The Steward may appoint anyone as a Taster, at any time up to and
including the Presentation.
Tastings:
Tastings will consist of at least 5 Presentations to be discussed
and critiqued.
Documentation is to be handed out before Tasting and politely
discussed. All invited guests at a Tasting will be expected to
participate in the discussion. Tasters will be expected to approve
or disapprove of the Presentations.
Presentations:
A presentation is a single prepared beverage. All Presentations
must be accompanied by kingdom level A&S documentation as specified
by the Middle Kingdom A&S Handbook and Criteria, and other
documentation as specified.
The Guild Masters of the Guild shall place requirements on
Presentations and their use in Guild rank.
Only one Presentation per Presenter may be done per Tasting, unless
previously approved by both the Steward and Guildmaster.
Specialty Groups:
The Guild may sponsor specialty groups within the Guild that are
related to the B&V art.
Guild Chapters:
The Guildmaster may create chapters with the approval of the Guild
Voting members by a simple majority. The chapter shall consist of
a Hall master and voting members and will report to the Guildmaster
all activities at the discretion of the Guildmaster. The structure
of the Hall will be determined by the Guildmaster and the Hall
Voting members. The Guildmaster will retain all authority over
the Hall and the Hallmaster will be considered a deputy of the
Guildmaster.
A Hall may handle no monies without the express permission and
guidance of the Guild Exchequer.
A Hall may have it's own library and equipment at the discretion
of the Guildmaster and Librarian, but the ownership of all equipment
and library materials shall remain with the Guild, not the Hall.
A Hall may not hold a Tasting without permission and guidance from
the Guild Steward.
All Hall Masters must attend quarterly meetings of the Guild.
All Hall members must make at least one Presentation to a Guild
Tasting, and submit one article to the Guild newsletter in a
calendar year.
Awards:
The Guild will create awards for excellence in the B&V arts
to be proposed by the Guild Masters then voted upon by the
Guild Voting members in a simple majority approval. These awards
shall hold no Kingdom status, being to show that the recipient
has excelled in the practice of a part of the B&V arts.
Recipients of these awards will be decided upon by the Guild
Masters as they see fit.
One specific award shall be the Award of Office. These honorary
awards shall be granted by the Guild Masters and have no authority
beyond that granted by excellence. The responsibility of this
office shall be to teach the skill recognized by the holder.
This award will be held by only 1 member at a time.
The first Award of Office shall be the Apprentice office, who shall
be responsible for teaching the Apprentice class.
Some suggestions for awards would be Brewer, Vintner, or the like.
Initial Startup:
The initial startup of the Guild will be Baron Arundel the
Falconer as Guildmaster. As Guildmaster He shall appoint
officers and initial Guild Voting members by virtue of these
bylaws.
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