[Elfsea] Lord Jonathan's email

[eleanor cleavely]

Lord Jonathan Bernard said:

"Ameline here is one of the ideas yours that was stop, Restarting of Three
Bridges at the UTA. We were told that populates (sic) of Elfsea did not want
Three Bridges and at the meet you had with Willow last defender she was told
that the Three Bridges would take way from you officer pool. We do not see
how recruiting young Collage (sic) students would harm Elfsea as at the
moment UTA we are not recruiting many of the students at the Collage (sic).
I know from the number student that my brother had recruit that we would had
enough to keep it going before my brother and myself left only if we had it
running. Most of the student I am talking about are 19-25 and living in the
dorms. I hate to say almost none of those students at UTA are in the officer
pool to become baronial officer or even be a deputy to the baronial officer
because they not full cook, can not afford do to the gas price to go to moot
or business meet far from collage (sic) and they might not stay after
finishing their degree. But after time with Three bridges they would be in
the officer pool. The student at UTA are poor collage (sic) student live off
of raman, They need at campus close by their own Fighter practices, meeting
that they can make and event on the campus that can make with costing them
lots of money. Lord Jonathan Bernard"


My lord,

As someone who started out as a member of the College of Three Bridges,
served as an officer (1999-2002), and was present when the college was
removed from Incipient status so many years ago, I feel I am a bit qualified
to address your email.

The College of Three Bridges, as much as I love the place and as dear to my
heart as it is, will never be the booming success we want it to be. Why?
Well, if I knew that reason I would be a very important person. No matter
how many demos we do or how many ways we try to recruit, we've never had
more than 10 members at any one time (please correct me if I'm wrong). Yes,
college students aren't rich. I think that is what my mother likes to call a
"moo point". With respect to "close practices", UTA is less than FIVE MILES
from our current practice. Why not encourage those students to come to
Sunday practice. I am pretty certain that college students have some time on
Sunday they could devote to our fighter practice. Introduce them to the
Barony, the fighters, and the artisans. Show them how to get involved within
and prepare them for later offices. THEN, and only then, would bringing the
College back be a viable option. Why? Because if those students can tough it
out in the Barony proper and show by actions that they can lead and support
themselves as a group, then perhaps they would be ready to restart the
College. It was tough the first time getting it really, really going and
viable enough that the Crown thought we were stable enough to be
independent. It's going to be even tougher this time, since it's folded at
least twice.

I guess my point is: Perhaps HE Ameline had a reason behind not wanting to
restart Three Bridges. Perhaps it would have been a waste of resources. I
don't know. I wasn't there. What I can say is that I would have agreed with
Her Excellency in this decision, no matter how much it would have hurt me as
a member of the College. I believe she was in the right in this situation.
However, I find it a bit hard to swallow that Her Excellency stated that
College students would be "harmful" to the Barony. As a member for the last
9 years, I have yet to see ANY barony state that having a College would be
detrimental or harmful to ANY group.

So, you see there is always two sides to every story. Perhaps instead of
reading in to what Her Excellency may or may not have been thinking at the
time, you should have asked for clarification or at least have taken an
objective look at what has not worked in the past with regards to the
College.

Again, I make no claim that I was there or that I know any more about the
situation than anyone else. As someone who helped run the College for three
years and worked very hard along with Master Phillip, Lady Aurelia, and
others to keep it viable, I feel I could at least speak to why it may or may
not have been a feasible idea. I hope that this has at least helped a
little. If not, well, it's worth the paper it's printed on.

Ever in service with a song and a smile,
Lady Eleanor Cleavely

-- 
"Mine honor is my life; both grow in one;
take honor from me and my life is done."
--William Shakespeare

Ego existo obstinantus - I am resolved

Reluctor ultum , pareo parum - Resist much, obey little
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