SC - [fwd] [Mid} sca becomes a general term

[Laura C Minnick]

On Sun, 21 Feb 1999 LrdRas at aol.com wrote:

> <<  that would have been dismissed if their involvement in the SCA had
>  been known. 'Tis a shame, truly. >>
> The shame is that these people don't boldly step forth and declare their
> affiliation with the SCA so any negative thoughts could be dismissed by those
> who had them. So far as 'academia' is concerned, my personal opinion is that
> the fact that you paid some entity several thoudand dolars for the privelege
> of pasting a piece of useless paper on your wall does not mean that you had
> access to knowledge or were any more disciplined in the pursuit of that
> knowledge than anyone else.

My Lord Ras doth protest too much, methinks. As someone who somewhat
uncomfortably straddles both worlds, I find just as much ire coming from
SCAdians as going to. Among my colleagues here at Oregon, I found that if
I kept my head down and proved myself through my work, then I could
mention my SCA involvement. But I had to prove myself first. One of my
history profs told me that her experience with SCAdians was that they were
know-it-alls who thought they had an 'in' and would get an easy A. I
busted my butt for that woman, and I learned amazing amounts. There was
other SCAdians in my classes, and the ones who took it seriously did well.
	By the way Ras, I did not pay the University for a piece of paper.
I paid the U of Oregon many thousands of dollars for the opportunity to
study in a structured environment. And because it wasn't 'daddy's money'
but my own (for years to come) I made the best of all of it. I am raising
three kids by myself and I still pulled out a 3.46 GPA, and Medieval
Studies is one of the more difficult majors here. Two of us graduated last
Spring, both had the same GPA, and the program director remarked that it
was interesting that we had both taken twice as many classes in the major
as required. And I think that anyone doing grad work (especially in the
Humanities) will tell you it takes a hell of alot of discipline. More than
the average joe.
	What I learned the past five years would've taken me a lifetime
outside of the University. And yes, there are things that you can usually
learn only in the SCA, such as recipe redaction, armoring,
pavillion-building, period calligraphy and illumination, clothing
construction, etc., etc.,etc. And I have found that when I put the two
together I get farther.
	As an academic, I will not dismiss the SCA as just a bunch of
'play-actors'. And as a SCAdian, I will not dismiss the academics as
'snobs'. But I must recognize that there are some of both, in both, and
try to be careful when moving between the two.

since 'Elaine' never attended University, I must sign this
Laura
- -
Laura C. Minnick
University of Oregon
Department of English
- -
"Libraries have been the death of many great men, particularly the
Bodleian."
	Humfrey Wanley, c. 1731




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