[Artemisia] Membership Questions

[Tiffanyanne Sawyer]

here are my answers
>
> 1)  Are you a paid member of the Society? yes
>   
> 2) If so, what prompted you to pay for a membership? to fight and to get more involved
>
> 3) If not, what prompts you not to pay for a membership?
>
> 4) What are your feelings about paid membership being required to participate in certain activities?  (holding office, authorized fighting, receiving awards)
>   
i think membership is important.... i even wrote a paper about it in 
school.... I don't know if its totally correct i was trying to prove a 
point for a grade but its below if u want to read it
> 5) What are your feelings about requiring membership for all participation in the Society (often referred to as "pay to play")?
>   
i think it would be a major injustice to those who are just starting out 
or have major things in their life
>
>   

There are hundreds of organizations in the world today. These 
organizations offer many different activities that we can choose from 
and participate in. There are clubs such as The Lions Club and Kiwanas 
who help the community. There are special interest groups for cars, 
astronomy, animals, stamp collecting and almost anything else you can 
imagine. There are also organizations for different types of people, 
twins, tall people, deaf people, and people of different races. For 
anyone with an interest in medieval history the Society for Creative 
Anachronism is a world wide organization that has a wide variety of 
activities that allows every member in the family to participate in one 
way or another. Just a few of these activities include cooking, armor 
making, hand to hand combat, equestrian activities, dancing, crafts, 
music, archery and the list goes on. It is a historical reenactment 
group and everything in it is done with as much historical accuracy 
possible. It is a learning experience as well as a recreational 
activity, and it is a lot of fun for anyone who participates on any level.


Over the last few weeks there has been a great deal of correspondence 
circulating throughout the organization and in the online groups that 
are affiliated with it regarding the membership dues for the SCA. There 
are those who do not think that the dues are valid and there are 
discussions and arguments that dues are a waste of money and not needed. 
I have seen on some days up to ten emails regarding the matter. Some of 
the members are even trying to convince others to simply attend and not 
pay the fees at all. This is a very concerning matter because membership 
is valuable and the dues are necessary to keep the SCA running smoothly.


I believe strongly that something should be done to stress to the 
members the importance of memberships and encourage them to keep their 
memberships current whenever possible. I propose several things be done 
in order to ensure this. First, awards should be given only to those who 
are paid members with the exception of a few select service awards. 
There are people who help us from time to time and they deserve the 
award for service because they are giving us time and effort in order to 
enhance our experience, but awards such as heraldry awards, awards for 
competitions, shire and barony championships, and all other official 
awards. Next, all fighters should be members in order to participate in 
tournaments. This is not to say that one cannot participate without a 
membership. Practices could still be attended as well as workshops. This 
is only to say that one should not be allowed to compete without a 
membership. Lastly, a program needs to be started to increase awareness 
of the benefits of membership also promoting new and existing 
memberships, encouraging those without a membership to obtain one. There 
are several things that can be done in this regards to this. New members 
should be acknowledged in populous meeting and in the shire newsletter. 
There also needs to be a piece in the kingdom newsletter at least 
quarterly discussing various views on membership and what it can do for 
the members and the organization as a whole. This would keep the subject 
fresh on the minds of the members.


There are so many reasons we need to enforce paid memberships. One of 
the biggest reasons is insurance. A large organization can more 
affordably obtain insurance than an individual or a smaller group. This 
protects the organization should someone become injured during fencing, 
combat or equestrian activities. Insurance can also make it easier to 
rent a hall, park, manor or even a few porta potties. There is so much 
time and preparation put into an event, anything that can be done to 
make it easier should be so that it is enjoyable for all involved. There 
is also a great deal of paperwork that must be done to keep track of 
membership information, waivers, certification, awards and officers. Not 
all of this can be done on a volunteer basis. The kingdoms must send all 
of their records to the corporate office where they that keeps track of 
the information. The people in corporate must be paid.


Many will argue that there is nothing in it for them. Membership really 
does have some valuable benefits. The membership card itself will speed 
check in time at events because it shows your qualifications and you 
don't need to carry around copies of your wavers since they are kept on 
file. Some kingdoms will give a discount on event fees if you are a card 
carrying member. Only those with paid memberships are allowed to hold 
office and only those with memberships are allowed to vote on official 
kingdom business and on the offices in the kingdom and within the shires 
and baronies. In addition to that, paid members receive a series of 
pamphlets called The Complete Anachronist. These contain a wealth of 
information on getting started in this modern medieval time. A one year 
subscription to the kingdom newsletter "Tournaments Illuminated" is also 
included with a membership. The newsletter contains information on 
upcoming events, changes in officers and royalty, changes in policies, 
champions of area tournaments and other information that is helpful in 
keeping up with the things that are going on within the kingdom.


Also consider this. If there is something that you enjoy, that you 
believe in and participate in, then should you know also support this 
thing. Is it fair that someone should be allowed to attend all of the 
events, participate in tournaments, win awards, take part in the arts 
and sciences that take place and do everything that the other members 
are doing and never contribute or officially join the organization?


Many of the mundane organizations have annual fees or dues. Most of the 
unions such as the Postal Workers Union, United Farm Workers or 
Transport Workers Union have dues. There are organizations that have 
some of the same activities as the SCA that have fees much higher. One 
example is The National Archery Association. The fees are $130.00 a year 
and the only activity they have is archery. Another is The British 
Fencing Association, fees are the American equivalent of $53.00 a year 
and the organization does nothing but fencing. Also there are many 
organizations that will let only certain age groups or genders join. 
Some cater only to veterans, some to those with a specific heritage. The 
SCA membership is $35.00 per person with a family cap of $60.00. It is 
an organization that will allow anyone join. The only requirement is an 
interest in medieval times and customs. It is a reasonably priced and 
fun way to spend your time. The only way it becomes expensive is if you 
choose to put money into it for your garb, weapons, etc. This is an 
organization you can get involved in as little or as much as you like.


It is understood that there are those who cannot afford the membership 
at the time. There will be those that are not sure if this is what they 
want to do. This would not mean that those people will not be allowed to 
participate. You must participate in order to get a feel for whether the 
SCA is something that you really want to do. The goal is not to exclude 
anyone. I simply believe that membership should be obtained whenever 
possible.