Broadside of a Board Vol 3, No. 1 and Post Scriptum

["Flieg Hollander" <flieg@garnet.berkeley.edu>]

This is the electronic version of Broadside of a Board, Vol.III, No.1
It has been posted to the following mailing lists: please do not cross-post
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Broadside of a Board, Volume III, No. 1
Twelfth Night, A.S. xxx
*Anniversary Celebration(?)*
        This Twelfth Night marks the second anniversary of the publication of
Broadside of a Board (although there were a few precursors in the six
months before the publication). It is also close to two years since the
fateful Board meeting of 22 January 1994. Lest we forget.

*Invitation to a Board Meeting* 
        The January meeting of the Board of Directors of the SCA, Inc. will
be at the Crown Sterling Suites Hotel in Milpitas on January 20th, 1995.
The meeting is usually scheduled to start at 9:00, but there may be delays
if there are lots of things to be discussed in executive session. It will
be held in one of the conference rooms at the hotel. I have been informed
that the hotel gave us the conference room for free this time, and that the
room rates for the hotel (in the $60 range) are competitive with other
hotels in the area. 
        Directions: From north or south on 880 -- Take 237 East about a mile
through Milpitas until you get almost to 680. The hotel is on the left.
Turn left at the last street before the light at the underpass and then
right into the parking lot on the west side of the building. 
        Directions: From north or south on 680: Take 237 West about 1/2 block
to the hotel and turn into the parking lot. The conference room which was
used last time was on the west side of the building. You may have to ask
at the front desk.

*Feast and Revel*
        After the meeting there will be a feast and revel, starting around
7:00 pm. It is being held at Weekes Park, in Hayward. From the Board
meeting: Take 237 west to 880. North on 880 to Tennyson Road East in
Hayward. At the first stop light take a left onto Patrick Road. The hall
is on the right about a block north. There is a parking lot on the right
just past the hall, as well as street parking. 

*What's on the Agenda?*
        A possible repeal of the NMS/Board Tax. The Chairman of the Board says
he is vehemently opposed to it. One of the reasons you might want to show
up is to help convince the other members that it is not needed or wanted
and to reinforce Edward and Eilis in their opposition.

        A Budget Review. (This should help convince the Board that they don't
need the TAX.) This will be a test for the new SCA Treasurer (Susan
Earley/Ghita). Keep your ears peeled. A sign of improvement will be a
report on the review which is more than just reading the numbers. Even
better will be some indication that the Board is cutting costs.
        Implementation policies for the new Waivers. This will be a report
from Sedalia to the Board. Keep your ear out for impostion of paperwork and
reporting requirements which are _not_ related to the simple act of getting
the waivers signed and stored. Spot them and comment vigorously on them.)
        Of interest to our northern neighbors in An Tir, the possible creation
of the Principality of the Summits and the Principality of Avacal are on
the agenda as well. We can expect to have visitors from An Tir.

*Picket Signs Optional*
        Two years ago, I called for picket signs to protest the imposition of
"pay to fight" requirements. A year ago, I said we wouldn't need them. This
time I'm not so sure it wouldn't be a good idea to have a few on hand. So,
if you feel like it, bring one. Or not. Your call.
        However, if you do bring a picket sign remember your manners. We are
a polite Society. There should be no _direct_ ad hominem attacks, but
general phraseology should be "vigorous". Remember that sticks for picket
signs can legally be not more than 3/8"x2" lath, so signs should be no
bigger than
18"x30".
        Possible words for signs if you want them: 
"It's _our_ SCA, not the Board's", "No Taxation", "Still no oatcakes",
"Refuse to pay", "Open all meetings", "P.P.F.U.F Forever".

*Upcoming Board Meetings*
        The April Board Meeting will be on 20 April, 1996. The deadline for
letters and for applications to attend the Friday sessions is probably 1
April, 1996. The meeting is going to be held in Orlando, FL. More details
in further Broadsides.

*Editorial: The Board Tax must (still) go.*
        I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it until the Tax is gone.
The Tax has to go. You've all heard my reasons; read any back issue of the
Broadside. There is still NO justification for the tax. It is still the
rejected concept of Pay-to-Play in a not-too-clever disguise. There is
still no accountability of the Board to the people of the SCA, still no
controls on spending. The repeal of the Board Tax and the reinstitution of
the pre-1994 wording of the By-Laws with respect to membership requirements
would give me hope that the SCA can survive long enough to get real reform
under way.

*****The Money Game (redux)*
        I've been looking at the numbers that we get given by the Board (when
we get given numbers at all). I notice things. I notice the fact that
somehow we managed to get from a state where there was a grand total of
$50K in the bank and no subscription reserve at all in the late fall of
1994 to a report at the October Board meeting that the subscription reserve
was fully funded and that there was a $50K surplus in the bank. The
subscription reserve, last I noted, was on the order of $150,000. This
raises a couple of interesting questions. 
        Is the October report correct? I haven't seen it, just heard it. If
it is true, then somehow well over $100,000 was raised in less than a year
_and_ it didn't show up in the Budget. If it is true, then it is obvious
that the Board doesn't need to do anything to fund the operational reserve,
it will be fully funded in less than two years even without the Board Tax.
If it is true, why did the current Budget as prepared by A.J. Riviezzo not
reflect the fact? If it is true then there is also something seriously
wrong with the current membership rate structure.
        If the report is not true, then why was it reported as such? Note that
this was not a publicity report to the SCA populace, but a Budget report
to the Board. It will be interesting to see what Susan Earley says about
the Budget at the January meeting.

*Editorial: 
What if the Board had a Tax and Nobody Paid?*
        *Some history:* The Board imposed the Board Tax/NMS in April 1994 as
a fiscal "emergency measure". In the process of fighting against the
members who were trying to find out what the "emergency" was, the Board of
that time created a fiscal emergency (although that wasn't the only problem
taking place in spending, it was significant). At the beginning of 1995,
the corporation had a budget which did not need the Tax to balance it --
but the tax was kept. In July of 1995, it was clear that the Tax was not
needed to balance the budget and that the subscription reserve was rapidly
being funded. The members of the Board who were opposed to the Tax refused
to vote on it because they thought that they didn't have the votes. In
October, they let themselves be convinced into continuing the Tax by the
assertion that an "operational reserve" needed to be built up, despite the
fact that the Budget had a surplus in it even without consideration of the
Board Tax. (Building up an operational reserve is generally regarded by
non-profit experts as a good idea, but it is not an emergency consider-
ation.)
        *Some more history:* I have been assured once again that the Tax will
come under scrutiny at this Board Meeting. I was assured of that for last
April's meeting, for the July meeting and for the October meeting. It may
happen that the Tax will (finally) be repealed at _this_ meeting. That
would be nice. But what should we do if the Board doesn't repeal it?
        *Some observations:* Right now, in the East and in many other
Kingdoms, collection of the Tax is ad hoc, irregular, and not particularly
enforced. A lot of Western events are being held with site "donations"
rather than "fees" in order to avoid liability for the Tax. (The Western
Exchequer has paid the Tax out of Kingdom funds, and gives to Sedalia
reports on "the amount owed". So far we have overpaid each quarter. The
SCA, Inc. currently owes the West about $1000 in overpayments.)
        *A call to action:* I say this state of affairs should end! This
behavior validates the assertion that the SCA, Inc. has the right to
_demand_ money of the Kingdoms and peoples of the Known World. Starting
right now, we, the people, officers and groups of the SCA should reject
that assertion and that demand! 
        We should stop paying the Tax -- NOW! 
We should stop keeping the records -- NOW! 
We should tell the Board unequivocally: The "emergency" is OVER! The Board
had no right in the first place to impose the tax, and they have even less
right to continue it.
        All Kingdoms, Principalities, shires and people should refuse to pay
the Board one more extorted penny. What can the Board do? We are the reason
the Board and the corporation exists! If they try to cancel our events,
punish our officers, or dissolve our groups, they lose their legitimacy and
risk the splitting of the SCA.
        *Write the Board:* I have already written the Board, giving them
suggestions on how to raise the money for the operational reserve, and
telling them that mandatory fees are _out_. You should, too.

*Where to write*
        All correspondence to the Board of Directors should be sent to the SCA
Office, P.O.Box 360789, Milpitas, CA 95036-0789. You might want to send a
copy to the Chairman, or the Ombudsman for the subject you are writing on.
Addresses for the Ombudsmen are in the _Page_ (or other Kingdom Newslet-
ter).

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Broadside of a Board is an occasional publication of news and opinions on
matters concerning the Board of Directors of the SCA, Inc. and its various
Kingdoms. This issue is Volume III, No. 1. All opinions contained herein
are those of the authors. Commentary by outside authors is invited and will
be published on a space-available basis. Unattributed commentary and news
was written by the publisher, Frederick of Holland, (Flieg Hollander), 3334
California Street, Berkeley, CA 94703. (510) 653-3652  e-mail: flieg-
@garnet.berkeley.edu  Permission to copy and reproduce Broadside of a Board
in any form is hereby given, provided the text of any article is held
intact.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

POST SCRIPT -- This message is not a part of the printed version of the
Broadside. I became officially aware of this news at Twelfth Night. It is
one of the best 12th Night presents I have ever had -=- Frederick

*West Kingdom says No to NMS!*
        In a letter dated 2 January 1996 (A.S. xxx) and sent to the Board of
Directors of the SCA, Inc., the Seneschal of the West Kingdom, at the
direction of the Royalty of the West, stated that the West would no longer
pay the NMS. The missive was worded politely but firmly, giving reasons why
it was obvious that the "temporary" NMS was no longer needed, and therefore
was invalid and restating Western opposition to _any_ discrimination
between paid and unpaid members. There has been no official reaction from
the SCA, Inc. to the best of this reporter's knowledge.
        
*Editorial Comment*  Long Live the King and Queen of the West!

   *   *   *    Frederick of Holland, MSCA, OP, etc.
  *** *** ***   flieg@garnet.berkeley.edu
  _|___|___|_
 |===========|
  (((Flieg Hollander, Chem. Dept., U.C. Berkeley)))
 ================== Old Used Duke  =================
        [All subjects of the Crown are equal under its protection
          and no Corporation is going to convince me otherwise.]