[Officers] (no subject)

[Linda Heath]

Constantine,
 thank you! That section has bothered me since the beginning, but I couldn't figure out a way around it. Brilliant! I think you worded it very well and I am in favor of adopting this.  It is so much more "Wyewood" than the other!  LOL

 IS
Lady Matillis atte Hethe

Exchequerof Wyewood
Bendy argent and purpure, a tower azure atop a mount vert



________________________________
 From: Jason Pfafman <jpfafman at yahoo.com>
To: "officers at wyewood.org" <officers at wyewood.org> 
Cc: Dietrich <devk31 at gmail.com> 
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2012 2:05 PM
Subject: [Officers] (no subject)
 

Officers:

There is one section in particular of the Customary that I keep coming back to, even though it has gone through commentary.  The section in question is 7.4 Term of Office:



7.4 Term of Office
    7.4.1) All Officers of Wyewood shall serve for a (2) two-year term. Under normal circumstances, an officer shall make the commitment to serve the full two years.
    7.4.2) Offices renew as follows:
        7.4.2.a) Odd years: February 1: Armored Combat Marshal, Family Activities Coordinator; May 1: Exchequer; August 1: Arts & Sciences Minister; November 1: Pursuivant, Chirurgeon.
        7.4.2.b) Even years: February 1: Archery Marshal, Web Minister; May 1: Seneschal ; August 1: Chatelaine, Chronicler; November 1: Rapier Marshal.
    7.4.3) If an officer is appointed in the middle of a term, their term of office ends as per the listed above.  This is to prevent confusion as to when their term is over.



While section 7.4.2 is well meaning, attempting to alleviate a scenario whereby too many branch officers end up changing in rapid succession or at the same time, I cannot help but think that maintaining this schedule is impractical.  We as a branch aren't even close to this cadence.  Thinking back to Dame Esclarmonde's question, 'Why put something in if it cannot or will not be enforced?', I believe this section needs to be simplified.


7.4 Term of Office
    7.4.1) 
All Officers of Wyewood shall serve for a (2) two-year term. Under 
normal circumstances, an officer shall make the commitment to serve the 
full two years.
    7.4.2) Regarding the office of the Seneschal and the Exchequer
        7.4.2.a) Neither the Seneschal nor the Excehquer should change office until the Year End Summary (Seneschal) and the Domesday Report (Exchequer) is completed (due February 1st).
        7.4.2.b) At a minimum, there should be six months between any rotation of offices of the Seneschal and the Exchequer to provide adequate training and to assure smooth transition of either office.
    7.4.3) Removed

My thoughts on how I arrived at this:
	* The SCA is a volunteer organization.  We gladly serve as a our time and skills permit, but life happens and usually not on our timetable.  We have seen all the present offices run a little long or a little short and we should expect that to be the norm.  Therefore, offices should try to rotate every 24 months, but that is situation dependent.  The exception is for the Seneschal and the Exchequer.  Due to the need to file the Year End Summary and the Domesday report to maintain our branch status, the current Seneschal and Excehquer should see to it that their term office ends only after the reports have been submitted.  Further, we as a branch should see to it that these two offices do not change over at the same time.  Because of the complexity in their respective roles, one office or the other should be able to rely on an experienced officer to assist the newcomer during their settling period.  
	* Since we would be de-emphasizing a strict timetable, if an officer should need to step down (e.g. Countess Elisabeth takes on the role of Baroness for Madrone, so Lady Wenyeva steps in to fill the A&S Minister position), why not just allow the new officer to serve two years unless otherwise planned?  

	* Eliminating the timetable also allows under certain circumstances an individual to fulfill a position for less than two years.  I would rather fill a position for one year (save the Seneschal and Exchequer) than to not have it filled at all.  

I welcome your comments on this topic.  Maybe there is a more eloquent way to reword my intent?  I think though that the general idea makes it easier on all of us and allows the process to be more dynamic.


Thanks,

Constantine
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