Lady Eleanor Catlyng

1) To frequently solicit the opinions of those who know a particular area or activity best when faced with a question I find difficult to handle alone.

2) To build a competent and supportive team of Deputy Seneschal(e)s, including continuing with a Deputy to work with the Burroughs directly, as they are an active subset of our Barony, and I feel having a strong contact for them is important.

3) To continue to ask my friends to hit me upside the head when I am needing to step back and refocus, and to ask them for a genuine clue-by-four when I am approaching burn-out.

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What current responsibilities in the SCA (if any) do you anticipate giving up if elected? :

Lady Eleanor Catlyng :

Although I have sincerely enjoyed being Chronicler, and there is no technical rule against holding both positions, I will be seeking a successor to take over the Minuscule.

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What is your current estimate of how long you intend to hold the position if elected? :

Lady Eleanor Catlyng :

2 years, barring unforeseen changes in my professional or personal life.

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Name (at least) one thing that bugs the $%^&* out of you about the way Carolingia, the East, or the Society operates ... that you're going to sit on the impulse to do something about while you're in office. :

Lady Eleanor Catlyng :

Concerning the role of Seneschal(e), my feelings on any matter come last. I see the Seneschal(e) as a person who takes the collective opinion of members of the Barony and helps to generate a solution on any given topic that is acceptable to the majority of people.

That said, being someone who deals with minors all day long, I find it difficult when adults do not remember their manners. In a Society built around an ideal of honor, I am pleased when we can all remember this.

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What is your feelings on the current scheduling system? :

Lady Eleanor Catlyng :

Having helped Catrin develop it, I understand the reasons behind the current scheduling system. Although it has not completely alleviated the sometimes close scheduling of events, it has decreased that. When we did not have a scheduling meeting at all, we had a several year stretch with 3-4 events (including RPs) in a very short time, with long stretches of no events. This was a time period when I became severely burned out, and I know others did, too. I was disappointed that I did not have the energy to attend more things during those years. Events so close together is a real drain, even with us being as enthusiastic as we are.

When we had it once a year, many things were still being proposed and interjected throughout the year, resulting in continuing overlaps that strained the Barony.

The new system of twice a year has effectively spread out the scheduling of events. It is flexible enough to allow additional events to be added, but has also alleviated the strain on those who typically support the Baronial events. In addition, although there have been some recent worries about strains to the Baronial finances, it has allowed for long term planning of major events such as the Known World Dance Symposium. Because we had a solid picture of the events in the year preceding and six months following that event, we were able to spread out costs and assets to allow that planning to occur. Despite what I see as the advantages of this system, I am open to the opinions of the Barony for refining it over time.

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Do you beleive the current lenght of Council meetings is too long, too short, or about right? Why? :

Lady Eleanor Catlyng :

I draw on my experience as a teacher for this one. 1 hour is the max attention span of most people without a break. For many it is 45 minutes. It is the rare person who can really focus for 1 1/2 hours. As such, I would like to keep Councils to about 1 hour, barring business that requires extensive discussion.

I am in favor of having a break in Council before lengthy procedures such as scheduling or elections, by having all announcements first. In addition, when long discussions are becoming circular (e.g. The ever delayed dismissal of the hotline) I favor trial periods for certain solutions and/or splitting the discussion over a month or two so that people may mull over their ideas and present them in a more solid form than the sometimes off-the-cuff ideas that arise during an initial discussion. During my time in Carolingia, I have also seen committees organized on certain topics. I see the usefulness of this method, and should an issue arise that would be best dealt with in this method, I would happily use it.

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Describe your interpretation of the charter stating that the Senechal consults with Council. :

Lady Eleanor Catlyng :

I think that in a Barony our size, Council is a critical part of who we are. It is a forum for everyone to come together to share their goings on and to work together to decide on future courses of action. Planning events is a large part of Carolingia. We produce, on average, 8-10 events a year, and I know that our populace is active in supporting the events of other areas in addition to that (including Pennsic). Although at a previous time it might have been a less formal procedure to schedule events (the language indicates Council should advise the Seneschal(e) on their scheduling "if time permits"), it is now necessary that the Seneschal(e) act as more of a coordinator of the wishes of the Barony. As such, he or she acts as a clearing house for whether or not an event is viable given its interest area, site arrangements, cost, time, etc. She or he should do this with the consultation of the Council (as we did last month with the proposed Metal Workers' Event.) In this way, the Barony can produce as many great events as possible without overextending our resources (both people resources and financial).

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Do you think there is any activity, borough, or household in Carolingia that currently requires extra attention or support from the Senechal? :

Lady Eleanor Catlyng :

I have been active in Carolingia long enough to see that many activities, burroughs and households go through phases of activity and inactivity, requiring varying levels of support. Recently I have been pleased to see new activity in many areas that had slowed. I am also pleased to see a general coordination of varied interests through activities such as the Peasants' Guild, the History Seminars, and other workshops. I would be pleased to encourage and support the continuation of these activities as Seneschale.

As someone who first became involved through a Burrough, I think that this is a group that does need extra support (though some more than others) because without a strong leader, they can quickly become inactive. In my time here I note the resurgence and disappearance of groups at Huntington Green (Northeastern), Rosin Gorm (Regis), Darksted Wood (UMass Lowell), an unnamed group at UMass Boston, an unnamed group at Simmons, as well as the fluctuating populaces and interest level of our more regular groups. The most support is needed when all active members become inactive or graduate, and a new person seeks to start things up again. In addition, intensive support is also needed for demos and to get people to and from events and meetings that may be less accessible.

During my time in the Barony, the Households have been less of a force within the Barony. We have a new, very active Household, so I am excited to see how their role plays out in the Barony. I would be willing to give them or any other Household whatever support they require.

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What would you have done if you were Senechal during the Pay to Play bod crisis? Are your personal feelings different that how you would act as an elected Senechal? :

Lady Eleanor Catlyng :

If this issue were to arise again, I would seek to represent, in an objective manner, the opinions of the Barony at Curia and in communication with Milpitas or other appropriate venues. As a very young member in the Society at the time of the original debate, I cannot say how I would have addressed this had I been Seneschale at the time.

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What were your personal feelings about the singing of the Star Spangled Banner during Court at Legends this year? How as Senechal would you have responded (if at all)? :

Lady Eleanor Catlyng :

It is nearly impossible to judge this happening out of the context of the events on September 11th. Although, given time to prepare, there may have been a more appropriate (period) way to commemorate the memory of those we lost in this tragedy, it was the wish of our Queen and guest, and should be respected as that.

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Do you see the boroughs as having a different role than other components of Carolingia because the borough members tend to be younger, newer, and have higher turn over? :

Lady Eleanor Catlyng :

I believe that the Burroughs are the new blood of this Barony. Carolingia is fortunate to have a steady influx of new members with new ideas and enthusiasm. I have talked with many people who regret the stagnation of their groups, and I have always treasured the Burroughs for their role.

The Barony overall is large, but varied, and I feel we have a great deal to offer newer members (through Burroughs or otherwise) and we should continue to offer meetings, events, and workshops that are new-comer friendly, in addition to the material support they need (particularly transportation!). I have been particularly pleased to see a conjunction of Barony and Burrough events, such as holding the recent Fencing Challenge at Mitgaard, having workshops based at various Burroughs, and so on.

I can't comment enough on how much I value the Burroughs as a part of the Barony. As Seneschale, I wish to support their continuation and growth, and particularly their interactivity with more experienced segments of the Barony.

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