Why do you want the job? :
Lady Eleanor Catlyng :
In looking over my years of service in the SCA, I feel that I have been most
able to contribute to the Barony with my organizational abilities. I truly
enjoyed being Provost, despite the challenges of working within a Burrough
that has typically played on the outskirts of the Barony. I believe that,
at the time, I helped many of the Burrough members realize that the greater
Barony had a lot to offer us (and we them.) Bringing these skills along
over the years, I think I have been able to add to many events, to Catrin's
term as one of her Deputies, and particularly to the development of the
Minuscule as a well-respected Baronial newsletter. Taking all these skills
and experiences together, I see a culmination of my contributions being able
to lead the amazing group of people that this Barony is into the future.
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What strenghts do you feel you bring to the job? :
Lady Eleanor Catlyng :
Primarily, as I mentioned before, my organizational abilities. In my
mundane life I am used to coordinating the needs of many people for a common
goal, in our case, the continuation and betterment of the activities within
our Barony. Complimentary to these skills is the ability to communicate,
and compromise, between parties that do not always agree on a topic. I also
feel a genuine enthusiasm and respect for all the varied activities of the
Barony. I have dabbled in many different areas and feel great pride in the
breadth and depth of knowledge within the Barony. Feeling this way, I can
also willingly support these activities in necessary ways.
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What aspect of the job do you anticipate being hardest for you? How do you plan to compensate for this? :
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.
As many who know me realize, I have many mundane commitments in addition to
my SCAdian ones. This balance is always precarious for many people. I plan
to compensate in two ways:
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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 :
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.
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.
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What is your feelings on the current scheduling system? :
Lady Eleanor Catlyng :
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.
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.
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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 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.
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.
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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 :
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.
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.
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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 :
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.
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.
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