The world is at our fingertips, and we have access to a wealth of information. The absence of that information leads to speculation with varying degrees of accuracy. There is a demand and expectation for transparency in the SCA when things go wrong. As the newest person in a Corporate role, it might help the membership to give my perspective.
This is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The SCA does not reveal everything people want to know for legal and safety reasons. To understand the SCA’s policy on transparency about sanctions, it helps to understand how things currently work. Sanctions are official actions that affect someone’s SCA participation. We have our governing documents, core values, kingdom laws, and handbooks. They guide Corporate and define the structure of the game we play. The rules apply to everyone without exception. Sometimes, people break the rules for whatever reason, and we must take action.
An issue that the Board of Directors (BoD) acts on requires careful consideration. All the supporting documentation is collected. The office of the Society Seneschal puts it together into an extensive report. They present it to the BoD. The public has a blurry snapshot of an issue to base their assumptions on. The Board has an entire photo album of varying quality to make their decision with. The last report I looked at was 40 pages, and then there were all the supporting documents as well. It takes time to gather and put together information. Really, you should thank the Society Seneschal if you ever see Mistress Elasait in the wild. The Board makes the decisions with advice from the Corporate Officers. If someone is sanctioned, they are always told why they were sanctioned.
Now to the main point: transparency. There are some things to consider when it comes to that.
Please allow me to use a metaphor about the BoD and Corporate Officers. One person in a group of 7 is ordering a pizza. Someone may have a gluten allergy. Someone could be vegan. Someone else would rather have tacos. Three other folks are there telling them about the different options. It would take a lot of convincing to get everyone to agree on the same pizza. The group orders pizza often. But, every six months, a person is replaced with someone else with a different diet.
The SCA needs the information we’ve gathered to be accurate. This is because the decisions affect many people. We must protect the confidentiality of anyone who comes forward with information. We take precautions to protect revealing information. This is for the safety of those people.
The primary reason the SCA does not comment on sanctions is to protect the organization. The Sanctions Procedures and Policies Manual outlines the current policy. It says not to comment on sanctions.
There is a balance between transparency and risk. Given what you now know about the process, I want to hear from the membership about where the SCA can improve its transparency. You can email me at [email protected]. I would like to note that it takes time to change policy. Although I do not make the decisions in this area, I can present to the BoD what the membership wants to see.
Bao Pham
President, SCA Inc.
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