1. Purpose

This document contains the policies and procedures by which Loch Cairn shall operate.  Not all areas of operation are covered here. Any areas not covered are left to the discretion of the Seneschal and the common sense of the populace. This document is a general guideline and does not supersede civil law, Corpora, Kingdom Law or Kingdom Officer Handbooks.

1. This document shall be reviewed a minimum of every two (2) years by a committee appointed by the Seneschal.
2. Changes to this document can be suggested by any member of Loch Cairn or by a committee appointed by the Seneschal.
3. Proposed changes to this document shall be published in the Sea Dragon Quarterly and brought to the attention of the populace at least one business meeting prior to a vote. If required, a special edition of the Sea Dragon Quarterly may be published.
4. All changes to this document shall be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the populace attending a specified business meeting.

2. Officers

1. The positions of the greater officers must be filled. The positions of the lesser officers may be filled or their functions performed by the greater officer that position is responsible to.

                                                               i.      The greater officers of the shire of Loch Cairn are: Seneschal, Knight Marshal, Reeve, Herald, and Minister of Arts & Sciences.

                                                             ii.      The lesser officers or the shire of Loch Cairn are: Chatelaine, Chirurgeon, Chronicler, Constable, Historian, Minister of Children, Quartermaster and Web Minister.

2. All officers must:

                                                               i.      Be current SCA members

                                                             ii.      Be warranted by appropriate Kingdom Level officer, as applicable

                                                            iii.      Meet the specific requirements of the office

                                                           iv.      Maintain a level of dignity, honor, courtesy and chivalry consistent with the ideals of the SCA and the shire of Loch Cairn and thereby provide a positive example to the populace

3. Officers may have one or more deputies to assist them with the duties of their office and repot to that officer. Being selected as a deputy is no guarantee of office succession.
4. Officers shall serve in their position no longer than two (2) years unless no other suitable or qualified individual desires to fill the position. Officer succession shall take place as follows:

                                                               i.      If able, the resigning officer shall both publish in the Sea Dragon Quarterly and notify the populace at a business meeting his/her intent to resign. S/he shall accept application from interested parties at least one month before deciding upon a successor.

                                                             ii.      The resigning officer shall advise the seneschal and populace of his/her selection at a business meeting. If there is any question with the selection, the final decision may lay with the Kingdom level officer; however every effort shall be made to avoid Kingdom level intervention. Common sense shall prevail in all cases.

                                                            iii.      If no successor is named, the Seneschal shall make a selection following the procedures established in Section 2(d)(i-ii) above.

5. Officers may only be removed by their Kingdom Level superior. The Seneschal may request removal but has no authority to pull an officer's warrant, per Kingdom Law. In all cases, the seneschal shall exhaust every effort to avoid approaching an officer's superior.
6. The duties and responsibilities of officers are listed in Corpora, Kingdom Law and Officer Handbooks. In addition, the duties and responsibilities of the officers of Loch Cairn include, but are not limited to:

                                                               i.      Seneschal

1.      Monitoring and coordinating all other officers

2.      Having the right to request copies of other officer's reports

3.      Taking over the duties of any office lift vacant by the resignation of an officer, until a suitable replacement can be found

4.      Keeping the group informed of changes in Corpora and Kingdom Law

5.      Organizing and overseeing business meetings

6.      Acting as mediator and neutral party in disputes between members of the group and , if necessary, acting as arbitrator of the dispute

7.      Being present at all demos, meetings, events and functions within reason of the Seneschal?s schedule

8.      Being the primary contact for requests for information from SCA and outside sources

9.      Co-signing on all money accounts

10.  Reserving/requesting dates on the Kingdom calendar for Loch Cairn events

11.  Reviewing all event flyers for required information before they are sent to the Kingdom newsletter

12.  Maintaining a current listing of group members and their contact information- phone number, e-mail or both

13.  Complying with the reporting requirements of the Kingdom

                                                             ii.      Knight Marshal

1.      Organizing and running all fighting activities at Loch Cairn events, demos and fighter practices

2.      Running armor inspection at Loch Cairn events

3.      Making arrangements for a List Master/Mistress at Loch Cairn tournaments

4.      Checking all Loch Cairn fighting fields before they are used

5.      Checking membership status before allowing anyone on the field at fighter practice and, if necessary, having non- members sign a waiver

6.      Complying with the reporting requirements of the Kingdom

                                                            iii.      Reeve

1.      Tending to general accounting functions relating to the shire and for all shire events

2.      Maintaining the shire's checkbook and making routine deposits

3.      Signing checks, along with another signatory, for operating expenses, reimbursements and event expenses, as approved by the shire

4.      Reconciling accounting for events with the Event Steward, determining the profit or loss and reporting this to the populace no more than forty-five (45) days after the event

5.      Assuring that the cash box used for registration at events is provided with funds to make change

6.      Providing the Seneschal with a monthly copy of the full reconciled statement of accounts

7.      Supervising the Constable and Quartermaster

8.      Complying with the reporting requirements of the Kingdom

                                                           iv.      Herald

1.      Organizing all heraldic activities at Loch Cairn events including: wake-up calls, general announcements, field heraldry, heraldic classes being taught (in conjunction with the Minister of A&S) and coordinating all courts

2.      Consulting on name and device submissions, either personally or through a deputy

3.      Maintaining and updating an Order of Precedence of the shire

4.      Maintaining the minutes of the meetings

5.      Complying with the reporting requirements of the Kingdom

                                                             v.      Minister of Arts & Sciences

1.      Fostering the arts and sciences in Loch Cairn

2.      Keeping and maintaining the record of A&S activities of members of the shire

3.      Coordinating regularly held classes, symposia and other educational seminars

4.      Coordinating and arranging for judging of any A&S competitions held at Loch Cairn events

5.      Coordinating A&S classes held at Loch Cairn events

6.      Complying with the reporting requirements of the Kingdom

                                                           vi.      Chatelaine

1.      Maintaining sufficient loaner garb of newcomers and visitors to shire events

2.      Coordinating the construction of loaner garb as needed, as requested by and at the expense of the shire

3.      Helping newcomers learn about the SCA, either personally or by putting them together with group members having similar interests

4.      Providing an inventory of the group's loaner garb to the Quartermaster each December

5.      Complying with the reporting requirements of the Kingdom

                                                          vii.      Chirurgeon

1.      Providing, upon request, basic first-aid to anyone attending an event hosted by Loch Cairn

2.      Maintaining a Chirurgeon's kit and replenishing the supplies as needed, at the expense of the group, within an approved budget

3.      Setting up the first-aid station near the fighting activities at Loch Cairn events and staffing the station as long as the fighting continues

4.      Ensuring fluids are available to fighter and the populace during Loch Cairn events- waterbearers may perform this function

5.      Complying with the reporting requirements of the Kingdom

                                                        viii.      Chronicler

1.      Soliciting articles (both regular and one-time) for the Sea Dragon Quarterly (SDQ)

2.      Compiling and printing SDQ on a quarterly basis, with special issues as required

3.      Making enough copies of SDQ for each shire member to get one and to cover those mailed to the Crown, the Heirs and other groups

4.      Maintaining a mailing list of groups that exchange newsletters with Loch Cairn

5.      Distributing SDQ as determined by the populace

6.      Supervising the person running the web page (Web Minister)

7.      Complying with the reporting requirements of the Kingdom

                                                           ix.      Constable (Sheriff)

1.      Being in charge of Loch Cairn event gates (troll)

2.      Being in charge of site security and controlling traffic/parking at Loch Cairn events

3.      Notifying the Seneschal and Event Steward of any security issues immediately

4.      Ensuring all persons working event gate (troll) at Loch Cairn events are properly trained and follow procedure, as outlined in the Constable's handbook

5.      Collecting and preparing an inventory of Lost and Found items from Loch Cairn events and providing this inventory to the Event Steward

6.      Storing Lost and Found items until claimed or for one (1) year, then auctioning any remaining items for a fundraiser

7.      Complying with the reporting requirements of the Kingdom

                                                             x.      Historian

1.      Maintaining the shire?s historical records, such as scrapbooks, photo albums, videos, CDs and DVDs and updating them as required

2.      Keeping a record of all events and demos hosted by Loch Cairn

3.      Keeping a record of all offices in the shire: who holds the office and when they took the office

4.      Keeping copies of all event flyers for events the shire holds, all newspaper and magazine articles about the shire, thank-you cards and letters, all scrolls received by the shire and pertinent items from the files of the officers

5.      Recording gifts given by the group members for Coronations, Investitures and special projects

6.      Complying with the reporting requirements of the Kingdom

                                                           xi.      Minister of Children

1.      Scheduling and running children's activities at Loch Cairn events

2.      Watching for those deserving of the Kingdom children?s awards at Loch Cairn events and making recommendations

3.      Complying with the reporting requirements of the Kingdom

                                                          xii.      Quartermaster

1.      The Quartermaster is a deputy of the Reeve

2.      Maintaining an inventory of shire property, showing condition of each item and permanent custodian, if assigned

3.      Providing storage for all shire property not otherwise in the custody of another member

4.      Coordinating the receiving, reconditioning, repairing and reissuing of all shire property

5.      Maintaining records showing to whom each item is issued and ensuring prompt return

6.      Recommending to the shire any additional replacement items needed and purchasing said items if so directed

7.      Conducting an inventory of all shire property each December for the Reeve?s Doomsday report

                                                        xiii.      Web Minister

1.      The Web Minister is a deputy of the Chronicler

2.      Maintaining the shire web page and e-group

3.      Seeing that pertinent information is added to the shire e-list

4.      Complying with the reporting requirements of the Kingdom

7. Non-officer positions include: Shire Warlord, Shire Yeoman, Shire A&S Champion, Shire Rapier Champion, Demo-crat and the Populace.

                                                               i.      The duties of the four (4) champions shall be:

1.      Being an example of all that Loch Cairn represents

2.      Being a stellar example in that field of expertise

3.      Maintaining, if any, the regalia of the office

4.      Seeing to the passing on of the honor at a regularly appointed time

5.      Organizing the competition for their successor

                                                             ii.      The duties of the Demo-crat shall be:

1.      Acting as a contact point for the shire on all requests for demonstrations of SCA skills and coordinating those demonstrations

2.      Receiving requests from outside organizations for demonstrations and determining who, what, when and where is desired

3.      Ascertaining if shire members are available and willing to provide the desired demo and if so, obtaining a volunteer to act as event coordinator

4.      Backing up the event coordinator and ensuring that any required after-action reports are prepared and submitted

5.      Activating insurance for any demos with fighting

                                                            iii.      The Populace is expected, but not required, to do the following:

1.      Strive for a level of dignity, honor, courtesy and chivalry consistent with the ideals of the SCA

2.      Strive to assist the officers and other members of the populace for the betterment and enrichment of all

3.      Strive to be a positive representative of the shire and the SCA

4.      Strive to present themselves as gentles, per the ideals of the SCA, including the minimization of intrusive anachronism (i.e. disguising/covering coolers and mundane beverage containers, refraining from using cell-phones around the tourney field, refraining from non-period smoking in view of spectators at demos, etc)

5.      Be considerate of the desires of the other members of the populace to experience the richness and authenticity of SCA activities

3.      Meetings

Business meetings convene on the first Thursday of the month for the purpose of keeping the populace informed of the status of the offices and discussing the business of the shire. Arts and Sciences meetings and special meetings may be called as necessary.

1. Anyone with a question about what we are discussing, or who would like to make a relevant comment should raise a hand and wait to be recognized.
2. Members are expected to work together, keeping their attention on the topics being discussed so as to make the meetings run smoothly and to avoid having to repeat things
3. Funds

1. All purchases made by the shire must comply with civil law, Corpora and Kingdom Law. The Reeve shall be our best resource for ensuring compliance with said laws.

                                                               i.      The financial committee shall be all members of the populace at a given business meeting.

                                                             ii.      The emergency financial committee shall be any three of the five Greater Officers: Seneschal, Reeve, Knight Marshal, Herald, and Minister of A&S.

2. All purchases must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the financial committee, with the following exceptions:

                                                               i.      Costs for running an office, not to exceed Twenty Dollars ($20.00) yearly. These expenses must be reported at the next business meeting.

                                                             ii.      Event costs

                                                            iii.      Up to Fifty Dollars ($50.00) for one time, unexpected expenses can be approved by the Emergency Financial Committee. These shall be reported at the next business meeting.

3. Persons making approved purchases should get a price quote and get a check from the Reeve made out for that amount or they may purchase the item and present it and the receipt for reimbursement
4. Signatories on the shire money accounts shall be the Seneschal, Reeve and one (1) other member of the shire not domiciled with either the Seneschal or Reeve.
5. Only the Seneschal has the authority to authorize discounts and/or adjustments to the approved/published pricing for events. Such adjustments and discounts shall be documented in writing and maintained in the Reeve?s event files. The Seneschal is ultimately accountable for the losses from discounts (not the Event Steward) and should issue them sparingly, subject to the limitations of Corpora and Kingdom Law. The Seneschal shall inform the Event Steward in writing of any discounts issued and documentation shall be kept at the event gate (troll).

5. Decision Making

1. All actions requiring a populace vote, except those requiring funds or those predisposed to a two-thirds (2/3) vote, shall be decided by a simple majority vote of the paid members of the populace attending a given business meeting.

6. Events

1. Each Crown and Heir shall be allowed into all Loch Cairn events without charge.
2. The Event Steward and Feast Steward shall be allowed into Loch Cairn events without charge.
3. Event Bids

                                                               i.      Bids shall contain a description of the event (including name of event and types of activities planned), costs per person for the site and feast, other event related costs (table rental, port-o-potties, etc) and minimum number of people required to break even on expenses.

                                                             ii.      Bids for events shall be received from the populace at least six (6) months before the proposed date of the event.

                                                            iii.      All submitted bids shall be read at a business meeting at least six (6) months before the proposed date of the event and a decision made on whether to accept one of the bids or none.

                                                           iv.      If no bid is received or accepted by the deadline, each subsequent bid shall be voted upon as it is received.

                                                             v.      A two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of those attending the business meeting is required to accept any bid.

                                                           vi.      The budget for an event bid must be submitted to the Seneschal and Reeve at least one (1) week prior to the business meeting for it to be considered for an approval vote, to allow those officers to review the financial aspects of the bid in order to allow them to provide a recommendation to the shire on the fiscal soundness of the bid. This shall NOT be construed as granting the Seneschal and/or Reeve veto power over a bid, but only that fiscal soundness of the bid must be given serious consideration.

4. Responsibilities of the Event Steward

                                                               i.      The Event Steward is a special deputy of the Seneschal.

                                                             ii.      Reserving the site for the chosen date. Only the Seneschal may sign any contract, but the Event Steward may reserve the site.

                                                            iii.      Putting together flyer information and submitting it to the shire and the Seneschal for approval

                                                           iv.      Upon Seneschal's approval, sending flyer to Kingdom Chronicler in such a manner as to meet the current deadline.

                                                             v.      Arranging for an electronic copy of the flyer to be sent to the Kingdom Web Minister to be added to the online Kingdom calendar

                                                           vi.      Ensuring that each officer will be able to perform their duties at the event. If they cannot, making sure that officer identifies someone to perform those duties.

                                                          vii.      Checking and refilling registration supplies as necessary

                                                        viii.      Making arrangements with the Reeve for cash box and change

                                                           ix.      Ensuring transportation of all registration related equipment to the event

                                                             x.      Ensuring SCA directional signs are posted and retrieved

                                                           xi.      Keeping the populace up to date on the event preparations at the business meetings

                                                          xii.      If the Event Steward must ever leave the site, appointing and clearly identifying a substitute

                                                        xiii.      The Event Steward is responsible for all positions and activities pertinent to running the event

                                                        xiv.      Ensuring that the event expenses are within the approved budget for the event. The Event Steward may be held liable for expenses that significantly exceed the size and scope of the approved budget, if prior approval of the Seneschal is not obtained.

5. Responsibilities of the Feast Steward

                                                               i.      Planning menus for the event within the established budget. The Feast Steward may appoint a deputy for breakfast, lunch and/or traveler's fare, but the budget and menus are the responsibility of the Feast Steward.

                                                             ii.      Shopping for the food required for the event after checking existing inventory

                                                            iii.      Scheduling pre-cooks as necessary

                                                           iv.      Printing and posting a menu and ingredient list for the web flyer and on site

                                                             v.      Insuring availability of servers for feast. The Feast Steward may appoint a Hall Steward.

                                                           vi.      Seeing to the transportation of all cooking and serving gear needed

                                                          vii.      Ensuring all cooking serving gear is clean upon return to the custodian.

                                                        viii.      Conducting an inventory of foodstuffs, spices, dry goods, etc. after each use and providing a copy of the inventory to the Quartermaster.

                                                           ix.      Maintaining cleanliness and ensuring safe food handling practices in the kitchen.

                                                             x.      Preparing quality food and serving feast in a timely manner.

                                                           xi.      Ensuring that the feast expenses are within the approved budget for the feast. The Feast Steward may be held liable for expenses that significantly exceed the size and/or scope of the approved budget, if prior approval of the Event Steward and Seneschal is not obtained

6. If an officer cannot be present at a sanctioned event, s/he is responsible for ensuring that a qualified substitute is present to perform that officer's duties. The officer shall be responsible for notifying the Event Steward and Seneschal of the substitution.