Charter

Outlined on this page is a proposal to form a University style system of classes and workshops under the direction of the SCA College of Svatý Sebesta. The goal of the proposal is to promote the dissemination of knowledge about the Middle Ages and its arts and sciences, as well as to develop a stable of classes and teachers for use in its sessions.

This proposal is being made with unanimous endorsement from the Svatý Sebesta Curriculum Committee formed during the Winter of 2001/2002. Members of the committee include: Thomas MacPaul the Younger (Chair); Lady Arnora (MoAS); Lady Mor Maolain (Exchequer); and Fiona of the Harp. Also included in the Committee is Ernauld GreyBeard, who has replaced Lady Mor Maolain on the Committee upon her moving to Florida.

[Ed Note: This proposal was unanimously voted into effect at a regular business meeting of Svatý Sebesta on March 29, 2002. Members present for the vote were: Matt Smart, Seneschal, Tom Petersen (Pursuivant), Rachel Nelson (MoAS), Anne Hinseth, Mikel Owen, Chris Dvorak, Anne Marie Bickel, Kaia Nelson, Bill Nelson and Tom Graff. General discussion prior to the vote indicated the membership understood this proposal would be the guidelines under which the Curriculum Committee and interim Chancellor would develop a more formal set of by-laws. These by-laws would be voted on by the membership following the Chancellor's Domesday Report to the College on the first regular business meeting of Svatý Sebesta in calendar year 2003. Changes to this current Proposal can be made in motion form by the Curriculum Committee at any regular business meeting of the College of Svatý Sebesta during the interim period, and require a two-thirds majority vote to amend.]

Glossary of Terms: In this proposal, the following terms are defined as:

The Curriculum Committee or the Committee - four member board nominated by the membership of Svatý Sebesta and responsible for overseeing the development of the Collegium through its interim period.
The Collegium of Svatý Sebesta or the Collegium - that part of the College of Svatý Sebesta devoted to its university system.
Interim Period - a period of time from the present until such time as the Curriculum Committee recommends to the College of Svatý Sebesta it is no longer necessary.
Chancellor of the Collegium or Chancellor - equivalent to the President of a university. Responsible for administration of the Collegium. Performs or oversees all record keeping and administrative tasks.
Provost - equivalent to the Dean of a college.
Bursar - equivalent to an exchequer, treasurer, or troll. Maintains all financial records related to the Collegium, particularly those which do not come under the jurisdiction of the Exchequer for Svatý Sebesta.
Collegium Session or Session - a regularly scheduled event centering around Collegium classes and workshops.
Collegium Charter - a document outlining the goals, scope and responsibilities of the Collegium and its officers.

Following is the proposed Charter for the Collegium of Svatý Sebesta from the Curriculum Committee.

Let it be known that a center for high learning hereinafter known as the Collegium of Svatý Sebesta, shall be established within the SCA College of Svatý Sebesta, which lies in the Middle Kingdom Principality of Northshield.

The purpose of the Collegium will be as follows:
~ To provide a standard system of educational opportunities, varied in nature and content, but within the framework of the Society for Creative Anachronism and our medieval period.
~ To encourage through recognition, availability and standardization, participation in the Collegium.
~ And, to increase the overall knowledge and appreciation of, and involvement in our medieval society.

ADMINISTRATION:

Administration of the Collegium will be performed by an officer known as the Chancellor of the Collegium. The Chancellor's duties include overseeing all of the record keeping and administrative tasks; working with instructors and other SCA universities to develop a viable curriculum; and nominating for appointment subordinate officers of the Curriculum. The Chancellor shall be elected by a two-thirds majority vote of the membership of the College of Svatý Sebesta for a one-year term with the election being held the second regular business meeting of the calendar year. Nominees for the position should be restricted to members of the College of Svatý Sebesta who will not hold a greater office during their tenure as Chancellor.

During the interim period between the acceptance of this proposal and the first scheduled election of Chancellor, the Curriculum Committee will nominate a Chancellor for election by the College of Svatý Sebesta. This Interim Chancellor shall be subordinate to the oversight of the Curriculum Committee. The Interim Chancellor shall meet with the Committee at least once a month to report progress in fulfilling this Charter. Continuation or reestablishment of the Curriculum Committee and its oversight function can be approved by a majority vote of the College of Svatý Sebesta membership.

The Chancellor is also required to file a full report to the College of Svatý Sebesta at a regular business meeting within 30 days after each formal Collegium Session, and to file a Domesday Report with the College of Svatý Sebesta during the first regular business meeting of the calendar year. All reports will include general information about the Collegium, including: number of students enrolled; number of instructors available; number of classes taught; current Collegium class schedule; total number of participants in Collegium activities; and, a Bursar's report. Session reports will include this information broken down by the specific session as well as overall statistics. The Domesday Report will summarize all data for the year and include statistics of Collegium classes held by other groups.

The Chancellor may be removed from office at any time during his term, with or without cause, by a two-thirds vote of the College of Svatý Sebesta membership. Notice of such a vote should be announced at least one regular business meeting prior to the vote, but need not be. Election of a new Chancellor can be held immediately following removal of the seated Chancellor if the aforementioned notice was given, else should be postponed until the following regular business meeting.

Non-elected Officers of the Collegium:
All non-elected officers of the Collegium are appointed by the Chancellor on an as needed basis. It is the Chancellor's responsibility to perform the duty of any unfilled officer positions. The Chancellor should attempt to fill non-elected positions with Svatý Sebesta or SCA members, but, with the exceptions of Provosts, is not required to. Appointments must be made known to the general membership of Svatý Sebesta 30 days prior to becoming effective and must not meet major opposition. Any College of Svatý Sebesta member may privately request the Seneschal call for a confirmation vote on an appointment, but such a request must be made and the Chancellor notified within the 30 day notice period. The confirmation vote must be announced to the membership at the next regular business meeting and placed on the agenda for the following regular business meeting. Confirmation of the appointment then requires a two-thirds vote of the membership.

With these guidelines, the Chancellor is empowered to appoint the following officers to the Collegium:

     Bursar - responsible for maintaining all financial records pertinent to the Collegium and for preparing any reports or statements required by funding sources, i.e., the College of Svatý Sebesta; the University of South Dakota; grant sponsors, etc. The appointment of Bursar must be approved by both the Exchequer and the Seneschal of the College of Svatý Sebesta.
     Registrar - responsible for maintaining all student and instructor records, and verifying requests for graduation.
     Provost - responsible for overseeing development of the subordinate academic divisions of the Collegium and make recommendations to the Chancellor on issues of curriculum development and instructor recruitment. Provosts need not be members of the College of Svatý Sebesta but should be SCA members.
     Web Minister - maintains Collegium web site.
     Chamberlain - responsible for storage and inventory of the physical property belonging to or on loan to the Collegium.
     Marshal-at-Arms - responsible for security and safety at Collegium Sessions.
     Regent - a liaison between the Collegium and another SCA group. Normally in charge of preparations for classes, workshops or sessions being held outside the physical jurisdiction of Svatý Sebesta. Should be the MoAS of the Shire sponsoring Collegium activities, or the Shire in whose territory the activity is being held. Regents are selected by the hosting shire and approved by the Chancellor.

Funding of the Collegium:
The Collegium shall charge no fees for registration, class attendance, regalia, or graduation scrolls. Nor shall any group hosting Collegium workshops or classes charge such fees. The Collegium may charge fees associated with the actual cost of preparing and delivering Collegium materials to other groups wishing to hold off-campus classes.

Instructors may charge a materials fee upon approval by the appropriate Provost and the Chancellor, but, if possible, shall attempt to design classes in such a manner as to allow some students to attend the class without incurring a fee.

Except for the above exceptions, the Collegium may acquire funding through as many sources as possible. These include but are not limited to: donations of moneys or materials from individuals, groups, households, non-profit organizations, foundations, government funding agencies, raffles, sale of donated property, funds generated through populace votes, etc.

Moneys acquired for the Collegium shall be handled in accordance with SCA Chancellor of the Exchequer policies. All monies will be turned over by the Bursar to the College of Svatý Sebesta Exchequer. Of these monies, the College of Svatý Sebesta Exchequer will hold in reserve for the Collegium funds not to exceed the amount required to sponsor one calendar year of Collegium activities as reflected in previous Bursar reports. Funds in excess of one year's expenses will be considered available to the College of Svatý Sebesta's General Fund, with preference given to expenditures related to the College of Svatý Sebesta's Arts & Sciences programs.

Should monies donated specifically for use by the Collegium exceed the Reserve amount, the Reserve amount must be maintained at a level high enough to include all such earmarked funds.

Expendable goods and materials donated to the Collegium for its use shall be recorded by the Bursar and a fair market value assigned to the donation. While not an incurred expense, the amount of these donations shall be included in the Bursar's report to provide for an accurate assessment of appropriate reserve amounts.

The Chancellor also reserves the right to refuse specific donations of monies or property if the Chancellor feels the donation would be inappropriate, illegal, inconvenient, or politically incorrect to the Society. Such refusal requires the approval of the College of Svatý Sebesta Seneschal or a two-thirds vote of the College of Svatý Sebesta membership.

The College of Svatý Sebesta Seneschal may petition the Collegium to release reserve funds to the College of Svatý Sebesta General Fund. Such a petition would require approval from the Bursar and Chancellor and a majority vote approval from College of Svatý Sebesta members, or, failing approval from the Chancellor or Bursar, a two-thirds approval vote from the College of Svatý Sebesta membership.

Property donated to the Collegium shall be treated as property belonging to the College of Svatý Sebesta.

ACADEMIC STRUCTURE:

The Collegium of Svatý Sebesta is divided into five academic colleges of study. These are:
     Current Middle Ages
     Martial Arts
     History
     Performing Arts
     Arts & Sciences

Each of these subordinate colleges is headed by a Provost, who works with the Chancellor in developing courses of study, accrediting classes, locating and evaluating instructors, developing handouts and class materials, and approving the graduation of students.

Classes and class materials are developed and/or approved by the appropriate Provost for each subordinate college the class is appropriate to. The Provost suggests the assignment of a class number and amount of class credits to reflect the level of difficulty or scope of material the class covers. Final assignment of class designations are made by the Chancellor and Registrar. The Provosts also recommend to the Chancellor and Registrar a list of required classes for all students and courses of study required for graduation at different degree levels.

Earning a Degree

Students may earn three levels of degrees from the Collegium of Svatý Sebesta. To do so they must be registered with the Collegium as a student and meet the course requirements.

Associate of the Collegium - 24 credit hours of classes
Bachelor of the Collegium - an associate degree plus 21 additional credit hours plus instructed three Collegium classes
Master of the Collegium - a Bachelor Degree plus an additional 21 credit hours plus instructed three additional classes, plus must have entered a project in the Collegium's Arts & Sciences competition meeting Kingdom standards for second place.

Required Courses - All students are required to take courses in all five of the courses of study. Advanced degree levels become more specific to a field of study. There is a list of required courses for each level of study plus a group of electives.

Class Attendance - to get credit for taking a class, the student must be registered with the Collegium, must have enrolled in the class either at the Registrar's table or through the instructor, and must have actually received a passing grade from the instructor. Instructors may issue only a Pass or Fail grade. Fail grades can be appealed to the appropriate Provost or the Chancellor.
Transfer of credits - Credits for courses taken elsewhere may be transferred upon approval of the Chancellor and the appropriate Provost. Such courses must fall within the curriculum of studies of the Collegium, must have been taken after April 13, 2002, and require the class instructor to complete a form attesting the student's attendance and the appropriateness of the transfer. Generally, accredited classes from other SCA colleges and universities will transfer, as will some workshops and symposiums sponsored by craft guilds, museums, community centers, and others.

Credit for Teaching a Class - Instructors automatically get credit for any class they teach.

Testing Out - Students may request to test out of a list of entry level courses, but if they already know the material, we recommend they consider offering to teach the class instead. Unless special circumstances warrant otherwise, testing out of classes is done only at the Spring Session of the Collegium.

Collegium Sessions - The Collegium of Svatý Sebesta will hold two regular sessions each calendar year. A Spring Session will always be held during the College of Svatý Sebesta's annual Brewers' & Vintner's event. All graduation ceremonies will be held at the Spring Session. A Fall Session will be held at a location selected by the Chancellor. As a SCA college associated with the University of South Dakota, Svatý Sebesta is entitled to hold workshops at any of USD's campuses throughout the state. Collegium sessions may also be hosted by other SCA groups. Groups interested in hosting the Fall session should contact the Chancellor.

Workshops - the Collegium may sponsor workshops on specific subjects, such as armoring, forging, dance, etc. Generally these will cover advanced levels of study that require special sites, equipment, or time durations exceeding the ability of normal sessions to accommodate.

Non-Session accredited classes - Other SCA groups may request the Collegium hold accredited classes during one of their regular events, or, may request classes they hold be accredited, or, may request materials from the Collegium for an accredited class to be held at their event.

Regalia - After attending two regular sessions of the Collegium, students are entitled to wear the Collegium badge either as a belt token or on a baldric. The field area of the badge may be a color designating their major interest of study. Upon receiving an associates level degree, they may place a single charge under the badge (we suggest a chevron or arrow). Upon receiving a bachelor's degree they may add a second charge under the first. Upon receiving a master's degree they may add a third charge. Field colors representing the different area of study are: Current Middle Ages - Gold; Martial Arts - Black; Performing Arts - Purple; Arts & Sciences - Blue; and History - Green; and Undeclared - Red.. The Collegium badge is fieldless, a scroll surmounted by five arrows alternating dexter and sinister.