[ST] [SA] Staff Den access policy...

[Jet]

My opinion:

Cutting corners and watching budgets are fine things and should be applied
wherever
possible and logical.  I don't think, however, that starting with one of the
few perks
that volunteers in a volunteer-run and volunteer-dependant organization get
is necessarily
the most intelligent choice.  Many of the people who work the hardest use
this perk
the least - and rarely have I heard or seen any of them begrudge those who
volunteer
and do make use of it.  Mostly they lament their inability to have done so.

It seems that periodically the budget-cutting discussions come back around
to cutting away
things that make our volunteers want to volunteer, and most of the time,
after long
debates, discussions and the same points raised over and over, the majority
of
people remember we don't want to alienate or drive off volunteers even if
more WILL
come along and replace them eventually.

As for enforcing something like this, neither Staff Den nor Security have
the time or
manpower to sanely police this kind of restrictive policy on the staff den,
nor would it be
reasonable to add it to their to-do lists even if they did.  Surely there
are a lot more
important considerations to be keeping an eye on rather then whether or not
Joe the
Gopher snagged two sandwiches out of food that we will be desperately
begging
people to take on Sunday.

Lastly, the timing on this debate is poor and likely stressful for Crystal.
Let's all
smile, shake hands, shelf this and give Crystal a break this close to con.

My $0.02.

 - jet

PS - insert standard required "jet spoke" disclaimer here:
As always, no offense, this is not an attack, aggressive interpretations are
entirely
in the mind of the interpreter - this is an opinion, it is only an opinion,
feel free to
move along and disregard it.


  -----Original Message-----
  From: ss [mailto:sibyll at gmail.com]
  Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2007 5:41 PM
  To: SciFiFanBoston at aol.com
  Cc: staff-announce at arisia.org; staff at arisia.org; conchair at arisia.org
  Subject: Re: [SA] [ST] Staff Den access policy...


  Also consider that it is not fair to Staff Den staff to make them the
gatekeepers who must turn away some classes of staff while letting others
in. In addition to the million & one other things that occupy them during
the con.

  If the concern is that some people are "taking advantage" by going to
staff den when they've only worked a few hours, that mostly balances out
across all the staff, as others have mentioned.

  If the concern is about specific people, "repeat offenders" if you will,
then there are people to whom this should be referred.

  But in general, I would assume that the time to have this particular
discussion is when planning is underway for next year's Arisia, not here/now
just before the con. If, for example, Staff Den wanted to cut corners on
their budget, you could issue stickers for the badges of staff who could go
to the den.

  --S.



  On 1/10/07, SciFiFanBoston at aol.com <SciFiFanBoston at aol.com > wrote:
    I'd like a small clarification, and to voice an opinion.

    Basically, there will be a higherarchy of volunteers.  This I
understand, HOWEVER,

    ... just because a person is working the art show desk, or directing
people in the masquerade, why does that automatically get them a full
weekend of meals?  I can understand one ore even two meals that makes it
easier to have them available at a certain time for a specific job.  But
every meal all weekend, just because they have an Art Show or Masquerade
ribbon?  Security I understand, they are on duty all the time.  Tech I even
understand because they are on at the oddest hours.  I just think you're
being too generous with some volunteers at the expense of generosity to
others.

    -Mary
    Volunteers Lounge

    In a message dated 1/7/2007 6:45:25 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
joelll at genericdomain.net writes:

      Hello,

      This year's Staff Den access policy:

      A Staff ribbon (or higher up) is required for access to the Staff Den.
      Tech, Masquerade Staff, Art Show Staff, and Security badges are
included
      as Staff.

      We're also encouraging the GOH's to visit the staff den informally to
say
      hi to people working the convention (and if they need to be fed
outside of
      Green Room hours).

      Volunteers who work in the Staff Den are handled at the discretion of
the
      person running it at the time.

      Finally, there may be Volunteers of heroic caliber (or those who
haven't
      eaten and need to be fed and/or rested Right Away) who are instructed
to
      go to the Staff Den by a Department Head or higher level person (who
      should notify the Staff den by phone or through Ops).  These
Volunteers
      are often promoted with Staff ribbons before being sent up to the Den;
      those who aren't should be handled at the discretion of the person
running
      the den at the time, including possibly confirming with the sending
Dept
      Head (or higher level staff).


      Thank you,

      Joel Herda

      Convention Chair
      Arisia '07
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