And its another fun and fact filled trip to the SA! Enjoy.

Run-ons

The run-ons need to finish soon, preferably in the next 7 days. I don’t want these things to drag out. Remember, due to instructions from the MAA, the awards can go down depending upon participation. So, if you’re on a run-on team, get to it!

Advanced Writing Course

Oberst is offering an advanced writing course to all members of the DB. This is a legitimate SA course, which means you do get something listed on your dossier IF you pass. Talk to Oberst for details (you can also read his news page postings).

Upcoming Courses

Sith Empire III is awaiting Jac’s final approval, and then it’ll be off to Dranik for coding and posting on the SA site. Jac, of course, has been busy getting new features added to the DB site (with great help from Sildrin), so either way, still new features coming out for the members. Even though he’s on a semi-LoA for a bit, Dranik has assured me that he should be able to code the course and get it up without any problems.

The revised Krath Core exam is nearing completion. It’ll be the first of the 3 Core exams to get their facelift. Obelisk Core has been delayed because Frosty was having problems with his ISP. Sith Core is somewhere in the middle. As a reminder, and I’ll post this every time I talk about the Core rewrites: you do not need to retake the exam if you have already passed it

Finally, probably in February, we will probably see the PHP and ASP courses get shifted over to just references. Not enough people take the exams to warrant keeping them as exams. The information will still be there (probably moved to the Dark Vault). As much as I like to see the SA expand, I’m not opposed to removing courses that aren’t being utilized.

Helping the SA

I think I’ve talked about this before, but I want to touch on it again. Very often, I get questions about joining the SA staff. This is not a feature unique to new members. I do get some older members volunteering. I enjoy seeing this willingness to help. All I can say for now is that just to keep your eyes on the main new page. If there’s a position open for applications, I’ll post the information there. I wish I had a position for everyone interested, but I don’t.

Speaking of which, if you have applied for an EP position since I’ve been Headmaster (so, March of 2006), I still have your applications on file. Or rather, I did. Since I figure (and hope) that they’re all outdated by now, I’ve deleted all of them from my mail.

New Course proposals are still on hold. I want to finish Sith Empire III, the Core rewrites, and then hopefully clan history courses after that. And then we’ll reopen for proposals. More details on that at the proper time.

Conclusion and Summary

The SA continues to move along. Progress has slowed a bit due to the holidays, and school starting up, but hopefully we’ll get back to full speed soon. Thanks to those who came out for trivia this past Saturday (congrats to Aabsdu and Vlad for winning). I hope to see more of you next week. So, to recap:

• Run-ons need to finish

• New or updated courses coming

• Thanks to those who want to help in the SA. Old applications have been deleted, so the next time a position opens, send me a new one.