They say that as one door closes, another one opens. That could be just a trite saying meant to tell people to hold on, to weather the storm. It could also be a simple matter of air pressure, or bad architectural design. Either way, it is somewhat appropriate now.

A few weeks ago, I asked for applications for two of the tribune positions, for the Forums, and for the Recruitment sides of our club. We've received a number of well-constructed and intelligent applications since then. It takes time to look at those, and weigh them as we consider what direction that we want to take with those aspects of things.

The Forums have been an often overlooked avenue of activity in the club. All too often, people forget that they are there, overfocusing on things like IRC and email for communication when the forums are there to serve as another option. For too long it has been relegated to 'something that only gets used when there's a runon competition'.

Thankfully, there was fire in the bellies of the applicants. Of those who decided to put themselves out there and take responsibility for this, one did stand out. The Knight called Riverche had sent over a detailed plan of attack, reorganization ideas, and a way to help build that part of our infrastructure into a more visible asset for our community here. While Riverche is a knight, she has some experience in the real world with computers and forums, and her experience as a newer member of our club can help bring a 'eyes of the beginner' angle to the forums to make them more accessible for the membership at large.

For recruitment tribune, we face a looming doom.

With the films entering production, hype for Star Wars is growing to a fever pitch, and we absolutely MUST take advantage of that. Many of us were not around when the prequel trilogies were coming out, but those of us who were can tell you how much of an impact it made on our organization. As such, this is a critical position, able to make or break the efforts to keep new members flowing through to the clans and houses for the next several years.

That's a mighty tall order.

We got a few great applications for that, but the most unexpected, the most well-researched and well-thought out application came from a current member of our Dark Council. Solari has been a driving force as headmaster and in the Crusades, and his work is without peer. He automated much of the Shadow Academy, revitalized the new join process, and put up with my 'we have to go deeper' inception talk as regards to the 'grind path'.

With Solari's feeling that he has done all that he can with the Shadow Academy, he has put forth his name to lead this very important endeavor. Originally, I thought to have him dual wield these positions, but Solari himself disabused me of that notion, knowing that he would not be able to devote the kind of time necessary for both of those positions if he were to take both.

I just want to point out how rare it is to see that sort of dedication to the club. Here is a man who is applying for a position off of the Dark Council because he knows it is important. There are many among us who have it as their primary ambition to find a seat on the Dark Council, to make their own mark. And here Solari is, saying 'I've already done what I can here, time to go where I am needed more'.

That just goes back to what I have been saying about Solari all along.

And as I mentioned, there is opportunity here.

As Solari moves to spearhead our critical recruitment campaigns, he will be vacating the position of Headmaster. Those are some pretty serious shoes to fill. If you are serious about the job, I shouldn't have to tell you what Raken and I expect out of an application for a Dark Council position. There are myriad resources to check, from the wiki, leadership courses, and even your Consuls. 30-60-90? Check. Plans? Check. Huge pile of recommendations? Leave that out. Get it to us before 2359 EDT April 23rd, 2014.

Thanks again,