The XP Changes

As Atra detailed while I was on vacation, we have made some significant changes to XP that impact every member. Most (but not all) of this has worked its way through the system and so far things have played out more or less as we anticipated. I won't rehash the full explanation here--Atra helpfully provided it in his news post, linked above--but I do want to talk briefly about the "additional requirements" for Elder 3 and 4 that were noted but not explained in any detail. As of this morning, the XP Policy wiki page has been updated to reflect the new requirements, which are as follows:

Promotions to the ranks of Elder 3 and Elder 4 are subject to additional requirements:

At least three years aggregate time as a Consul (or independent unit leader) or member of the Council. Simply holding a position is not sufficient. Consideration will be given to a member's contributions to the club as well as whether their time-in-position was active or inactive. Highly impactful work in positions other than Consul or Council may also be considered.

Further, the member's sacramental awards will be reviewed to ensure that they are justified by their recommendations, as some high sacramentals have been awarded in years past for as little as winning a single competition. The value of any medals that do not pass this review will be reduced or deducted from the member's XP total solely for purposes of determining whether the member meets the required XP threshold.

There are a few things to unpack here. First, obviously, a hard requirement of time in leadership at a high level. Although only "Consul" (including any independent unit leader) and "Council" roles are expressly identified, other positions may contribute as well. During our review of the small number of people meeting the EL3 XP threshold, the main "other" positions we've identified are the old Order Leader roles as well as things that were essentially DC-level work but without formal inclusion such as Fiction Tribune (which became Voice).

Second, EL3 and 4 effectively require large sacramentals (DS, SL, GLS) to achieve. In the past, some of these medals were awarded for strange reasons or for none at all: there's at least one SL out there with literally no information about why it was awarded. The SL in particular was, for a time, awarded as essentially a "super Seal of Loyalty" and someone would get it every year. It was not typically handed out as a reward for great performance or completion of a major project like most sacs were and still are. A similar problem arises from some of our ancient awards, my favorite example being Kamjin's first ED which was awarded simply "to members of Guardian Squadron" for winning a competition. Maybe that made sense at the time, I have no idea, but it doesn't fit with the last twenty years of medal awarding evolution and should not count the same as his second ED, for work done as CSP CON and JST.

Our approach to these older sacs is fairly simple. If a medal has a good recommendation that justifies the award, we count it as normal. If it has little or no explanation and we can't otherwise make sense of it, it doesn't count. If the member doesn't meet the XP threshold for EL3 or 4 without the XP from that medal, they don't meet the threshold and won't be promoted. Other than that, they get to enjoy having the medal and all the other perks that come with it.

Howie and I have been going through the list of 15 potentially eligible EL3/4 promotions and those we approve should start showing up soon. Anyone who thinks they should be eligible but doesn't get a promotion can reach out to us to discuss. As always, I'm open to persuasion.