I wouldn't say that the Coronet has duties that are specific to the
boroughs, but I'll turn that around and say that there are things about the
boroughs' particular circumstances that give some of the Coronet's general
duties to the barony a special focus in their case.  Gwendolyn and I each
joined the SCA through boroughs of Carolingia (Southbank and Duncharloch,
respectively), and so we have a real appreciation for the situation of
borough members, and for the balance between borough activity and baronial
activity.  To list a few of these particular circumstances:
<p>
- Most borough members joined the SCA here, and of those who already
joined, most are new to Carolingia; to that extent, the Coronet's general
duty of welcoming newcomers is all the more important among the borough
populace.
<p>
- Being attached to mundane institutions, the boroughs are geographically
and demographically bounded groups; the Coronet's obligation to keep all
groups in Carolingia in touch with each other and involved with the barony
as a whole applies especially to them.
<p>
- The boroughs represent transient populations: most students are in and
out of college in four years; if they didn't join the SCA first thing (I
know I didn't) then they're only part of Carolingia for two or three years.
The Coronet's duty to notice individuals, to help them connect and to
recognize their achievements, is the more urgent for borough members.
<p>
The single most important thing we could do to address these duties would
be to make regular visits to meetings of the boroughs - which we would be
making to all the guilds, practices, cantons, and other such groups anyway
- bearing these special circumstances in mind as we do. Then from these
regular contacts could grow other things to meet these needs, things to
encourage and facilitate involvement with more of the barony: co-hosting
other group meetings at the borough at a higher level than just providing
room space, for example - I'm thinking especially of the way Felding has
hosted Calligraphers' Guild and Low Company meetings in the past - and
connecting borough members with particular interests with guilds and
individuals outside the borough interested in the same things.
<p>
Furthermore, the boroughs take on the majority of the barony's recruitment
work.  During demo season, the Coronet's duty to represent the barony to
itself means they would have to working closely with the boroughs to
present a good-looking and well-defined image of the barony, so that new
members' first impressions are both favorable and accurate.
