Criteria to Be in Good Standing
Making sure that we return, year after year.
Each year after SOAK concludes and the event space has become a cattle ranch once again, the Placement Team collects feedback about each camp and determines their Standing. Camps are evaluated to be either in Good Standing, Jeopardized Standing, or Bad Standing.
This is a guide for how to be and stay in Good Standing.
Standing Classifications
Good Standing - This is what we all strive for. A camp with Good Standing is “doing it right.” Camps begin their existence at SOAK with Good Standing, and it is therefore theirs to keep or lose. The vast majority of camps at SOAK have Good Standing, year after year. Camps with Good Standing receive priority placement.
Jeopardized Standing - This Standing is assigned to those Camps that were found to have substantially transgressed these Criteria during their most recent SOAK event. This Standing is for those camps who are “on notice.” Camps assigned this Standing will receive meaningful, remedial, actionable feedback from Placement, which constitutes a path back into Good Standing. A camp with Jeopardized Standing that takes this feedback to heart, and which does not substantially transgress these Criteria in other ways, will regain their Good Standing status.
Bad Standing - A camp with Bad Standing is one that was in Jeopardized Standing during their most recent SOAK event, but that by all evidence did not take Placement’s remedial feedback to heart, and / or substantially transgressed these Criteria in other ways. Camps assigned this Standing will receive meaningful, remedial, actionable feedback from Placement, which constitutes a path back into Jeopardized Standing, meaning that a camp with Bad Standing will need to show real improvement for two event cycles in order to return to Good Standing status. A camp with Bad Standing will receive deprioritized placement, and may not be placed at all.
The Criteria
The following Criteria are used by Placement to determine a camp’s Standing each year. We have tried to make these Criteria easy to understand, follow, and evaluate. That said, we recognize that there is a degree of subjectivity and judgment involved in the evaluation process. Any questions or concerns a camp might have with respect to said evaluation should be sent to placement@soakpdx.com. We promise to read and respond to all inquiries with consideration and respect.
Did your camp show up and use your reserved space?
If something goes wrong and you need to cancel your camp’s reserved placement, let us know by emailing placement@soakpdx.com as early as possible. If you let us know sufficiently in advance, your camp’s Standing will not be affected. If you have unforeseen problems getting to SOAK before our deadline to claim your reserved space, please email us so we’re aware, and your Standing will not be affected.
If you do not show up without informing us, your camp is not in Good Standing.
Did your camp do what you said you were going to do?
We understand that stuff happens, sometimes stuff that is truly out of our control. If something prevented you from doing what you said you were going to do in your application, let us know ideally by talking to the SOAK Placement Leads while at SOAK or afterward by emailing us.
If your camp didn’t follow through on its primary interactivity and frontage as outlined in its registration application and layout, your camp may not be in Good Standing.
Is your camp a good citizen? Did your camp uphold our community’s principles and cultural norms? Examples of good citizenship for theme camps include, but is not limited to, the following:
Are you hosting radically inclusive interactivity in your camp that is open to all participants who might be interested at SOAK?
Are you being respectful of the camp boundaries of your neighbors?
Are you being neighborly (e.g. following the Sound Policy, being considerate of the impact of generator sound and/or exhaust, and resolving sound, boundary, and other disputes as they arise)?
Is it obvious to those walking by that you are a theme camp and participants are welcome to wander in?
If we receive community feedback to suggest your camp’s behavior was symptomatic of a lack of citizenship or did not uphold our community’s principles and cultural norms, your camp may not be in Good Standing.
Was your camp respectful and conscientious of the space your camp members used, and of the space needs of other participants?
Were campers in your assigned space considerate and efficient with their use of it (taking into account environmental obstacles such as trees, boulders, steep slopes, etc.)? Were there large gaps between tents and other structures? How big were they? They should be large enough to walk safely between but not so large that it would add up to more tent space. Walkways generally need about 3-5 feet. What was your shade-to-tent ratio? Not everybody needs their very own shade structure, people can share. Consider the ability for camp to hang out in your public space as well.
Do you have enough public space allocated for interactivity, relative to the amount of private space your campers take up? (The larger the area used by a camp, the greater the interactivity the camp will be expected to provide to participants)
Did your camp prioritize efficiently filling your allotted space before allowing your camp members to expand out into Open Camping? Open Camping is a very limited and precious resource for participants who do not belong to theme camps; it must not be squandered.
If we observe or receive reports that your camp is not using space efficiently and respectfully, your camp may not be in Good Standing.
On the flip side, if your camp finds itself with more space than it needs and is willing to donate some part of it to Open Camping, that is extremely appreciated and will earn your camp some serious extra credit points with Placement.
Did your camp honor our Decommodification Principle?
If your camp advertises or engages in commodification at SOAK, your camp is not in Good Standing.
If we received feedback from other SOAK departments or the community that anyone in your camp sold or advertised goods or services during SOAK, your camp is not in Good Standing.
Did your camp follow safety protocols established for the event?
If your camp breaks safety protocols established for the event, such as by its members entering the river, improperly handling fuel or gray water, not following Fire Safety policy or other areas defined by the event’s production team, your camp is not in Good Standing.
Was your camp a strain on SOAK’s organizational resources?
If you are repeatedly asked to address something by SOAK Leadership or Rangers and are unresponsive or hostile in addressing it, your camp is not in Good Standing.
If your camp attracts negative attention from Placement or other SOAK departments, that may be deemed as a strain on resources and your camp may not be in Good Standing.
How was your camp’s MOOP?
If your camp leaves MOOP at SOAK, your camp may not be in Good Standing.
As stated above, this isn’t black and white - there are both objective and subjective aspects to this evaluation. Further, the defined Criteria and associated examples is not exhaustive; other, unforeseen transgressions may be discovered, and just because something isn’t listed here as being explicitly “bad” does not mean that it’s necessarily fine. Use your best judgment, and if you’re unsure and really want to stay safe about it, consider running it by Placement before you do the thing.
A camp begins their existence in Good Standing, and it is therefore theirs to keep or lose. A camp in Good Standing is a camp that is “doing it right.” When camps are in Good Standing, it makes SOAK the place we know and love. We support your efforts to be in Good Standing, and we honor the community by giving meaningful, actionable feedback to camps that are not.
We have a great community – the vast majority of SOAK camps are in Good Standing each year after the event!
The intent of this document is to give you as a camp leader a good idea of what it takes to remain in Good Standing. The vast majority of SOAK camps are in Good Standing after the event each year, it really isn’t that hard to do. Keep showing up and being interactive, culturally aligned, neighborly, responsive, amazing citizens of SOAK who leave no trace, and you should have nothing to worry about!
Thank you to everyone who strives to do it right.