Census 2005 Report

Census 2005 Report^[1]

Officina Census CFBQ Caeso Fabius Buteo Quintilianus, Censor Gaius Moravius Laureatus Armoricus, Caput Censoris Officinae Ductus CFBQ Marcus Moravius Piscinus Horatianus, Scriba Censoris Census Primus

Scribae Censoris Officinae Census: Quintus Cassius Calvus; Marcus Octavius Germanicus; Marca Hortensia Maior; Aulus Apollonius Cordus; Gaius Fabius Buteo Modianus; Marcus Antonius Biachius; Marcus Curiatius Complutensis; Manius Constantinus Serapio; and Marcus Lucretius Agricola.

Authority:

Constitution of Nova Roma Sections II.A. 4 and IV.A.1.b

Lex Fabia de Censu 31 May 2003

Edictum Censoris CFBQ XXXIV 4 July 2005

Purpose and Results

The Officina Census conducted a census of all current and former members of Nova Roma from 4 July until 23 Oct. 2005. On file with the censors are the records of approximately 4332 applicants for membership. Among these are 520 files of applicants who were never approved for membership. Another 193 former members have officially renounced their citizenship. By the conclusion of the census, 1021 former applicants and/or members were determined to have "disappeared." Three former cives are listed as deceased. The focus of the census was then placed on the remaining 2595 members to determine who among them remained as Active cives and who were to be reclassified under recent leges as Inactive socii.

Among Active members are four categories of cives:

1. Assidui who contributed annual dues to Nova Roma in 2005
2. Cives who voted in the elections of December 2004
3. Probationary Cives who joined after 1 January 2005 and had not yet completed their probationary period prior to 23 October 2005.
4. Capite Censi who responded to the Officina Census or to the propraetor/propraetrix of their respective provincia.

Inactive members consist of Socii who did not meet any of the above criteria for Active membership. In addition those listed as "Disappeared" were Socii who could not be reached by any means of communication and who were found to have invalid email addresses, postal addresses, and telephone numbers.

At the completion of Census 2005 it was determined that Nova Roma has a total of 662 full citizens and an additional 184 probationary citizens, for a potential of 846 Active members. Inactive Socii amounted to 1749 members, including 501 Socii who warrant being reclassified with a status of "Disappeared."

From among all 4332 applications for membership that Nova Roma has received, 3906 have been granted citizenship at one time or another. Of these only 662 members remain full cives. That is, Nova Roma has lost 83% of its membership. At the end of summer 2000, Nova Roma had an "active" membership of 850 cives. Essentially Nova Roma today, with 846 assidui, capiti censi, and provisional cives, has failed to grow over the past five years.

Progress of the Census

Periodic counts were made as the census was being conducted. The figures below reflect membership response to announcements and email campaigns conducted by the Officina Census. While the census was being conducted additional applications were being processed as other probationary cives entered into full citizenship. A number of those 531 socii who were originally found to have invalid email addresses were contacted by propraetores through alternate means of communication, and thus their total number declined.

Breakdown by Provincia

The aggregate numbers are given below for each provincia and each region. Included in the regional numbers are figures for members who live outside organized provinciae.

The Assidui

Among the 662 full cives that Nova Roma had by the end of the census 238 (36%) are assidui. The chart below rearranges the provinciae according to the number of assidui in each. Differences in the tax rate for each provincia were then considered to show what each provincia has provided to Nova Roma in revenues. Not included in provincial revenues are the amounts contributed by probationary cives.

Organization of the Census

Censor K. Fabius Buteo Quintilianus established a new Officina Census on 28 June 2005. He named M. Moravius Piscinus Horatianus as Scriba Censoris Census Primus to head the office composed of scribae M. Antonius Biachius, A. Apollonius Cordus, and C. Fabius Buteo Modianus. Additional support was provided by Q. Cassius Calvus, M. Octavius Germanicus and M. Hortensia Maior. Additional assistance was extended to the Officina Census by propraetores M'. Constantinus Serapio for Italia, M. Flavius Philippus Conservatus in Germania, M. Lucretius Agricola in Asia Orientalis, and M. Curiatius Complutensis for Hispania and Mexico. Each of the scribae was assigned provinciae so that each oversaw the registration of approximately the same number of potential cives. The scribae were instructed to work with the propraetores of their assigned provinciae in locating and registering cives. Responsibility for updating the files of cives was assigned to A. Apollonius Cordus and M. Moravius Piscinus Horatianus. Letters received directly by the Officina Census from cives were responded to by M. Moravius Piscinus Horatianus. All of the scribae responded to letters sent indirectly through propraetores.

Conduct of the Census

Announcements of the census were posted to the Nova Roma Mainpage, Mainlist and Announcements Board. Scriba Census Primus M. Moravius Piscinus contacted each of the propraetores, followed up by the other scribae of Officina Census. Propraetores then posted the announcements of the census to provincial email lists. The announcement of the census was also passed on by matres/patres familias.

The Officina Census sent out mass mailings to all potential cives requesting that they register in the census. Care was taken to ensure that all mailings were sent on a dies comitalis to avoid religious proscriptions. The first mailing, consisting of 2115 emails, was sent on 17 July 2005, dies comitialis a. d. XVI Kal. Sextilis A. U. C. MMDCCLVIII. This first mailing was sent in English, followed up by selective mailings in Italian and German, beginning on 27 July, and also in Spanish to members located in Hispania, Mexico, and Argentina. Translations of the census letter were provided by M'. Constantinus Serapio, M. Flavius Philippus Conservatus, and M. Curiatius Complutensis, respectively. In some provinciae these mailings were also followed up by individual mailings from propraetores. Afterwards the Officina Census received 546 bounced emails from erroneous addresses. From mid-July through mid-September the scribae and propraetores continued in their efforts to reach individual members via email, postal services, telephone, and by personal contacts as well. A second mass mailing was then sent out on 17-18 Sept. to these same socii who had not yet registered with the census as cives. This mailing was sent to 1991 socii with 308 emails subsequently bouncing. Again the mailing was followed up by additional mailings translated into Italian, Spanish, and German. The scribae censoris of the Officina Census and some propraetores again followed up these emails with phone calls, postal mailings, and personal contacts in an attempt to reach all members. The two mass mailings were the minimum efforts needed to meet the requirements of conducting the census under Nova Roma leges. The Officina Census took it upon itself to make additional efforts in different regions and provinciae when it was suspected that a special problem might exist. The translated emails, alternate mailing schedules, networking, and alternate means of communication were all part of the additional efforts that aimed to contact all possible members and have them register as cives.

Each month of the census consisted of four phases: contacting cives and propraetores, collecting information, updating files and disseminating information back to propraetores when needed. From the 4,417 letters sent out by the Officina Census, the scribae received and responded to 952 letters, answering inquiries and taking complaints. The scribae of the Officina Census updated 2586 files with current information on street addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and status. Removed initially from the provincial lists of active members were 152 files due to duplications, resignations, or for other problems. From among the socii 88 were reclassified as having Disappeared. These were former members in whose cases all attempts to contact them proved that they did not have valid addresses or phone numbers recorded with Nova Roma, and those whose contact information had already been found missing in previous censuses. Under recent Nova Roman leges distinguishing Active members as cives, and all others being then recorded as socii, 1750 files were reclassified as Inactive. Under the previous leges any civis who failed to respond to the census had been removed from the list of citizens. The new requirements that distinguish between Active Cives and Inactive Socii under Nova Roma leges therefore resulted in a 68% reduction in the membership that previously appeared on the public webpages of Nova Roma provinciae.