I.

There is a popular perception among many laypersons and especially among those in the archæological community that only the "professional" practioners of archæology are those in possession of an advanced degree (M.A. or higher). It is common practice that these "professionals" determine the fate, future, or outcome of cultural resources. However, the fact is that the information collected that allows the "professionals" to make such determinations is very often collected by persons who are accorded no such professional status, nor are they required to possess any minimum level of education or experience.

II.

Currently, there is no organization with the primary purpose of establishing such minimum qualifications and recognizing additional expertise as a means of improving the quality of work by those who are not accorded "professional" status, and thus, assuring the quality of the information collected from these increasingly rare cultural resources. It is the goal of the G.O.A.T. to ensure that the employer is staffed with qualified and competent archæologists.

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Organizational Format and Grading:

When an archæologist applies and is accepted into G.O.A.T. they are placed into a grading system that is designed to allow G.O.A.T. to address an employers' need for certain types of field crew. G.O.A.T. uses three classifications for its grading structure:

APPRENTICE.

The Apprentice grade allows qualified applicants to become members of this professional organization even though they may have no specific education or training in the discipline. The intent of this grade is to align the work ethics of the Apprentice member with those of the more experienced professionals and to afford them the courtesy and respect due a serious student and practioner of the discipline. To be ranked into this level the applicant must have completed 21 semester or 31.5 quarter college credits in any subject, and 3 semester or 4.5 quarter credits of anthropology or archæology.

JOURNEYMAN.

The Apprentice member advances to this grade after a reasonable amount of experience and additional education either formally or "on the job." The applicant may be placed in this grade if they meet the requirements listed below. A Journeyman (applies to both genders) is capable of working under supervision as a crew member, and is acquainted with the basic tools of the job (both physical and mental) and owns his/her own necessities. That is, a Journeyman Guild member knows how to and is comfortable with collecting the necessary information about an artifact, but would not necessarily feel comfortable with collecting the actual artifact. This might be due in part to unfamiliarity with contract specifics or how the supervisory staff treats such matters. Unless the supervisor explains how to deal with the situation as part of the orientation to the project, the situation is likely to arise and be dealt with as illustrated since the Journeyman may not have thought to ask whether artifacts were being collected. In order to be placed at this level Apprentices and applicants must have acquired 1000 hours of practical experience in the field, lab, etc. or have earned 3 semester or 4.5 quarter credits in an archæological field school (field or lab) plus 500 hours of practical experience in the field, lab, etc. In addition, the Apprentice or applicant must have generally conducted oneself in an appropriate manner such that supervising colleagues would recommend them for service, and must not have received employer complaints within the 24 months prior to submitting their application.

MASTER.

This is the highest grade within the Guild. The requirements are more strict since the Masters must bear the responsibility for the performance of their Apprentices and Journeymen. To attain this grade the Journeyman or applicant must have completed at least 96 semester or 144 quarter credits at the college/university level. They must have at least 2500 hours of practical experience other than school credit. They must have taught field and/or laboratory skills and techniques in appropriate situations. They must have managed projects, written at least some portion of a project report, and they must have generally conducted oneself in an appropriate manner such that supervising colleagues would recommend them for service. They also must not have received employer complaints within the 24 months prior to submitting their application.

        Masters Level Sub-categories:

The Master grade is also organized into three sub-categories which serve only as markers of educational achievement and is not to be used as a tool for exclusionary practices by the Guild, members of the Guild or by employers. These categories are defined by the degree, if any, that the Guild member may posses as a result of their higher educational background. The purpose of this gradation is to allow employers to staff their field crew with personnel who meet the educational qualifications as specified by the contract. Those persons who have not completed a degree program, but still meet the qualifications for Master status will be entitled with the Master designation, but without a degree title.

The grades are as follows:

     Master, B.A. for those who have earned a B.A. degree*.

     Master, M.A. for those who have earned an M.A. degree*.

     Master, Ph.D. for those who have earned a Ph.D. degree*.

     *Verification of degree earned will be required, upon acceptance, in order to bear a degreed title; such as: John Barleycorn, Master, M.A.



I.     Tenents:

The Tenets and disciplinary actions have been tenatively approved by the Board of Directors and await formal approval and incorporation.

II.      What G.O.A.T. is not:

G.O.A.T. is not a Union of any sort. G.O.A.T. is not a worker's rights organization, those already exist in OSHA and elsewhere. G.O.A.T. is not an advocacy group other than to provide the best possible professional archæological crew to a prospective employer in order to properly excavate and protect the remaining archæological resources.

III.      Membership app. and/or Employer subscription for résumé requests.