Difference between revisions of "Bylaws"

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=== New Members ===
 
=== New Members ===
  
All new members are required to first enter the RS Training Office's initial instruction program and complete all relevant requirements in an effort to gain general knowledge about the Rebel Squadrons. Upon completion of this program, a recruit is then fully released to the Fleet(s) the recruit wishes to join.
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All new members enter the Rebel Squadrons with the rank of Cadet (CDT). Once they have confirmed their wish to join, they are immediately placed in the Fleet(s) that they signed up for.  
  
Recruit (RCT): First rank for ALL new Rebel Squadrons members. New members will enter the Rebel Squadrons Training Office with this rank.
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It is understood that each Fleet has a different gaming or non-gaming structure, and therefore should have differing requirements for full graduation into said Fleet. Refer to each Fleet for its own regulations regarding graduation and initial promotions.  
 
 
Cadet (CDT): Upon completion of the Rebel Squadrons Training Office requirements, Recruits will be awarded the rank of Cadet, or the equivalent graduation rank as it pertains to an individual Fleet.
 
 
 
It is understood that each Fleet has a different gaming or non-gaming structure, and therefore should have differing requirements for full graduation into said Fleet. Therefore, each Fleet shall set its own requirements for a Cadet's entering and graduating rank, with final authority resting with the Fleet CO. Refer to each Fleet for its own regulations concerning internal training ranks.
 
  
 
=== Primary Chain of Command (PCoC) ===
 
=== Primary Chain of Command (PCoC) ===

Revision as of 20:53, 14 February 2006

The Rebel Squadrons Bylaws are a set of rules governing all RS activity. They may only be changed by a majority vote of High Command.

The latest version of the bylaws will always be at http://www.rebelsquadrons.org/bylaws/.


Section 1

Mission Statement

The Rebel Squadrons is an online gaming fan club, based on the Star Wars universe, dedicated to being a rewarding and fun experience for its members. The Rebel Squadrons also strives to encourage the growth and development of creativity, sense of responsibility, leadership strategies and good judgment amongst its members. In accordance with these goals, and the New Republic ideals it is pledged to defend, the Rebel Squadrons subscribes to the combined principles of HIER (pronounced "higher"): Honesty, Integrity, Equanimity and Respect.

Membership Participation

It is intended that each member is to have the opportunity, if they so choose, to advance through the ranks to the limits of their leadership capabilities, and that all members be allowed freedom of choosing the extent to which they will, or will not actively participate.

Section 2

Organizational Labels

All references in these Bylaws to units (Squadron/Wing/Fleet) apply to any unit of equal status with a different name. This status is determined by each Fleet's Commanding Officer for every unit under his or her command. The miscellaneous unit (Redemption) shall be considered a Fleet.

Chain of Command

The Chain of Command (CoC) is required for organizational and hierarchical purposes and is the proper channel for specific complaints, appeals, suggestions, requests and promotions. All officers, no matter what their position in the RS, should use the CoC in this way. The standard Chain of Command is Squad XO/CO-> Wing XO/CO -> Fleet XO/CO -> RSFC-> HC.

High Command

The highest administrative body of the RS shall be the High Command (HC), which bears the responsibility to enact policies, which further the mission of the RS. The HC bears final responsibility for interpreting and applying RS policies and regulations. It may also enact new policies and regulations or modify existing ones.

All HC discussions, and any part thereof, are to be considered private unless HC agrees otherwise on a topic-by-topic basis.

The voting membership of HC shall consist of all active Fleet Commanding Officers, although it is understood that there may be exceptions to this rule in certain circumstances.

Any decision reached by HC must be by a simple majority of active HC voting members.

A call to vote may be introduced by any active HC voting member or the Fleet Commander at any time discussion is deemed to be over, or progress considered stalled.

HC may reverse any action by any officer in the RS by a simple majority vote.

RS Fleet Commander

The Rebel Squadrons Fleet Commander (FC) is the individual with the highest executive authority in the RS.

This officer will execute the mission statement of the RS to the full extent of his or her abilities at all times; shall be responsible for ensuring the effective operations of HC, for facilitating smooth day-to-day operations of the RS, and shall be elected, or removed from office, by a simple majority vote of HC members. The FC does not have a vote in HC, except as a tiebreaker. Under this circumstance the FC should strive to resolve the deadlocked vote by way of the best compromise available.

It is intended that the FC should be selected from current or previous members of the High Command, and that this officer be a previous or active Fleet Commanding Officer. Should the FC be a Fleet Commanding Officer at the time they are voted in to the position, he or she is expected to resign from command of his/her Fleet, and the FC position should be his or her only major command responsibility.

RS Executive Officer

The Rebel Squadrons Executive Officer (RSXO) is the individual who bears responsibility for the Rebel Squadrons in the event that the FC is unable to perform his/her duties. The RSXO shall assist the FC and be appointed, or replaced, by the FC as deemed necessary.

As with the FC, it is intended that the RSXO should be selected from the active or previous members of High Command, and that this officer be a previous or active Fleet Commanding Officer. Should the FC or the HC deem it appropriate, the RSXO position will be his/her only command position in the RS, and he or she will be expected to resign all other command positions.

Line of Succession

If for any reason both the Fleet Commander and Executive Officer are unable to perform their duties for a period of time, the responsibility of supreme executive authority will reside with the highest officer in the Rebel Squadrons Line of Succession. The members of this line and its order will be determined by the Fleet Commander, and will contain a minimum of seven officers.

Executive Staff

It is understood that the FC will need help in executing his or her job. For this reason, the FC may appoint as many Executive Staff members as he or she sees fit. Because all RS members will undoubtedly be interested in this Executive Staff, it is required that the FC keep a current list of active staff positions available at all times.

Any officer of the Executive Staff is appointed solely by the FC, and therefore holds as much authority as the FC wishes to imbue him or her with, up to and including the upper limits of the FC's authority as described in section 2.4. For this reason, RS members should treat orders from an Executive Staff officer as if the orders had come from the FC.

Section 3

Unit Design

The Rebel Squadrons is a federation of Fleets, each of which has its own policies, regulations, and administrative structures. No Fleet, however, shall act in a manner contradicting established Rebel Squadrons policy.

Each Fleet shall minimally consist of two Wings, or the equivalent.

Each Wing shall minimally consist of two, but no more than three Squadrons, or the equivalent. It is intended that Wings be built evenly.

Each Squadron shall minimally consist of eight members, but no more than fifteen. It is intended that Squadrons be built evenly.

Fleet Status

All gaming platforms, or other groups in the RS, will begin as divisions of Redemption Fleet, unless the FC and RF CO together agree to cede the gaming platform to a different Fleet (certain sections which are not capable of Fleet status may be instituted as Executive Offices under the command of the FC).

At the time they are considered ready for Fleet status, the RF CO will bring the division before HC and they will establish or deny Fleet status by a simple majority vote.

Command Limitations

All officers of the RS are limited to one command position (CO of any unit), one support position (XO or any position of responsibility of any unit), and unlimited general membership positions. If all Fleet CO's involved agree, these limits may be waived.

Fleet Command

Each Fleet shall have a Commanding Officer (Fleet CO) who is appointed by the FC, and serves as a voting member of HC. The Fleet CO reports to HC and the FC on issues concerning matters internal to or regarding his/her Fleet, and bears responsibility for the well being of his/her Fleet. It is the Fleet CO's responsibility to appoint and keep their XO constantly informed of their Fleet's developments to facilitate a temporary or permanent transfer of Fleet Command.

Each Fleet shall have an Executive Officer (Fleet XO), who bears responsibility for their Fleet in the event that their Fleet CO is unable to perform his or her duties. When this situation arises, the XO shall be the Acting Fleet CO and have all the authority and power of a Fleet CO. The Fleet XO will serve on the HC as a non-voting member and is expected to assist the Fleet CO in the execution of his or her duties as necessary.

Wing Command

Each Wing shall have a Commanding Officer (Wing CO), who is appointed by the Fleet CO, and bears responsibility for the well being of his/her Wing. It is the Wing CO's responsibility to keep their Wing XO constantly informed of their Wing's developments to facilitate any temporary or permanent transfer of Wing Command.

Each Wing shall have an Executive Officer (Wing XO), appointed by the Wing CO, who bears responsibility for their Wing in the event that their Wing CO is unable to perform his/her duties. When this situation arises, the XO shall be the Acting Wing CO and have all the authority and power of a Wing CO. The Wing XO is expected to assist the Wing CO in the execution of his or her duties as necessary.

Squadron Command

Each Squadron shall have a Commanding Officer (Squadron CO), appointed by the Fleet CO or Wing CO, who bears responsibility for the well being of his/her Squadron. It is the Squadron CO's responsibility to keep their Squadron XO constantly informed of their Squadron's developments to facilitate any temporary or permanent transfer of Squadron command.

Each Squadron shall have an Executive Officer (Squadron XO), appointed by the Squadron CO, who bears responsibility for their Squadron in the event that their Squadron CO is unable to perform his/her duties. When this situation arises, the XO shall be the Acting Squadron CO and have all the authority and power of the Squadron CO. The Squadron XO is expected to assist the Squadron CO in the execution of his or her duties as necessary.

Section 4

New Members

All new members enter the Rebel Squadrons with the rank of Cadet (CDT). Once they have confirmed their wish to join, they are immediately placed in the Fleet(s) that they signed up for.

It is understood that each Fleet has a different gaming or non-gaming structure, and therefore should have differing requirements for full graduation into said Fleet. Refer to each Fleet for its own regulations regarding graduation and initial promotions.

Primary Chain of Command (PCoC)

All members of the Rebel Squadrons are required to choose a primary unit. If at any time a member wishes to change their primary unit, the member may do so by emailing the CO of their former primary unit and the CO of the new unit they wish to become their primary.

It is understood that members will be in several different squadrons, or other units, in the RS. In order to make sure that promotions occur at a timely basis, and to avoid getting promoted to a rank twice by two different unit CO's, all promotions must come from the primary unit's Chain of Command.

Promotions

To receive a promotion to ANY rank, a person should consistently show that they are dedicated to the RS. This means being active over a period of time, consistently participating in activities, and making worthwhile contributions. All promotions will be awarded for proven service only. Standards for promotions will be fair and consistent with the level of effort.

Promotion reviews will occur at the discretion of commanding officers. Every officer in a command position is required to review every member at the appropriate level who has designated their unit as their primary and grant appropriate promotions. Medals are to be considered first for short-term efforts.

Squadron CO's will review officers under their command up to Level 1 promotions. Wing CO's will review officers under their command up to Level 2 promotions. Fleet CO's will review officers under their command up to Level 3 promotions. The RSFC will review officers under their command up to Level 4 promotions.

Level 1: Squadron Ranks

Level 1 ranks are to be awarded by the Primary Squadron CO for proven activity and contributions at the Squadron level, or by a higher level officer in the PCoC. Minimum time in each rank is two weeks.

  • LJG - Lieutenant Junior Grade
  • 2LT - Second Lieutenant
  • 1LT - First Lieutenant
  • CPT - Captain

Level 2: Wing Ranks

Level 2 ranks are to be awarded by the Primary Wing CO for proven activity and contributions at the Wing level, or by a higher level officer in the PCoC. Minimum time in each rank is one month.

  • MAJ - Major
  • LCM - Lieutenant Commander
  • CMDR - Commander
  • LCL - Lieutenant Colonel
  • COL - Colonel

Level 3: Fleet Ranks

Level 3 ranks are to be awarded by the Primary Fleet CO for proven activity and contributions at the Fleet level, or by the RSFC for consistent Fleet or club level effort. Minimum time in each rank is three months.

  • BGN - Brigadier General
  • MGN - Major General
  • LGN - Lieutenant General
  • GEN - General

Level 4: Club Ranks

Level 4 ranks are to be awarded only by the RSFC, or High Command at large, for proven activity and contributions at the club level. Minimum time in each rank is five months.

  • RA - Rear Admiral
  • VA - Vice Admiral
  • ADM - Admiral
  • FA - Fleet Admiral

Section 5

Judicial Overview

The Rebel Squadrons is the finest force in the galaxy, and as such, it requires its members to adhere to the HIER principle in all club interactions and representations. It is intended that all conflicts between our members and members of other clubs remain fictional. To this effect, the guiding principle of the Rebel Squadrons is HIER. All specific problems should be dealt with as appropriate to the time, circumstances, and people involved.

Judicial Procedures

All grievances are to be addressed through the Primary Chain of Command (PCoC), and to the Fleet Commander or the FC's designated officer if the PCoC is unclear. Grievances should be handled at the lowest level in the PCoC as possible.

When violations of RS regulations are alleged to occur, normal military judiciary procedures and investigation will ensue. The following is a list of suggested disciplinary sentences, though by no means an exhaustive one:

  • Dismissal
  • Compromise
  • Reversal of Action
  • Reprimand
  • Probation
  • Channel ban
  • Demotion
  • Removal of Command and/or Op status
  • Suspension
  • Expulsion

Violations

Because the Rebel Squadrons deals with a diverse number of people within a wide range of age, geographical location, cultures and sense of social acceptability, the actions that will require official attention and response include, but are not limited to:

  • Verbal Abuse: The Rebel Squadrons does not tolerate non-fictional and unprovoked harassment of a public nature regardless of rank or position of either the offended or the offender.
  • Discrimination: The Rebel Squadrons does not tolerate discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, age, sex, sexual orientation, religion, handicaps of any sort, computing platform, or Internet Service Provider.
  • Sexual Harassment: The Rebel Squadrons does not tolerate unwanted and unprovoked sexual comments or advances.
  • Cheating: The Rebel Squadrons does not tolerate cheating in any form.
  • Excessively Crude Behavior: While the Rebel Squadrons command understands that slight infractions herein will tend to lend more of a flavor of reality (as defined by a vast majority of our members) to our fictional universe, excessive behavior will be addressed in order to maintain the content of our pages and chat rooms consistent with the Star Wars universe as it has been authorized by Lucas Arts Entertainment.
  • Dereliction of Duty: The Rebel Squadrons does not tolerate neglect, or gross and/or repeated failure to carry out the responsibilities of a command position.
  • Abuse of Authority: The Rebel Squadrons does not tolerate the use of an officer's position and rights in any way that is selfish, detrimental to other members or units, or self serving.
  • Espionage: The Rebel Squadrons takes a very dim view of, and will not tolerate, non-fictional spying on, or infiltration into, other clubs for any reason whatsoever.