The Articles of Organization

a proposed constitution for STF.

Article IV, Club Government.

Section A, The President.
The duties of the elected President of STF are many; The Prez is the focal point of change in STF. This section details the President's job.

p1. Source of All New Club Policy.: The President (Prez) is entrusted with the day-to-day operation of STF as well as long-term planning for its future. As supreme executive, legislator, and judge, all reforms and initiatives, all enforcements, and almost all dispute settlements within the club come from either the Prez or members of his cabinet. The President's tool for shaping club policy is the Presidential Edict, any letter issued to the club -- distributed such that every member of the club can see it and publicized so that every member knows it's there -- with which he states the change he is making in the club. The only law higher than the Presidential Edict is this document.
p2. Commander-in-Chief Position & Fleet Admiral Rank.: The Prez acts as military commander-in-chief during clubwide RPGs and when he dictates RPG-related policy to a CO or an FComm. These are the only times when he uses the rank of Fleet Admiral. During all other times -- while serving on a shipboard RPG post, with his RPG character, for example -- the Fleet Admiral rank is not used; the President acts using the rank of his RPG character. The President may not promote any of his RPG characters.
p3. Appointment of the Cabinet.: The President of STF appoints his "cabinet" (except the already-declared Vice-President) upon election. The Cabinet includes all Fleet Commanders, the Department Directors, and the Academy Commandant. If at any time the President wishes to change his cabinet, he has the power to dismiss members of that body also. The President may not be a member of his own cabinet, nor may any President hold any Command-level job other than President. The President is reponsible for dismissing such members of his Cabinet as are acting in manners unbecoming of governmental leaders. The term "Cabinet" refers to all those who are appointed by the President to hereinafter-stated governmental positions. The term "Command" refers to all members of the aforementioned Cabinet and the direct sucessor therto.
p4. The President's Offices.: The President is required to keep, in the Club Government area in all sections of the club, a President's Office to serve as a place where members can approach him. The President is expected to deliver, on important occasions, speeches and Edicts (including discussion thereon) in a President's Address area.
p5. Foreign Relations.: The President is in charge of all foreign relations (i.e. relations with other clubs or websites). The President may appoint and recall ambassadors to other clubs, recieve ambassadors from other clubs, and make and break treaties with other clubs.
p6. Other Duties.: Other Presidential duties are described elsewhere in this document: commissioning and decommissioning ships (Article III, Section D), promotions and demotions (Article III, Section A), creating departments (Article IV, Section D), and approving amendments to the Charter (Article V, Section D).
p7. Naming Proxies.: The President may defer any of his duties to another member of STF command, but any action committed by that member under the auspices of the Office of the Presidency reflects on the President.
p8. Duty to STF and the Membership.: By accepting the position of President, the elected leader of STF is expected to make all official decisions with calculated forethought and care for the well-being of STF and its members. The President must not, whenever avoidable, make decisions that diminish or tarnish the club's reputation or cheapen the club's experience. Similarly, the President must treat all members of STF with respect and civility when carrying out official duties. In short, the President is expected to be a noble and almost-ideal STF member.

Section B, The Vice-President.
The Vice-President is not as important as the President, and his duties and responsibilites not as broad, but he is still an integral part of STF Command. This section describes his role in STF.

p1. Assistance to the President.: The Vice-President is the President's chief official advisor, and helps formulate the views of the Administration. The Vice-President fills in for the President when the President is on Leave or otherwise not able to command.
p2. Supervision of the Fleets and Cabinet.: The Vice-President (Veep) is the direct commanding officer to the Fleet Commanders and their fleets. The Veep is responsible for representing the President in communications with the Fleets. The Veep is also the direct superior to all Department Directors and the Academy Commandant, and represents the President in dealings with the Academy and the Departments.
p3. The Veep Office.: The Vice-President must maintain a Vice-President's Office in all STF Command Areas, for use as a suggestion box for the membership.
p4. The Vice-Fleet Admiral Rank.: The Vice-President holds the rank of Vice-Fleet Admiral in his dealings with the Fleets and in clubwide RPGs. The ranks of any RPG characters belonging to the Vice-President are unaffected. The Vice-President may not promote any of his characters.
p5. Other Command Offices.: The Vice-President may serve in one additional Command-level position.
p6. Duty to STF and the Membership.: The Vice-President is expected to behave in a manner becoming of a President-in-training: courteous, respectful, dignified. The Vice-President has the same committment, especially when acting as the President's proxy, to uphold the image and experience of STF.

Section C, The Fleet Commands.
STF is built around fleets, divisions subordinate to the President yet superior to the ships. This section explains the rules regulating Fleets and Fleet Commanders.

p1. Size & Placement of Fleets.: A Fleet consists of any number of ships greater than zero and fewer than seven. RPing starbases count as ships. No Fleet may exist in more than one medium.
p2. Non-RPG Duties of the Fleet Commanders.: Each Fleet is headed by a Fleet Commander (FComm), who serves as a government representative to the Fleet. All transfers, same-ship and two-ship, must be approved by the FComm. The FComm is also responsible for the outward image of the Fleet: Maintenance of a web site, publication of a fleet newsletter, and other non-RPG activities in this vein are examples of the duties an FComm may take on or defer to another Fleet officer.
p3. RPG Duties of the FComms.: In RPGs, the FComm is responsible for assigning missions to ships (a responsibility that should be incorporated into each GM's storylines) and maintaining the Fleet Headquarters (usually a Starbase). The FComm is the direct commanding officer to the COs of his Fleet. Article II provides further elaboration on the FComm's duties with regards to promotions.
p4. Assistant Fleet Commanders.: Each Fleet Commander is responsible for choosing an Assistant Fleet Commander (AFComm). The AFComm is normally the senior CO (after the FComm) in his Fleet. That sole duty of the AFComm is to take over from the FComm if the FComm becomes incapacitated.
p5. The Non-Crewed Fleet (NCF).: In addition to its ships crewed by STFers, each Fleet shall have a "non-crewed fleet" of ships for use in RPGs. These ships are considered "commissioned" by the ED but are not crewed by members. The maintenance of each fleet's list of NCF ships is the joint responsibility of the fleet's FComm and the Club Engineering Department.
p6. Eligibility for FComm.: The FComm of a Fleet must either be an ex-CO or -XO of one of the fleet's ships or the current CO or XO of one of its ships. Additionally, the FComm can only hold one other Command position.

Section D, The Departments.
An intership, interfleet controlling authority for various bureaucratic actions within STF is realized in the STF Departments. This section details the various "Permanent Departments" and the duties of their leaders. The internal rules of the Departments are the responsibility of the various Directors.

p1. Internal Structure of the Departments.: Each department of STF's club government is led by a Director (QDir, where "Q" is a one- or two-letter abbreviation for the department -- which itself is abbreviated "QD") and an Assistant Director (AQDir). "Director" and "Assistant Director" are command positions. The Director reports directly to the Vice-President. The Assistant Director becomes acting Director (aQDir) if the Director leaves abruptly. The President appoints all Directors. The internal workings of the Departments are not regulated by this document, only the jobs of the Permanent Departments. The President may, at his discression, appoint either a single QDir for all of STF or a Co-QDir for the each media in which STF is active, or multiple QDirs each covering any number of media, who will be expected to coordinate their actions as appropriate. The appointment of seperate offices should be used only if the desired QDir is unable to fulfil his duties in all of the aforementioned media.; (This is like how we currently have a PDir for the WeBB and a PDir for Prodigy.)
p2. Engineering Department (ED).: The ED's primary purpose is the cataloging and management of STF's ships and ship classes. The ED is a forum for all Engineers to decide what technologies are acceptable for RPG use in STF. The EDir's office is also open to new weapons, sensor, and medical equipment suggestions, in addition to ship designs.
p3. GameMaster Department (GD or GMD).: The GameMaster Department's job is simply the training and deployment of all STF GameMasters. The duty of the GDir is to keep RPGs alive on each STF ship. A GameMaster Department Office in the Command area is to be kept so the membership can comment on its GMs or on possible future RPG stories.
p4. Internet Department (ID).: The ID is responsible for maintaining all STF web pages and serving as a liaison among the Internet and the Prodigy fleets. It maintains an Internet Office in STF command where members can offer critiques and suggestions about the STF web pages.
p5. Personnel Department (PD).: The STF Personnel Department is in charge of all recruiting activities in STF as well as keeping an up-to-date list of all currently-enrolled STF officers. The PD also processes all new recruits. The PD keeps a space in STF Command for the processing of new recruits and the posting of personnel manifests.
p6. Other Departments.: Engineering, GameMaster, Internet, and Personnel are the "Permanent Departments": no President may disband any of these Departments, nor discontinue one of the abovementioned positions, nor change signifigantly their jurisdictions. If the need should arise for another department, the President may create one by Edict. These non-Permanent offices may be disbanded at will.

Section E, The Academy.
Starfleet Academy is a training ground for new recruits. This section tells how the Academy runs.

p1. The Academy Commandant (ACmdt).: The Commandant is appointed by the President and is assigned the task of keeping the Academy in working order. Specific duties include assigning students to classes, assigning professors to classes, filling in as teacher for absent professors, submitting to the Personell Director data regarding graduating and enlisting students, and reporting on the status of the Academy to the President and Vice-President.
p2. Justification for the Academy.: The Academy does not have to be open at all times. If demand for a class is low (e.g., if only one recruit wants to learn Engineering), or if no member can be found willing to teach a certain subject, the Academy Commandant can close the Academy completely or just for that subject.
p3. Mission of the Academy.: Each Academy Professor is expected to impart on his students the basics of the "profession" he teaches -- everything the Cadet needs to function normally in an STF RPG. Additionally, each Professor should teach basic RP theory, so that Cadets are (theoretically) qualified for a Department-Head position immediately after leaving the Academy. Individual syllabi are the responsibility of the Professors and the Commandant.

Section F, Ambassadors and Liaison Officers.
No man is an island -- and no club or website, either. While it is the President's duty to conduct all "foreign policy" of the club, the President has the power to appoint Ambassadors to speak for him in other clubs, and Liaison Officers to speak for him in other fleets within the club.

p1. Liaison Officers.: One requirement of the President is that he maintain a President's Office in each Club Government area, but a President, once elected, may at some point find his access to one portion of STF blocked off. In this case, the President could appoint a Liaison Officer to read and forward notes to him from the affected area, and to post Presidential Edicts in his proxy. Ideally, the Liaison Officer would be the Vice-President or another member of the Cabinet, but it could be any STF member in good standing with whom the President has a close relationship.
p2. Ambassadors to Other Clubs.: The President has the authority to appoint another member of STF to maintain an official STF presence in another club, at the request of that club's government. These ambassadors are responsible for portraying STF in a good light and reporting back to the President on the status of the club to which they are assigned.
p3. Ambassadors from Other Clubs.: The President also has the authority to recieve ambassadors from other clubs. These ambassadors shall be given an embassy in the STF Club Government area. One advantage of having ambassadors is that the President is able to communicate with another club's leader without leaving the WeBB or the Games BB.