Executive Officer (XO) section updated according to Jack Dipper Term 4 Bill #2
Herr #32 is hereby rescinded and superceded by this edict.
An Executive Department is hereby established under the name “Starfleet Academy”.
Starfleet Academy shall serve as a resource to the membership on matters relating to ongoing training and development in STF.
The daily activity of Starfleet Academy shall be overseen by the Academy Commandant, who shall be appointed by the President. The Academy Commandant is a cabinet position, and is equal in power to other departmental directors and Fleet Commanders.
The Vice Commandant shall be appointed by the Academy Commandant. The Vice Commandant answers directly to the Academy Commandant, and is responsible for departmental decisions in the event the Academy Commandant is not available. Additional responsibilities are at the discretion of the Academy Commandant.
The Academy Commandant and the Vice Commandant must have had three months Academy experience (excluding time served as a cadet), preferably as a Commanding Officer or Executive Officer on an Academy Ship.
The Academy Commandant may delegate any of his duties enumerated in this Edict, or any other responsibilities incumbent upon him as a result of another Edict, to another named staff member of Starfleet Academy.
The Academy shall maintain a set of courses, which must at least include a course for Engineering, Gamemaster (in coordination with the Gamemaster Department), Medical, Science, and Security. Additional courses are at the discretion of the Academy Commandant. These courses are taken on a voluntary basis. Should a member pass one of the courses, greater consideration for a Department Head position should be granted. Passing one of the courses does not guarantee a promotion.
A new fleet is hereby established within Starfleet Academy. The Fleet will house all Academy Training Ships as well as the Academy administrative areas. The Academy Commandant and Vice Commandant will have the same powers as Fleet Commander and Assistant Fleet Commander respectively, unless otherwise defined by this edict.
The Academy Commandant is responsible for setting an AWOL/LOA policy in an Academy Mandate. This policy should be maintained on an Academy page, and linked from the main Academy MOTD and the Academy ships’ MOTDs.
The CO is appointed by the President of STF, with the advice and consent of the Academy Commandant. The CO will have the powers and responsibilities of a mainstream CO, except that he cannot promote members of his crew. The character rank of the CO must be Captain. Academy COs must have held the position of CO on a mainstream ship for a minimum of three months, and Academy experience is preferable.
The XO position is primarily a training position, which will have the powers and responsibilities of a mainstream XO, and hold the rank of Lieutenant Commander. The position is open to all STF members who already have an existing character and have not held the position of XO on any ship previously. The Academy Commandant will run a selection process prior to appointing a new XO at the start of each sim, which is to include input from the ship’s CO. The Academy Commandant is responsible for setting out the selection criteria under an Academy Mandate.
On completion of the mission, the trainee XO will receive feedback on their performance, which can be used when applying for XO and CO roles. Should a trainee XO be appointed on a mainstream ship as XO whilst they are undergoing training, they are permitted to continue to the end of the current Academy ship mission.
Should there be no suitable candidates identified during the selection process, the Academy Commandant may appoint an experienced XO. In this case, the character rank of the XO must be Commander and the individual must have held the position of XO on a mainstream ship for a minimum of three months.
Should an XO position become vacant mid-mission, the Commandant may either assign another candidate or an experienced XO at their discretion. To ensure minimal disruption to the ship, there is no requirement for the selection process.
The XO position is not a permanent position, and will change over at the end of each mission, through the selection process. An experienced XO may be reappointed to the position if there are no suitable candidates.
The CNS is appointed by the CO, with the advice and consent of the Academy Commandant. The CNS will not have any administrative tasks, but will be required to assist Cadets with posting. The character rank of the CNS must be Lieutenant Commander. Academy CNS must have held the position of DH on either on a mainstream ship or an Academy ship for a minimum of three months.
A member can only hold a total of one CO, XO or CNS position in the Academy fleet, at a time.
The GM is appointed by the CO, with the advice and consent of the Academy Commandant. The Gamemaster of an Academy ship must be an experienced GM holding the classification of Full Gamemaster. If a Full Gamemaster, or higher, cannot be found, a Junior Gamemaster may be considered. Gamemaster Trainees may not be considered, under any circumstance. Should the GM be removed mid-mission, the mission is to be continued by the Command Staff, without interruption, and a replacement Gamemaster is to be found within two weeks.
An Academy mission lasts for three months; should a mission last for more than four months (120 days), the Gamemaster is to work with the CO and the XO in order to end the mission as soon as possible. Gamemasters are required to submit a mission plan to the Academy Commandant and Vice Commandant prior to the commencement of a mission.
Each standard department (Engineering, Medical, Science and Security) has one department head. A DH position may be filled in one of two ways, at the discretion of the CO, notifying the Academy Commandant.
1) A Lieutenant Junior Grade (Lt (j.g.)) recently graduated Cadet in that department.
2) A Lieutenant Grade (Lt) experienced officer
Preference for filling DH positions goes to a Lt (j.g.) graduated Cadet, however an exception may be made if, in the opinion of the CO and the Academy Commandant, the field of graduated Cadets are not strong enough to handle the responsibility of a DH role, and thus training incoming Cadets. In this instance, an experienced Lt DH from a mainstream ship can be used instead.
Cadets - The maximum number of Cadets each standard department (Engineering, Medical, Science and Security) can hold shall be determined by policy set out by the Academy Commandant, balancing the needs of the Personnel Department in placing new Cadets with the ability of the ships to properly mentor their current Cadets. Cadets who serve on the Academy ships shall hold the member rank of Cadet and are not eligible for rank promotion while they take part in their training. Due to the high demand for Academy spots, Cadets on the training vessels (who have not graduated, or are not in the process of graduating) can only be transferred or offered a position on another ship with the consent of the Academy Commandant.
With the exception of Cadet, all Academy ranks do not affect the player’s member rank.
New members may request to join an Academy Training Ships when joining STF. The Personnel Department is required to honour department and posting speed choices, if possible, and allocate them evenly throughout the fleet. If the department and posting speed choices cannot be honoured, the new member will be placed on a mainstream ship. The Academy Commandant is to be informed if a member was unable to be placed.
Current members on mainstream ships may also request to join the Academy. In this case, admission is dependent on the judgment of the member’s Commanding Officers and Academy Commandant. They are to assess whether the member is struggling and whether he would benefit from Academy training. If a member does join the Academy in this manner, he must drop all of his mainstream ships. No member can be forced to join the Academy.
There are three ways a Cadet can leave the Academy Fleet.
At the end of each mission, Cadets who have served an appropriate amount of time will be promoted to the rank of Ensign, and positions will be found for them on mainstream ships. The Academy will provide support to Cadets who are deemed to be needing it, and will notify the ships CO on areas the Cadet is weak in. Cadets who have exceeded expectations may be asked to stay on board the Academy ships as Lt (j.g.) Department Heads.
The Academy Commandant, in discussion with a Cadet’s CO, may choose to graduate the Cadet prior to the end of the mission. In these cases, the Cadet will be granted all the rights and privileges of a regular end-of-mission graduation.
In the case of AWOL Cadets, should they return to STF, the Academy Commandant may allow them to re-enter the Academy training program on a case by case basis. There is no guarantee, however, that they will be placed in the same department or on the same ship.
Serving on any training ship is optional. Cadets may approach the Academy Commandant and request to be transferred to a mainstream ship prior to graduation. The Academy Commandant is required to give such requests due consideration. Upon the Academy Commandant’s approval, the Cadet may be found a place on a mainstream ship as an Ensign, with all the rights and privileges that a new member, who is placed directly on a mainstream ship, has.
The Academy Commandant, in discussion with a Cadet’s CO, may remove a Cadet from the Academy program, and find a place for the Cadet on a mainstream ship at the rank of Ensign. The CO and XO of the mainstream ship will be notified of the circumstances surrounding the Cadet’s removal. If deemed appropriate by the Academy Commandant, the President may also be informed.
The Academy shall be responsible for maintaining a Mentoring Program. The Mentoring Program shall be maintained and administered by a Mentors Coordinator, who shall be appointed by the Academy Commandant. Unless otherwise expressly specified in this bylaw, the Academy Commandant may delegate to the Mentors Coordinator all work related to the Mentoring Program.
At a minimum, the Mentoring Program shall have two components:
1) Mentors assigned to all cadets in the Academy Fleet; and
2) Mentors assigned to new members who are on a non-Academy ship, where such a mentor has been requested by the new member (either in the new member’s application or after the new member has joined the club).
In addition, the Academy Commandant may create or terminate any additional components to the Mentoring Program, including programs to mentor members who are interested in taking on roles and responsibilities on a ship or elsewhere in the club. The Academy Commandant cannot delegate the responsibility of approving or terminating optional components to the Mentoring Program.
The Academy shall be responsible for creating a set of standards and qualifications for a member to become a mentor and remain a mentor, including whether there can be any exceptions and who approves those exceptions. The Academy shall ensure a balance is maintained between having highly qualified mentors and ensuring that there are enough mentors for the needs of the club. Generally, all mentors must have been a member for a minimum of three months, which can only be waived by the Academy Commandant if deemed appropriate by the Commandant on a case by case basis.
The Academy shall be responsible for recruiting and approving mentors for the Mentoring Program.
The Academy shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure that every ship that accepts new members has at least one active mentor. The Academy may request the assistance of a ship’s Commanding Officer for that purpose. On an Academy ship, a Department Head shall automatically be appointed as the mentor for the cadets in that department.
The Academy may set policy for the responsibilities of the mentors. At a minimum, all mentors must make personal contact with the member they are assigned to mentor, be available to answer the member’s questions, assist the member with learning how to role-play in the club, and help the member with any problems or queries.
The Academy shall maintain a set of resources to assist mentors, which may include draft emails to be sent by mentors, links to resources, and a mentoring course.
The Academy shall maintain an internal list of active mentors and what ships they are active on, as well as an internal list of which members have been assigned to which mentors. The Academy shall report monthly on the status of the Mentoring Program, including how many active members there are, how many active mentoring assignments there are, ships that currently have no active mentors, and any problems that need to be addressed in the Program.
The Personnel Department shall be responsible for advising the Mentors Coordinator if a member outside of the Academy has requested a mentor.
Any dispute involving the Academy shall be moderated by the Academy Commandant. Should any of the involved parties be the Academy Commandant, the dispute shall be moderated by the Vice Commandant. Should the dispute involve the Academy Commandant and Vice Commandant, the dispute shall be moderated by the President.
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