Presidential Edicts
March 28th, 2008 to August 3rd, 2008
Every president must have a motto
Every president must have a motto
Office of the President on Starfleet Command
Posted 28 March 2008 - 9:44am by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President)
(Daniel Lerner)
Edict #1
"How many cows fit in a cadillac? Four. Period."
Well, we still have half a term left, and the club must go on. So without further ado...
Jack Dipper is hereby appointed Vice-President.
Andrew Robinson is hereby appointed Personnel Director.
-Daniel Lerner
Office of the President on Starfleet Command
Posted 28 March 2008 - 9:49am by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #2
"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so."
Back when I was a new member on STF, I got to watch my first STF election. One of the candidates was a senior member of the club who I had recently gotten to know. She went on to win that election. And so began Sarah Hemenway's first term as President...
Sarah went on to be re-elected two more times, serving an unprecedented 19 continuous months as STF's President! During that time, Sarah left an ever-lasting mark on STF. During her presidency, we saw the enactment of numerous edicts that helped establish the inner-workings of the club. New positions were created - some that we can't even imagine not having anymore. New traditions were created. More accountability was created in the club's administration. The list goes on...
And of course, I can't even begin to describe Sarah's role in STF outside of her presidency. The number of awards that the USS Atlantis received during her time as president, and her various roles in the Academy and Gamemaster Department speak for themselves.
Sarah has become the face most often associated with STF, all due to her accomplishments over the years.
As a result of all of this great work, Sarah has been voted by the club "Best STFer" three times in a row.
It is therefore with great pleasure that I promote Sarah Hemenway to the rank of Commodore.
Congratulations, Sarah, and thank you for all of your hard work!
-Daniel Lerner
Office of the President on Starfleet Command
Posted 28 March 2008 - 9:57am by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #3
"Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly hugely mindboggingly big it is. I mean you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space."
Thanks to Jack and everyone at the Academy for putting this together.
CENTRAL ACADEMY DIRECTIVES FOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING
1. SUPERCEDENCE OF PREVIOUS EDICTS
Herr #32 is hereby rescinded and superceded by this edict.
2. ESTABLISHMENT OF STARFLEET ACADEMY
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.
3. ESTABLISHMENT OF ACADEMY COURSES
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.
4. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ACADEMY FLEET
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.
5. ACADEMY FLEET COMMAND STRUCTURE
Commanding Officer (CO) - 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.
Executive Officer (XO) - The XO is appointed by the CO, with the advice and consent of the Academy Commandant. The XO will have the powers and responsibilities of a mainstream XO. The character rank of the XO must be Commander. Academy XOs must have held the position of XO on a mainstream ship for a minimum of three months, and Academy experience is preferable.
Counselor (CNS) - 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.
Gamemaster (GM) - 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.
Department Heads (DHs) - 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 - Each standard department (Engineering, Medical, Science and Security) can hold a maximum of three 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.
6. JOINING THE ACADEMY FLEET
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.
7. DEPARTING FROM THE ACADEMY FLEET
There are three ways a Cadet can leave the Academy Fleet.
1) Graduation from the Academy.
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.
2) Departure from the Academy prior to graduation.
Cadets that request to leave the Academy prior to graduation are required to wait 120 days before they can be promoted from Ensign. In the event that a Cadet should leave the Academy early, his name will be placed on a list maintained by the Academy stating the exact date that the Cadet is eligible for rank promotion; this includes any Cadets that AWOL. All COs are requested to keep themselves familiar with this list. The Academy Commandant is responsible for contacting the CO of the ship that the Cadet went to when he originally left the Academy, and providing the CO with this information as well.
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 who join the Academy program, thinking that it is mandatory, may approach the Academy Commandant and request to be transferred to a mainstream ship, provided they do so immediately upon finding out that the Academy is not mandatory. 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 on a mainstream ship, has.
Any other reasons for early departure are to be reviewed by the Academy Commandant and Vice Commandant on a case by case basis.
3) Removal from the Academy by the Academy Commandant.
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.
8. DISPUTES
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.
-Daniel Lerner
Office of the President on Starfleet Command
Posted 28 March 2008 - 10:05am by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #4
"They obstinately persisted in their absence."
The Discovery-class starship, USS Apollo, NCC-85722, is hereby commissioned in the Academy Fleet. Phillip Stonness is appointed as the USS Apollo's CO.
Although the USS Apollo was not previsiouly listed as Discovery-class starship, it was felt that the Academy theme of manned spaceflights should be continued (and the remaining Space Shuttle names were already in use).
-Daniel Lerner
Office of the President on Starfleet Command
Posted 30 March 2008 - 6:10am by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #5
"It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes."
Based on the recommendation of Fleet 1 Command, Alex Lorien is hereby promoted to Captain and assigned as CO of the USS Ogawa, replacing resigning CO Cale Reilly.
Thank you for your hard work on the Ogawa, Cale, and congratulations to Alex!
-Daniel Lerner
Office of the President on Starfleet Command
Posted 30 March 2008 - 2:42pm by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #6
"You're turning into a penguin. Stop it"
Like any community, not everyone in STF is going to get along. People may have disagreements, and people may not even personally like each other. However it's important that these problems do not cross the line and become disruptive and inappropriate.
STF Command is a place where members are encouraged to work on administrative-related problems in STF. People will have different ideas, and people may disagree with the choices made by the administration. Criticism is encouraged, provided it does not cross the line and become disruptive for the sake of being disruptive, and does not become an excuse for personal attacks.
On March 21, 2008, Andrew Adams posted a message in Command to state that he was resigning from the club. He explained that he was basing his decision on how the current government was running the club, and gave some reasons. I'm sure there are some members that agreed with his sentiment, and that is perfectly acceptable, and even encouraged.
However, it was also felt that Andrew's post crossed the line. It made a number of personal attacks, made a number of unfounded accusations, and appeared to be provocative just for the sake of being provocative. The personal attacks, especially, angered and upset a number of members.
In the last few days, Andrew has posted in Command, showing an interest in returning back to the club. Considering that feelings were still somewhat heated about his previous post, I emailed Andrew to explain what the concerns were, citing examples from his post and how it may have come across. I concluded by suggesting to Andrew that if he plans on returning, the club would appreciate a response to these concerns.
Andrew's reply was an unequivocal rejection of my suggestion. Most of his reply just repeated his March 21st post. However, he also made a personal attack against Jack Dipper, and made threats to me if I ever cc'd Jack another email to Andrew. (As many of you know, an email from the President is always cc'd to the Vice-President.)
Jack is a member of this club's administration, and is required to send emails or be cc'd emails in his job capacity. Club members are required to accept emails from members of the club's administration. The Terms of Service clearly state:
"By holding a position in STF, you agree to receive messages from other members relating to your position or positions."
The following part of the Terms of Service are also relevant:
"Transcripts of private chat logs or private emails may be made public on STF and STF controlled resources only if they relate to STF business."
As I already indicated, people may not get along in this club. But this type of behaviour is not appreciated in STF Command, where legitimate business needs to be conducted. Andrew can still continue role-playing in this club. But he must avoid turning his dislike of certain members into disruptions on the Command ship.
Therefore, Andrew Adams is not allowed to post in Command for thirty days.
-Daniel Lerner
Office of the President on Starfleet Command
Posted 1 April 2008 - 4:46am by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #7
"So long, and thanks for all the fish."
All departments or fleets that have a cake budget, cookie budget, or other delicious food-related budget are now required to allocate 2.42% of each quarter's budget towards fish of equal quality.
The fish reserve of the budgets shall be forwarded to the Dolphin for his various quality and taste tests. These tests may or may not exhaust the fish provided.
All disputes regarding this edict, including, but not limited to, the type of fish, the penalty of failure to comply with this edict, whether other seafood is a reasonable substitute, what (if any) role white lab mice have with this edict, how this edict applies to various colours of jello, and whether or not this silly excuse for an edict will actually be enforced, shall be resolved by the Dolphin or his designated animal delegate.
-Daniel "Dolphin" Lerner
Office of the President on Starfleet Command
Posted 7 April 2008 - 3:09pm by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #8
"My doctor says that I have a malformed public-duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore excused from saving Universes."
Russell Watt is hereby appointed as the Marketing and Advertising Coordinator.
-Daniel Lerner
Office of the President on Starfleet Command
Posted 26 April 2008 - 9:18am by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #9
"Which is precisely the sort of thing we need to know. Do people want fire that can be fitted nasally?"
Based on the recommendation of Fleet Four Command, Krys Bromilow is assigned as CO of the USS Montgomery, replacing resigning CO Steven Schneckenburger.
Congragulations, Krys!
-Daniel Lerner
Office of the President on Starfleet Command
Posted 5 May 2008 - 12:45pm by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #10
"Look, would it save you a lot of time if I just gave up and went mad now?"
Based on the recommendation of Fleet Five Command, Michael Lee is hereby promoted to Captain and appointed as the CO of the USS Curie.
Congratulations, Mick, and thanks for your hard work these last few months as the Curie's aCO.
-Daniel Lerner
Office of the President on Starfleet Command
Posted 7 May 2008 - 1:29pm by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #11
"Life is like a grapefruit... it's sort of orangey-yellow and dimpled on the outside, wet and squidgy in the middle. It's got pips inside, too. Oh, and some people have half a one for breakfast."
As you all know, Symon Silvester recently stepped down as Governor of Oed V. After serving in that position for over three and a half years, to many of us, Sy and Oed V seemed to go hand-in-hand. Sy was appointed as Governor after one of his previous breaks from STF, and we can only hope that he will choose to come back in the future and give us a taste of his amazing creativity and leadership in another STF position. As I mentioned once before in this club, Sy's departure has left very large (yet strangely bunny-shaped) boots to fill...
...which may be just the right size for a tribble to fit in. Russell Watt is one of our most creative role-players in the club, and an important leader in and out of the administration. He has served as the CO of two seperate ships, and has served in three different cabinet positions (not including his current MAC position and informal administrator of the Awards). Russ was formerly mentored by Sy, and is now a mentor to many of our newer members.
Russ has always been a strong crew member on any ship he has been part of, and has been awarded as STF's most creative poster. Even if that has included Russ as an engineering cadet using a wooden club to smash a malfunctioning ship computer. (I told you I would always remind everyone about that! )
Russ has continued to be a major contributer, administrator, and leader of Oed V, and therefore, based on the recommendation of (Assistant) Fleet Six Command, Russell Watt is hereby appointed as Governor of Oed V.
Oh, and Russell Watt is also promoted to Fleet Captain.
Congratulations, Russ!
-Daniel Lerner
Office of the President on Starfleet Command
Posted 8 May 2008 - 12:58pm by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #12
"Oh no, not again."
Based on the recommendation of Fleet Three Command, Kendra Abbott is hereby promoted to Captain and appointed CO of the USS Atlantis, replacing resigning CO Sarah Hemenway.
Andrew Robinson is appointed CO of the USS Athena, replacing resigning CO Jim Hosick.
Congratulations Kendra and Andy! And a big thanks to Stephenie Lowe and Christopher Bennett, who have both done outstanding jobs as the aCOs of the Atlantis and Athena respectively.
-Daniel Lerner
Posted 8 June 2008 - 2:21pm by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #13
"We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!"
The USS Athena, NCC-71819-B, Viking-class is hereby rechristened USS Athena, NCC-71819-C, Trafalgar-class.
-Daniel Lerner
Posted 11 June 2008 - 7:58am by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #14
"There is an art to flying, or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. Clearly, it is this second part, the missing, that provides the difficulties."
Based on the recommendation of Fleet Three Command, Alexandra Bowley is hereby promoted to Captain and appointed CO of Outpost 42, replacing resigning CO Brandon Irvine.
Congratulations, Alex!
-Daniel Lerner
Posted 11 June 2008 - 8:41am by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #15
"There was a point to this story, but it has temporarily escaped the chronicler's mind."
Larry Garfield is hereby appointed as Election Coordinator.
Gene Gibbs is hereby appointed as Assistant Election Coordinator.
IDept, please provide the relevant administrative access and open the Election Area.
-Daniel Lerner
Posted 15 June 2008 - 12:21pm by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edit #16
"This is obviously some strange usage of the word safe that I wasn't previously aware of."
While Lee's recent and ongoing absence has, unfortunately, been out of his control, the work of the Engineering Department must keep moving forward.
Therefore, Lee Bridgeford is released as Engineering Director.
Wail Qasim is hereby appointed as Engineering Director.
Thank you for all of your hard work, Lee.
Congratulations, Wail!
-Daniel Lerner
Posted 6 July 2008 - 12:52am by Vice-Fleet Admiral Jack Dipper (Vice-President)
Oooohhh... been a while since I've done one of these .
Edict #16A
"Here I am, brain the size of a planet and they ask me to take you down to the bridge. Call that job satisfaction? 'Cos I don't."
Due to Dan being away for the next week, and the need for the Columbia to get moving, I've decided to go ahead with this edict. Phil has also agreed with the decision, so it hasn't been made solely by me :-).
Robert Spicer is hereby assigned as CO, USS Columbia in the Academy Fleet. Congratulations Rob, and thanks Russ for your efforts there.
Jack
Posted 30 July 2008 - 2:08am by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #17
"Curiously enough, the only thing that went through the mind of the bowl of petunias as it fell was 'Oh no, not again.'"
Based on the recommendation of Fleet One Command, Jody Romero is assigned as CO of the USS Victorious, replacing resigning CO Stephanie Lowe.
Congratulations, Jody!
-Daniel Lerner
Posted 31 July 2008 - 1:16pm by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #18
"If there's anything more important than my ego around, I want it caught and shot now."
Legislative Edict Governing Official Elections 3.1
I. SUPERSEDENCE OF PREVIOUS EDICTS
Edict Hemenway #51 is hereby rescinded and superseded by this Edict.
II. ESTABLISHMENT OF ELECTION SEASON AND ELECTION AREA
Election Season is hereby established as the period of time starting with the beginning of the nomination period and ending with the announcement of the final election results. The Election Area is hereby established as an area of the WeBB set aside specifically for Election-related business and discussion.
III. ELECTION COORDINATOR AND ASSISTANT ELECTION COORDINATOR
The Election Coordinator is an Executive Assistant with complete powers over the Elections. However, their power is limited to the Elections only, and ceases to exist once the elections are over and all pending disputes are resolved.
The Assistant Election Coordinator is an Executive Assistant whose powers are only exercised during one of the following conditions: a) the Election Coordinator has declared an LOA during the Election Season, b) the Election Coordinator is AWOL during the Election Season, or c) the Election Coordinator has missed a deadline contained in this Edict or the Election Timetable. During the stated conditions, the Assistant Election Coordinator's powers are those of the Election Coordinator, and shall also be required to perform the tasks of the Election Coordinator.
The Election Coordinator may not delegate any tasks unless specific assistance or expertise is required, subject to the requirements under this Edict for the Assistant Election Coordinator to perform the Election Coordinator's tasks. The Internet Director is required to provide the Election Coordinator with whatever access to the STF server and system resources are required in order to fulfill his responsibilities and provide assistance in using them as needed. Such resources may include, but are not limited to, server shell access, file upload access, IRC operator status, and member account information.
The Election Coordinator is tasked to see to the proper running and functioning of a democratic election process. In order to enforce this, the Election Coordinator is empowered to provide official warnings or reprimands, remove election related material from the STF server, remove voting privileges, remove posting privileges on the Election Area, and, in the most extreme cases, nullify or void a campaign ticket. Election matters may be taken to the President for further club-level punishment. All rulings by the Election Coordinator are final and are not subject to appeal.
The Election Coordinator and Assistant Election Coordinator are to be the impartial moderators of the Election and are therefore forbidden from running as a Presidential or Vice Presidential candidate, from nominating or seconding any candidate, from campaigning for any candidate, and from openly endorsing any candidate.
IV. PROCEDURE
A. INTRODUCTION
The Election Season is to commence no later than the start of the President's eighth month in office. The President must name an Election Coordinator and Assistant Election Coordinator via Edict at least two weeks prior to the start of the Election Season. Once an Election Coordinator and Assistant Election Coordinator are named, the Internet Department will open the Election Area. The Election Coordinator must announce, in Command and in the Election Area, an Election Timetable at least one week prior to the commencement of the Election Season, as well as any additional rules governing the Election. The Timetable will set out the timing of the different stages of the Election Season, and is to be one month in total. Both the Timetable and a link to any Election rules must remain posted on the Election Area MOTD. The Election Area will be deactivated no less than seven and no more than 14 days after the Election Season has concluded.
B. PARTICIPATION AND ELIGIBILITY
Generally, all members are invited to participate in the election process. For the purpose of this Edict, the definition of 'member' is the same as found in Hemenway #34 (Member Order and Organization) or its superseding edict.
Certain election activities, including nominating, running as a Presidential or Vice-Presidential candidate, endorsing, and voting, are limited to members with special eligibility. For the purpose of this Edict, an 'eligible member' is defined as a person who meets the definition of 'member' 30 days prior to the start of the Election Season, and continues to meet the definition up to and including the time of the election activity in question.
C. NOMINATIONS
Any eligible Member can nominate another eligible Member for the position of President. Another eligible Member must then second the nomination. A prospective Presidential Candidate may not nominate or second their own ticket; however, a prospective Vice Presidential Candidate may do so. A Member can only nominate or second one individual; however, if that individual declines the nomination, the nominating Members are free to nominate another individual.
Once the nomination has been seconded, the Candidate must publicly accept the nomination and declare another eligible Member to be their Vice Presidential Candidate in a post on the Election Area. The Election Coordinator will then validate the ticket and the Candidate pair may begin campaigning. If the Candidate does not publicly accept the nomination by the end of the nomination period, he will be disqualified.
D. UNCONTESTED ELECTIONS
If at any time after the end of the nomination period there is only one validated ticket, then pending any unresolved election-related disputes, the Election Coordinator may declare an Uncontested Election.
When the Election Coordinator declares an Uncontested Election, then, notwithstanding the rest of this Edict, the Election Coordinator shall announce the sole ticket as the winners of the election and end the election season.
The date of the start of the new Presidential Term, as stated in the original Election Timetable, shall remain unchanged. The new President will be installed on the first day of the new Presidential Term.
E. CAMPAIGNS
Every person who posts on the Election Area is expected to keep their posts to the point, truthful, and within the bounds of common courtesy. Behavior such as, but not limited to, character attacks, inflammatory finger-pointing, trickery, and deception will not be tolerated and may lead to penalties at the Election Coordinator's discretion. (Example: "Candidate X is a horrible person..." will not be tolerated. However, "Candidate X has made several mistakes as QDir. They are..." will be tolerated within the bounds of common courtesy). Any additional campaign materials, including, but not limited to, candidate websites, are required to meet the same standards as Election Area posts, regardless of the origin of the material. The Election Coordinator is responsible for reviewing posts and campaign materials on a regular basis and for ruling on questionable instances as they occur.
Campaigning on the WeBB may take place on the Election Area only. Any MOTD announcements implying support for or voicing opinions against any specific ticket are expressly forbidden. MOTD announcements of upcoming Election Season events and timetables are permissible provided that they do not contain support for any ticket. Violations of these rules will result in sanctions from the Election Coordinator, and immediate removal of the announcement by the Internet Department or the Election Coordinator.
All members are permitted to pose questions to the candidates after the candidate's ticket has been validated, unless the member has been restricted from doing so by the Election Coordinator. Questions may be directed at some or all of the candidates, and may only be posted in the Election Area. Candidates are not required to answer the questions.
Except as provided by this Edict, no person shall post a message on the WeBB endorsing a Candidate. During the voting period, eligible members may post a message in the Election Area endorsing another candidate. Endorsements must meet the standards in this Section. No person may post an endorsement message that implies it is also on behalf of anyone who is the not the person posting the message.
Candidates may individually contact people to discuss the Election and to ask for their support. In the event that the person contacted does not wish to talk about the Election, the Candidate must refrain from discussing it with him. At no time will any unsolicited campaign material be sent to more than one person at a time. Should an individual not wish to be contacted regarding the election, he may request that the Election Coordinator place him on a publicly accessible "do not contact" list. All members are required to abide by this list.
Discussion in the #star-fleet IRC channel is permissible as long as it does not imply support for or against a specific Candidate. (Example: "Have you read the election ship lately?" or "It sure is an interesting election" are permissible. However, "I can't believe Candidate X said that" or "Candidate Y sure had some good answers today" or "I think it's clear who's winning" are not permissible). IRC quit messages are permissible, but limited to the following format: Presidential Candidate/Vice Presidential Candidate - "Slogan Here".
Any violation of campaigning rules will be investigated by the Election Coordinator. The Election Coordinator must allow the accused Member the opportunity to adequately defend himself and respond to any accusation before levying a penalty. If it is found that a Member (Candidate or otherwise) did violate the campaigning rules, appropriate penalties will be given by the Election Coordinator as outlined in Section III, regardless of the location of the violation. Campaigns may be held liable for actions of their supporters if it can be shown that the campaign was aware of the offending activity. An anonymous complaint will only be investigated at the discretion of the Election Coordinator, and no penalty may be levied based on an anonymous complaint.
F. ELECTION AREA MOTD
The Election Coordinator is responsible for maintaining the Election Area MOTD. The Election Area MOTD must contain any content requirements as set out in Section IV.
The Election Area MOTD shall contain a toteboard containing important administrative information about the Candidates, which shall be updated by the Election Coordinator. At a minimum, the toteboard shall include a list of the Candidate teams, the status of the Candidate teams, penalties and warnings that have been issued by the Election Coordinator, and a list of endorsements.
Candidates may provide a short summary of their platform to the Election Coordinator. A link to the summaries shall be posted on the Election Area MOTD after the Election Coordinator has approved them for length and standards compliance.
G. VOTING
During the Voting period, campaigning continues. Voting is by secret ballot, utilizing a method decided upon by the Election Coordinator that allows for votes to be "locked" and has appropriate security. Every eligible Member is eligible to vote once, except for the Election Coordinator, who does not vote unless needed as a method of tie-breaking, and the Assistant Election Coordinator, who does not vote unless required to assumed the powers and duties of the Election Coordinator. The Election Coordinator is empowered to determine how tie-breaking votes will be handled, which must be included in the published Election Rules.
During the Voting period, the Election Coordinator shall post a message on the main club announcement area that voting has started and that eligible members should have voting access. The announcement must also state that a person who does not have voting access, but believes their alleged ineligibility is in error, should contact the Election Coordinator.
If there are more than two Candidate teams that can be voted for, a preliminary run-off round of voting shall be held before the final round of voting. Only the two Candidate teams with the highest number of votes cast for them in the run-off round of voting shall be on the ballot for the final round of voting.
The winning Candidate team is the one with a plurality of votes in the final (or only) round of voting, i.e., the highest number of votes.
All ballots shall be destroyed upon the deactivation of the Election Area.
H. RESULTS
The Election Coordinator is responsible for tallying all votes cast and announcing the results of each round publicly in Command and the Election Area. The announced results shall include the number of votes cast for each Candidate team.
The new President will be installed on the first day of the new Presidential Term.
I. WITHDRAWALS, INVALIDATIONS, AND DISQUALIFICATIONS
If a Presidential candidate or Vice-Presidential candidate withdraws from the election at any time after his ticket has been validated, the Election Coordinator shall invalidate the ticket. A candidate may only withdraw by personally posting a notice to that effect in the Election Area.
If a Vice-Presidential candidate withdraws from the election after his ticket has been validated, but prior to the end of the nomination period, the Presidential candidate may publically declare an eligible member as his new Vice-Presidential candidate prior to the end of the nomination period, at which time the Election Coordinator shall re-validate the ticket. Otherwise, the ticket shall remain invalidated.
If a Vice-Presidential candidate withdraws from the election after the end of the nomination period, but prior to the start of the voting period, and the Election Coordinator decides that there are special circumstances, the Election Coordinator may set a time period for the Presidential candidate to publically declare an eligible member as his new Vice-Presidential candidate, at which time the Election Coordinator shall re-validate the ticket. Otherwise, the ticket shall remain invalidated. The special time period must end no later than the start of the voting period.
If a Vice-Presidential candidate has withdrawn from the election, the Presidential candidate may not campaign until the Election Coordinator has re-validated the ticket.
All tickets that are invalidated, nullified, or voided by the Election Coordinator, shall be considered disqualified. No disqualified ticket may campaign or appear on the voting ballot.
If a ticket is disqualified during the preliminary run-off vote, and there still remains more than two valid tickets on the ballot, the disqualified ticket shall be removed from the ballot, and all votes for the disqualified ticket shall be reconsidered as uncast votes. If a ticket is disqualified during the preliminary run-off vote, and there remains only two valid tickets on the ballot, the Election Coordinator shall end the run-off vote, and the two valid tickets shall move on to the final voting round, as originally scheduled in the Election Timetable.
If a ticket is disqualified during the final voting period, the Election Coordinator shall end the vote, and follow the procedure for an Uncontested Election.
V. IRREGULARITIES
In the event that the procedure outlined in this Edict is not properly followed, the Election Coordinator may note an irregularity.
If in the judgment of the Election Coordinator the irregularity does not violate the integrity of the election process then he must state so publicly and provide reasoning.
If in the judgment of the Election Coordinator the procedure outlined in this Edict may be adjusted to account for the irregularity without violating the integrity of the election process, he must state so publicly and explain what temporary adjustments will be made and why.
If in the judgment of the Election Coordinator the irregularity does violate the integrity of the election process or render a fair and honest result impossible to determine, the Election Coordinator may declare a Irregular Election. A Irregular Election may only be declared in extreme circumstances, upon the advise and consent of the sitting President or senior-most member who is not a candidate in the election, and must include a detailed explanation of why it is impossible to recover from the irregularity.
If an Irregular Election is declared, the election is considered void. The Election Coordinator must immediately restart the election process with fresh nominations. The new election process will follow the same procedure as a normal election unless explicitly stated otherwise by the Election Coordinator. Should the new election process extend into what would be the new Presidential term, the sitting president will remain in office for the duration of the new election process until a new President is installed, and the new President's term will be shortened by the amount of overlap.
VI. CONCLUSION
This edict may not be amended or replaced during an election season, except with the posted consent of the currently sitting President, Vice President, and Election Coordinator.
Posted 31 July 2008 - 1:17pm by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #19
"Very few things actually get manufactured these days, because in an infinitely large Universe such as, for instance, the one in which we live, most things one could possibly imagine, and a lot of things one would rather not, grow somewhere."
A mysterious group cloaked in shadows by black robes in a dimly-lit room, stand around an ancient-looking scroll. 'There, it is done,' the leader says. 'The STF cabinet has once-again been re-shuffled.'
'But wait,' complains a second voice. 'We still have one opening, and its one of the cabinet positions that will need someone to do a lot of hands-on work, and can really only be done by someone with experience.'
'I know,' says a third. 'We should do what we always do in this situation.'
'So be it,' intones the leader of the STF Powers-that-Be. 'Philip Stonness shall be appointed.'
----------------------------
Philip Stonness has essentially been this past term's wildcard for the STF Government. Need someone with experience to run the Academy? Let's appoint Phil. We need to find a new Gamemaster Director? Let's re-shuffle Phil! Have an assistant position that requires experience? How about Phil? Who should run the upcoming election? I know who: Phil.
As a result, it's been brought to my attention that there are now a number of qualities regarding Phil's role in STF that are inconsistent:
1) A reliable and dependent member of the STF Government.
2) A club rank of Captain.
3) One of the few members to hold a variety of different cabinet and executive positions.
4) A Gamemaster for an ungodly number of ships.
5) A mentor to new STF members and an advisor to senior STF members.
I agree that these qualities are inconsistent, and that I, as President, need to rectify the situation.
Therefore, Philip Stonness is hereby promoted to Fleet Captain.
-Daniel Lerner
Posted 1 August 2008 - 1:14am by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #20
"He had found a Nutri-Matic machine which had provided him with a plastic cup filled with a liquid that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea."
I would like for all of you to think back to an earlier time. A wonderful and glorious time, when the colours were a little brighter, the world seemed a lot larger, and we were all innocent and free of worries. That's right, I'm talking about ... well, the end of the 2007, actually.
At that time, Kat Dedul was minding her own business, busy being an efficient and effective Fleet Commander of Fleet Two, the CO of the USS Constellation, and the XO of both the USS Polaris and USS Columbia.
But the tranquility would not last. The CO of the USS Columbia had to resign. While the search went on to find a new CO for the ship, Kat, as the Columbia's XO, stepped in as the ship's aCO and kept the Academy ship running smoothly (which as many Academy COs know, is not an easy job).
A new CO was found for the Columbia, and Kat went back to resuming her normal duties ...
... for two weeks. Suddenly, the CO and XO of the USS Genesis had to resign. The outgoing FComm for Fleet Six (which in this tale, was the greatest aquatic FComm in the oceans of STF), made an assessment of the experienced members on the USS Genesis, and asked Kat if she would be willing to step in as the aCO of the Genesis - even though a new cabinet was about to be announced which could delay the appointment of a new CO. Kat didnt even hesitate to agree.
The 'slight' delay in appointing a new CO for the Genesis ended up lasting five weeks. During that time the new FComm-6 would only hear great things about the Genesis, and how happy the crew was with Kat's new leadership.
But wait, there's more! In the middle of Kat being the aCO of the Genesis, the new CO of the Columbia had to take an LOA over the holidays. So Kat took over as the aCO of the Columbia once again, keeping the Academy ship active during the traditional slow time of the club. At this time, Kat was the aCO of the Columbia, the aCO of the Genesis, the CO of the Constellation, and the Fleet Commander of Fleet Two and with no objections or reservations on the part of Kat.
Well, by the middle of January the various situations were resolved, and Kat was back to 'just' her two XO positions, her CO position, and her FComm position. And when I say 'just', I mean doing all of this and remaining an efficient and effective members of the cabinet during my term as Vice-President and President. With almost no complaints or disputes coming out of Fleet Two, Kat herself stayed as the Fleet's quiet leader, with the rest of the club learning about what the Fleet was up to with her punctual Fleet Reports. Beyond her role as FComm-2, Kat was always willing to quickly give her advice when I had a question for the cabinet, and was quick to pass on my messages to the rest of the COs as Command started developing new policies around the development of WeBBspace.
For her excellent work as FComm-2, and her willingness to go above and beyond her responsibilities in STF, Kat Dedul is hereby promoted to Commodore.
-Daniel Lerner
Posted 2 August 2008 - 6:58am by Fleet Admiral Daniel Lerner (President) (Daniel Lerner)
Edict #21
"Mostly Harmless"
Provided the club doesn't go completely crazy over the next day, this should be my last official post as this term's President.
Although it was always a possibility that as Vice-President I might have to take over permanently as the club's President, it wasn't a possibility that I had seriously expected. So having to take over as President during a term which some saw some of the biggest changes being made to STF since the move from Prodigy to effWeBB came as a bit of a shock.
Four months is a very short amount of time to try to carry through an agenda for the term and to help shape a direction for the club and our new WeBBspace software - especially when real life circumstances change during the course of those few months.
The fact that we were able to have a constructive term is in no small way due to the work of a number of individuals who I would like to take the time to thank now. I decided that I'm going to treat Hemenway #32 as the beginning of a tradition, and do this by way of edict.
JACK DIPPER
As soon as it started to become clear that I would likely have to take over as President, I immediately contacted Jack Dipper to be my Vice-President. It was immediately clear that I was going to need someone with more STF experience to help advise me, and Jack was willing to step into the new role right away. Jack would stay in the in the backdrop while I put forward my own agenda as President, but he would always let me know if I had missed something, or give one of my crazy ideas a double-check. If there was something wrong with a proposal, Jack was quick to find it and up come with alternative suggestions. Jack was also able to give me much needed advice when I needed it.
Thank you, Jack!
SARAH HEMENWAY
My term as President could have turned out vastly different if it wasn't for Sarah Hemenway. Although neither Sarah nor I could have predicted that her RL situation would change to the point that she would have to step down as President, I nonetheless would have been less prepared for the role if I hadn't been able to learn from Sarah while I was her Vice-President. From Sarah I learned what factors to look for in reaching various President-level decisions, how to build from a club consensus, and how to de-escalate disputes, and I tried to continue her method as President during my own short term.
Thank you, Sarah!
LARRY GARFIELD
I don't think Larry Garfield and I ever had any long discussions until January 13, 2008. I still remember the long late-night IRC session just before WeBBspace was about to go live, finalizing a number of design elements that would affect STF's administration of it's club membership. Being Vice-President during the introduction of WeBBspace and President during much of its in-progress development was a unique experience, and only from that do I have an idea of how much work Larry put into designing the new software. WeBBspace has developed into something that I think we are all extremely happy with, and I think it is now clear to the entire club just what kind of potential we have with it, and this is all due to the enormous amount of time and energy Larry put into the project.
I also want to thank Larry for keeping me on my toes. Larry was quick to weigh in on my various proposals, and point out when something I was planning on doing could have turned into disaster. We may not have always agreed, but Larry's advice ended up being integral to the decisions I made as President.
Thanks, Larry!
RUSSELL WATT
Russell Watt and I were cadets on the Columbia within months of each other, and we have stayed friends in STF since. I think it was only natural that when I took over as President, I would end up turning to Russ as someone who would listen to what was going on and provide advice that would help me reach my decisions.
Thanks, Russ!
THE CABINET
I want to thank the entire cabinet both the current cabinet and the members who held cabinet positions since last December. This was not an easy term for the cabinet - both the change in Presidency during the middle of the term and the introduction of WeBBspace, but I found that they all did a great job nonetheless. Progress was made in all the departments and fleets, and new policies were developed to fit in with and take advantage of WeBBspace.
ALL OF THE COMMANDING OFFICERS
I also want to thank all the COs from this past term. The switch to WeBBspace probably affected the COs the most, and I found that they all quickly learned to use the new WeBBspace features, found ways to work around the parts of WeBBspace that were different from effWeBB, and teach their crew members how to use WeBBspace.
Finally, I would like to thank the entire membership. You all put up with the crazy changes that took place this past term, learned to take advantage of new features that were developed with WeBBspace, and kept up with your usual strong and consistent role-playing and online presence that makes STF such a strong club and community.
Thanks!
-Daniel Lerner