Posted by Daniel Lerner in Questions for candidates - procedures and authority

Posted by Daniel Lerner in Questions for candidates - procedures and authority
Often an STF election focuses on what the candidates plan on doing or changing if elected, what style of leadership the candidates have and will bring to the role(s), how they will exercise their discretion, and the candidates’ experience. That makes sense. But sometimes we lose sight of the fact that STF has developed a number of procedures, bylaws and customs that spell out what authority the President has (or doesn’t have) and the procedure of how that authority is exercised and reviewed.

I have put together a number of scenarios. The purpose of these questions is less on whether you agree or disagree with the the issue or complaint, but what the process or procedure is in addressing it, and what authority you have.

Because there is an advantage in not being the first to answer these questions, I have randomly matched a candidate to a question to answer the question first. Other candidates can answer the question after the first candidate has answered. I have separated VP candidates from their running mates because if a VP has to deal with the situation (either as acting President or because they had to take over mid-term as President) they won’t have their running mate to help with the answer… (If there are more tickets nominated after I make this post, I’ll add more scenarios.)

Scenario 1 (David - please answer this question first; other candidates can answer after David):

A member keeps putting his character in fatal situations. After a number of warnings, the ship’s Gamemaster kills the character. The member is complaining to everyone - including you as President - that the Gamemaster didn’t treat the situation fairly. In the meantime, the member is on a second ship with the same GM, and it appears that the situation is repeating itself. The GM Director supports the GM, and after a number of warnings on the second ship tells the new member that they are playing “suicidal characters” and any GM is free to kill of that player’s character(s) without warning if they place the character in a potentially fatal situation.

The member is furious, and continues his complaints, including being labeled “suicidal” by the GM Director, and because they feel they can’t RP freely. They note that their COs have never complained. The member wants your help.

As President, what is your role in this situation? Is there a procedure that covers this situation, and if so, what is it?

Scenario 2 (Rob - please answer this question first; other candidates can answer after Rob):

One of your FComms has been having a lot of issues with one of their COs. They PM you on Discord one evening to say they have fired the CO, removed the CO from the ship’s roster, and appointed the ship’s XO as aCO. They tell you they will start looking for a candidate as soon as you post the edict confirming the CO’s removal. The CO then sends a complaint about the removal.

What is your role as President in this situation? Is there a correct procedure that covers this situation, and if so, what is it?

Scenario 3 (Louis - please answer this question first; other candidates can answer after Louis):

A CO vacancy has come up. The FComm has narrowed it down to two candidates, but is struggling between those final two candidates. One is the ship’s long-term XO. The other is a former CO with a lot of experience who is wants to be a CO again. After some discussion, you and your FComm ultimately agree on the second option, and you post an edict to that effect. It just so happens, though, that the CO you selected is also your VP and very close friend in STF. The rejected candidate is furious and believes you are playing favoritism over what is best for the ship. The rejected CO asks you to “come clean” in Command about why you made your decision in order to be “transparent”, otherwise will be asking EGO to review your decision.

What is the mechanism (if any) to review the President’s decision in this situation?

Scenario 4 (James - please answer this question first; other candidates can answer after James):

A new member has been kicked off their ship by the CO because the CO and the member have been clashing about the member’s struggle in learning STF’s style of role-playing. The CO contacts the Academy Commandant to see if the new member can be placed in the Academy, although the new member doesn’t seem that enthusiastic about joining the Academy and has been really enjoying the sim on the ship in question. The FComm was monitoring the ship, and tells the CO to reverse the decision and help mentor the new member instead. The CO complains saying that they have been doing a lot of other work on the ship and does not have time to mentor a new member. The FComm says their decision in final. The CO complains to you about the FComm’s decision.

What is your authority in this situation as President? What decisions can you make? Is there a procedure for this scenario?

-Daniel

Just to clarify (because I’ve been asked) - in all of the above scenarios you are answering as if you are the President. (If you are currently running as VP, assume you had to take over as President due to the President being absent or having stepped down - which I can say from experience is something you will potentially have to deal with.)

-Daniel

Response to Scenario 4:

Solid questions, Daniel. Nicely done.

The removal of a player, especially a new member, should never be done lightly. While the President does have the authority to overrule the FComm and / or the CO, I don’t believe that in this scenario overruling the FComm’s mandate that the new member be reinstated would be necessary; but there are several issues that would have to be addressed within the scenario specifically.

1. Per the Ship Management Section of the Fleet Command description: “The CO also has the power to dismiss members of their crews if they determine that such action is necessary to preserve or restore the ability of the ship to function effectively.” This scenario does not seem to be an issue of ship functionality, but rather a new player not grasping the style of the club. The FComm would be correct in their direction to overturn the removal decision based on this rule.

2. Also in the Ship Management Section of the Fleet Command description, it states: “A member dismissed from a ship may appeal the decision to the FComm (or AFComm if the CO in question is FComm). Should the FComm (or AFComm) support the decision of the CO, the ruling is final. Should the FComm overturn the ruling, the CO may appeal to the President (or the Vice President if the President is the CO in Question); in this case, the President’s (or Vice President’s) decision is final.” In this circumstance, the member did not appeal the decision, the FComm countermanded the CO without that appeal happening. That being said, the FComm has the authority to do so under the stipulation “Specifically, the Fleet Commander is responsible for ensuring that the Ships under his command are healthy and properly functioning role playing environments…” (Fleet Commander Description, Fleet Command).

3. The specific reason that the CO is appealing should be looked at closely, however. The scenario states “The CO complains saying that they have been doing a lot of other work on the ship and does not have time to mentor a new member.” That statement to me as a President of the club, FComm, AFComm, or simply a member of the crew would be unacceptable. The CO is responsible for the ship and their crew. If a new player is struggling to learn, then it is the ultimately the CO’s responsibility to ensure that member gets the training and attention needed to learn the style and in a manner that encourages their continued participation. Bouncing a new member off a ship because ‘you don’t have time to teach them’ is not what I would expect from a ship’s CO in this club. In this instance as President, I would ask the CO why they did not consult with the new members Department Head or the XO and try to delegate some of the training to the new member’s more direct supervisory ship staff. I would also inquire as to what else is taking up the CO’s time and keeping them from administering to a new member. If this came down to an issue of the CO being overworked, that could be addressed separately. That being said, a discussion with new member would also be necessary to try and find why they are struggling and address that as well. (Side note: With the new abilities of CO’s to manage their ships and the deciding of accepting new members or not via the Ship’s Admin page, I would also remind the CO that it within their power to not accept new players by indicating so on their ship’s page.)

To summarize: I would more than likely agree with the FComm in this instance, but only after speaking with the CO and member in question. I would hope that a solution could be found to allow the member on board the ship involving the XO and new member’s DH. If that was not possible, I would request from other CO’s with an appropriate opening that the new member be transferred in order to train them appropriately and encourage them to grow and stay with the club.

James