01/06/01: Proposed Harper Constitution

A scroll, tied with a blue satin ribbon, unrolls into a number of pages of sturdy wood-pulp leaf. At the top is written:

This plan lays forth certain guidelines by which the Harpercraft of the Harper's Tale MOO shall be governed.

Chapter 1: Structure of the Harper Council

1) The Harper Staff consists of all approved Harpercraft members.

1A) Approval for Harper Staff membership requires a rank of Journeyman, Senior Journeyman or Master and the approval of the Harper Council. Approval may be subsequently revoked by a unanimous vote of the Harper Council.

2) The Harper Council consists of three eligible members of the Harper Staff. They are still considered to be members of the Harper Staff while they serve on the Harper Council.

2A) Eligibility is defined my the MOO's overall requirements for Leadership. Any member of the Harper Staff who is not eligible to serve as a MOO leader cannot serve on the Harper Council but will remain as a member of the Harper Staff.

3) Each member of the Harper Staff has an equal right to be heard in staff and craft discussions, regardless of their IC rank.

4) The Harper Council shall be guided and led by one member, who is considered to have Crafthead status on the MOO.

4A) The other two members of the Harper Council are considered to be of Craftsecond-equivalent status on the MOO.

5) Each position on the Harper Council is held only in three (3) month terms.

5A) No position may be held by the same person twice in a row, but will proceed with the rotation (defined below) unless there is no eligible person available.

6) The standard rotation of positions on the Harper Council is as follows. If the rotation cannot be followed because of ineligibility, the sitting Council may decide upon an alternate course of action with a 2/3 majority vote.

6A) Upon first joining the Harper Council, a member will hold one of the X2 positions. This allows them a chance to get their feet wet before diving in headfirst.

6B) After serving one term in a X2 position, a member will hold the X1 position.

6C) After serving one term in the X1 position, a member will again hold one of the X2 positions. This allows them to remain available to assist the new X1 with the benefit of their experience in the role.

6D) When a member has served one term in each of the three positions of X2, X1, and X2 again, he or she is eligible to begin another rotation.

6E) The order of rotation shall be defined by the dbref numbers of all eligible members of the Harper Staff, sorted in ascending order.

7) Any single harper shall not serve on the Harper Council out of their specified turn unless the Harper Council decides to allow it with a 2/3 majority vote.

8) Any member of the Harper Council may be removed from that office by a 2/3 majority vote of the Harper Council. However, there must always be three members of the Harper Council.

8A) Any previously removed Council member is not made ineligible by that removal vote to serve in the Harper Council in the next Rotation as long as he or she still meets the other eligibility requirements.

9) The Harper Council may not be dissolved except by the unanimous vote of all members of the Harpercraft of Journeyman or Master Rank who have been active for more than one (1) hour per week for one (1) week prior to the vote.

Chapter 2: Process of the Harper Council

1) Any vote of the Harper Council shall remain open for as long as it takes for all three members to vote or for a span of one (1) week. Any members of the Harper Council who have not registered a vote within that time will be assumed to have abstained from voting.

1A) Only Harper Council members may vote unless otherwise decided by the Harper Council.

1B) The default margin to pass any vote is a simple majority, which in the case of a three-person council means that two out of three members must agree.

2) Votes will be tallied in the Harper Voting Booth.

2A) The results of all votes will be posted, as usual, on the *Harper-Council mailer.

3) Official discussion will take place on the *Harper-Council mailer and on the [HarperCouncil] channel.

3A) The *Harper-Council mailer will remain readable and writable by all Harper Staff members. Harper Staff members are welcome to participate in mailer discussions.

3B) The [HarperCouncil] channel is reserved for the current members of the Harper Council. Anyone not on the Council may be asked to remove themselves from the channel for any reason, and it should not be taken personally. The Harper Council should not be reluctant for any reason to ask Staff members to leave the channel.

Chapter 3: Duties and Limitations of the Harper Council

GOVERN

1) The Harper Council is responsible for providing rules and regulations by which the members of the harpercraft must abide.

1A) The Harper Council must deal with the issues and problems of the craft as they become aware of them.

PROMOTIONS

2) The Harper Council is responsible for promoting members of the harpercraft to their earned rank.

2A) Any single member of the Harper Council may post any member of the Harpercraft to any non-leadership position as long as that Harper does not have any objections.

2B) A simple majority vote of the Harper Council is required to post any member of the Harpercraft to any leadership position, including Harper Staff membership, as long as that Harper does not have any objections.

2C) A simple majority vote of the Harper Council is required to demote any member of the Harpercraft.

3) The Harper Council is responsible for expelling members of the harpercraft who either wish to leave or who have acted against the interests of the craft in some way.

3A) A majority vote of the Harper Council is required to expel any member of the Harpercraft who has not asked to be released from the Harpercraft.

PRESENT A UNITED FRONT

4) All members of the Harper Council must abide by and publicly support decisions made by the body.

Chapter 4: Duties and Limitations of the Harper Staff

ROLEPLAY!

1) The Harper Staff must get out and roleplay with the rest of the craft, providing visible and accessible leadership to other journeymen and apprentices. If you do nothing else, do this.

INTERVIEW AND ACCEPT/DENY APPLICANTS

2) The Harper Staff is responsible for interviewing any player who requests to enter the craft.

2A) Any single member of the Harper Staff may allow any member of the Harpercraft to interview any applicant to the craft.

3) The Harper Staff is responsible for accepting or refusing new craft members.

3A) Any single member of the Harper Staff may interview and/or accept or deny any applicant to the Harpercraft.

TEACH!

4) The Harper Staff is responsible for structuring the curriculum for the Harper Hall.

4A) The Harper Staff is responsible for making sure lessons get taught at least once in a while.

4B) The Harper Staff is expected to be familiar with any projects which occur in the Harper Hall.

BE ALERT TO THE NEEDS OF THE CRAFT

5) The Harper Staff is responsible for alerting the Harper Council to craft issues and problems.

5A) The Harper Staff is responsible for enforcing those rules which the Harper Council deems necessary to create and/or approve.

6) Any single member of the Harper Staff may expel any member of the Harpercraft who has requested to be released.

Chapter 3: Duties and Limitations of the X1 of the Harper Council

LEAD, DELEGATE AND ADMINISTER

1) The X1 is responsible for setting up issues for a vote and initiating any required discussions.

2) The X1 must set the agendas for meetings and for the general running of the Harpercraft.

3) The X1 should act in concert and cooperation with the rest of the Harper Council on all issues. If something is important, it's a good idea to form a consensus.

3A) The X1 should keep a reasonably accurate record of stuff done and keep the rest of the Harper Council informed of actions taken and decisions made. This keeps everyone in the know.

4) The X1 is responsible for making the rotation of the Council positions as smooth as possible. This means transferring any documents and knowledge to their successors and asking questions of their predecessors. The X1 is not an island.

Chapter 4: Means of Communication within the Harpercraft

1) The *Harper-Council mailing list is to be considered the primary communication tool between members of the Harper Council and Harper Staff. All decisions and matters which affect the Council and Staff should remain on the mailer for a minimum of one (1) week.

2) The HarperCouncil channel is appropriate for casual discussion between Council members only.

3)  The HarperStaff channel is appropriate for casual discussion between Staff and Council members only.

3) The *Harper mailing list is the primary communication tool between members of the Harpercraft. All decisions and matters which affect the Harpercraft as a whole shall be posted there and remain there for a minimum of one (1) week.

4) The Harper channel is appropriate for casual discussion. Nothing decided on any channel will be considered binding until it has been posted to one of the *Harper or *Harper-Council mailing lists.

5) The Gossipy Apprentice, an NPC object in the Harper Hall, will contain unofficial official gossip and news, to be updated by Staff or Council members.

5) All standing Harpercraft information must be made available on one of the following places:

a) The Staff Tackboard, dbref # 1987, located in the Harper Office.
b) The Harpercraft Member Features, dbref # 2870.
c) The Masterharper's Office, http://www.oocities.org/harperbuilder/
d) The Harpercraft Anthology, dbref # 269

This list of places should remain posted in "help harper".

6) All official meetings of the Harper Council or Harpercraft must be logged and posted within the Masterharper's Office on the web.

7) Both the *Harper and *Harper-Council mailing lists should be archived periodically and posted within the Masterharper's Office.