ASR Round Table Rules and Procedures
From StarFleet Bureau of Information
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(Last updated SD 190501)
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VERSION HISTORY:
----------------
1.4- changed wording regarding RT Secretary's eligibility to reflect
the passed motion of April 2007 RT (SD 190501)
1.3- changed wording of several sections to reflect passed motions of
April 2005 RT (SD 170501)
1.2- moved officer reports before elections by Chris Mayberry (SD 131001)
1.1- changed wording of rules to clarify succession to the chair
by Andrea Schalk(SD 091001)
1.1- Creation and distribution of document by D'Maris Coffman (SD 081001)
1. Name, Nature and Purpose
A. Name
This body shall be called, "The alt.starfleet.rpg Round Table", or,
"The ASR Round Table", or "RT".
B. Nature
The ASR Round Table shall be a deliberative body, governed by standard
parliamentary practices, as specified in this document and adapted
from Robert's Rules of Order. It is an autonomous group of people
meeting to determine, in full and free discussion, courses of action
to be taken in the name of the entire group.
C. Purpose
The business and powers of the ASR Round Table shall consist of:
selecting or removing the chief officer of ASR (i.e., the player of
the Commander-in-Chief, Starfleet); of ratifying the appointment of
the player of the Chief of Starfleet Operations, and of its own
Secretary; of debating and voting on proposals for changes in the
rules and policies of ASR; and of expressing the sentiments of ASR as
a group.
2. Membership
A. Status
1. ASR RP Unit COs
Every Commanding Officer of a Role Playing Unit in ASR shall be
eligible to sit as a member of the ASR Round Table. A Role Playing
Unit shall be defined, for the purposes of the Round Table, as a
group of players, accountable by and to a Commanding Officer and an
Executive Officer, and accepted as a constituent Unit in one of the
ASR Fleets, or as an irregular Unit at the discretion of the Flag
Council. A Unit must have enjoyed such status for at least one
month before the start of a Round Table session in order for its
representative to sit as a member in that session.
2. Flag Officers
The players of all the administrative characters of the Flag Council
shall sit as members of the ASR Round Table on that basis,
regardless of whether they also serve as Commanding Officers of RP
Units.
B. Absence and Substitution
1. Absence
Eligible members of the Round Table are expected to answer the Roll
Call by informing the Secretary either of their intent to attend, or
of their absence. Members who find they will no longer be able to
participate at some time after the session begins are requested to
so inform the Secretary at their earliest convenience. This is a
courtesy to the Secretary and to the Round Table.
2. Substitution
Should the Commanding Officer of an RP Unit be seated in the
capacity of a Flag officer, or decline to be seated, the duty of
representing the Unit will fall in turn to the Executive Officer,
and then to the Unit's members (including the Game Master, if
present) in order of seniority (determined by their time as members
of ASR). If no member of a Unit is eligible or willing to represent
the Unit at the ASR Round Table, the Chair has the right to assign a
representative to the Unit, or to leave that seat vacant, for the
duration of the current session. If absence occurs after the
opening of a session, no substitution takes place.
3. Officers of the Round Table and elected officers of ASR
A. Roles and duties
1. Chair
The Chair of the ASR Round Table shall be held by the chief officer
of ASR, the player of the Commander-In-Chief, Star Fleet, or the
person acting in that capacity. The duties of the Chair as such
shall consist of presiding over the ASR Round Table while in session
and shall not transfer to a newly elected Commander-In-Chief, Star
Fleet until adjournment of the ASR Round Table session.
For issues the Chair cannot preside over him- or herself, the office
can be passed on. In that case, it should be taken on by the
(Acting) CSFO, or, if that player is not available, by a member of
the Flag Council of the Chair's choosing. Once the issue has been
resolved, the Chair goes back to the CINCSF.
2. Secretary
The calling and tallying of the Roll, the presentation of the
Agenda, the tabulation of votes on the items of the Agenda, and the
reporting of the conduct of the Flag Council and the proceedings of
the Round Table shall be the duties of a Secretary of the ASR Round
Table, chosen as such from among general club members who are not
seated at the RT as Flag officers.
B. Limitations
1. Chair
The Chair shall not participate in discussion of Proposals. Neither
shall the Chair vote on motions or on Proposals, except to break
ties, in which case the Chair must do so.
2. Secretary
The fact of being Round Table Secretary does not affect in any way
that player's original status as the representative of a Role
Playing Unit or as an observer. A RT member who is Secretary may
discuss and vote on Proposals and Motions without prejudice. An RT
observer who is Secretary may not discuss or vote on Proposals and
Motions.
C. Selection
1. CINCSF
The player of CINCSF, and thus the Chair of RT, is chosen, by
election, by the ASR Round Table. If a vacancy occurs, the CSFO
will hold the position in an acting capacity until such an
election can take place. If the CSFO is not available for this,
the Flag Council will determine an Acting CINCSF until the issue
can be thus resolved.
The election shall consist of motions to nominate candidates,
which must be seconded, followed by a period of discussion,
followed by a vote. If no candidate receives at least one half of
the votes cast, plus one, not counting abstentions, in the first
round of voting, further rounds shall be held until such majority
is achieved.
2. CSFO
When a vacancy exists in the office of CSFO, CINCSF shall nominate
a candidate for that office on an acting basis, and the next
regular session of the Round Table shall vote to ratify said
candidate. If the candidate fails to receive a number of votes
equal to at least one half of the total cast, plus one, not
counting abstentions, the CINCSF must nominate a new candidate at
once and repeat the procedure until a candidate is ratified.
Upon the election of a new person to the office of CINCSF, the term
of the sitting CSFO shall end.
3. Secretary
The procedure for selecting a Secretary for the RT is the same as
for the CSFO (see 3.C.2., above).
D. Removal
1. CINCSF
If a motion of No Confidence is made and seconded, the office of
the Chair is handed on as per 3.A.1 above, and the new Chair
shall preside until such motion is defeated or fails, or a new
CINCSF is elected. If such a motion receives a number of votes
equal to at least half of the members seated in the present
session, plus one, the CINCSF is removed, and an election for a
successor held immediately, as per 3.A., above.
2. CSFO
The CSFO may be removed by a vote of No Confidence from the Round
Table, as per the rules for removal of the Chair (see 3.D.1,
above).
3. Secretary
The Round Table Secretary may be removed only by a vote of No
Confidence in the Round Table, as per the rules for removal of the
Chair (see 3.D.1., above).
4. Sessions, Regular and Special
A. Regular Sessions
1. Procedure for Convening
A Regular Session of the ASR Round Table shall be convened when the
Secretary so informs all those eligible to participate. The
Secretary is required, no later than two weeks before the first day
of any session, to Call the Roll, that is, to inform all eligible
members that they are requested to take part, and to receive their
affirmations of intent or inability to participate in the upcoming
session. So long as at least one half, plus one, of the eligible
members reply, affirming their intention to participate, a quorum is
reached, and the session is held. If no quorum is reached, the
session is cancelled.
2. Frequency and Length
A Regular Session shall be convened on the first day of April and of
October of every year. It shall be adjourned no later than the end
of the last day of the month in which it was convened, unless a
motion for extension has been made and passed.
B. Special Sessions
1. Means of Convening
A Special Session shall be convened when the Secretary receives
statements so demanding from a number of eligible members equal to
at least one half of the total, plus one; this shall stand in place
of the Roll Call affirmations of those members. The Secretary then
conducts a normal Roll Call and determination of quorum as in the
case of Regular Sessions (see 4.A.1., above)
2. Frequency and Length
Any number of Special Sessions may be convened in a year, so long as
at least one month has passed between the adjournment of the last
session and the proposed convening of a new Special Session. No
Special Session may continue past the last day of the month in which
it was convened.
5. Rules of Order
A. Order of Business
1. Roll Call and Determination of Quorum
2. Presentation of Agenda
3. Reports of Officers
4. Selection or Removal of Officers
5. Old Business
6. New Business
7. Adjournment
B. Motions
1. Proposals (Main Motions)
Proposals are items on the Agenda that have been submitted to the
Secretary for consideration as business of the Round Table. They are
presented to the Round Table by the Secretary in the order they were
received, and treated as Old or New Business, as appropriate.
A proposal is numbered in the format PYY.SS.NNV. The elements of
this number scheme are defined as: P stands for proposal, YY is the
last two digits of the year in which the RT occurs, SS is the
session number in sequential order for the RT sessions that year
beginning with 01, NN is the proposal number (01, 02, etc.), and V,
as applicable, is a letter beginning at A for an amended version of
a proposal. There is no version letter on a first draft of a
proposal.
So, the third procedure considered at the first RT of 2005 would be
numbered P05.01.03. Were this procedure to be amended during the RT,
the first amendment to the procedure would be P05.01.03A
2. Procedural Motions
a) Point of Order
Any member may at any time draw the attention of the Chair to a
perceived violation of the Rules of the Round Table. The format
for Point of Order is
Subj: Point of Order
Text: I draw the attention of the Chair to the following
statement of (title of delegate): (quote of material) *and/or*
the following point of the Rules: (quote of rule, followed by
question), and request a ruling.
b) Point of Information
Any member may at any time ask a question regarding the rules and
their interpretation, and other matters connected to the subject
at hand. The format for Point of Information is as follows:
Subj: Point of Information
Text: I draw the attention of the Chair to the following point
(quote) and would like to ask the following question:
(question).
c) Motions to Alter Time Limits for Discussion and for Voting
The initial time limits for discussion of and voting on Proposals
are 48 hours each. These limits may be extended, or, in the case
of discussion, abbreviated, by a motion, followed by a second, so
requesting, at the discretion of the Chair, if no objection is
made within twenty-four hours of the second. The format for such
motions is as follows:
Subj: Motion to Alter Time Limit for Discussion *or* Voting
Text: I move *or* second the current period be extended by
48 hours *or* closed immediately.
d) Motions to Postpone Consideration or to Send to Committee
Discussion of a Proposal is usually followed by a vote. If,
however, a motion to postpone consideration or to send to
committee is made and seconded, and no objection is presented
within twenty-four hours, the Chair may delete the Proposal from
the agenda of the current session, and place it on the agenda of
the next session as Old Business, provided a Proposal to do so is
submitted to the Secretary before the start of said session.
e) Motion to Adjourn
When all items of business on the Agenda of the Round Table have
been disposed of, any member may make a motion to Adjourn; if
seconded, and if there are no objections presented within
twenty-four hours, the Chair must declare the session to be
adjourned. The Chair must also declare the session to be
adjourned by the last day of the month in which it was opened,
unless a motion for extension has been passed (see 4.B.2.f), or
when any such period of extension is over.
f) Motion to Extend the Session
If there is business left on the Agenda of the Round Table which
cannot be concluded within a regular session, any member may make
a motion to Extend the Session. If seconded, the Round Table
votes on the issue, and if the motion passes, the session is
extended accordingly. There must not be more than one extension,
and an extension must not last longer than 14 days.
C. Rules of Discussion
Discussion shall be limited to debate of the merits of a Proposal, and
shall not be allowed to digress into irrelevant or tangential issues.
The officers of the Round Table shall be addressed and referred to by
the names of their offices, Flag officers by their Flag titles,
members of the Round Table by their RP Unit, and candidates for office
by their full (given and sur)names.
Violation of these rules can be raised as a Point of Order or of
Information, and, as with all such Points, is ruled upon at the sole
discretion of the Chair, including sanctions ranging from reprimand,
to censure, and expulsion from the current session of the Round Table.
D. Rules of Voting
1. Format of Ballots
Members shall vote on Proposals and Motions in the ASR Round Table
by sending copies of an e-mail message to all members of the Round
Table. If a member will be temporarily absent during the voting
period, such member may submit one or more votes to the Secretary
before the beginning of the voting period; such votes will be
reported as per 5.D.3., below. All voting messages must strictly
observe the following format, or be considered Null and Void at the
discretion of the Secretary:
Subj: RT Vote / Item(s) of business: Proposal(s) or Motion
Text. Yea (or Yes)
*or* Nay (or No)
*or* Abstain
[for each item as designated by the Secretary if more than one]
2. Voting Majorities
A Proposal shall pass when it receives a number of Yea votes greater
than the number of Nay votes cast against it.
3. Report of Voting by the Secretary
The Secretary, whenever the votes received are sufficient to decide
an outcome, or when the time period for voting has passed, shall
tabulate and present a list of the votes cast.
4. Announcement of Result by the Chair
Upon receipt of the Secretary's report as per 5.D.3., above, the
Chair announces the passage, defeat, or failure of the Proposal or
Motion.
