: Message posted on Stardate 06070.5 at 0852 hours
: Posted by Ton Geurts.
: We pretend to be a happy, friendly RPG environment. One of the important parts is to have a president who is sensitive to the needs of the club as a whole and those of individual members, who communicates open, honest and timely, and who makes clear, consequent decisions using a transparent process.
:
: That's why I ask our candidates the following questions:
:
: 1. How do you intend to communicate with the people?
Objectively and in terms that everyone can understand. We always assume that people have an encyclopedic knowledge of STF and Star Trek. I aim to ensure that each member, from the ones who joined today to the ones who joined six years ago, can understand and participate, as well as feel that their input is valued. I intend to be approachable and dispel the myth of aloofness in the President. I plan to remain as available as I am now, on AIM, ICQ, MSN, Y!M, IRC, and e-mail.
:
: 2. Being president will mean inevitably that in Command people will react to you with a sharp tone. How thick is your skull? I mean, how will you handle those posts?
My skull is quite thick. <G> I'm a firm believer that there is a lot of validity in stepping away and cooling down before making any post or reply. I do so myself and I encourage anyone posting in Command to do the same thing. I would also make sure to get the opinion of my Vice President on any issue as well. After all, we are a team and his opinion may differ from mine! I'm only human. I might have made a mistake and I trust Jack, my cabinet, and the members to tell me that!
:
: 2. How do you think the decision-making process for appointment edicts should be?
The decision-making process for appointment edicts should have one primary goal in mind: finding the right person for the job. That person may be a new member or an experienced one. I believe that vacancies should be as well-advertised as possible and all types of qualifications, from length of time in STF to pure enthusiasm, considered. I want to ensure that the vacant role is well-defined with the required skills and any expectations, so that members can see if they meet them. I aim to have a clear application process, which includes timely decisions, communication with the candidates on the status of their applications, and a timescale. If an applicant is unsuccessful, I aim to provide feedback and suggestions for the future.
:
: 3. How do you think the process for edicts about organizational or procedural issues (i.e. OGRE) should be?
For department-specific issues, I feel that it's important for the actual discussion to be handled within the department. I would encourage advertising the debate and periodic updates in Command, so anyone who didn't and wants to contribute knows what is happening. When some conclusion to the discussion has been reached, the edict will be written in collaboration between the president and the department staff. I expect the proposed edict to go through a number of public revisions as well, before a consensus is reached and the edict is actually made.
:
: 4. Will you approach it differently when the issue at hand can be expected to be percieved as precarious or controversal?
No, I will not. Approaching an issue different based on how controversial it might be is unfair. I want to make my approach reliable and consistent so that it's expected. Yes, a controversial issue may require more discussion and more revisions; however, the end result is the same: a result! I will never avoid making the hard choice or the difficult decision just to get an easy life!
:
: 5. If you have to change (at least) one current edict, which one would it be, why and how will you approach it?
:
:
: Captain Ton Geurts
I would change the election edict that was just put into place. There are a few issues that have already been raised in Command that need to be taken care of, but I'd also like to see, post-election, what people thought about how things went and if there are any other changes that could be made. I think that discussion is truly the only and best way to approach any major change in policy in STF and that's what I intend to do.
Thanks, Ton!
- Sarah
Hemenway/Dipper: It's YOUR club!