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DispatchBulletinPolicy

by The Higher Education Institute of LGBT University Founder. . 81 reads.

Charter of LGBT University (draft)

Charter of LGBT University

1: Mission

1.1 LGBT University exists:

  • to provide a public forum for NationStates players to freely debate and discuss LGBT+ issues and related topics;

  • to curate and record informative answers to common questions about LGBT+ topics;

  • to promote understanding and acceptance of LGBT+ players and the wider LGBT community within NationStates;

  • to provide for any other interests and pursuits as the members of the region may determine.

2: Structure of LGBT University

2.1 LGBT University's government shall consist of the following:

  • the Founder, who shall retain Executive control over the region, provide for its security, maintain order, and take on the responsibilities of any other government role that is currently vacant;

  • the Chancellor, who shall represent LGBT University in the NationStates World Assembly as Delegate, exercise Executive powers over the region in the ordinary course of affairs, and assist in providing for security and order in the region;

  • the Vice-Chancellor, who shall be responsible for record-keeping and archiving, including the curation of questions and answers that will form the basis of LGBT University's academic materials on LGBT+ topics, and the conduct of elections;

  • the Rector, who shall be responsible for interpreting the legal framework of LGBT University and for settling disputes brought under the University's laws;

  • the Senate, consisting of a number of Senators - members of LGBT University in good standing - who shall be responsible for determining the legal framework of LGBT University;

  • the Access Officer, who shall be responsible for recruiting students and academics, i.e. encouraging NationStates nations to join LGBT University or to participate in regional activity;

  • the Technology Officer, who shall be responsible for any communications platforms or technologies that LGBT University might require, such as off-site forums or chat services;

  • the Outreach Officer, who shall be responsible for the outreach and public relations activities of the university, such as the construction or removal of embassies with other NationStates regions;

  • any other officers to be defined by Statute in future, as needed by LGBT University.

2.2 A single nation may hold more than one of the above roles, with the following exceptions:

  • No individual nation or player may hold more than one Senate seat at any given time;

  • The Rector may not hold any other role at the same time;

  • The Chancellor may not hold the role of Rector or Senator at the same time.

The above exceptions do not apply in the case of the Founder holding multiple roles due to unfilled vacancies in the government, as for example might occur early in the history of LGBT University.

2.3 Government officers may appoint subordinates and delegate any of their responsibilities to subordinates if they feel that doing so would be beneficial to the governance of the region.

3: The Founder

3.1 The Founder shall ensure that government members shall have the Regional Officer permissions necessary to carry out the responsibilities of each member's role.

3.2 The Founder may choose to delegate any of their responsibilities to other members of government.

3.3 The Founder may choose to resign their position. In this event, the Founder should choose a trusted nation to take over the Founder nation in order to continue the work of LGBT University.

3.4 Should the Founder cease to exist, the role and responsibilities shall be transferred to the Chancellor, or if the role is vacant the Vice-Chancellor, or if that role is vacant the Rector, until such time as the Founder may be resurrected. If none of these roles are filled at the time the Founder ceases to exist, an election should be held as soon as possible to elect a Chancellor who will take on the role of Founder.

4: The Senate

4.1 The Senate is LGBT University's legislative body and is empowered to issue Statutes (the laws of LGBT University) to set out the rules governing all aspects of the region including amendments to this Charter, amendments or repeals of existing Statutes, the performance of government duties, the removal of government officers from their posts for misconduct, and the conduct of members of the region.

4.2 There shall be at least 3 Senators but no more than 11 Senators. Within this range, the number of Senators should be 10% of the number of nations in LGBT University, rounded up, at the start of election voting.

4.3 Any member of LGBT University currently resident in the region may propose a draft Statute to be considered by the Senate as a potential new Statute or as an amendment or repeal of an existing Statute.

4.4 Any member of LGBT University currently resident in the region may Petition the Senate to vote on a particular draft Statute. The Petition may, for example, be delivered in the form of a telegram to Senators, or as a post on the Regional Message Board or off-site forum. The Petition must be supported by at least 5 members of the region. It must also be supported by at least 10% of the number of nations in the region, or by at least 15 nations, whichever is smaller. Upon receiving a valid Petition, the Senate must schedule a vote on the relevant Statute within 2 weeks.

4.5 Ordinary Statutes require a simple majority (50% of votes in favour out of those voting, +1 additional vote, rounded down) to pass in the Senate.

4.6 Statutes that mandate a change to the Charter of LGBT University or a removal of a government member from office require a two-thirds majority (66% +1 additional vote, rounded down) to pass in the Senate.

4.7 The Senate's discussions and votes on draft Statutes must be made accessible for members of the region; for example, if the Senate chooses to use an off-site forum for its discussions, members of the region must be able to access the forums to read the arguments and discussions and see how individual Senators voted.

4.8 Both the Founder and Chancellor may exercise a right of veto on Statutes passed by the Senate up to 7 days after the Statute was passed. If both roles are vacant, the Vice-Chancellor may exercise the above right of veto instead. The Senate may override a veto by voting again on the Statute. A two-thirds majority is required to pass a Statute that is voted on again. Such a Statute may not be vetoed a second time.

5: The Rector

5.1 The Rector is empowered to settle disputes about the interpretation and implementation of LGBT University's Charter and Statutes. Disputes may be resolved by the Rector requiring or recommending a course of action for the parties involved in the dispute.

5.2 The Rector is empowered to scrutinise the actions taken by government members in dealing with disruptive behaviour. The Rector may listen to appeals from players who have been subjected to disciplinary action and may require or recommend a course of action for the player concerned.

5.3 Any current or former member of LGBT University may bring a case to the Rector's attention. The Rector may decline to hear a case, but must provide an explanation of their decision to the region if they do so.

5.4 The Rector may not require a specific government member to be removed from their position, but may recommend that the Senate pass a Statute to such effect.

5.5 Any long-term decision to keep a nation on the ban list or remove a nation from the ban list is at the discretion of the Founder. The Rector may make a recommendation to the Founder as to the best course of action.

6: Elections

6.1 The roles of Chancellor, Rector and Senator are elected positions. The role of Vice-Chancellor is appointed by the Senate, then confirmed by the Chancellor. If no candidate commands the support of both the Senate and the Chancellor, the Founder shall carry out the role. All other government roles are appointed by the Chancellor unless otherwise specified. The Chancellor may delegate responsibility for appointments to the Senate.

6.2 The Vice-Chancellor is responsible for maintaining a list of nations eligible to vote in elections. All nations that are both resident in LGBT University and are members of the World Assembly are eligible to vote and cannot be prevented from doing so. Nations not meeting the above criteria may be considered eligible to vote based on the Vice-Chancellor's judgement, with the aim of preventing players from voting multiple times with puppet nations. The Vice-Chancellor may make use of NationStates polling mechanisms to maintain the list of eligible voters, for example, by requiring nations to register their interest in voting at regular intervals using the regional poll, and restricting such polls to nations that have accumulated sufficient Influence in the region. Nations may appeal to the Rector if they believe they should be eligible to vote but are not on the list or have been removed from the list.

6.3 Elections are carried out on an annual basis. The election period shall officially begin on 15th August at 23:59 UTC so that newly elected government officers can be in place for the start of September. Campaigning may be initiated as soon as the election period begins. The Vice-Chancellor shall determine when to open the voting period (preferably by 22nd August) and shall notify region members of the start and end times of voting at least 4 days in advance of the start of voting. Voting shall last between 4-7 days and may only be extended in extraordinary circumstances at the discretion of the Vice-Chancellor.

6.4 Votes are carried out by each eligible voter posting on the Regional Message Board the names of nations and specifying which government roles those nations should fill, e.g. "Nation A for Position 1...". The Vice-Chancellor is responsible for recording the voting tally and declaring the results of all elections. As voters are capable of editing or deleting their posts making these votes difficult to verify, the Vice-Chancellor shall have the final say on the results of any election based on the vote counts visible to the Vice-Chancellor at the first opportunity they have to review the Regional Message Board, once voting is closed.

6.5 The Founder may at any time call for an election to fill a currently vacant elected role. Such elections should be carried out in the same way as the usual annual elections, except of course for the specific time and date requirements.

7: Membership of LGBT University

7.1 Membership of LGBT University is open to all nations and players in NationStates who remain in good standing, meaning that they have not previously been expelled or banned from the region or otherwise committed any serious violation of the region's rules.

7.2 Membership of LGBT University may be rescinded for nations and players who persistently fail to respect other members of the region or the rules of the region including this Charter and the Statutes of the University. Disruptive behaviour, for example bullying, trolling, spamming, repeated personal attacks, etc. is not permitted. Members displaying such behaviour will generally be given one warning but may also be dealt with through post suppression, expulsion or banning from the region. All government members are empowered to moderate discussion and deal with disruptive behaviour as they see fit.

7.3 Members of LGBT University shall enjoy the right to free expression within the boundaries set by this Charter, other legislation in force in this region such as currently active Statutes, and the rules, terms and conditions of NationStates and of the technology platforms on which discussion occurs. In general, speech may only be restricted or suppressed in extraordinary circumstances where it is disruptive as outlined above, or where it causes or incites serious harm against a specific person or a specific group of people. However, for the purposes of encouraging multiple perspectives in discussions and maintaining a civil atmosphere for discussion, government officers may moderate discussions and warn members about conduct on the Regional Message Board and other forums.

RawReport