August Knights Standard Operating Procedures and By Laws

This document was originally written by former Chief Operations Officer [AK]Zorro, who has long since left the organization. Significant contributions and modifications have been made by [AK]Palooka. This is a living document which can and will change with or without notice.

Organizational Structure

The organizational integrity of the August Knights is maintained through adherence to a stringent chain of command. A Knight is expected to follow the guidance of Knights who have been placed in leadership roles. Resolution of conflicts and issues within the organization should be taken to the Knight’s superior officer. When necessary, these issues will be promoted up the chain of command until a person suitable to resolve the issue is reached. In many cases, Knights will serve in more than one role. Hence, the command structure could change based upon the context of the situation. For example, while the Chief Operations Officer’s position exists outside the command structure that directly deals with games, the Knight that is the Chief Operations Officer will participate in events where his position in the squad would have preference over his role as the Chief Operations Officer. Thus, the Chief Operations Officer could conceivably report to a Squad Captain, Game Coordinator, or Secretary of War in certain, context-appropriate situations.

Officers (listed by rank in the chain of command)

Chief Executive Officer: Head of the August Knights organization. Oversees all facets of the organization. Currently responsible for maintenance and upkeep of all technolgies relating to the August Knights organization.

Chief Operations Officer: Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer. Responsible for assuring smooth operation and enforcement of August Knights organizational policies and procedures.

Secretary of War: Responsible for game-related activities of the August Knights. Selects Game Coordinators and Squad Captains for games. Responsible for all ladder activities of the August Knights. Appointed by the Council of Elders.

Chief Recruiter: Responsible for recruiting activities of the August Knights. Direct responsibility for all recruits and Squires in pursuit of Knight status in the organization. Appointed by the Council of Elders.

Undersecretary of War: Assistant to the Secretary of War. Appointed by the Secretary of War.

Assistant Recruiter: Assistant to the Chief Recruiter. Primarily responsible for assisting in recruiting-related activities. Appointed by the Chief Recruiter.

Senior Squire: Assistant to the Chief Recruiter. Primarily responsible for assisting in matters relating to the August Squires organization. Typically is the most senior Squire, but appointments are the final decision of the Chief Recruiter.

Knight Seniority

All members are honored with the title of Knight from the moment that they are first inducted as a non-probationary member of the August Knights. However, it is important to pay tribute to our elder Knights with a few additional rights and privileges. Thus, any Knight who remains active and in good standing with the organization for two years will earn this special distinction, and will carry the moniker of “Senior Knight.” A Senior Knight has the following privileges:

-First right of refusal for open positions on any competition roster

-First right of refusal for any appointed positions within the organization

Additionally, Knights who were present in the August Knights organization in the first six months of its existence are granted the honorary title of Founding Knight. Regardless of activity in the organization, all Founding Knights will bear this special title. Founding Knights are afforded no additional privileges over those given to the Senior Knights. The Founding Knights are [AK]Palooka and [AK]Abaddon.

Council of Elders

The primary function of the Council of Elders is to make decisions regarding the present state and direction of the August Knights organization. The decisions of the Council of Elders will not usurp the will of the sum total of the organization in matters of course that should be decided by a democratic vote; the Council need only be convened to initiate discussions regarding direction changes, disciplinary actions, and to serve as the preliminary approval body for all changes to the August Knights Standard Operating Procedures and By Laws. All votes before the Council require a quorum of 100% participation and a simple majority. In the event of a tie, the Chief Executive Officer will cast a second vote.

The Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operations Officer, Secretary of War, Chief Recruiter, Undersecretary of War, and Assistant Chief Recruiter all hold permanent seats in the Council of Elders. A seventh seat is held by a Senior Knight appointed by the Chief Executive Officer. The Senior Knight seat will be occupied by the same member until he resigns or is removed from the Council of Elders.

Membership Guidelines

An August Knight must have reached the age of 21 before being considered for any level of membership.

The August Knights organization consists of three levels of membership status.

Recruits

Recruits are gamers who have expressed an interest in becoming an August Knight by filling out an application and submitting it to the Chief Recruiter. The Chief Recruiter is afforded a certain level of discretion in allowing applicants to achieve recruit status. General guidelines for participation should include, but are not limited to, appropriate completion of the application form itself, appropriate age, and relevant historical information on the recruit. The Chief Recruiter is ultimately responsible for sending the recruit a welcome package indicating the requirements for advancement, expectations of the recruit, standards of conduct, appropriate practice information, and game and voice communication server information via email. Recruits are expected to participate in scheduled practices and make meaningful posts in the August Knights Forums. Regularly posting in the forums is particularly important because many Knights do not necessarily play the same game(s) that any given recruit may play, yet every active Knight needs to become familiar with a recruit before that recruit is eligible for advancement to the August Squires.

Once a recruit has gained notoriety among active Knights, he should be nominated for Squirehood by an advocate Knight. A discussion regarding the recruit's qualifications for membership will ensue at this point. Once the Chief Executive Officer is satisfied with the discussion, he will initiate the vote. The rules are as follows:

In order for a recruit to become an August Squire, a majority of the votes (at least one more than half) must be in the affirmative ("Yea"). Failing this, if the majority of the non-affirmative votes are negative ("Nay"), the recruit is rejected for membership. Alternatively, if the majority of non-affirmative votes are for a delay ("Delay"), the recruit will be voted on again when more Knights are acquainted with him (usually a month or two). A tie between "Nay" and "Delay" votes will result in the recruit's rejection. A voter turnout of less than 60% of active Knights (i.e. Knights who at least check the forums on a regular basis) will result in a disqualification of the vote and a delay before another is initiated.

August Squires

The August Squires are the proving ground for any gamer in pursuit of the Knighthood. If a recruit is promoted to the Squire level through the voting procedure described above, he will receive a welcome aboard email message from the Chief Executive Officer detailing his new status and the additional privileges that he receives in the role of a Squire. The following is a description of those privileges:

-All Squires have earned the right to carry the [AK?] tag prepended to their handle. Their AK forums login will be changed accordingly, and they will be invited to join the in-game August Squires organization, if applicable to the game in which the AK organization is currently involved.

-All Squires will have the option of receiving an augustknights.com email address, as well as membership in the Squires mailing lists.

-All Squires will be granted access to private strategy forums within the August Knights Forums where they can learn tactics and further engage in discussions with the Knights and other Squires. All Squires are also granted access to Ultima Ratio Regum, which is the catch-all private forum.

-All Squires are eligible to participate in tournament matches and scrimmages along with the Knights.

The Chief Recruiter will be in charge of the August Squires organization. The Senior Squire, appointed by the Chief Recruiter, will assist the Chief Recruiter in his leadership responsibilities as they pertain to the Squires. The Senior Squire is expected to assist new Squires in their transition into the organization. He should be available to show new Squires strategies, introduce them to practice and game procedures, and help them get to know the organization.

In the event that a Squire acts in a manner that is unbecoming a Knight, the Council of Elders will convene to discuss the appropriate actions to take against the Squire, up to and including removal from the organization. A disciplinary hearing, in which the Squire will appear before the Council of Elders to answer for his actions (either via Ventrilo or a special temporary private forum), may be considered an appropriate course of action. For more on this, read the "Disciplinary Hearings" section below.

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