[Amendment] Overhaul of the Curial Community Team

[m_1512]

Supporters:

After the resignation of the only remaining active CCT member, General Brewster, I think it is time to change this mechanism a bit. For months the CCT was inactive and even the review section work fell awry after Shankbot left. At this rate, the community is now nothing more than an inactivity club where elections are simply a matter of tradition.

As a part of the overhaul, my first proposal is to get rid of elections for the team. Instead, the use of the forums for running initiatives and projects as and when they are started suits much better. This would mean that the definition of the CCT itself would change from elected citizens to citizens forming a team to drive a project and exiting after the project is seen to the conclusion.

Article VI. The Curial Community Team

The Curial Community Team manages curial driven community ventures. The Curial Community Team shall be defined as one or more members working together to drive any initiative or project that can contribute significantly to TWC. A team can be dissolved on either completion of the project or due to inactivity. While Forum Magna is used for larger projects, such as annual modding awards, the members of the CCT have access to a publicly visible forum of their own.

Membership

Full membership comprises of:

• Three elected Citizens, who discuss ideas, lead ventures and manage the CCT.Members that facilitate the creation and success of CCT projects.
• Hexagon Council members.
• Appointed Citizens.
• The Curator who has veto powers over any CCT decision.The Curator, who provides assistance and support, and who has veto powers over any decision of the CCT. The Curator may also act as a liason between staff and the CCT.
• The Curator assistants, who shall provide assistance upon request. Members of the Consilium de Civiates may also provide assistance upon request.

Elections

Elected Curial Community Team members are elected as per Article II, Section II for three months.

Appointment

Any Citizen can submit an idea to the Curator and request to join the Curial Community Team on appointment. In case the Curator declines the request he is obligated to provide his reasoning to the CVRIA in public. Any member wishing to start a project can submit the request for formation of a team within the CCT, along with a summary of the idea, to the Curator. The Curator shall consider the proposal and request consulatation as necessary before reaching a decision.

If the idea is approved, the Curator will provide the involved users with access to the CCT forums. If the proposal is rejected, its originator(s) may appeal the Curator's decision to the Consilium de Civiates. A final appeal can be made to the Hexagon Council.

• When an appeal is made to the Consilium de Civiates, CdeC Councillors will examine the reason for rejection before holding a vote. A further, final, appeal can be made to the Hexagon Council.
• When an appeal is made to the Hexagon Council, members of the Hex will examine the situation before reaching a decision.

Removal from Office

Members of the Curial Community Team may resign or be removed by the Curator for the following:

• Prolonged inactivity, meaning more than 13 days without notice of absence, or more than 20 days regardless of notice.
• Incurring any infraction and/or inappropriate behavior or actions.

[Inkie]

Definitely support the proposal as a whole. Just a couple little things:

The Curator then, by consideration and/or deliberation with staff or citizen, shall take the call to accept or reject the idea for a valid reason.

Citizen should be plural, no?

The CdeC will then take a decision based on a vote.

Do all CdeC votes require a simple majority? If not, it might be helpful to specify that.

[Derpy Hooves]

​Vault Support

[Navajo Joe]

Support

[Ishan]

team formed by one or more citizens members

Should be members here as i think it would be much better to include anyone who's willing to do it. Seeing the activity of entire curia only a handful members post here so we can easily imagine how many of them are going to help in such tasks. Plus if a member helps in a task completion he can mention that in his citizen application as well.

[Derpy Hooves]

​Well then Ishan they can work something out in the Forum Magnum

[m_1512]

Citizen should be plural, no?

Not so, as the statement above means that a curator can say contact any staff (say Omni) and/or any citizen (say Hesus) for advice. The plural form would mean something like asking the entire curia, or what's active of it.

Do all CdeC votes require a simple majority? If not, it might be helpful to specify that.

I thought it was self-explained that votes would be simple majority unless specified otherwise. Do you think it should be mentioned?

Should be members here as i think it would be much better to include anyone who's willing to do it. Seeing the activity of entire curia only a handful members post here so we can easily imagine how many of them are going to help in such tasks. Plus if a member helps in a task completion he can mention that in his citizen application as well.

Solid point. Will change it.

​Well then Ishan they can work something out in the Forum Magnum

Nope, forum magna is needed for high scope and impact projects. And there is no problem in giving access to regular members to CCT forums.

[Inkie]

Not so, as the statement above means that a curator can say contact any staff (say Omni) and/or any citizen (say Hesus) for advice. The plural form would mean something like asking the entire curia, or what's active of it.

Not really, I'm just saying, grammar-wise you would normally either say "a staff member or a citizen" or "staff or citizens", and in my view the second is most apt because it's general. It means it could be one or several people being talked to, not by any means the whole membership.

There's my two cents of hair-splitting over a minor grammatical point. Always delighted to do my part.

I thought it was self-explained that votes would be simple majority unless specified otherwise. Do you think it should be mentioned?

Well, there's no harm in mentioning it is there? A few words more for the sake of clarity.

[Legio]

Since Inkie has gotten the ball rolling, I will offer my own input on grammar, syntax, and style. I have added some quick thoughts in bold green.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Article VI. The Curial Community Team

The Curial Community Team manages curial driven community ventures. The Curial Community Team shall be defined as a team formed by one or more citizens to drive any initiative or project that can contribute significantly to TWC. A team can be dissolved on either completion of the project or due to inactivity. For larger projects such as site awards etc. the Forum Magna shall be utilized."A team" of what? It should be clarified that this team is a subset of the Curial Community Team. Remove the final line and change it to something like, 'While the Forum Magnum is used for larger projects, such as the annual modding awards, the members of the CCT have access to a publicly visible forum of their own.'

Membership

Full membership comprises of:

• Three elected Citizens, who discuss ideas, lead ventures and manage the CCT.A team of citizens initiating, and committed, to any initiative or project.'A team of' is unnecessary here. Using 'initiating' and 'initiative' so closely together is a bit iffy. Try something along the lines of 'Citizens that facilitate the creation and success of CCT projects.'
• Hexagon Council members.
• Appointed Citizens.
• The Curator who has veto powers over any CCT decision.The Curator who shall provide assistance and support to any team in duration of the project, and having veto powers over any CCT decision.'The Curator, who provides assistance and support, and who has veto powers over any decision of the CCT. The Curator may also act as a liaison between Staff and the CCT.'
• The Curator assistants who shall provide assistance to any team should they request assistance in duration of the project.'The Curator's assistants, who shall provide assistance upon request.' Since you mention assistants providing their input on request, this is the best place to mention the fact that members of the CdeC are also available: 'Members of the Consilium de Civitate may also provide assistance upon request.'

Elections

Elected Curial Community Team members are elected as per Article II, Section II for three months.

Appointment

Any Citizen can submit an idea to the Curator and request to join the Curial Community Team on appointment. In case the Curator declines the request he is obligated to provide his reasoning to the CVRIA in public. Any citizen wishing to initiate a project can submit the request along with a summary of the idea to the Curator. The Curator then, by consideration and/or deliberation with staff or citizen, shall take the call to accept or reject the idea for a valid reason. Once accepted, the Curator shall oversee the task of providing the necessary CCT forum access to the team.

In case of rejection of the proposed idea, the team may appeal to the CdeC or the Hexagon council to reverse the Curator's decision.

A 'request' for what? It's unclear; make it clear that this request is for the formation of a team within the CCT, and add a comma after 'idea'. The second line needs either a complete rewrite or outright removal. 'The Curator shall consider the proposal and request consultation as necessary before reaching a decision.' Next line: change 'once' to 'if' and rework the rest. 'If the idea is approved, the Curator will provide involved users with access to the CCT forum.' Final line: 'If the proposal is rejected, its originator(s) may appeal the Curator's decision to the Consilium de Civitate. A final appeal can be made to the Hexagon Council.'
N.B. Given the next section, I have reworded the original phrase to reflect that Hex is the final appeal.

• When appealed to the CdeC, the CdeC shall discuss the issue in the CdeC forum after obtaining the reason for rejection. The CdeC will then take a decision based on a vote.
• When escalated to the Hexagon Council, the Hex will then decide the issue and take a call on it. The decision of the Hex shall be final, and hence this appeal must be the last appeal.

'When an appeal is made to the Consilium de Civitate, CdeC councilors will examine reasons for rejection before holding a vote. A further, final, appeal can be made to the Hexagon Council.'
'When an appeal is made to the Hexagon Council, members of Hex will examine the situation before reaching a decision. Decisions reached by Hex are final.'

Removal from Office

The appointed Curial Community Team or its members may resign from office, or can be removed from office by the Curator for the following:

• Prolonged inactivity, meaning more than 13 days without notice of absence, or more than 20 days regardless of notice.
• Loss of rank, removal or suspension.

The Curial Community Team can resign from office? Change to something along the lines of, 'Members of the Curial Community Team may resign or be removed from office for the following...'. Also clarify that this loss of rank refers to the rank of citizen. Would we remove someone from the CCT if they resigned from Content Staff?

Additional Provisions

The CCT has access to a transparent forum within the CVRIA. They can utilize the Forum Magnum as per Curator discretion; based upon the discretion of HEX, elected members of the CCT may work in the Symposium within a local moderation capacity.They can also request assistance and advice from the Curator and Curator Assistants, and the CdeC. The CCT can ask the Curator to interact with staff on their behalf should they require any further resources or need support to execute the project.

This entire section is superfluous and everything in it fits better in the fieldsets above.

Let me know if I've forgotten anything, and feel free to challenge me on these revisions.

[m_1512]

Changes effected.

Please review and reaffirm support or oppose.

[Legio]

Further thoughts. I'm a compulsive drafter, so please bear with me.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Article VI. The Curial Community Team

The Curial Community Team manages curial driven community ventures. The Curial Community Team shall be defined as one or more members working together to drive any initiative or project that can contribute significantly to TWC. A team can be dissolved on either completion of the project or due to inactivity. While Forum Magna is used for larger projects, such as annual modding awards, the members of the CCT have access to a publicly visible forum of their own.This definition of the CCT can also apply to Staff. In order to forestall any confusion, this definition has to change: 'The Curial Community Team is a member or group of members cooperating in order to facilitate CCT projects as outlined below. A new team may be formed within the CCT in order to focus on a particular initiative. Such teams can be dissolved upon project completion or due to inactivity. While the Forum Magnum...'; 'Magnum', not 'Magna.'

Membership

Full membership comprises of:

• Three elected Citizens, who discuss ideas, lead ventures and manage the CCT.Members that facilitate the creation and success of CCT projects.
• Hexagon Council members.
• Appointed Citizens.
• The Curator who has veto powers over any CCT decision.The Curator, who provides assistance and support, and who has veto powers over any decision of the CCT. The Curator may also act as a liason between staff and the CCT.
• The Curator assistants, who shall provide assistance upon request. Members of the Consilium de Civiates may also provide assistance upon request.

Elections

Elected Curial Community Team members are elected as per Article II, Section II for three months.

Appointment

Any Citizen can submit an idea to the Curator and request to join the Curial Community Team on appointment. In case the Curator declines the request he is obligated to provide his reasoning to the CVRIA in public. Any member wishing to start a project can submit the request for formation of a team within the CCT, along with a summary of the idea, to the Curator. The Curator shall consider the proposal and request consulatation as necessary before reaching a decision. Let's change this section to, 'Any member who wishes to start a project may submit a project proposal to the Curator. The Curator shall consider the proposal and request consultation as necessary before reaching a decision. If the project is approved, a team will be formed and its members will be given posting rights in the CCT forums. If the proposal is rejected...' etc.

If the idea is approved, the Curator will provide the involved users with access to the CCT forums. If the proposal is rejected, its originator(s) may appeal this decision to the Consilium de Civitate. A final appeal can be made to the Hexagon Council.

• When an appeal is made to the Consilium de Civiates, CdeC Councillors will examine the reason for rejection before holding a vote. A further, final, appeal can be made to the Hexagon Council.
• When an appeal is made to the Hexagon Council, members of the Hex will examine the situation before reaching a decision.

Removal from Office

Members of the Curial Community Team may resign or be removed by the Curator for the following:

• Prolonged inactivity, meaning more than 13 days without notice of absence, or more than 20 days regardless of notice.
• Incurring any infraction and/or inappropriate behavior or actions.

[Genius of the Restoration]

I like the change to elections but there's a lot of unnecessary stuff being added. I'll add my thoughts beside each quoted section. I think you've redrafted a lot of stuff that didn't need to be changed and made the proposed changes more wordy and complex than they need to be. It's a pretty simple concept and doesn't need all the stuff that's been proposed to be added at the moment. There's a lot of stuff you could trim back or remove. I don't like some of the changes.

The Curial Community Team manages curial driven community ventures. The Curial Community Team shall be defined as one or more members working together to drive any initiative or project that can contribute significantly to TWC. A team can be dissolved on either completion of the project or due to inactivity. While Forum Magna is used for larger projects, such as annual modding awards, the members of the CCT have access to a publicly visible forum of their own.

Why change this at all? It's still in the Curia and examples don't need to be in the Constitution. Also "The Curial Community Team shall be defined as" is entirely unnecessary. Just say what it is as that will be the definition. "The Curial Community Team manages curial driven community ventures" defines this very well and much more succinctly than the proposed changes.

Full membership comprises of:

• The Curator who has veto powers over any CCT decision.The Curator, who provides assistance and support, and who has veto powers over any decision of the CCT. The Curator may also act as a liason between staff and the CCT.

There's no reason to add this to the Constitution. Just leave it as it is with the curator as a member who has veto powers.

• The Curator assistants, who shall provide assistance upon request. Members of the Consilium de Civiates may also provide assistance upon request.

I'd remove this insertion entirely. CdeC is a gatekeeping body for citizenship. It's got nothing to do with the CAT. Also, any assistants don't need to be automatically included. I've volunteered to help the current curator out with some things but I don't want to be obligated to do other things upon request. Assistants are an informal help to the office of curator and aren't responsible for CAT. It's a separate body. If individual councillors or assistants want to be involved, let them ask the curator and get added to the group; leave the bodies separate in the Constitution because they're for different things.

If the idea is approved, the Curator will provide the involved users with access to the CCT forums. If the proposal is rejected, its originator(s) may appeal the Curator's decision to the Consilium de Civiates. A final appeal can be made to the Hexagon Council.

What does CdeC have to do with this?

Additional idea: remove the appeals altogether, they're not needed. If a curator rejects an idea, $10 says Hex won't be in favour of it. Curators aren't going to reject ideas that would benefit the site and even if they did, subsequently going over the top of them to Hez and then forcing the curator to work with the idea is bad. In that situation, Hex would be better off just setting them up in the Forum Magnum and avoiding the curator altogether if they're being obstructionist. I'd just remove this.

Any Citizen can submit an idea to the Curator and request to join the Curial Community Team on appointment. In case the Curator declines the request he is obligated to provide his reasoning to the CVRIA in public. Any member wishing to start a project can submit the request for formation of a team within the CCT, along with a summary of the idea, to the Curator. The Curator shall consider the proposal and request consulatation as necessary before reaching a decision.

I don't see the point of these changes. A person can post the project in public as well as sending it to the curator? Why? Posting it twice seems dumb when its viability in public is entirely dependent on getting the go-ahead from the curator. Just leave it as it is and let people get the thumbs up and then do what they want with it.
The second sentence is redundant.

[m_1512]

@Chloe: I think it'll be easy for both of us if I edit the OP after you are done with the final draft of the reworded proposal. @GotR: It was simple before, I reworded it to make it specific as many people suggested. Evidently, you can never please everyone. But either ways, I don't see a problem with including specific details. As for the other stuff, I'll discuss it with some people before planning the next step.

[Omnipotent-Q]

Do "Hexagon Council members." need to be members of CCT, and if so, why?

Also this bit:

When an appeal is made to the Consilium de Civiates, CdeC Councillors will examine the reason for rejection before holding a vote. A further, final, appeal can be made to the Hexagon Council.

This is Curial business so I don't personally see why they should appeal to us. If anything some appeal should go Curator > CdeC. Particularly when Hex are CdeC members anyway. There's also a typo in red!

[Legio]

Oh, M, I don't actually have time to formulate anything by myself or discuss the actual content; I just saw the original OP and it made me itch, so I went into drafting mode. I can draft rather quickly and find it quite fun!!

[Genius of the Restoration]

Okay, it's been about a fortnight since anything's happened here.

@GotR: It was simple before, I reworded it to make it specific as many people suggested. Evidently, you can never please everyone. But either ways, I don't see a problem with including specific details. As for the other stuff, I'll discuss it with some people before planning the next step.

Have you talked with the people you want involved in this or can we all discuss it here? If there's no movement I'll put together a different proposal with more limited changes that address only the functionality of the CAT and post it in the coming days.

[m_1512]

Okay, it's been about a fortnight since anything's happened here.

Sorry, got a bit busy with other curial and content stuff. I intended to do this in my week-offs this week.

Have you talked with the people you want involved in this or can we all discuss it here? If there's no movement I'll put together a different proposal with more limited changes that address only the functionality of the CAT and post it in the coming days.

I am open for discussion with anyone who is interested in this. I fact, it would be better to use this thread for discussing and then making a fresh proposal.

[Genius of the Restoration]

Your response to my input was that you were going to discuss it with some people first, though I'm not sure why they can't just comment in this thread. Given that you're open for discussion, I'll ask again; why does CdeC, curator assistants and appeals need to be included? What's the point of posting an idea publicly at the same time as sending a summary to the curator? The curator has to give it the go-ahead first, so why not just send it to the curator OR just post it in public? Isn't the overlap redundant?

[Genius of the Restoration]

Any news on this? I'll make a fresh proposal in the coming days if there's nothing happening. There should have been another election because the current seats were due to end last month. If we're not going to have an election, we should at least amend the Constitution and do away with the rubbish that we're not going to observe.

[Genius of the Restoration]

It's been a while but here we are. The only change here is the removal of elections. Nothing new added. What do you think?

Article VI. The Curial Community Team

The Curial Community Team manages curial driven community ventures.

Membership

Full membership comprises of:

• Three elected Citizens, who discuss ideas, lead ventures and manage the CCT.
• Hexagon members.
• Appointed Citizens.
• The Curator who has veto powers over any CCT decision.

Elections

Elected Curial Community Team members are elected as per Article II, Section II for three months.

Appointment

Any Citizen can submit an idea to the Curator and request to join the Curial Community Team on appointment. In case the Curator declines the request he is obligated to provide his reasoning to the CVRIA in public.

Removal from Office

An elected Curial Community Team members may resign from office, or can be removed from office by the Curator for the following:

• Prolonged inactivity, meaning more than 13 days without notice of absence, or more than 20 days regardless of notice.
• Loss of rank, removal or suspension.

Additional Provisions

The CCT has access to a transparent forum within the CVRIA. They can utilize the Forum Magnum as per Curator discretion; based upon the discretion of HEX, elected members of the CCT may work in the Symposium within a local moderation capacity.