Article 3: Rangers (Administrators)
[ratified May 15, 2005; amended August 8, 2005; amended October 25, 2005]
¶1: Number of Rangers and Terms of Office
We have five to seven administrators, called Rangers, depending on the needs of the board at the time. They serve three-month terms and are selected from among the members who are eligible and have volunteered.
There are also up to two Rangers in training who are practicing on the experimental board and may exercise on the main board the routine powers of a Ranger as defined below. Rangers have the power to edit or delete posts, or ban posters for certain offenses and propose banning for other kinds of offenses defined below. In all other kinds of disputes they will intervene only at the request of members affected by the dispute.
Ranger terms are staggered so that two to four new Rangers take office every 2 months.
Terms of Office run as follows: [Jan•Feb•Mar], [Feb•Mar•Apr], [Apr•May•Jun], [May•Jun•Jul], [Jul•Aug•Spt], [Aug•Spt•Oct], [Oct•Nov•Dec] and [Nov•Dec•Jan]
Finishing the term of office for a Ranger who has resigned will not count as a full term for purposes of determining how many successive terms a member may serve, unless the term they are completing has eight full weeks or longer remaining.
¶2: Eligibility of Members to Serve as Rangers
To serve as a Ranger, a member should be at least eighteen years of age, have been a member for six months while maintaining a continuous, visible, and contributory presence on the board, and have spent enough time on the experimental board to demonstrate an ability to perform the routine functions of a Ranger.
The same person may serve as Ranger more than once, but not in two consecutive terms.
A member may not begin a term of office if they are currently involved in a Hearing.
Registered members as of March 12, 2005 are eligible to serve as Rangers providing they have spent enough time on the experimental board to demonstrate an ability to perform the routine functions of a Ranger, and are not currently involved in any capacity in a Hearing or under a penalty.
¶3: Selection of Rangers
Service as a Ranger is entirely voluntary. A member who has agreed to serve as a Ranger and has entered the pool may withdraw their name at any time.
Eligible members will enter the pool of full Rangers when they feel capable and the full Ranger who has been coaching them agrees that they are capable. They will then serve their term of office in the order in which they entered the pool, unless some reason prevents them from doing this. If the member is unable to serve a term when it is their turn, but knows when they will be able to serve, they may ask to be scheduled for a particular future term. Otherwise they will simply remain ‘next on the list’ until the timing of a term coincides with their ability to serve.
The mayor will be responsible for keeping track of the eligibility of members, the order in which they enter the pool of full Rangers, and the actual scheduling of terms of office.
The Mayor is held accountable for determining what constitutes a ‘continuous, visible, and contributory presence,’ approaching members so qualified to obtain their agreement to serve, and entering the names of those who volunteer into the roster of new entrants and then the training pool. Those rosters will be prominently posted, and volunteers will remain on the roster of new entrants for at least ten days.
While volunteers are listed as new entrants, all members are responsible for reviewing the roster to determine whether they know any good reason why a particular volunteer would not make a good Ranger and should not immediately enter the pool of full Rangers when their training is complete. If no member expresses a concern or objection volunteers will enter the pool of full Rangers without delay. If a member does have a concern or objection to a particular volunteer, these must be sent by email to the Administrator account, where they will also be forwarded to the Mayor so that the Mayor together with current Rangers can review them for merit. A Ranger will send an email acknowledgment to each person who submits an objection to let them know their objection has been received.
If the concern or objection involves a serious violation of by-laws for which a formal action of some kind is required, then the volunteer will not enter the pool of full Rangers until the issue is resolved. The Mayor and current Rangers together will inform the volunteer immediately, attempt to verify the merit of the accusation insofar as possible, and if it has merit they will initiate whatever procedure is called for in the by-laws. If exonerated, the volunteer may enter the pool of full Rangers when training is complete. If restrictions are placed on the volunteer as a result of the procedure, they will not enter the pool of full Rangers until the by-laws allow them to do so.
If the concern or objection involves matters of courtesy, or unfamiliarity with certain forums, or anything else affecting only the comfort level of the members, the Mayor or an appropriate Ranger will explain the problem to the volunteer as tactfully as possible and suggest ways that their posting might become more “visible and contributory†before they enter the pool of full Rangers.
The Mayor will retain record of these concerns and objections and make sure that any full Ranger who is coaching the volunteer knows of them as well. When the volunteer expresses his/her readiness to enter the pool of Rangers, including their correction of any prior deficiency, and the full Ranger who has been coaching them agrees, the Mayor will send an email to any member who has raised a prior objection and ask permission to lift the objection, explaining what has been done to rectify the problem. If the member still objects, they must explain why and the issue will be revisited as before. If no response is received within seven days, the objection will be lifted and the volunteer may enter the pool of full Rangers. The pool of full Rangers will be posted prominently.
Guidelines in the selection of Rangers: Members will generally serve their term of office when it is their turn; but it is also advisable that the group of Rangers serving at any particular time provide coverage for as many time zones as possible and include at least one person whose native language is not English. The Mayor may adjust the scheduling of terms to meet this ideal situation as long as this does not result in members jumping too far forward in the queue or having their term of office postponed more than once when it is their turn and they are available. Members who are entering the pool of Rangers should read and agree to the Code of Conduct for Rangers, Paragraph 6, below.
¶4: Routine powers of Rangers
• Activate memberships;
• Create new forums when a majority of current Rangers agree it is necessary;
• Move the appropriate threads into newly created forums as necessary;
• Create temporary Ranger positions when a majority of current Rangers agree this is necessary, provided that the appointees have served as Rangers in the past and no formal complaint has been issued against them for their actions as a Ranger; a temporary appointment will last for two full weeks and may be renewed one time (four full weeks in total);
• In the Jury Room and the Archive, enable posting rights, delete illegitimate posts from Hearings, and delete threads when they are finished;
• In the Thinking of England Forum, initiate announcement threads and oversee consideration periods in accordance with the instructions in Article 6, ¶4.
• Lock, split, or move threads upon request of members, or when it is necessary to improve the coherence of a forum; the thread originator must be notified beforehand;
• Edit Posts if they affect the display of the page, e.g. stretched pages, after notifying the poster;
• If a poster registers an invalid email address, restrict posting rights to the Bike Racks and send the poster a PM so that a correct address can be provided;
• Download new smilies;
• Delete double posts at the request of the poster.
Rangers are required to:
• Note all Ranger edits in a post, and email the poster advising them of the edit;
• Rangers-in-training may have their administrative powers enabled and exercise routine powers under the supervision of a full Ranger, but administrative powers are disabled when the training session is over.
Rangers may not:
• Delete posts or lock threads without permission of the originator unless the originator has engaged in conduct justifying an immediate ban, or edit posts except in the circumstances specified in paragraph ¶5;
• Delete smilies or change the style of the board without allowing members to express their opinion beforehand in the proper forum;
• Change the permissions of a poster at the poster's request, except for routine changes of permission in the Jury Room, Archives, and Thinking of England Forum; nor can they ban members for any reason other than those listed below.
¶5: Special and Emergency powers of Rangers
• Edit Posts if they contain objectionable content (for example, abuse of another poster, defamatory remarks, pornographic, violent or distasteful content, or advertisement of products), or if they reveal personal information that compromises another poster's privacy or contain any personal information about a minor.
• Enact an Immediate Ban for the following offenses if the poster has registered within the last seven days:
1. Spamming the board with ads;
2. Spamming the board with porn;
3. Hacking the board;
4. Refusing to abide by the Decision of Jury in a Hearing;
5. Threats of real life violence or other criminal acts against members.
In all other cases the poster has the Right to a Hearing, and if the poster registered more than seven days ago they are considered a member of the community and have a right to a hearing for these offenses as well; but their posting rights will be restricted to the Jury Room for the duration of the hearing.
• Temporarily suspend posting rights or restrict access to a forum:
1. In the Jury Room, if poster has interfered with a Hearing on a Ban, board-wide posting rights can be suspended until the Hearing is concluded;
2. In the There and Back Again forum, if more than one complaint has been made against the way an RP identity has been used, posting rights can be suspended until a Hearing can be held regarding the continuation of that identity;
3. In the Thinking of England Forum, if more than one complaint has been made about the way a poster has been posting there, posting rights can be suspended until a Hearing can be held to determine the right of continued access to that forum;
4. If a sig pic is arguably pornographic, violent or distasteful it can be removed; and if the poster persists in reposting it, posting rights outside the Jury Room can be suspended until a Hearing decision is reached.
• Convene a Hearing on a ban whenever a bannable offense is called to their attention.
• Convene a Hearing to reverse a ban if the following three conditions are met:
1. if the duration of the ban was not specified;
2. the banned poster has requested a new Hearing in an email sent from the email address used to register;
3. at least one month has elapsed since the ban went into effect; Rangers can postpone a requested hearing longer but not more than three months.
Procedures for using special and emergency powers
An immediate ban is of unspecified duration. A Hearing must be convened to reverse it.
When posting rights are suspended, a Hearing must be held and the Jury will decide the duration of the suspension.
Extraordinary Powers of Rangers
Recognizing that unforeseen events may occur which require a quick response, Board77 Rangers are expected to use their best judgment in emergencies, and to take whatever action they believe necessary to protect the board. An emergency would be an event which threatened real and immediate harm, but which is not otherwise addressed by this charter. In such an event, the Ranger(s) in question would be expected to explain the circumstances and consult with the board membership as soon as possible. Such measures are temporary by their nature and subject to review by the standing Committee for Charter Amendments.
¶6: Code of Conduct for Rangers
Be the Ranger you want everyone else to be.
Prioritize functioning as a Ranger. You can still post as a normal poster yet your priority should lie in keeping the board running smoothly, attending to requests, helping to work on any pending agendas and generally strive to make Board 77 a better place for all members.
Read the Handbook for Rangers, observe all the by-laws of the board, and enforce them uniformly. If you are unsure of your authority to take a particular action, use your best judgment and confer with another Ranger as soon as it is possible to do so. Act as a model poster in accordance with all the rules laid out for board 77.
Keep the other Rangers updated regularly in a dedicated thread in Forum Management.
If you are going to be absent from the board for more than 72 hours, notify the other Rangers by posting in Forum Management and delegate any pending tasks.
Assign priority to answering business-related PM's and emails. If you cannot handle the request of a member yourself, let them know that you have given it to another Ranger.
Don’t ‘hide’ being online. Having volunteered as a Ranger you have agreed to be available and members need to know which Rangers are online.
When posting references to other threads, insert them as clickable links naming the full thread-title to make the posting experience an easy and pleasurable one for everyone.
If you have to edit someone else’s post, note this in the post with your name and the date.
Help the Rangers-in-training to the best of your abilities.
Treat all posters the same. When editing posts, answering requests, or enforcing by-laws, be courteous and do not try to intimidate posters with your office.
Please don't try to influence the behavior of our posters on other boards, either by discouraging them from posting or encouraging them to post certain things, or by telling them that what they do on other boards will have consequences for them on B77.
If you are going to be absent for two full weeks or more, you must notify the other Rangers in Forum Management and arrange in advance for a temporary Ranger to take your place.
If you find you must be absent for more than four full weeks, we ask you to resign because a temporary Ranger cannot be appointed to replace you. This will not affect your future eligibility, although you will return to the bottom of the roster as if you had served your term.
If you are asked to set up and oversee a Hearing on a Ban, do so promptly.
Try to face criticism from posters calmly and not take it personally.
If you receive a warning because of a violation of the Code of Conduct, please accept it with good grace. You will always be given a chance to explain your side of any issue. Warnings are not made public, and if they do not accumulate into a Formal Complaint, no record is kept of them.
There are certain things which might result in your removal from office, and by agreeing to the Code of Conduct you are agreeing to these terms as well:
• You will not deliberately or maliciously ban posters who are entitled to a hearing or suspend posting rights without due process, except in the course of exercising Extraordinary powers;
• You will not reveal private information to which you have access because of your office, such as profile information that members have made hidden or the contents of secret ballots cast by PM or email;
• You will not give another poster access to the administrator panel;
• You will not boast on the board about criminal activities or encourage other posters to engage in them, such as use of illicit substances, activities forbidden to minors, obtaining bootleg films or CDs or other violations of copyright law.
If you have been accused of any activity that would result in your removal from office, you have a right to a hearing.
¶7: How to Contest the Decision of a Ranger
All Ranger decisions may be contested.
Disputes of a personal nature involving a Ranger can be resolved at the Bike Racks.
If a Ranger has convened a Hearing, then the member will explain their side of the issue at the Hearing.
Ranger decisions made while exercising routine powers (such as edits, moving threads, etc.) may be contested in the following way:
• The member affected by the action contacts the Ranger by PM or email and requests that the action be reviewed
• If the poster and the Ranger can reach an agreement between them, nothing else need be done. If the poster and the Ranger cannot agree, the poster can ask for an independent review.
• The independent review will be conducted by two other Rangers and one Jury member, and they will decide to overturn or uphold the original decision.
¶8: When is a Ranger Removed from Office
A Ranger cannot be removed from office without due process.
Except for those special cases listed, no single violation or act of negligence will be sufficient to remove a Ranger from office. If a Hearing is convened, a pattern of repeated violations or negligence damaging to the board must be shown, and a Ranger must have received Warnings and Formal Complaints.
When a Ranger resigns or is removed from office, a new Ranger is selected to complete the term of office.
Grounds for Warnings to a Ranger
• Being absent from the board for more than 72 hours without notifying the other Rangers, except in personal emergency or computer failure.
• Failing to respond in timely fashion to business-related emails and PM's from members and other Rangers.
• Posting hidden at times when the Ranger is needed to be visible.
• Special treatment of posters or arbitrary enforcement of the by-laws.
• Conduct Unbecoming a Ranger, such as discourtesy or intimidation, or attempting to influence poster behavior on other messageboards.
Procedures for Warnings to a Ranger
• The action or omission must be brought to the attention of the current
Rangers.
• Two Rangers must agree that a warning is justified.
• These two Rangers will notify the Ranger under complaint and give that person a chance to explain themselves. If the explanation is satisfactory, nothing more need be done.
• If two current Rangers still believe a warning is justified, they will write briefly the reason and forward this to the Mayor by email.
• If the current Rangers are in disagreement as to whether action is required, no warning will be filed.
• The record of warnings is maintained by the Mayor and does not become public unless it aggregates to a Formal Complaint.
• Warnings are purged after the Ranger leaves office.
Grounds for Formal Complaints Against a Ranger
• Three warnings for the same action or omission.
• Being absent from the board for more than two weeks and failing to notify the other Rangers in advance to arrange for a temporary Ranger.
• Deliberate unilateral actions for which the by-laws require a majority of Rangers to agree, or any other deliberate and direct violation of the by laws.
• Failing to convene and oversee a Hearing when required.
Procedure for Formal Complaints Against a Ranger
• The action or omission that is the basis of the Formal Complaint must be brought to the attention of the current Rangers.
• Two Rangers must agree that a Formal Complaint is justified.
• These two will notify the Ranger under complaint and give that person a chance to explain themselves. If the explanation is satisfactory, nothing more need be done.
• If the two current Rangers still believe a Formal Complaint is justified, they will write briefly the reason and forward this to the Mayor by email.
• If the current Rangers are in disagreement as to whether action is required, the Formal Complaint will be filed but it will be marked “Disputed.†Disputed complaints are purged when the Ranger’s term of office ends and will not bar them from serving as a temporary Ranger.
Time Limit and Penalty for Formal Complaints Against a Ranger
Formal complaints are kept on record for nine months following the end of a term of office. During that time, the member may not serve as a temporary Ranger or begin a new term of office as a full Ranger.
Grounds for Removal of a Ranger
• Desertion: A Ranger who deserts the board and cannot be contacted for a period of 30 days should be removed from office.
• Incoming Rangers must agree to resign if they will be away from the board for a period longer than than four full weeks, because it is not possible to replace them with a temporary Ranger. Such a resignation will not affect their eligibility to serve as a full Ranger in the future or as a temporary Ranger at any time, but their name will return to the bottom of the roster of full Rangers as if they had served their term. If a Ranger faces this circumstance and does not resign, then this is considered Grounds for Removal.
• Pattern of Absences, Failure to Respond and Other Warnings: If a series of warnings or violations results in three Formal Complaints, the other Rangers may consider whether to convene a hearing to remove that Ranger. If five Formal Complaints have been filed, a hearing is required.
• Extreme Abuse of Power: a hearing may be convened if a Ranger deliberately and maliciously bans a member who is entitled to a hearing or suspends posting rights without due process, except in the course of exercising extraordinary powers.
• An Immediate Hearing is required if a Ranger:
1. reveals private information obtained as a result of their office, such as profile information that members have made hidden or the contents of secret ballots cast by PM or email;
2. gives another poster access to the administrator panel;
3. uses the board to boast about criminal behaviors and/or encourage other posters to engage in them.
Procedure for Removal of a Ranger
• Two Rangers must agree that the charges against a Ranger are sufficiently serious and not manufactured, and that a hearing is justified. The Ranger who is considered for removal will be notified by PM and by email, and the call for a hearing will be posted in the Jury Room.
• The posting rights of the Ranger in question will be restricted to the Jury Room and administrative powers will be revoked for the duration of the hearing.
Penalties Associated with Removal of a Ranger
A Ranger can be removed from office and barred from holding office in the future for a length of time commensurate with the offense.
• Pattern of Absences, Failure to Respond and Other Warnings: One year
• Desertion: One year
• Breach of Privacy: One year
• Giving another person access to the administrator panel: One year
• Encouraging criminal behavior: One year
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