( This is a draft page for working on a new version before submitting to conference for approval)

Go to AlumniNewCafeGuidelines_20070323 for Original

REED COLLEGE ALUMNI WEBCONFERENCE COMMUNITY GUIDELINES MISSION

The Reed College Alumni Webconference exists to create a virtual community in which alumni from any era and in any physical location may participate. This community*s stated purpose is to support Reed College in its educational mission, to enable Reed alumni to form and maintain relationships with each other and with the college, and to foster imaginative interactions with the college, its students, and other alumni.

OUR ONLINE HONOR PRINCIPLE

Our Online Honor Principle (OHP) is based upon the Honor Principle of Reed College, which is the primary governing statement of the college. As it has often been formulated: "Any action which causes undue harm, discomfiture or embarrassment to another member of the Reed Community will be deemed a violation of the Honor Principle". In the On-Line context, there are specific guidelines which help us in our interpretation of honorable behavior:

o Post and interact with good will

o Assume good will on the part of other participants

o Avoid personal attacks

o Avoid excessive postings off-topic

o Preserve the privacy of participants. It is a violation of our guidelines to publish or quote postings of other participants outside this forum without their permission.

The conference Hosts have the responsibility of monitoring and, in extreme cases, enforcing honorable behavior on this Webconference.

UTNE CAFE GUIDELINES AND COPYRIGHT

Participants of the Reed College Alumni Webconference are subject to the Utne Cafe Guidelines and Copyright Policy. These policies do not, however, supersede those of the Webconference itself.

HOST APPOINTMENT AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Two Reed alumni, members of the conference and volunteers for the position, will serve as the Webconference Hosts. These appointments are for a term of one year and can be renewed. One term begins and ends on the Spring Equinox, the other on the Autumnal Equinox. If more than one person volunteers for the Hostship, a general election will be held to choose the next Host, according to the "Solicitations and Elections" section outlined below.

Hosts are expected to assist and encourage conferees in appropriate participation in the conference. Hosts are responsible for enforcing our OHP and the Utne Café Guidelines, in consultation with the Utne Host(s).

VIOLATIONS OF THE OHP

The first level of control is local and immediate: when somebody feels that the actions of another have caused them undue harm, discomfiture or embarrassment he or she should bring the behavior to the attention to the other person. This may happen fairly frequently, as misunderstandings online are common. As long as it's done constructively and assuming goodwill, this will often be enough. If the person who feels the harm does not feel comfortable contacting the other person directly, he or she can request advice and/or assistance from a Host. If a Host or another conferee is concerned that someone has harmed someone else, an inquiry can be made as to whether offense was taken.

If, in the judgment of the Hosts, a conferee is violating the OHP, the Host sends an offline (email) detailed warning to the poster in question to warn them to stop the offending behavior. When a decision is made to issue a warning, an announcement must be posted. The Hosts can revoke a person's posting privileges after providing a minimum of two warnings. When to issue a warning and the timing and duration of the revocation of posting privileges is within the discretion of the Hosts. If the two Hosts can not agree on their actions, they should seek the assistance of the Oversight Committee (described below).

OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

The Oversight Committee exists to provide oversight for Hosts' actions and decisions. In most cases, the Hosts act as executives for the Reed Alumni Webconference. The Oversight Committee should interfere only in extreme cases, when a Host's behavior is damaging to the conference, when the Hosts have an irreconcilable conflict between themselves, or when a conferee disagrees with an official warning or a suspension of posting privileges.

The Oversight Committee will be made up of three volunteer conferees, each of whom serves for one year. These terms are renewable. One term begins and ends on the Winter Solstice, one on the Summer Solstice, and a third at the Spring Equinox. The members of the Oversight Committee are responsible for seeing that the positions are filled. If there is more than one volunteer for a position, a general election will be held to fill the post.

In the event of an appeal of the Hosts' action, the Oversight Committee shall review the warning or suspension. Hosts will cooperate with this review. The Hosts must provide the OC with an explanation of the action that was taken. The conferees involved must be provided with an opportunity to review the Hosts' explanation and to provide the OC with their own version of the facts. While consensus should be sought, a majority of the Oversight Committee can amend the Hosts' decision. The result of the review shall be reported to the conference.

Should the members of the Oversight Committee determine that a Host or both Hosts have become blatantly derelict in performing their duties, the most senior committee member will inform the Host or Hosts that the committee is considering intervening. The Hosts will cooperate with the Committee. If the OC is considering removing one or more of the Hosts, specific reasons should be given for the removal. The Host or Hosts should be given an opportunity to respond to the criticism and a report should be made to the Conference explaining any action taken by the Committee.

Proceedings of the Oversight Committee are not necessarily private. In cases where personal matters relating to another conferee (including a Host in cases of removal) are involved, that conferee may request privacy, and all possible accommodation shall be made.

If a Host is removed, candidates will be solicited by the remaining Host, and one will be chosen by the conference participants to fulfill the removed Host's term.

If both Hosts are removed, the Oversight Committee will solicit candidates for both Hostships, and the conference participants will choose two new Hosts to fulfill the remaining terms.

If one or more Oversight Committee members are suspended by the Hosts, those positions shall vacate immediately. The Solicitation process for new Committee members outlined below shall immediately take effect. After this process, all three Oversight Committee members are immune to suspension by the Hosts for forty-five days.

The decisions of the Oversight Committee are final, and are not subject to further review.

SOLICITATIONS AND ELECTIONS

The Hosts shall announce to the membership an upcoming equinox or solstice and the position openings at least twenty-one days in advance. People interested in volunteering for open positions should email the Hosts or the OC. If no one has submitted their name seven days after the reminder is issued, another request for names can be made.

In the event that positions become vacant in between terms due to resignations or suspensions, the solicitation for volunteers will occur as soon as possible and the remaining available Hosts and Oversight Committee members may work together to fill the positions.

If two or more people volunteer for a position there shall be an election for that position. Each election shall last ten days from the time ballots are accepted by the Hosts. Each member may vote only once, by e-mail, to one or both Hosts for Hostships or to one or all members of the Oversight Committee for OC positions, depending on the instructions for that election. If a current Host or member of the OC is running for reelection, he or she should not be in control of the election process. All votes are by open, not secret, ballot; however, the Hosts are not required to post individual's votes unless demanded by a losing candidate.