(Note: The Charter & Articles were ammended by majority vote of the kin in June 2009. Changes were mostly to the section regarding officer roles and duties although some other minor changes were also made. The previous version of the Charter has been stored in the archives to properly record the kin's history.)
Preamble - Penumbra's articles are a living document. As such they may be changed or additional articles formed as the kinship grows. This can be accomplished by a majority officer's vote followed by a 75% majority general kinship vote.
ARTICLE I - MEMBERSHIP
Membership into Penumbra can be initiated by anyone approximately 25 years or older who completes the application. Penumbra strives to be a mature kinship and as such, all applications will be reviewed and the player will be evaluated extensively to ensure our standards are upheld. The application can be found here:
Application
Section 1 - Officers will review all applications for membership. If accepted, the applicant will become a recruit for a period of thirty (30) days. During this time, the recruit's application will be posted for member review and it is expected that the recruit will group with members so as to be better evaluated.
The application process will be waived for immediate family members at the request of a current full member. Immediate family would include spouse, brother, sister, children, mother, father and/or their spouse. We welcome our family members with open arms and they will receive full member status upon their invitation.
Section 2 - At the end of the recruitment period, a poll will be posted to run for five (5) days. All "No" votes will remain secret to the entire kin. Kinsmen filing a "No" vote will be encouraged but not required to send a private thread to any elected officer with their reasoning. The officer will then post the thread removing the kinsman's name so that there are no issues between kinsmen. Posts on why we should accept the recruit are also welcomed but will be held equally confidential. Once the vote is complete the thread will be moved to the Archives and only accessible by current officers and the web administrator. A 2/3 (67%) vote will be needed to approve/refuse a recruit. If this is not met it will be referred back to the officers for a final decision. A majority officer vote will be needed to vote the recruit in if the kin does not reach the required percentage. At that time the recruit will either become a full member if accepted or be thanked for their time if rejected. There is no appeal to this decision and the applicant may not reapply.
Section 3 - Recruits are subject to the same standards of behavior and discipline as members. This includes the right to representation, investigation and rebuttal. While emergent issues do come up, the officers always strive to maintain a democratic due process in disciplinary actions. Should an immediate response to any recruit issue be necessary, it will be with the backing of the majority of the officers. The kin at large will be briefed about any such incidents once a final consensus is reached. If the kin is in disagreement, they can always override the officers. The ONLY time an officer will ever remove a recruit on the spot is for SEVERE violation of ARTICLE III - BEHAVIOR, and the officer initiating the action will provide to the officers and to the kin screenshots warranting his/her action. These screenshots will show the infraction and every attempt by the Officer to calm, correct, and redirect the recruit via /tells.
Section 4 - During the recruitment period, it will be the sponsor's responsibility to talk to the recruit about expectations. They can run with the recruit and make sure the recruit meets kin in groups and makes new friends. In the case of an application with no sponsor, the officers will help the new recruit get oriented.
ARTICLE II - OFFICERSHIP
Penumbra will have no fewer than five (5) and no more than seven (7) officer positions, depending on kin size, availability of members willing to serve and general consensus, that are each elected biannually. Candidates may volunteer or are suggested through a nomination process. Any member may become an officer and there is no limit on the number of terms a member may serve. Only 1 member per household may serve as an officer at a time.
The shared duties of the officers will include recruiting and admitting new members, group organization and leading (including general quest assistance, epic book quests, raids and end-game activities), website updates, advice and instruction to new players, mediation of disputes, discussing kinship goals and needs, general administration duties, and disciplinary actions. Being an officer should not be construed as a complicated or burdensome endeavor; members are encouraged to remember that all officers are players, and all players are here voluntarily to have a good time.
That said, all officers are subject to the kin's will. If they are unable to perform their duties, either by absence or performance, they may be recalled with a 75% majority vote. A new officer will be elected to that position to finish the term.
Section 1 - Officer Positions
Kinship Leader - This is an Officer post that will hold the leadership title in game. The primary duty of the Kinship Leader is to be Penumbra's public face and voice. This includes interaction with other kinships, the general Elendilmir public, and the LOTRO forums.
All other officers will share the duties described above as they are able and as needed by the kin. The Kinship Leader will monitor the activities of the officers to assure they are active in working with each other and the kinship at large.
Section 2 - Elections
Elections will be held in June and December, with the Nomination process starting on or around June 1 and December 1. This will entail a 1 week nomination process, a 1 week voting period, and a 2 week transition of the officers, so the newly elected officers can become familiar with current kinship needs before assuming their duties. The new officers will take complete charge of their positions on July 1 and January 1.
The Nomination Process -
Any full member in good standing may be nominated for an officer position. One nomination is sufficient per member. Nominees need to accept their nomination before the end of the nomination process in order to qualify for the vote. Members may self-nominate (volunteer).
The Campaign/Voting Process -
Once an appropriate number of members have volunteered or accepted their nominations the voting thread will be posted. The thread will not only allow the nominees to speak to the kin but allow for kin members to ask questions and voice concerns to the nominees.
While we encourage questions and endorsements we will not tolerate out-right attacks, nor negative statements against the nominees.
Only full members may vote. Members may vote “yes” or “no” for any and each candidate.
One vote will be allowed per member. Alts, second accounts, et cetera are not entitled to a vote. Any cheating, deception or otherwise tampering with the voting process is subject to immediate removal from the kinship.
If there are more than 7 nominees, the members will each vote for up to and no more than 7 persons. The 7 persons getting the most votes will then be the winners.
In the event of a tie vote and no candidate wishes to cede the victory, a /roll will commence with the winner getting the highest number, out of 100, twice out of three rolls.
When the election is final, as certified by the current officers, the new officers will have a two week transition period, assisted by the outgoing officers. During that period the new officers will vote amongst themselves to elect which officer will be the Kinship Leader and to simultaneously select who will automatically succeed the Kinship Leader in the event that person is for any reason unable to continue in the post (the “Successor”). This is an extremely important decision and the new officers are encouraged to think and act responsibly in making this choice. A voting thread will be posted to run during the two week transition period allowing for the kinship to ratify the choice of Kinship Leader and Successor.
All officers (including the Kinship Leader) will share general duties like recruiting or helping kin members in their various endeavors, although it is assumed the new officers will work out amongst themselves who will focus more on particular tasks (for example, who would most like to run fellowships or raids, who would most like to schedule special events, who would most like to keep up the website, et cetera.)
Any officer may, at his or her sole discretion, conscript an assistant to aid in carrying out the officer’s duties. This action by the officer does not require a vote or oversight by other officers or kin. However, in the unlikely event that an officer’s assistant creates or exacerbates any problems, the officer that chose that assistant will be responsible for rectifying the problems.
ARTICLE III - BEHAVIOR
All members of Penumbra are expected to follow and champion the following behaviors:
Tolerance - We are tolerant of each other and the general public at large. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, religion, sexual orientation, or political position.
Generosity - We willingly give what we have to one another, be it tangible or not. We allow others an opportunity to acquire their needs. We do not hoard or take what we do not need at the moment.
Fellowship - We are part of a multi-million person online community and representatives of our kinship to that community. We endeavor to be positive role models and helpful to all citizens of Elendilmir. We do not advocate any questionable tactics.
Comportment - Being polite is a good thing. Being rude is a bad thing. As new players learn how to work within a fellowship it’s inevitable that they will make mistakes. Correcting them can and must be done in a friendly and polite manner, affording them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes without being chastened, derided or ridiculed. It is also inevitable that non-kin players will sometimes behave poorly, interfering with or interrupting our noble efforts. We in Penumbra are not rude, even if intentionally provoked by another player. (However, rude behavior can and should be reported to Turbine!)
Pride - We are representatives of Penumbra at all times in the game, in posts, in blogs and in the LOTRO community. We do not act in any manner that reflects negatively on our kindred.
Violators of any of the above may be subject to disciplinary action as listed in Article V.
ARTICLE IV - COMMUNICATION
Penumbra will maintain forums in order to promote an open dialog with all members. Topics of all types, from simple chat to important kinship information will be covered. Polls regarding kinship matters and elections will also be hosted here. These forums will be moderated by the officers and are subject to Article V - Discipline.
Officer Threads - Officer threads will be maintained and viewable by the officers to discuss various issues. These issues at no time may be deleted or removed as they are a part of the official kin history.
Alliance Threads - These threads will be used for both our members and members of allied kinships, plus friends and former kinsmen of Penumbra who have left on good terms. Alliance threads will provide a way of maintaining contact with our valued associates and allow limited access to Penumbra news and events.
General Threads - General threads will be viewable to anyone visiting the website. Visitors to our website will be held to Article III while browsing the Penumbra forums and will be subject to discipline if needed.
Kinship Only Threads - These threads, while somewhat general, can only be viewed by full members.
Strategy Threads - These threads, like general threads, are currently viewable by anyone visiting the site.
Recruits will be granted basic access via the General, Alliance and Strategy threads for the thirty (30) day recruitment period. They will have access to general discussion in regards to the kin and be allowed to participate in raids and social activities. At the end of the thirty (30) days, the recruit will be granted Member status, if the proper votes are attained, and be allowed full access to the forums at Penumbra. Upon full membership, the new member will be able to participate in full Kinship discussions, Kinship meetings, and the Kinship voting processes.
All voting and disciplinary discussions in the Kinship Only threads will be held to the strictest of confidentiality. Recruits should not and will not be privy to the information in any thread in the Kinship Only threads. If confidentiality is breached, an immediate investigation will occur with the recruit and the members contributing information being reviewed within the boundaries of Article V.
Officers are expected to maintain regular communication with each other through in-game chat or “Officer Only” posts in the forum. In situations where an issue must be addressed with any urgency, the officers may arrange a meeting via in-game or Ventrilo to discuss and resolve those issues. It is also possible that full kinship meetings may be scheduled to address immediate issues.
However, in the event no special meetings are necessary, there will be a minimum of two annual full-membership meetings scheduled. These meetings will occur at some time in the latter part of May and November, the timing of which is designed to precede the nominations and elections process described above.
While an issue may be brought to any officer for discussion or action, members are highly encouraged to contact the Kinship Leader first. However, all officers maintain an "open door" policy for communication and any officer may be contacted by any member about any subject at any time.
No thread can be moved or locked unilaterally by any officer without majority consent from the rest of the officers. While emergent issues do come up, the officers always strive to maintain a democratic “due process” in disciplinary actions.
ARTICLE V - DISCIPLINE
In the event that a member's behavior becomes a concern, disciplinary action may be taken. Behaviors that may warrant disciplinary action include: hostile speech, cheating, harassing actions, unbecoming kin chat, or poor public representation of Penumbra in game or out. The behavior may come to light as witnessed by officers, reported by kinsmen, or even from an outside source. Regardless of its origin, the behavior or incident will be investigated by the officers once a meeting has been held to discuss the matter. During the investigation, the member in question will have opportunities to explain their side of the situation. After the investigation is complete, another meeting of the officers will occur with a vote as to how to handle the situation. Possible actions can include, but are not limited to: counseling, demotion, probation, or expulsion. If the kinship in general disagrees with the findings or actions of the officers, they may overrule them with a 75% majority.
In the event that an officer should come under investigation, a random uninvolved member will be asked to take their place in hearing the evidence and any voting involved. Should the officer in question be censured, they shall be removed from office and an emergent election shall occur to replace them for the remainder of their term.
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