Spok, WA Working Copy of By-Laws

The Not Yet Official By-Laws
The Spokantina
Spokane Chapter of Star Wars
FanForce



BY- LAWS

Article I. Name
The name of this organization shall be The Spokantina.

Article II. Purpose
The Spokantina is an official Star Wars FanForce Chapter through theforce.net made up of people who enjoy the Star Wars films and their various spin-offs. The Spokantina was created in order to give Star Wars fans in the Spokane area a chance to socialize and engage in activities such as collecting expeditions, movie outings, game nights, costuming, props, conventions, expanding our knowledge of the Star Wars Universe, participating in charitable volunteer efforts, and to encourage the next generation of Star Wars fans. The group was brought together through their love of everything Star Wars. Since we are an internet based group, most of our communication is done through our message forum on theforce.net.

Article III. Policies
? The Spokantina is not affiliated any way with Lucasfilm, Ltd. or its subsidiaries.
? The Spokantina holds a strict policy on discrimination. The group does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or physical handicap.

Article IV. Membership
Membership is open to all interested persons, regardless of gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, or physical handicap. The basic membership requirement is an active interest in Star Wars. There are two classes of membership: active and inactive.
? Active Membership: Active membership is attained when a person pays annual membership dues. All active members have full voting privileges. Active members are also eligible to serve as officers of the club. And they have the right to attend all club meetings and activities. Active membership constitutes attending meetings and actively participating in the planning process for events. Full payment of dues does not directly constitute an Active Membership level. A member is in good standing when they actively participate in club meetings, keeps communication open, shows an effort to assist in planning, and keep a balance of meetings and activities.
? Inactive membership: Those who do not wish to pay membership dues are welcome to join the club at any meetings or activities. However, only active members are allowed to vote in any club elections.

Article V. Membership Dues
Membership dues are $25 per year. Once dues are paid, they are not due again until one year from the date of payment. Dues collected are used to defray club operating expenses and to finance club activities. All active members have the right to audit club accounts, which will be maintained by the club?s Treasurer. Membership dues are used for, but not limited to, such expenses as website-hosting, parade insurance, printing, prizes for raffles, etc. All purchases made with club dues will be made only after a vote is taken. Dues are to be paid within 90 days of signing the By Laws when joining The Spokantina. All dues are non-refundable.

Article V. Amendment #1
The membership rate for children under 16 will be $10 with a paid parent membership of $25. The parent will hold voting privileges. All dues are non-refundable.

Article VI. Voting Regulations
All active members shall be entitled to one vote in all elections held within the club.
Two-thirds (2/3) active members constitute a quorum. Email voting is allowed for officer elections. The Chapter Representative shall state the terms and rules of email voting prior to each election. Absentee ballots may be used for those unable to attend a meeting.
? Regular Voting
o 2/3 Vote
o Show of Hands
? Amendments to Bylaws
o 2/3 Vote Required to Pass Amendment
o Show of Hands
? Officer Elections
o Simple Majority
o Secret Ballot
o Email voting will be allowed

Article VII. Leadership
The leadership of The Spokantina shall consist of a Chapter Representative, President, Recording Officer (Secretary/Treasurer), Recruitment Officer, and Webmaster. An Active Member may hold more than one office. If a vacancy of any leadership

 

Just some thoughts, take'um or leave'um, I'm just thinking through them...


Article III - Just a thought, but we kind of do discriminate on the basis of age. While we have club opportunities for all ages, we do limit the main club to High School and above, while Junior High and below attend the Kids Club. Maybe a small caveat in parenthesis indicating this fact? The only situation I can see arising is if some really smart Junior Higher says he can attend the big club because if we don't, we're discriminating...

Article VII - Under the Recording Officer, I would suggest that we indicate that if this officer is unable to attend, it is their responsibility to appoint a replacement who will be responsible for the minutes and attendence. I'm thinking that it would be cool to have a form for recording such things so the replacement wouldn't be confused about what to write down...anyway...

Article IX - "Costumes must be in good working condition at all events" It is a good thing that this by-law wasn't in effect at "Pig out in the park" or Casey would have been in violation

Ok, that is all I have, and I was being really nit-picky!

 

I'm gonna say the most fair way to handle this is to just NOT DISCRIMINATE, let's keep the meetings as PG as possible and not get too out of hand, I mean, we really don't get out of hand as it is, and Baxter has a blast We just need to make sure Alfredo watches his mouth around the chilluns

 

what do you mean im in violation? i cant help it if something decides to go "pop" on me. you can only do so much to that thing before it stars causing it harm anyway. last thought... try riding in johns tiny car in a full suit of armor. its not fun, or pretty. and i hope john would back me up on that.

 

/target TK-3374
/backup

 

On the subject of non-descrimination and costume standards...

Are there any particular generes of costumes that would be considered innapropriate for Spokantina events? I'm thinking Star Trek, but there could be others.

For example, earlier today I posted an intention to do Bloomsday as a Futurama character. And several people have Hogwarts uniforms.

 

I understand where Kelli is coming from regarding the division of the groups based on age; we should discuss this further on Saturday. Is there anyway we could get this going right away (I can only put in an appearance for about an hour or so due to prior commitments)? As far as Baxter is concerned, he remains under my supervision as he is not really an "independent" member. And you are all absolutley wonderful playing with him; for that I extend a sincere thank-you! Anyway, this would be a good distinction to discuss. See you all soon!

R

 

John and I have been having an discussion about the age discrimination situation. I would suggest that we ratify the by-laws, and then I'll submit my amendment right after that for a vote. I figure that is the best way to solve our difference. Basically, John's stance is that anyone can attend the main meetings, from 0-100 years and up. My amendment is that we stipulate that all attendees in junior high and below should have an accompaning adult who will be responsible for them. Therefore, we would not be discriminating at all, just requiring an adult to attend with any JHers and below. I think this is a good idea because simply because some people at that age can at time become unruly (present members excluded of course ) and it would be advantagous to have a responsible adult attending to keep them under control. I don't think this is discriminating, just making sure that things run smoothly...thoughts? John would you like to define your position?

 

That sounds like a good idea to me. Plus i hate to sound rood or mean but we are not a baby sitting service were you can drop off your "Padawans" and disappear. (Unless otherwise arranged prior)

 

I think we need to not discriminate against age, let's encourange everyone to come to meetings, Star Wars is for everyone, why limit who can get involved?

I do think we need to inact dues, payment of dues needs to signify "active member" status. The only priveledge that "active members" get would be attendance at special administration meetings, where important decisions are made. This way, only members who are serious about helping the group make decisions would be willing to pay dues, and we can have "mature" meetings where we can discuss upcoming events and other plans for the group.

I do think that there should be some kind of ammendment that requires kids of a certain age to have someone responsible for them at the meeting. If it's a group member, great, if it's a parent, great. But someone who can keep a loose eye on them.

I see the Kids Club as not a place to stick the young SW fans because they're not old enough, but as an augmentation of the real group, just like the costuming, or gaming clubs... it's something else to do besides the main meeting... and it's content is more geared towards the younger ones, but that shouldn't be the only thing we let kids who want to be involved in the group do.

I think that's everything I had to say at this point...

 

[Warning: My posts may be a hazard to coherent thought]

On the topic of dues:
Many points were made at the meeting the other night. Several of them very valid. Yet, I don't feel that fair consideration was given to all points. So I'd like to restate the points that I heard.

Dues are voluntary. This statement is true in the sense that you can choose to pay or not and still be involved in the group.

However, it is also false. Dues are not voluntary in the sense that not paying them means that members lose the right to give voice to the direction of the group.

However, they only lose the right to vote on group money matters which is something that we have as of yet, not done.

If you look at it, dues really exist as a group of people wanting to put money into something and then wanting the ability to say where that money goes without input from someone who has not put money into the collective pot.

Maybe we need to look into our classifications of active and inactive members. To say someone who hasn't paid isn't active could be an insult if they are at every group. Maybe we just make a distinction between active and inactive members
on the basis of attendance (at least one meeting every 2 months) and leave the dues out of that classification.

Dues then being their own distinct thing can keep their own classification. With a stipulation that if you want a say in how dues are spent you have to contribute your own.

This is just a suggestion, ponder it and tell me what you think (tear it to shreads, adjust it, agree with it, ignore it, etc).

 

I agree with Nat on the point of dues. I think that was one of the reasons some people balked at the idea. Now, the only limitation is if you don't pay you don't have a say in how the money is spent. Makes sense.

 

OFF TOPIC...

Nice new sig there Darmin.

ON TOPIC...

Im going to agree with Nat also. I have been to most meetings, but atm i dont want to pay dues. if im going to be classified as inactive because of this then that is a slap in the face as far as thats concerned.

 

Whatever, I call B* on this. "Inactive" is not necessarily a bad thing. personally, I don't care what member status anyone has, it won't make me think less of any one member, BUT If I'm going to put in $25 (and I've already donated FAR MORE than that already this year) to help fund the group, I don't want someone who's not as dedicated, deciding what to do with that money. I don't mind if they suggest a use, but when it comes down to deciding, i.e. voting, I'd rather they had no hand in the final say.

I suppose we could call it "standard" and "premium" members... but now we're just being nitpicky... and I'd like to point out...

"AT THE MOMENT"... You are saying that you might be willing to in the future? So what's the problem with being labeled "inactive" for a little while... jeez, this shouldn't even be an issue.

 

But it is an issue. It has been ever since dues were mentioned.
Maybe it is just a concept of terms, like you said, and we should just called them "premium" or "regulars" to use a cantina term.
Something tells me it bothers people more than a simple label, though.
More discussion is needed.

 

Dedication is an awefully big word to be throwing around. Just because someone has put in more money than another person means that they are more dedicated? what about those who have put in very little or no money? That means that they arent dedicated at all to Star Wars or the FanForce.

If you put money into the group then I say that you can decide what to do with it. If thats what the issue is then I say we end that point of the discussion now and go with what I just mentioned. If you havent paid then you dont get the vote. Thats all. Discussion on that is done.

At the moment... meaning that I have no spare funds. The desire to eat and have a place to live is far more important than anything else.

As for the "Inactive" status, I still say that attending most of the meetings and being called "Inactive" is a real turn off for being in this group. This goes back to dedication. I can say that I am as dedicated as anyone else for attendance and participation in the group but because I dont pay dues makes me "Inactive". Im saying thats a bunch of fodder.

 

If it doesn't matter what status people hold and certain labels bother others then is it safe to label active and inactive based on activity and move dues to a seperate thing entirely. And maintain that only those who pay dues have a say in where those dues are spent?

 

Why worry about labels at all? I mean, I can understand for voting purposes it might be needed, but I think any voting should take place via a PM only by people who know about the issue, if that makes sense.
I remember being for labels because it seemed to make a life a little easier, but now that I think about it, we're a little too informal for that to work. If someone isn't allowed to vote, we tell 'em why. If we need to pay for something as a group, we start a pool. Of course, dues would take care of that need, and those who pay them should have a say, a vote, on how their spent.

 

A bunch of food eh? Well, regardless of your missuse of the term "fodder", I don't see why "labels" are such a big deal, it's not something I'm going to be slaping on the website, and I'm sure it's not something that will be brought up at meetings!! Why is it even an ISSUE??? those titles are simply to help the group leadership to keep track of who has paid dues and who hasn't. If it makes you feel better, we don't even have to talk about it during meetings, or talk about it to you at all... that can be an administrative thing... and the records keeper will just change you from "inactive" to "active" once your dues are paid, without making a big deal about it. I think this is being blown WAY OUT OF PORPORTION. I'm sorry Casey, but if being labeled "inactive", hurts your feelings, BUY A HELMET.

Sorry if I seem a bit insensitive about this issue, but I just don't think it's a valid concern.

 

To speak purely as a psychologist-in-training people hate labels that seem(note the word "seem")negative. That's why it's an issue. I don't think you're insensitive, John; I just know that it matters to some people, which means we need to clearly define our terms.
So, I purpose that we just have a list of people who have paid dues, they have the powerto vote on how money is spent.
As for the language in the bylaws, it can be as simple as stating that members are welcome to pay a yearly due of X number of dollars andthey will have a say in how it is spent. Examples of why the group would need money maybe a good idea.
No labels, no active/inactive. Just a contribution to the group.

 

That just sounds like a cop-out to me.

 

I've left the discussion on money alone, because I'm OK with the idea of "No dues, no vote on where the dues go"... and I havn't paid up.

But I don't like the idea that new members could end up getting the idea that "dues = dedication" from misleading wording in the by-laws. Or that they shouldn't bother showing up to meetings until they pay in. I know that's not what John's advocating, but what impression will people get from reading the official document? Who's going to be there to explain *their* interpretation of the by-laws and titles?

Casey already bought a (Stormtrooper) helmet, and armor to match. And when he suited up to sweat and stumble around Pig Out and be a walking advertisement for the FanForce, that's dedication in my eyes. I can't imagine anyone else's costumes being as cumbersome to put on and keep on. It almost seems arrogant to point out that when the suit started to fall apart, I didn't look for the treasurer to dole out costume upkeep funds, I went and spent $4 for the superglue he needed.

As of now, I'm still figuring out how to make up a backdrop to *donate* to the RadCon stand, and how to pay for it. I'm not going to try to charge my time and explenses against how much I "owe" for dues. But bear in mind that it counts as another at-the-moment expense that's going to chip away at what I saved to spend at Radcon (including for the patches I need for an Imperial tech costume). Is that dedication?

If I had $25 to throw around at any given time, I'd have bought more supplies to finish more props and costumes. It sucks, but my only other option over scrimping and being selective about what I buy is to get a second job and have lots more money but never make any meetings or events or have time to invent stuff.

 

I already have a helmet John. Commonly refered to as a "bucket". As for the hurting the feelings, it doesnt really matter. Your making this personal attacks, its no longer about the by-laws. you should relax for a minute, step back, and see whats really going on here. Nat posted a very reasonable solution. Erich and I have agreed with her. if you would like someone else to blame then blame Erich for agreeing, or Nat for posting it, or you could keep blaming me and my "feelings". You could even blame yourself because you were there when we thought it was a good idea to have by-laws. You can even blame Uncle George himself for making Star Wars if you feel better. Overall we are trying to give solutions that you keep shooting down.

I would rather not do this but due to recent events i will no longer be attending. I am taking an extended leave of absence until the current situations are resolved. You will no longer have a representative for the 501st in this area.

When the Spokane Fanforce decides to go back to the old ways of just having fun then i will be happy to return. Star Wars fandom is about having fun, and thats what we should be doing.

 

Call it what you will. Chris pointed out that the wording in the bylaws is important- we know what we mean-new members won't.

 

Let me get on the soap box. So why again do we need theses "bylaws" aside from legal reasons and "office" positions? I thought we were a group of "friends" who share many interests (at least one that I know of) and not just a fanforce group. I also believe that the "active/inactive" labels should be removed from the bylaws and should boil down to either you've paid or not. Another thing - where exactly do the "dues" go? A bank account, an envelope under a mattress? I know that the spokantina can spend the dues on whatever the majority, of which have paid, decides on. But there are those in this group that either have no ways of paying those funds or don't see them necessary and at the same time are very involved with the spokantina. I don't mean to be argumentive, I just want to state my thoughts. I would like to see this quarrel be resolved.
Thanks,
Nathaniel