The Constitution of Renegades – Mount Holyoke Renegades

Article I. Introduction

Section I. Nomenclature

The organization shall be called “Renegades.”

Participants in Renegades who may vote may be referred to as “Members.”

The Board of Renegades may be referred to as the “Reneboard”. Members of Renegades who serve on the Reneboard may be referred to as “Officers” or “Reneboard Members”, among other terms.

Members of Renegades who participate in weekly roleplaying games may be referred to as “Players” (see Article VI Section I).

Members of Renegades who take the leadership role within a game may be referred to as “GMs” (see Article VI Section II).

Section II. Mission

The Mission of Renegades is to provide members of the Mount Holyoke College community with analog gaming and role-playing opportunities in an informal setting, and to create a welcoming and inclusive community surrounding these activities.

Article II. General Membership

Section I. Member Privileges

All persons who qualify as Members (see Article II Section III) have the following

Privileges:

All Members are considered voting members of the club. Members are able to vote on club matters when a vote is called for.
All Members have access to the library of roleplaying books and games owned by Renegades or located within the Hoard.
All Members have access to training/guidance in roleplaying and the mechanics of roleplaying games.
All Members can become GMs and can have access to any training they may require to become a GM
1. For the specifics of how a Member may become a GM, please refer to Article VI. GMs & Players Section III. Licensing Procedure
All Members have a right to a safe and fun atmosphere in which they may roleplay with others.

Section II. Member Responsibilities

All Members have the following Responsibilities:

To not restrict or infringe upon the rights of fellow Members.
To ensure a safe and fun atmosphere for fellow Members.
To learn the Rights and Responsibilities of Members, Players, and GMs, as applicable.

Violation of the above Responsibilities may be grounds to have Membership revoked.

Section III. Qualifications for Membership

Membership in Renegades is open to all persons without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual preference, age, marital status, citizenship or handicap. All Mount Holyoke College students may be members.

In order to qualify as a Member, an individual must be all of the following:

Affiliated with Mount Holyoke College, for example as a student, alumn, or faculty/staff member.
A frequent attendant of game sessions and club meetings, if possible.
- If not possible, Membership may still be granted at the Reneboard’s discretion
Follows the Member Responsibilities outlined in Section II.
A positive and honest contributor to Renegades meetings, games, and general conduct.

Section IV. Non-MHC Visitors

Individuals who are not Members of Renegades may attend events with the permission of all relevant Players and the relevant GM. These individuals do not qualify as Members after this attendance. Players and GMs have the right to revoke this permission at any point.

One-time Visitors:

If someone is visiting a game or one-shot then the other players/GM must be given as much advance notice as possible
The majority of members must agree to hosting the visitor
If there is a serious concern the Renegades ombudsperson may be contacted.
If someone wants to visit a session but does not know anyone in the game then they must seek prior approval from the board.

Full-time Visitors:

Full-time Visitors must be approved by the board (?????Process)
With regards to sorting it is up to the President to consult with GM’s and find ones comfortable with hosting a visiting student.

5-college membership policy?

Section VI. Revoking Membership Status

Any Member who does not uphold the standards of conduct expected by

Renegades will be removed from Renegades, regardless of their qualifications as

enumerated in Article II Section III.

Article III. Voting

Section I. Quorum

Quorum for Renegades is defined as a simple majority of Members (defined in

Article II. General Membership Section III. Qualifications for Membership).

Quorum is necessary for the election and impeachment of officers and for

Constitutional amendments.

Section II. Electronic Voting Procedure

Voting in Renegades shall be primarily electronic for the following reasons:

It is able to be anonymous.
It is more accessible than paper ballots.
It is easier to collect and count than paper ballots.
It is accessible to those not physically present.

Any accessibility concerns with electronic votes can and must be taken into

account during voting in a way which preserves anonymity and accessibility.

An electronic vote will proceed as follows:

Electronic votes must be processed via Google Forms or some similar method. Forms must be accessible to all club members, including those reliant on screen readers. Text used should be clear, legible, and easy to follow. A sans-serif font is preferred.
The ballot must clearly name the issue being voted on.
All voting options must be clearly labeled.
An option to abstain from voting must be included.
A ballot must be clearly and publicly announced in at least two venues (such as the email and the weekly meeting). If the announcements occur at different times, the ballot is considered announced after the second announcement.
A ballot must be open for at least one week after it is announced.
Once a ballot has been open for the above specified time, votes may be counted (for the specifics on counting votes, refer to Article III Section III).
Voting results must be announced at the next Renegades weekly meeting after votes are counted.
The results of a vote can not be acted upon before the results are announced.

Section III. Voting System

Renegades shall not use the typical system of First Past the Post voting for the following

reasons:

It forces voters to make strategic choices.
Votes tend to be focused on a small number of candidates, even when many candidates are available.

Instead, Renegades shall use an Instant Runoff Voting System for the following reasons:

It allows for multiple viable candidates.
Voters do not need to take into consideration the probable votes of their peers.
It is similar to First Past the Post voting as far as the electorate is concerned, so the voting process is not harder for non-Reneboard Members.

Instant Runoff Voting shall proceed as follows:

Votes are sent out in the following format and tallied using a protocol described in Article III Section II.
1. The options available for a vote (such as which candidate to elect as officer), shall be ordered by the voter in order of preference.
Votes are tallied and each voter’s vote goes to their most prefered, non-eliminated candidate on their ballot.
If a candidate has an appropriate majority of the vote (such as simple majority, two-thirds majority, etc. as determined by the type of vote being held), or only one candidate remains, then that candidate is declared winner and the vote-counting process is over.
If that is not the case, we identify the lowest-ranked candidate and re-run the vote as if that candidate was never in the running and restart at step two.

For a different explanation of Instant Runoff Voting and its benefits, feel free to

consult the following resources:

Wikipedia

YouTube

Section IV. Constitutional Amendment Process

A Constitutional Amendment may formally be presented by any Member of Renegades at any time, and is usually done at Tavern Night.

A vote for a Constitutional Amendment must reach a two-thirds majority to be

instituted.

Constitutional Amendments shall not go into effect during the semester in which they are voted for.

Section V. Officer Election Process

Every Reneboard position is up for reelection once per year, usually at Spring Tavern

Night.

When a Reneboard position is up for election, the position is filled according to the

following procedure:

Any Member of Renegades may run as a candidate. Someone wishing to run for the role of President or Ombudsperson must meet the qualifications outlined in Article IV Section I.
All candidates are afforded a chance to speak before voting.
Candidates are elected via a simple majority vote via the procedure defined in Article I Section III.
[we should add something about how running mates work for President/Vice President]

Article IV. Board

Section I. Board Positions and Their Duties

Renegades shall have the following positions on Reneboard:

President
- A President cannot be elected without being at least one of the following:
  - A Licensed GM under Renegades
  - A previous or concurrent board member of one of the “nerd orgs” that compose the Hoard (see Article V), including Renegades
  - A previous or concurrent President (or similar position) on a student Organization at Mount Holyoke College
- The President’s Duties shall include:
  - Being an authorized signer for Renegades
  - Scheduling Board Meetings
  - Going to meetings with student life and other student organizations (that don’t fall under the purview of another board member)
  - Reserving rooms for games, filling out Event Registration Forms, etc
  - Organizing One Shots
    - Scheduling the games
    - Booking the rooms
    - Making the announcement list
    - Handling feedback (with ombudsperson)
    - Distributing Licenses (see Article VI Section III)
  - Prepare for and run Game Selection Meetings (see Article VIII Section I)
  - Leading Board Meetings and Club Meetings
    - Giving announcements at Renegades Club Meetings
  - Communicating with the United Federation of Orgs through the Hoard, except where the Head Librarian has jurisdiction
  - Organizing the purchase, distribution etc of T-shirts
  - Organize and distribute Senior dice

Vice President
- The Vice President’s Duties shall include:
  - Take attendance at weekly meetings to determine who is an official Member of Renegades
  - Assist the President with their duties
  - Serve as a backup point of contact for the President
  - Serve in the President’s Non-Official roles in the absence of the President
  - Advise the President

Treasurer
- The Treasurer’s Duties shall include:
  - Being an authorized signer for Renegades.
  - Attend the end of semester audits.
  - Fund Events, such as GYGO and Tavern Night (see Article VIII Sections V and VI)
  - Handle the funding for purchase of materials for Renegades such as games, T-Shirts, dice, and anything else as needed

Senator
- The Senator’s Duties shall include:
  - Attend and participate in Senate Meetings in the name of Renegades
  - Report relevant Senate information to Renegades as a whole
  - Alert Senate of any upcoming relevant Renegades events

Loremaster
- The Loremaster’s Duties shall include:
  - Create, share, and manage game docs for each game
  - Notify the Vice President if quotes have not been posted in their game document recently
  - Handle scribes and game quotes
  - Select quotes for weekly emails
  - Take Meeting Minutes for Board Meetings
  - Keep track of major Renegades changes for the Archive
  - Handle all other Archival affairs unless they fall under the jurisdiction of another Board Member
- See Article IV Section VIII for more about the Archive and the process by which it is updated

Head Librarian
- The Head Librarian’s Duties shall include:
  - Overseeing Renegades’ collection of gaming materials, including maintaining the digital catalogue
  - Ensuring that Players have reasonable access to dice and other materials for their games as necessary
  - Scheduling and facilitating board game events at least once a month
  - Fulfilling the duties of a Head Librarian as outlined in the Bylaws of the Hoard
- See Article V for more on the Hoard.

Social Chair
- The Social Chair’s Duties shall include:
  - Administrating the official Renegades Social media accounts
  - Administrating the official Renegades Discord server
    - Posting announcements
    - Handling bots if they know how
  - Sending official Renegades emails
    - While Discord remains inaccessible through screenreader, all official club announcements must be sent through the email, as per Article VIII sec. IV
  - Communicating with other orgs as necessary (see Article VIII)
  - Posting submitted art to social media accounts and/or the email
  - Advertise for Renegades

Technical Chair
- The Technical Chair’s duties shall include:
  - Updating the Website
  - Ensuring that public Renegades documents are up to date and easily available
  - Server maintenance
  - Maintenance of Discord bots if the Social Chair doesn’t know how
  - Perform game sorting (see Article VIII Section I)
  - Update the game sorting software as necessary (see Article VIII Section I)

Ombudsperson
- The Ombudsperson cannot be a currently-running GM.
- The Ombudsperson’s Duties shall include:
  - Mediating conflict within reason
  - Interacting with DEI/504 or school ombudsperson
    - Spearhead the drive for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within Renegades
  - Creating and reading over semester GM feedback forms
  - Handling one-shot feedback with the President
  - Ensuring that Reneboard Members and GMs get sensitivity training
- Since Spring 2020 is the inception of the Ombudsperson role, this section must be examined and reevaluated in Spring 2021, after the first full year of the Ombudsperson Board Role existing.

Section IB. In the Event of a Lack of President or Vice President…

All other board members shall take over the typical president’s responsibilities closely pertaining to their responsibilities as listed above. The second authorized signer will be chosen on a case-by-case basis (whoever wants to do it). The responsibility of leading meetings will also be decided on a case-by-case basis and may not be needed at all. The senator and loremaster have no extra responsibilities listed below; they can assist the other board members as needed.

Treasurer
- Organizing the purchase, distribution etc of T-shirts
- Organize and distribute Senior dice
- Filling out event registration forms
Head Librarian
- Communicating with the United Federation of Orgs through the Hoard, except where the Head Librarian has jurisdiction
Social Chair
- Organizing One Shots
  - Scheduling the games
  - Booking the rooms
  - Making the announcement list
  - Handling feedback (with ombudsperson)
  - Distributing Licenses (see Article VI Section III)
- Scheduling Board Meetings
Tech Chair
- Prepare for and run Game Selection Meetings (see Article VIII Section I)
Ombudsperson
- Going to meetings with student life and other student organizations (that don’t fall under the purview of another board member)
- Reserving rooms for games

Section II. Apprentice Board Positions

When necessary, an Apprentice may be elected to the Reneboard.

An Apprentice may be voted into office at any point in the semester and may be removed from office at any point in the semester, especially if the circumstances which required their election are no longer present.

An Apprentice will serve as one of the following positions:

Loremaster
Head Librarian
Social Chair
Technical Chair
Ombudsperson

Apprentices will assist the other members of their positions in those positions’ Duties and must satisfy all requirements of those positions.

Any number of Apprentices may be on the Reneboard in order to meet necessary demand on the Reneboard.

Apprentices count as Reneboard Officers.

Section III. Board Voting Procedure

Board Voting Procedure? What does this mean? How Board members vote in Board

meetings? How Board members vote in regular votes like for officer election and

amendments? Because aren’t Board members removed from office for elections?

Section IV. Turnover

Turnover? What does this mean?

Section V. Kicking

Reference Interpersonal Conflict Article

What does this mean? Removing Officers from Reneboard?

Section VI. Unexpected Mid-Semester Openings

Sometimes, during the course of a semester, a Reneboard Officer will step down from their position before an election. In these circumstances, if the vacancy causes immediate problems for the Reneboard, a Renegades Member may temporarily fill the role without an election. The position MUST be officially filled as quickly as possible according to the standard Officer Election procedure described in Article III Section V.

We should have some sort of rule about ensuring that after one person volunteers to run other people have a certain amount of time to decide if they want to run against them – I’m mostly thinking about the Apprentice thing and how easily people could pre-fill those positions

Section VII. Anti-Can-Kicking Clause

We, the Reneboard of Spring 2020 and every Reneboard hereafter, recognize our past, present, and future failings to the Renegades community. With the well being of Renegades in mind, we leave behind this clause to be invoked when the Reneboard is in danger of leaving a serious issue untended.

In keeping with this spirit, the Reneboard shall, every year, read, in full, the most up-to-date version of this document, the Renegades Constitution. The purpose of this procedure is to ensure that any unofficial changes made to Renegades are reflected in the Constitution as quickly as possible.

Section VIII. The Archive

Renegades shall maintain a document referred to as the Archive.

The purpose of the Archive is to record for posterity the history, stories (both in game and out of game), and annual changes of Renegades.

Every semester the Reneboard will compile a list of stories from Renegades as a whole

according to the following procedure:

At least three weeks before the last Renegades weekly meeting of the semester the Loremaster will send out a form to receive story submissions.
These submissions must be fewer than 300 words long.
The form will stay open for one week.
The Reneboard reserves the right to refuse any stories from submission (for example, for offensive content).

These stories, along with any significant or constitutional changes which have taken

place during the semester (as determined by the Loremaster) will be added to the Archive.

The Archive must be available to the public free of charge and without undue burden.

The Archive was conceived in Spring 2020, and all history and stories dated to before then are composed by consulting alumni.

Article V. Inter-Org Interactions and the Hoard

Section I. About the Hoard

“The Hoard” references the space, currently in Abbey 118, which is jointly shared between the Mount Holyoke College organizations Autosave, Bellatrix, and Renegades, and which houses Renegades’ library of books, magazines, dice, board games, and other materials.

Renegades agrees to jointly uphold each of the points described in the Bylaws of the Hoard in partnership with our sibling organizations.

Changes to the Bylaws of the Hoard must be ratified by

The Head Librarian is responsible for representing Renegades’ positions in Hoard affairs. For more information, see Article IV Section I.

Section II. Leaving the Hoard

Renegades may choose to leave the Hoard collaboration at any point, on terms decided at the point of partnership dissolution. If it chooses to do so (as described below), it will cede its claim to the Hoard space, but maintain possession of all items that were property of Renegades.

If the Renegades Board decides to pursue exit from the Hoard, a meeting outside of standard game times must be held to consult the Renegades membership. At this meeting, the Board must openly present the case for withdrawal, and the membership must pass a resolution for withdrawal with 2/3rds majority.

At the point of 2/3rds majority, Renegades will cease participation in Hoard affairs no sooner than 2 calendar months after the passing of the resolution.

Section III. Dissolution of Renegades

In the event that Renegades ceases to be an active organization on the Mount Holyoke College Campus, the legal possession of its Library will be distributed amongst standing members of the Hoard collaboration as determined at the time of organizational dissolution.

Disputes of item ownership in the Library dissolution will be resolved in conjunction with a College Administrative Representative.

Should Renegades be reactivated after a period of inactivity as an official organization of Mount Holyoke College, items previously ceded to the possession of Hoard member organizations will be reallocated back into Renegades’ Library after the organization has maintained consistent activity for 2 fiscal years.

Section IV. Other Inter-Org Interactions

We can do other stuff with other orgs if we want to ??? something something social

Article VI. GMs & Players

Section I. Player Rights and Responsibilities

Players have all Rights and Responsibilities afforded and required of Members

(defined and discussed in Article II Sections I and II).

In addition, all Players have the following Rights:

To having game sessions and play occur only when agreed to by all game members.
To the lending of materials necessary for the game they are playing, provided to the best of Renegades’ and their GM’s ability.
To interpersonal mediation, should it be needed.
To safety, respect, and representation within their game.

All Players also have the following Responsibilities:

To learn the rules and mechanics of the games they are playing, as best they are able.
To arrive at the determined game times early or on time (or, when not possible, to inform their GM of their absence as far in advance as they can).
To attend Renegades weekly meetings, as best they are able.
To bring their materials (dice, character sheets, etc.) with them to every game.
To be respectful of the other players in their game.

Section II. GM Rights and Responsibilities

“GM” is defined here as the person who submitted a pitch for a game they wish to run, who intends to be responsible for the game’s existence going forward, and who is willing to perform the Responsibilities of the GM as outlined below. If the game system they are playing has a designated “Game Master,” “Dungeon Master,” or analogous role, the GM is defined as the person fulfilling that role.

GMs have all Rights and Responsibilities afforded and required of Members and Players (defined and discussed in Article II Sections I and II and Article VI Section I respectively).

In addition, all GMs have the following Rights:

Training in how to handle interpersonal conflict in their games.
Reasonable physical resources (such as dice, rulebooks, etc.) from Renegades and the Hoard.

All GMs also have the following Responsibilities:

To attend and internalize training from the Reneboard for the purpose of, among other things, ensuring cultural and interpersonal sensitivity in their games.
To provide instruction on the rules and mechanics of their games to their Players.
To attend Renegades weekly meetings.
To arrive at Renegades weekly meetings and game sessions early or on time (or, when not possible, to inform their Players of their absence as far in advance as they can).
To demand a safe and fun environment in their games.
To enforce Renegades policies in their games.
To fairly set and meet expectations for their games.
To ensure the game’s Lines and Veils are easily accessible to and understood by the players.
To serve as an official liaison between their games and Renegades at large, including passing along any messages from the Reneboard to their players.
To encourage their Players to be involved in Renegades as a whole.

Section III. Licensing Procedure

Licensing Procedure

Potential GMs attend a 1-on-1 meeting with the President or Ombudsperson where they learn about the safety systems and other responsibilities and rights of a Renegades GM. After this meeting they sign a form confirming they attended that meeting and understand their responsibilities; said form will be kept in the Hoard.
They will be allowed to run a game the following semester. After their first month of sessions, an anonymous feedback form (similar to the mid-semester feedback form) will be distributed to players. Then the GM will attend a meeting with the President or Ombudsperson to discuss the contents of the feedback form.
If the feedback for the GM is negative:
- If the feedback criticizes the GM’s ability to run a fun game, the GM will be encouraged to engage with the many resources available in the Hoard and in other Renegades members.
- If the feedback criticizes the GM’s ability to abide by Safety System rules, the GM will be issued a written warning at their feedback meeting and will make a plan with the President or Ombudsperson to fix their safety systems. A failure to do so and abide by the decided upon plan will result in the revocation of GM license and dissolution of their game.

Section IV. Emergency Licensing Procedure

Emergency Licensing Procedure for when only 5 or less GMs have agreed to run a semester-long game.

Potential GMs attend a group meeting led by the Renegades board before sorting where they learn about the safety systems and other responsibilities and rights of a Renegades GM. After this meeting they sign a form confirming they attended that meeting and understand their responsibilities; said form will be kept in the Hoard.
They will be allowed to run a game the same semester. After their first month of sessions, an anonymous feedback form (similar to the mid-semester feedback form) will be distributed to players. Then the GM will attend a meeting with the President or Ombudsperson to discuss the contents of the feedback form.
If the feedback for the GM is negative:
- If the feedback criticizes the GM’s ability to run a fun game, the GM will be encouraged to engage with the many resources available in the Hoard and in other Renegades members.
- If the feedback criticizes the GM’s ability to abide by Safety System rules, the GM will be issued a written warning at their feedback meeting and will make a plan with the President or Ombudsperson to fix their safety systems. A failure to do so and abide by the decided upon plan will result in the revocation of GM license and dissolution of their game.