AWTeen Charter (2007)

This is a historic document related to the previous workings of AWTeen, which has been preserved here.

AWTEEN CHARTER

Written by Robert Morales (“Dr. Squailboont”),
Jeremy Booker (“JerMe”),
and Travis Cope (“Brock”)

Ratified: March 14, 2007

Article I. Introduction

Section 1.01. Establishment

(a) The AWTeen Charter establishes guidelines, policies, procedures, and official organizations/councils.

(b) Until such time it has been properly nullified by full consensus of the Assembly as defined herein, this Charter shall remain permanently in effect.

Section 1.02. Ratification

(a) The ratification of this Charter shall be accomplished by a full consensus of the current Caretakers.

(b) The charter shall be offered to the public for a preview period lasting at least one week. Public opinion shall not be a requirement for ratification; professionally composed opinions may be considered as potential amendments after ratification has occurred.

(c) After ratification, this Charter shall not be modified in any way except by amendments.

(d) After ratification, this Charter, its Amendments, and all Executive Orders, shall be recognized as the absolute law of the land. Should associates of ActiveWorlds, Inc. become involved in AWTeen affairs, it is preferred but not required for these associates to observe any conventions established herein.

Article II. The AWTeen General Assembly

Section 2.01. Chief Executive

(a) The Chief Executive shall be one member of the Executive Council selected exclusively by ActiveWorlds, Inc.

(b) The Chief Executive shall be removed only by a staff member of ActiveWorlds, Inc., either at the sole discretion and will of AWI or by the full completion of impeachment proceedings as defined in this Charter

(c) The Chief Executive shall have the authority to remove any member of the Executive Council in the following cases:

• Citing a major violation of any rule or guideline established herein.
  
• The Chief Executive determines the Council member is no longer carrying out or is incapable of continuing to carry out their duties as set forth below.

(d) The Chief Executive shall have the authority to remove any member of the lower Cabinet and any member of any organization recognized herein for any reason (excluding the reasons set forth below).

(e) The Chief Executive shall have the authority to modify and/or reverse any decision made by the Assembly for any reason.

(f) The authority granted to the Chief Executive herein shall not be used for any personal gain or interest.

(g) The authority granted to the Chief Executive herein shall be used conservatively, with the utmost care, and only when deemed absolutely necessary by the Chief Executive’s judgment.

(h) The Chief Executive shall execute no more authority than is granted to him by this section and those powers granted to him as a member of the Executive Council.

Section 2.02. Executive Council

(a) This council shall consist of no more than three (3) designated members: the Chief Executive, and two Associate Caretakers.

(b) The members of this council shall have final authority over all officially established committees.

(c) Only these members shall be permitted to have access to the current AWTeen Caretaker privileges, and mediate control over access to AWTeen privilege accounts as defined in the Policies on Privilege Passwords.

(d) Upon ratification of this Charter:

(i) The current ‘Head CT’ shall be designated as the Chief Executive.

(ii) The remaining two Caretakers shall be designated as the Chief Executive’s

Associate Caretakers.

(e) Any member of this council shall be permitted to initiate contact with AWI; such contact must be clearly announced to the other council members.

(f) Members of the Executive Council shall execute no more authority than is explicitly granted to them herein, by all established Articles and any Amendments.

Section 2.03. Upper Cabinet

(a) The Upper Cabinet shall consist of those who were formally members of the Executive Council, and those who held the position of AWTeen Caretaker in past years.

(b) Exceptions are for those Caretakers whose discharge can be determined by consensus to be dishonorable, and for those Caretakers who do not wish to participate.

(c) It shall not be required of any Upper Cabinet member to be a registered citizen of Active Worlds.

Section 2.04 Lower Cabinet

(a) The Lower Cabinet shall consist of those who hold the position of Director of any organization officially recognized by this Charter.

Article III. TeenPatrol

Section 3.01. Purpose of Establishment

(a) The TeenPatrol shall be considered the AWTeen equivalent of AWI Peacekeepers.

(b) TeenPatrol Members shall execute all duties expected thereof, including the enforcement of established conduct and content guidelines.

(c) AWI Peacekeepers have primary authority in AWTeen; the TeenPatrol shall have secondary authority in the absence of a Peacekeeper.

(d) No AWTeen official shall be considered to have overruling authority over Peacekeepers, and Peacekeepers shall have no overruling authority over any AWTeen official.

Section 3.02. Member Duties

(a) TeenPatrol Members are responsible for managing cases of vandalism. They are the lead investigators in these cases, and are to be the first on the scene.

(b) These members shall be granted the right to eject those whom are found to be in violation of established guidelines, in accordance with the procedures established here.

Section 3.03. Member Code of Conduct and Rights

(a) Members have the right to log on at any time of any day to patrol, unless otherwise specified by AWTeen officials.

(b) Members have the right to log out at any time of any day, and are not obligated to remain on duty for any reason.

(c) Members do not have the right to remain on duty if ordered to log off by the TeenPatrol Director or a member of the Executive Council.

(d) ‘Just Ask Me’ Guides shall have priority on Public Speaker rights for their duties in the Ground Zero Area.

(e) Members may overtake the priority of a JAM Guide on Public Speaker rights if either requested to do so by the JAM Guide or if the member has probable cause to do so.

(f) Members may not use Public Speaker rights for any personal gain.

(g) More than one member may be logged in at the same time. Unless backup has been explicitly requested, only one (1) member may be actively patrolling the Ground Zero area.

(h) Members are required to assist all citizens and tourists that request help, and required to leave GZ if help is requested outside of GZ.

(i) Members may remain on duty at their sole discretion to resolve any problems and control situations.

(j) Members have full authority in all public areas.

(k) Members do not have to be on duty to offer basic assistance to a citizen or tourist.

(l) Members are subject to the same conduct and content guidelines enforced on all users in AWTeen.

Section 3.04. Policies on Enrollment

(a) Members shall be selected solely by recommendation from either the JAM Guide Director, or a member of the Executive Council.

(b) Unless otherwise specified, no member may be accepted into TeenPatrol without concurrently being in the JAM Guides program.

(c) The TeenPatrol Director shall inform the Executive Council of all persons enrolled into the TeenPatrol program; confirmation by executive order is required for enrollment to be officially recognized.

(d) The TeenPatrol Director reserves the right to deny entry into the TeenPatrol program for any or no reason.

(e) All prospective members shall be required to complete training as defined by the TeenPatrol Director. Exceptions may be made by executive order from the Executive Council.

(f) The TeenPatrol Director reserves the right to require re-training of any or all existing members.

Section 3.05 Policies on Suspension and Expulsion

(a) At the sole discretion of the TeenPatrol Director or a consensus of the Executive Council, members may be suspended and/or expelled at any time for any reason.

(b) Expelled members may not be readmitted into TeenPatrol unless permitted by executive order and with additional approval by the TeenPatrol Director.

Article IV. ‘Just Ask Me’ Guides

Section 4.01. Purpose of Establishment

(a) JAM Guides are the primary source for information for new and current users; JAM Guides are expected to answer questions ranging from AW basics to general questions about AWTeen or Active Worlds.

Section 4.02. Policies on Enrollment

(a) Those who wish to become a JAM Guide shall contact the JAM Guides Director for an application.

(b) New members will start on a “trial” period lasting for several days to a few weeks, depending on the performance of the new member. During this time they will be given the privilege password for the account called “AWTeen PS”.

(c) Once the member has proven themselves they will be given the PPW for the “Just Ask Me” account.

(d) The JAM Guides Director reserves the right to deny any application submitted, with or without reason. It shall take no more than fourteen (14) days to respond to a submitted application.

(e) All applicants shall be required to complete training as defined by the JAM Guides Director. Exceptions may be made by executive order from the Executive Council. Applicants should begin training within twenty-one (21) days of their acceptance into the program.

(f) The JAM Guides Director reserves the right to require re-training of any or all existing JAM Guides.

Section 4.03. Promotion to TeenPatrol

(a) The JAM Guides program is the first stepping stone to becoming something much better in AWTeen: a Teen Patrol member.

(b) As such, JAM Guides remain in the program until they are recommend for promotion to TeenPatrol. This recommendation may be made by the JAM Guides Director, the TeenPatrol Director, or by executive order of the Executive Council.

(c) Upon promotion, a JAM Guide goes into review by the TeenPatrol Director. If deemed responsible enough, the member shall be promoted to a probationary TeenPatrol position. After that time, if the member has proven themselves responsible, a full promotion may be made.

Section 4.04. Member Duties

(a) The primary duty of all JAM Guides is to act as a greeter for AWTeen. Often people will enter GZ and simply state “Hello” or “Hi”. When this happens, on-duty JAMs shall respond in a friendly manner to that person.

(b) JAM Guides should always maintain a friendly and warm nature about themselves, even when dealing with people they dislike or a person who is a known trouble maker. It is a JAM Guide’s duty to be friendly, outgoing, and encouraging.

(c) JAM Guides are often the first face of AWTeen a person may see; this being so, JAM Guides have the responsibility of making AWTeen a friendly and welcoming place for everyone.

Section 4.05. Time Clock

(a) All JAM Guides are monitored by an automated program while they are on JAM Guide privileges. This is to determine the amount of time spent on privileges. (b) JAM Guides shall only be credited for time spent on the privilege while in Ground Zero.

Section 4.06. Member Code of Conduct and Rights

(a) Members have the right to log on at any time of any day, as long as another JAM Guide is not currently logged on, or if the leaders of AWTeen denote that no JAM shall log on for a time period set by them. (b) Members have the right to log out at any time of any day, and are not obligated to remain on duty for any reason. Although it should be noted that a JAM Guide should finish any task he set forward on in regards to helping a citizen or tourist.

(c) When logging in, all JAM Guides shall announce themselves.

(d) When logging out, all JAM Guides should , if possible, give several minutes warning to allow for any last minute question answering.

(e) Members do not have the right to remain on duty if ordered off duty by the JAM Director or a member of the Executive Council.

(f) It shall be required for all members to commit to specified minimum time requirements per week, as defined by a current executive order.

(g) Only one JAM Guide may be logged in as on-duty, unless performing a shift change.

(h) Members may not “hog” activity time. If another JAM request to go on duty, the JAM currently on duty should log off, if they have been on for more than a half hour. If they have not been on duty for more than a half hour than they may remain on duty until that time period is up.

(i) Members must always help to the fullest extent of their knowledge any citizen or tourist that request help from them.

(j) Members shall remain stationed at GZ.

(k) Members are subject to the same rules as the common citizens, including the world’s rating.

(l) Members do not have to be on active duty to help a citizen or tourist.

Section 4.07. Policies on Problem Solving

(a) Members do not have the right to directly threaten to eject someone. Members do have the right to request someone with eject to come and review the situation.

(b) Members do not have the right, while on duty, to be directly involved in personal conflicts.

(c) Members have the right to log off to avoid conflicts if the situation becomes uncontrollable.

Section 4.08. Policies on Building

(a) No structures shall be built outside of GZ on the JAM Guide privileges without authorization from the JAM Guides Director.

(b) Minor edits can be made to structures at GZ that are under the JAM Guides privilege. Examples would be changing music, fixing broken objects, adding small decorations.

(c) No major edits of JAM GZ property may be made without authorization from the JAM’s leader or a Caretaker. Such as changing the entire structure of said property.

Section 4.09. Policies on Suspension and Expulsion

(a) At the sole discretion of the JAM Guides Director or by Executive Order, JAM Guides may be suspended and/or expelled at any time for any reason.

(b) Expelled members may not be readmitted into JAM Guides without an executive order of approval, and additional approval from the JAM Guides Director.

Article V. AWTeen Entertainment

Section 5.01. Purpose of Establishment

(a) The AWTeen Entertainment organization (“AWTE”) supercedes the previous “AWTeen Events” group. They establish and sponsor official events for AWTeen, including but not limited to paintball, trivia, and Wacky Wire.

Section 5.02. Leadership and Team Structures

(a) AWTE is managed by one Director, and two Associate Directors. The Director retains sole authority over all aspects of AWTE.

(b) As defined herein, AWTE shall utilize four teams in its operations.

(i) Planning

(ii) Building

(iii) Design

(iv) Programming

Section 5.03. Policies on Enrollment

(a) Prospective members are selected by the AWTE Director, with notification to the Executive Council.

Section 5.04. Policies on Suspension and Expulsion

(a) At the sole discretion of the AWTE Director or by Executive Order, members may be suspended and/or expelled at any time for any reason.

(b) Expelled members may not be readmitted into AWTE without approval by Executive Order, and additional approval from the AWTE Director.

Section 5.05. Express Amendment

(a) This article shall in the future be amended to flesh out further details on AWTE.

(b) This shall be the only article eligible for express amendment; this procedure shall be executed only once, with the express amendment eliminating this section.

(c) Being an express amendment, the approval of the executive council shall be the only formal requirement.

Article VI. Policies on Dealing with the Public

Section 6.01. Choose your words carefully

(a) You do not want to say the wrong thing and have it come back to bite you, or give them ammunition against you.

(b) Keep your statements brief, and simply worded until the situation is under your control.

(c) Always be very careful in making direct statements such as "I am going to eject you"; find another way around such words. Section 6.02 Remain calm under chaotic situations

(a) Yelling and showing frustration often drives chaotic situations to great extremes.

(b) Try to remain calm no matter what a person says. By staying calm you prove you are the better person, and maintain control of the situation.

(c) Remember that if a person gets out of hand you have the ability to assert your authority.

Section 6.03. Always discourage ill behavior

(a) In a chaotic situation involving a crowd, let everyone know that you are there to handle the situation, and suggest the involved people to calm down.

(b) By doing so, these people will often calm down, and become less rash about the situation at hand.

(c) Often times just being there is enough to calm the situation down.

Section 6.04. Handle vandalism with care

(a) When dealing with victims of vandalism, they may be very upset. In their frustration they take it out on you by yelling or cursing.

(b) Assure the victims that you are there to help and ask them to remain calm so you can fix the situation as quickly as possible.

(c) Try to refrain from ejecting them at all cost; they may be distraught and not aware they are breaking rules. This is not saying don’t eject them at all-- if they do become out of control, a small ejection may calm them down into realizing you are only there to help. Remember, though, that it is a last resort maneuver.

Section 6.05. Never use Public Speaker in vain

(a) This means that although you might sense a chaotic situation about to ensue, there is no need to login to the PPW and ask if everyone is doing okay.

(b) It is enough to simply ask off-PPW, and be able to quickly login should your assistance be requested or the situation climb out of control.

(c) By suddenly appearing in bold, it is possible to further alienate and/or aggravate some people.

Article VII. Policies on the Usage of Eject Rights

Section 7.01. Warnings

(a) AWTeen Staff have the right to warn any citizen or tourist, and the right to eject them if deemed necessary at the sole discretion of the staff member.

(b) Warnings regarding ejections shall NEVER be issued in public. All warnings shall be issued through private whisper or telegrams.

Section 7.02. TeenPatrol Ejection Protocol

(a) The following shall stand as proper ejection protocol exclusively for members of TeenPatrol.

• Offense #1: First warning
• Offense #2: Second warning
• Offense #3: Third and final warning.
• Offense #4: First ejection for five (5) minutes.
• Offense #5: Second ejection for one (1) hour.
• Offense #6: Referral to TeenPatrol Director a member of the Executive Council, or an AWI Peacekeeper.

Section 7.03. Non-TeenPatrol Ejection Protocol

(a) The following shall stand as ejection protocol for all other officials who hold eject rights in AWTeen.

• Offense #1: First warning.
• Offense #2: Final warning.
• Offense #3: First ejection for 5 minutes.

(b) The final warning issued for a second offense should make it clear that the offender will be removed from the world should he continue.

(c) Further offenses occurring beyond the third should be referred to the Executive Council, or if not available an AWI Peacekeeper.

Section 7.04. Disclosure of Ejections

(a) Ejections shall not be made public knowledge through public or private chat, inworld signage, or any other mode of communication outside the designated staff discussion forums.

Section 7.05. Abuse of Rights

(a) AWTeen Staff may never eject any individual for personal gain, for personal matters, or for personal issues.

Section 7.06. Documentation of Ejections

(a) The ejecting staff member must document to the fullest extent the ejection of all individuals in the following ways. If a TeenPatrol member, this documentation shall be immediately submitted to the designated TeenPatrol forum; otherwise, it shall be submitted directly to the Executive Council.

(b) Ejection documentation shall consist of no less than the following.

(i) Exact VRT date and time of the incident.

(ii) The citizen number and name of the offender. (If a tourist is involved, include only the name.)

(iii) IP address of the offender

(iv) A log of all chat and specific action taken prior to the ejection(s).

Article VIII. User Conduct Guidelines

Section 8.01. Jurisdiction

(a) User conduct in any ActiveWorlds, Inc. public building world is governed by the Active Worlds Conduct Guidelines, found at: http://www.activeworlds.com/community/conduct.asp

(b) The guidelines set forth herein shall be in addition to and superseded by the ActiveWorlds, Inc. guidelines.

(c) These guidelines shall constitute specific behavior expected in the Ground Zero Area, defined as the area extending 400 meters from the world entry point.

Section 8.02. Expected Behavior

(a) Please do not insult other tourists or citizens by use of inflammatory or offensive statements or images. We ask that you refrain from expressions of bigotry, racism, hatred, or profanity. Please do not harass other users, including verbal abuse or personal attacks.

(b) Please do not engage in racial, religious, ethnic, or sexual slurs, lewd comments, or generally disruptive behavior.

(c) Public meeting areas are not appropriate spaces for cyber-sexual behavior, discussions of sexual orientation, or discussions of sexual activity.

(d) The use of all caps is considered shouting; please refrain from using caps unless you are intending to shout. Please refrain from flooding (continuous posting of repetitive text) as this is annoying to most users.

(e) The impersonation of any member of, officially recognized AWTeen organization, including the Executive Council, and/or an AWI Peacekeeper will result in an automatic 1-day ejection without warning. This includes making deliberately false claims of membership in any official organization.

(f) The usage of bots in the Ground Zero area shall be limited to AWTeen Staff members, and any person granted permission by Executive Order.

Section 8.03. Enforcement

(a) ActiveWorlds Inc., its associates, members of TeenPatrol, and members of the Executive Council, reserve the right to enforce compliance with the guidelines established above, which may include ejection from the world.

(b) In the case where the guidelines above are not clear, it shall be the Executive Council’s responsibility to interpret these guidelines and make a final decision.

Section 8.04. Reports of Violations

(a) All violations shall be reported to any one of the following persons. It is preferred that you proceed in the order they are listed.

(i) ‘Just Ask Me’ Guides

(ii) TeenPatrol Members

(iii) Members of the Executive Council

(iv) An AWI Peacekeeper

(b) AWI staff members are gladly willing to assist the public in the event that no AWTeen official is available to provide such assistance.

Article IX. User Content Guidelines

Section 9.01. Jurisdiction

(a) These guidelines shall constitute expected behavior for those building anywhere in AWTeen, whether in Ground Zero or otherwise.

Section 9.02. Expected Behavior

(a) Users shall refrain from the display of material containing nudity, pornography, or sexual material of a lewd, lecherous or obscene nature and intent, or that violates local, state and national laws.

(b) Materials that are grossly offensive to the online community, including blatant expressions of bigotry, prejudice, racism, hatred or profanity shall not be tolerated.

(c) Activities that promote or provide instructional information about illegal activities shall be refrained from, as should promoting physical harm or injury against any group or individual, or promoting any act of cruelty to animals. This includes, but is not limited to, the following activities: Providing instructions on how to assemble bombs, grenades and other weapons.

(d) The covering of excessive amounts of land in AWTeen by any means including bots, keyboard macros, or even manual building may result in deletion of such land. Users shall limit land claims to land that can be directly used to build with. “Excessive” land claiming is defined as any area greater than 1 square kilometer, or an area of 100x100 cells.

Section 9.03. Enforcement

(a) ActiveWorlds Inc., its associates, members of TeenPatrol, and members of the Executive Council, reserve the right to remove objects or properties from AWTeen brought to our attention and which we find, in our sole discretion, to be in violation of any of these content guidelines or otherwise in violation of the law.

(b) While content is not actively monitored, ActiveWorlds Inc., its associates, members of TeenPatrol, and members of the Executive Council, reserve the right to investigate complaints made about any content in AWTeen.

Section 9.04. Reports of Violations

(a) All violations shall be reported to any one of the following persons. It is preferred that you proceed in the order they are listed.

(i) ‘Just Ask Me’ Guides

(ii) TeenPatrol Members

(iii) Members of the Executive Council

(iv) E-mail: violations@nospam-activeworlds.com (remove nospam-)

(b) AWI staff members are gladly willing to assist the public in the event that no AWTeen official is available to provide such assistance.

Article X. Policies on Handling Vandalism

Section 10.01. Random Objects

(a) Random objects litter AWTeen; they can be found just about everywhere and are most likely AWTeen's largest property based problem. Judging a random object is easy and mostly takes a glance. Sometimes it is not just one object; it may be a long line of objects, or a cluster of them.

(b) The following rules shall be used to determine what constitutes random objects.

(i) The Objects are not touching other property.

(ii) The Objects do not have anything do to with nearby property.

• Some clusters of objects may seem like random things, but may deal with a nearby build, such as part of a game. Check a decent amount of area, perhaps 10x10 from the object to ensure that the object is not related to anything nearby.
  
  

(iii) The Objects are random, or consist of a long line of objects, with no actual point to them.

• When dealing with objects in long lines, it’s important that you follow the objects from start to finish, ensuring they are not part of another build.
• A good example of this is a bridge build located at 526S 934W; from the ends of the waterway you cannot see the bridge, and thus makes the waterway seem like

random objects. (Note: The extended portion of the waterway that moves into the west was actually continued by another citizen.)

(iv) A large number of objects that cover a vast span, but which have no relevance, or have not been built on.

• Covering your land is a great idea, but covering vast amounts of it, then doing absolutely nothing with the land is considered "Junk Property".
• Handling this situation should usually consist of contacting the citizen to see if they are going to use the land, assuming it is ground cover and not just random objects. If they fail to respond within a reasonable timeframe, the land should be marked for deletion. Be sure to check as much of the area as you can.

Section 10.02. Property Encroachment

(a) Simple encroachment involves finding a small hole or break in someone's land cover, and simply placing an object inside that small area, thus preventing the land owner from covering that area. It's extremely common and usually involves signs since they are thin. Assuming it’s not a large amount of encroachment, usually the best thing to do is to simply have the object removed. If it seems like there is an unusually large amount of encroachment, and it does not seem malicious, check the dates to make sure the encroachment is indeed newer than the surrounding objects. If it is not and actually seems to have some form to it, such as a building, then it may actually be the other citizen who is encroaching or property blocking. Check all possible objects from the owners to see who has the oldest build.

(b) Another type of encroachment involves making objects rotate or move onto another citizen’s property. This is a common form of encroachment to cover someone's signs, and it isn't always malicious in nature. Sometimes people do it just to cover a sign that says something they find inappropriate. First off check the dates of the encroaching objects in comparison to the objects which they encroach on. If the objects encroaching are older, then once again it may be the other citizen whom is actually encroaching. Be sure to always check every possible object to see which build is older.

(c) When someone encroaches to cover signs/pictures they feel are inappropriate then first it must be determined if the signs/pictures are indeed violating the content guidelines. The encroaching objects should be removed in any case assuming they weren't built first. If the signs violate content guidelines then the signs/pictures should be deleted.

Section 10.03. Property Disputes

(a) Once the investigator has arrived on-scene, a bot shall be brought to the location if possible to take note of all users present.

(b) The investigator shall by himself discover the main parties involved in the dispute, and make note of all witnesses. The investigator shall then ask everyone to leave the scene to preserve the evidence at hand. If necessary, the investigator shall eject all involved parties for a minimum of five (5) minutes and no longer than one (1) hour.

(c) The investigator shall talk to all parties involved in a private location one-on-one, recording their statements and facts about the situation. This private location shall preferably be outside of AWTeen. The investigator shall speak to all parties involved. From these facts the investigator shall determine, in his sole discretion, the truth of the matter.

(d) The investigator shall not at any time take sides in the dispute.

(e) After the investigator has talked with all parties involved, the investigator shall return to the area in dispute. The parties involved shall point out, if possible, the oldest object in existence there. If the investigator feels neither party has compelling evidence, he may choose to ask the witnesses to help him with this.

(f) Once the dispute is settled, the investigator shall suggest that the main parties involved find separate areas to build and avoid each other.

Section 10.04. Property Blocking

(a) Property Blocking shall be defined herein as the act of surrounding an existing property with objects that prevent the affected building from expansion. (i.e., Bob building an ocean around Alice's house)

(b) The investigator shall check the dates on the objects in the area, to make sure that this isn't a hidden case of property encroachment that the party involved is trying to make look like property blocking.

(c) The investigator, after checking the area, shall talk to the party involved and try to discover any cause for this action. After establishing what happened, the violator shall be contacted so that they may remove the property themselves. If the violator fails to respond then the property may then be deleted.

Section 10.05. Profanity, Pornography, and Objects of a Sexual Nature

(a) Despite AWTeen’s audience of teens and adults, the current rating assigned by AWI shall be adhered to and enforced.

(b) The most common type of violation is signs with profanity written on them. Investigators must take into mind that not only curse words play into this, but subjects such as the following may also be considered in violation of the world rating: sex, violence, drugs, and drug paraphernalia.

(c) When dealing with property that falls under this section, the investigator shall, if possible, first cover the property in question. Then immediate contact the proper staff member so the property may be removed.

(d) The investigator shall remember to record all relevant data around the questionable property, such as its creator, its content, and the date and time it was created.

(e) Pornographic material is not as common in AWTeen, but it is a much more serious offense. The same protocol should be followed for pornographic pictures as stated above.

(f) Often times you will find avatars that are made to move in such a manner that it looks like they are having sexual intercourse. As well, some objects will be made to look like genitals or nude people. These are semi-common, and for the most part the only thing to do is take down information about the builds, and report them to the appropriate staff member to deal with.

Section 10.06. Religious Tolerance

(a) AWTeen is diverse by nature. People have many different views on religion, and they must all be taken into account. Although you may believe that all other religions are wrong, you must understand that the Internet is a place of diverse culture, and everyone's views must be taken into account.

(b) Many different religions exist, and some religions see other religious symbols as bad. The pentagram and pentacle are classic examples of this. They are widely used by Pagan cultures to represent the four elements and a high spirit. Some, however, view this symbol as a sign of hate and the devil. You must take into account when reviewing a build its purpose and over all content. A good example of this is located at 1426N 932.5W, in Blue Moon Village. Upon arrival look, straight up; visitors will notice an inverted pentagram. At first it may seem to be something bad, but upon farther review visitors find much different intentions in the build. If you feel that the intent of the build is for something that violates the assigned rating of the world, such as burning avatars on a cross, than take the information and report just as normal vandalism.

(c) All religions must be taken into account, even when it comes to religions that are perceived as “very bad”. Visitors traveling to 666N 666W will find some signs talking about Satanism. While the purpose of this build may or may not have directly been to convey information about Satanism, it is still there, and does not violate the world rating just because it talks about Satan. You must realize that other people have other views, and even if they conflict with your own, they are still allowed as long as they do not violate the rating of the world. If it does violate the world rating, take the information and report just as normal vandalism.

Article XI. Policies regarding Permanent Bans

Section 11.01. Definitions

(a) Permanent bans, as defined by this Charter, are ejections placed on users which have an expiration date set to “Never”.

(b) Outlined in the sections below are two protocols to be followed in placement of permanent bans. The first is for “non-emergency” situations in which the ejection can be reasonably delayed. The second is for “emergency” situations, which constitute ejections that must immediately be placed to preserve the security of property and/or users.

(c) No permanent ban may be enacted without final approval from AWI.

Section 11.02. Non-Emergency Protocol

(a) In non-emergency situations, no ejections are to be set until final approval has been obtained.

(b) A proposal shall be initiated in the appropriate discussion forum regarding the permanent ban. The proposal shall consist of the following.

(i) Citizen Name and Number (if applicable) of the person to be banned.

(ii) IP address of the person to be banned.

(iii) A structured essay detailing the exact offenses committed by the person to be banned. If necessary, logs from official global mode bots may be requested.

(c) All members of the General Assembly shall discuss the proposal for a period lasting one week.

(d) At the end of the one-week discussion, a voting shall be held.

(e) To successfully move the proposal into the next stage, a two-thirds majority vote of approval from both the Lower Cabinet and Executive Council must be reached.

(f) One member of the Executive Council (who is not the proposal’s initiator) shall forward the proposal to the designated AWI liaison for final approval.

(g) Upon confirmed approval from AWI, a member of the Executive Council other than the proposal’s initiator shall set the appropriate ejections.

Section 11.03. Emergency Protocol

(a) If, at the sole discretion of a member of the Executive Council, a person is deemed to be an immediate threat to property and/or users, that member shall be authorized to place an immediate ejection lasting no more and no less than one day. By approval of executive order, the ejection may be extended to one week in duration.

(b) Following this ejection, the Executive Council member shall execute the remainder of the steps involved in the “Non-Emergency” protocol (starting from ‘B’).

Article XII. Executive Orders

Section 12.01. Definition

(a) An Executive Order is a general statement or a decision made by consensus of all members from the Executive Council.

Section 12.02. Limitations

(a) An Executive Order may not contradict the Charter.

(b) An Executive Order may neither implicitly nor explicitly attempt to change or amend the Charter.

Article XIII. Policies for the Resignation of Caretakers

Section 13.01. Definition

(a) Any member of the Executive Council may choose to voluntarily resign, with or without cause.

(b) It is recommended for the outgoing member to suggest a successor, but it shall not be required.

(c) Except in the case of resignation by the Chief Executive, the remaining Council members shall issue an Executive Order naming a successor, taking into consideration any suggestion made by the outgoing member.

(d) Members who wish to resign are encouraged to give a notice of at least two weeks; this shall not be required. In the case of resignation by the Chief Executive, a notice of four weeks shall be required.

(e) If any member of the Executive Council is absent without leave for a period lasting no longer than 90 consecutive days, he will be considered to have resigned. In the case of the Chief Executive, this period shall be 31 consecutive days.

(f) Should the Chief Executive resign, his successor shall be designated according to the procedures defined in Article XIV, Section 4.

Article XIV. Policies for the Impeachment of Caretakers

Section 14.01. Initiation

(a) To promote the fair exercise of power by the Executive Council and to provide a means of punishment for severe Charter violations, the Power of Impeachment shall be defined in this article.

(b) An impeachment proceeding shall start with either a consensus in the Lower Cabinet, or from two members of the Upper Cabinet; they shall present a Declaration of No Confidence (defined in the following section) to the Executive Council. This declaration may be composed by a member of the Executive Council, though it still must be presented as defined herein. Proceedings may not be directly initiated by any member of the Executive Council.

(c) Upon receiving and reading the Declaration, the remaining Executive Council members shall decide by executive order whether the impeachment proceedings may continue. The caretaker in question shall not be eligible to vote on this executive order.

(d) To begin impeaching the Chief Executive, majority approval must be found in both the Lower and Upper Cabinets.

Section 14.02. Declaration of No Confidence

(a) This declaration shall consist of a detailed point-by-point case citing any violations of the Charter and clear reasons why the caretaker in question is no longer fit to serve.

(b) The caretaker in question may choose to voluntarily resign at any point in the impeachment proceedings.

(c) During the discussion stage, all members of the General Assembly are encouraged to write their Opinion of Assent (agreement), or their Opinion of Dissent (disagreement). These Opinions shall elaborate on their standing of the impeachment and/or the Caretaker in question. Members may choose to support an Opinion written by another member.

(d) The Caretaker in question shall have the opportunity to post a Defense of Position responding to points raised by the Declaration of No Confidence. This Defense shall not attempt to either stall or accelerate the impeachment proceedings.

Section 14.03. Vote of No Confidence

(a) After the Declaration has been discussed, and assuming the caretaker in question has not already voluntarily resigned, a vote shall be conducted by the entire General Assembly, excluding the caretaker in question.

(b) A full consensus is required in both the Lower Cabinet and the remnants of the Executive Council. A majority consensus is preferred as confirmation by the Upper Cabinet, but shall not be required.

(c) For impeachment of the Chief Executive, final approval from AWI is required once the petition has successfully passed the General Assembly. It shall be required to submit to AWI the full Declaration, all Opinions of Assent, all Opinions of Dissent, and the Defense of Position if it is available. In the event that AWI denies approval of such impeachment, the caretaker in question shall not be subject to any further impeachment proceedings for a period of at least 90 consecutive days.

(d) For impeachments of Associate Caretakers that do not succeed, the caretaker in question shall not be subject to further attempts of impeachment for a period of at least 31 consecutive days.

Section 14.04. Succession of the Chief Executive

(a) Should the Chief Executive be successfully impeached, or if he resigns pursuant to the guidelines established in Article XIII, the guidelines herein are to be followed in determining a successor.

(b) All members of the General Assembly shall cast nominations for a successor. The following shall constitute formal requirements.

(i) Registered citizen for one (1) year.

(ii) Active in AWTeen for a minimum of six (6) months.

(c) The nomination period shall last for at least two weeks.

(d) After nominations are cast, the Executive Council shall conduct a tally. The top three nominations from this tally will be put through a final vote by the General Assembly. The results of this voting shall be submitted to AWI.

Article XV. Procedures for Amending the Charter

Section 15.01. Initiation of an Amendment Proposal

(a) Any member of the General Assembly may initiate an Amendment Proposal to propose changes to the established Charter. Amendments may also be proposed by any associate of ActiveWorlds, Inc.

Section 15.02. Amendment Procedure

(a) An amendment begins in “Alpha Stage”. The initiator shall detail their proposal in the designated discussion forum of the General Assembly. This is the only place where the amendment is to be discussed until it has moved into the later stages. In this stage, all members of the General Assembly should discuss the amendment in its proposal thread. An amendment will spend at least one week in this stage.

(b) After at least one week in “Alpha Stage”, all members of the Lower Cabinet and Executive Council shall conduct a vote. A simple majority (50% + 1) is required for the amendment to continue forward.

(c) In “Beta Stage”, the amendment will made public for comment. In this stage, revisions may still be made; such revisions are to be published and clearly documented; any replaced text should be moved to a footnote. The amendment will remain in this stage for at least two weeks; in “emergency” situations and by two-thirds majority approval of the Lower Cabinet and Executive Council, an amendment's “Beta Stage” period may be shortened to a minimum of three days. This stage may not be extended in length beyond three weeks. At this point the initiator may still choose to withdraw his proposal, thereby entirely canceling it.

(d) After the two-week “Beta Stage” period, assuming the amendment has not been withdrawn by the initiator, a general opinion poll shall be conducted in-world (by means of bot, if available). At this point, the amendment may not be modified in any way. All citizens are eligible to cast one vote stating their approval or disapproval of the amendment. If a bot is available to record voting, it shall allow tourists and track their votes by IP address; in the case of manual voting, tourists will not be eligible to vote. If in a future version of Active Worlds this becomes available, computer IDs must also be recorded in votes taken by a bot. The general opinion poll is to be taken for two weeks; in "emergency" situations and by two-thirds majority approval of the Lower Cabinet and Executive Council, the time period for general opinion polls may be shortened to a minimum of three days.

(e) At the conclusion of the general opinion poll, the amendment shall pass through a final vote by the entire Lower Cabinet and Executive Council. No changes may be made to the amendment. To fully enact the amendment, there must be a twothirds majority vote of approval from all members of the Lower Cabinet and Executive Council.

(f) After having successfully passed the Assembly, an amendment shall be placed on hold for two consecutive days. During this time, AWI may at its sole and absolute discretion issue a veto on the amendment. If no veto occurs after two days

Section 15.03. Repeal of Amendments

(a) Once an amendment has been enacted it may not be repealed in any way except through another amendment which explicitly does so.

(b) Repeal amendments are no different from standard amendments and must follow the exact same process described herein.

Article XVI. Policies on Ground Zeros

Section 16.01. Development

(a) There shall be no more than one Ground Zero update per season; this means four GZs may be established per year: fall, winter, spring, and summer. It is permissible to “skip” seasons; i.e., the Spring GZ may continue into Summer.

(b) An Executive Order shall define a Ground Zero Committee to establish and develop a Ground Zero for the specified season; for example, an executive order may define a “Winter 2007 GZ Committee” to develop a GZ for Winter 2007.

(c) It is preferable for a GZ intended for the upcoming season to be developed near the middle of its preceding season; i.e., a Winter GZ should begin development in early to mid Fall.

Section 16.02. Moving In

(a) Once designated complete by its committee, a member of the Executive Council shall be assigned the following tasks.

(i) A complete backup of the current Ground Zero.

(ii) A complete backup of the GZ to be moved in.

(iii) The deletion of the current GZ, followed by the insertion of the new GZ.

(iv) The restoration of the old GZ to a location determined by the Council member. This location must be publicly announced.

(b) An optional tradition may be observed: after an appropriate backup is made of the current GZ, members of the General Assembly may be permitted to ‘mutilate’ this GZ. Observation of this tradition must be approved by executive order, preferably at the time the GZ Committee is established.

Article XVII. Policies on Privilege Passwords

Section 17.01. Primary Access Control

(a) The Password File, as maintained by the Executive Council, is the sole official source of all AWTeen privilege accounts.

(b) Access to privileges shall only be granted by executive order.

Section 17.02. Secondary Access Control

(a) Should this become available in the future, access control shall be additionally mediated by a specifically designed bot.

(b) The full source code to this bot shall be submitted to the Executive Council. It shall be required that this code be enough to produce a working executable. In the event that objectionable code is discovered, the Executive Council shall have the right to modify and remove such code. Objectionable code shall be determined at the sole discretion of the Executive Council.

(c) No bot shall be permitted to act as a secondary access control without appropriate source code availability as defined above.

Section 17.03. Privilege Requests

(a) Only members of the Lower Cabinet shall be permitted to request any privilege password. Members of Charter-recognized organizations shall be required to ask their organization director for privilege clearance, which must have final approval of the Executive Council.

(b) All privilege passwords are subject to change at any time by any member of the Executive Council, with the exception of the Caretaker account.

(c) The privilege password of the Caretaker account may only be changed by permission of an executive order.

(d) Once a member of the Executive Council has made a change to any privilege password, the Password File must be updated and sent to the other Council members. If an organization is affected by this change its director shall be notified, unless otherwise specified by an executive order.

(e) It shall take no more than five days for approval of a privilege password request; if no response is given, it shall be assumed the request has been denied.

See also

• AWTeen Charter (2002)