Charter for Knights of the White Lady
Ratified: 4/27/2007
Modified: 5/17/2014
SECTION I: Preamble
Knights of the White Lady (hereafter “KWL”) is a guild founded on the Landroval server for Lord of the Rings Online. Its mission is to provide a safe and supportive environment for its members, particularly those who identify as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered (LGBT) community. Guild membership is open to all individuals of any sexual orientation who are admitted by the guild’s rules and procedures, but it must be clearly understood that an environment fostering diversity, acceptance, and respect will be maintained.
In addition to providing a safe space, the purpose of KWL is to provide friendship, camaraderie, mutual defense, loyalty, adventure, and protection to its members. Role playing in character is encouraged but not required.
KWL values diversity in gender and gender identity.
The Council and Guildmaster may authorize the formation of KWL guilds in other online games and communities.
SECTION II: Rules of conduct
KWL members are expected to adhere to the following rules of conduct:
A. Be respectful of your fellow guildmates, whether in private or public communication channels. Be mindful of how your comments might hurt or offend others.
B. Avoid offensive language, channel-dominating behavior, and graphic content in the guild chat channel and in guild voice channels. Adhere to the chat policy guidelines set forth on the guild website.
C. Your behavior towards others outside the guild should always reflect well on the guild itself. We are all representatives of the guild because we wear its name and must behave accordingly.
D. Only Council members are empowered to speak on the guild’s behalf in public forums. If someone asks you to speak for the guild, refer him to the Council.
E. Apply common sense and be considerate as to when it’s a good time to loot treasure, gather ore or resources, etc.
F. Be helpful to the guild, fellow members, and to the community.
G. All full members and recruits, including their alts, must be listed in the guild roster and claimed on the website. Unclaimed characters may be expelled from the guild. In addition, all characters, are required to have an in-game player note indicating what the player prefers to be called, whether the character is the main character or an alt, and the name of the player’s main character.
H. All recruits and members are encouraged to use the guild voice-chat server as a way of communicating with others in the guild. Members are not required to speak on voice-chat, but are encouraged to log in to listen.
SECTION III: Officers
KWL officers are volunteers who assist the guild, the Council, and the Guildmaster. All officers serve as liaisons between members and leadership. The guild will have the following officers responsible for the listed duties:
A. Guildmaster (GM): The person in charge of the Guild. This position may never be vacant. The GM reviews applications for membership and approves or denies them for admission, and is responsible for all decisions to expel members of the guild, including members of the Council (excepting Founders). The GM serves as Chairperson of the Council and may from time to time call for meetings of the Council, Officers, and/or membership as needed. The GM also has the authority to enter into or cancel alliances with other guilds. The GM or a designee may also remove inactive members from the guild.
B. Council: Members of the Council are themselves considered to be Officers (see Section IV: The Council, below).
C. Other Officers: Officerships may be granted or removed as needed. Other Officers may be appointed and removed by the assent of the Council and the Guildmaster.
SECTION IV: The Council
A. The Council will consist of the following individuals:
1. The Founders (known as Calafalas, Lallo, and Faern in LOTRO), if they are at least semi-active and wish to serve, whether or not they keep other titles. Founders may not be expelled for any reason other than extended inactivity, and they are eligible for reinstatement to the guild and the Council upon request.
2. The Guildmaster (GM).
3. Any additional seats as may be created by the assent of the Council and the Guildmaster, as required given the size and needs of the Guild. These additional seats may be eliminated subsequently by attrition should they later not be needed. Members of the Council who resign or are removed are not automatically eligible for reinstatement to the Council.
B. The Council has the following responsibilities:
1. Assisting the Guildmaster in running the guild.
2. Advising and assisting the Guildmaster on all disciplinary matters.
3. Managing the guild’s resources and money.
4. Meeting regularly to help decide policy matters.
5. Advising the Guildmaster on admission decisions for guild applicants.
6. Declaring the Guildmaster seat vacant if its holder has not logged into the game for more than 35 days without good cause given. If the Guildmaster seat is declared vacant, the Council will elect a replacement.
7. Advising the Guildmaster on alliance matters. h. Reviewing and approving all public relations matters (such as videos or advertisements), and serving as the voices of the guild in public forums.
C. Council decisions, where applicable, are by simple majority vote (except for electing the Guildmaster).
SECTION V: Changes to Charter
The Council may modify the charter by majority vote as needed to fit new circumstances, with feedback from the membership. Additionally, the membership may modify the charter by gaining the vote of 2/3 of the membership in favor of the proposed change. Membership is defined as individual accounts on the website, and does not include “alts.”
SECTION VI: Admission
The guild must balance the community’s need for a safe haven for LGBT people and their allies on the one hand, and the guild’s need for close bonds on the other. The following process should balance both to the greatest extent possible:
A. Any prospective applicant must first fill out an application for membership at the guild website, which sends it to the Guildmaster for review.
B. Upon review of the application, the applicant may optionally be instructed to contact a member of the Council, any one of whom may interview the candidate with whatever questions he believes will determine the applicant’s fitness for membership.
C. The Guildmaster will make the decision on admission or rejection of the applicant as a recruit, and will inform the Council of the decision. The GM may seek feedback or other involvement from the Council if there are questions as to whether the candidate should be admitted.
D. Upon receiving notification of a new member’s acceptance from the Guildmaster, any Council member may admit the applicant with a rank of “Recruit.” It is the admitting Council member’s responsibility to verify that the application was approved.
E. The new Recruit will have a 30-day probationary period, during which time their behavior will be monitored and the Council will decide if they will be a good candidate for full Member status.
SECTION VII: Guild housing and property
A. The Kin Hall: The guild maintains a Kin Hall on the Landroval server, with the address of 1 High Road in the Highdore neighborhood of the Bree-Land Homesteads. The Guildmaster shall be responsible for the overseeing of payment of maintenance fees, decoration of the grounds and interior, and setting in-game permissions.
B. The Guild website: The Guildmaster or designee shall be responsible for paying for the subscription and shall maintain a PayPal account or use a credit card to pay this subscription rate at the period designated by the website provider. The GM may raise real funds via voluntary contributions from guild members to defray his personal costs associated with this subscription as deemed appropriate.
C. The Guild VOIP server: If KWL maintains a voice chat server (such as Mumble), the Guildmaster or a designee shall be responsible for paying the server fee and shall maintain a PayPal account or credit card for the payment of said fee. The GM may raise real funds to defray his personal costs associated with this subscription as deemed appropriate.
D. All virtual and real funds raised through tithe, taxes, duties, item sales, and contributions shall be recorded and maintained. Non-monetary contributions or those in which funds do not pass directly through the Guild will not be tracked. The Guildmaster or the Officer designated as Treasurer will report the status of in-game and real guild funds annually and upon Council request.
E. The Council may impose taxes, tithes, duties, fundraising activities, and additional agreements as appropriate to meet demonstrated Guild needs.
