StarBase 118 Group History: Difference between revisions

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Formerly the group's administration was run by the UFOP '[[High Council]]', which consisted of all officers ranking Captain or higher. This system worked well for the first several years of the club's existence, until the fleet size swelled to 14 vessels and the High Council became began to grow ineffective. The proverb 'too many cooks spoil the broth' quickly comes to mind. To remedy the problems of the High Council, the group restructured its command in September 1999. The largest change was that the High Council was replaced by the [[UFOP Executive Command]] (UEC), and the UFOP fleet was divided into two sub-fleets. Rear Admiral Marlin took command of one sub-fleet, while Rear Admiral Randor took command of the other. The goal of this change was to make administration of the fleet easier, by allowing smaller groups to work together.
Formerly the group's administration was run by the UFOP '[[High Council]]', which consisted of all officers ranking Captain or higher. This system worked well for the first several years of the club's existence, until the fleet size swelled to 14 vessels and the High Council became began to grow ineffective. The proverb 'too many cooks spoil the broth' quickly comes to mind. To remedy the problems of the High Council, the group restructured its command in September 1999. The largest change was that the High Council was replaced by the [[UFOP Executive Command]] (UEC), and the UFOP fleet was divided into two sub-fleets. Rear Admiral Marlin took command of one sub-fleet, while Rear Admiral Randor took command of the other. The goal of this change was to make administration of the fleet easier, by allowing smaller groups to work together.


After a few months of working in the new system several problems were highlighted. In an attempt to solve these problems, a few more administrative changes were introduced in late December 1999. These changes re-unified the UFOP fleet and created a single [[Captains Council]]. The Captains Council replaced the previous sub-fleet councils, and now serves as a discussion forum for all command level officers ranking Commander or above. The UEC was still the decision making body of the group, but the Captains Council gave all command level officers the opportunity to discuss group matters and suggest policy to the UEC for consideration. The chair-person of the Captains Council was also a full member of the UEC and was elected by the UFOP captains every six months.
After a few months of working in the new system several problems were highlighted. In an attempt to solve these problems, a few more administrative changes were introduced in late December 1999. These changes re-unified the UFOP fleet and created a single [http://www.starbase118.net/members/councils/cc.php Captains Council]. The Captains Council replaced the previous sub-fleet councils, and now serves as a discussion forum for all command level officers ranking Commander or above. The UEC was still the decision making body of the group, but the Captains Council gave all command level officers the opportunity to discuss group matters and suggest policy to the UEC for consideration. The chair-person of the Captains Council was also a full member of the UEC and was elected by the UFOP captains every six months.


As with all forms of administration, the UFOP Command team needs to be flexible and respond to change (as well as recognizing when change is required). Late in 2000, it became clear that further reforms were required. The ideas behind the UEC and Captains Council were good but there was no definition. There were no clear rules about who made what decisions and how the UEC and Captains Council should operate. As such it was proposed to create a UFOP Constitution (CON). The CON would be binding on every UFOP officer from a newly recruited cadet to Fleet Admiral Wolf. Brian Kelly, a senior group member, kindly offered his expertise in writing legal documents and spent many hours creating the first draft of the CON. This draft was then discussed by officers of Commander rank and higher and from this discussion a final draft was created. All UFOP Officers of Commander rank or higher were then asked to vote on whether the CON should be adopted. The answer was a unanimous yes and so it was that the UFOP Constitution was ratified on December 17th 2000. This is now the most significant document in the group and is binding on all our members.
As with all forms of administration, the UFOP Command team needs to be flexible and respond to change (as well as recognizing when change is required). Late in 2000, it became clear that further reforms were required. The ideas behind the UEC and Captains Council were good but there was no definition. There were no clear rules about who made what decisions and how the UEC and Captains Council should operate. As such it was proposed to create a UFOP Constitution (CON). The CON would be binding on every UFOP officer from a newly recruited cadet to Fleet Admiral Wolf. Brian Kelly, a senior group member, kindly offered his expertise in writing legal documents and spent many hours creating the first draft of the CON. This draft was then discussed by officers of Commander rank and higher and from this discussion a final draft was created. All UFOP Officers of Commander rank or higher were then asked to vote on whether the CON should be adopted. The answer was a unanimous yes and so it was that the UFOP Constitution was ratified on December 17th 2000. This is now the most significant document in the group and is binding on all our members.