Talk:Rules and Policies
Any proposed changes to the standing rules should be placed on this page.
We will be evaluating all other hackerspaces' Rules and Policies over a time, and potentially adopting some of theirs, with mods to them.
Some mentionable online resources:
- http://wiki.hacdc.org/index.php/Resource_Use_Policy
- http://wiki.hacdc.org/index.php/How_to_Run_an_Event
- http://www.hackerspace.lu/wiki/Guidelines
- http://archreactor.org/wiki/index.php/Rules_And_Policies
Need wording for Grievances, and Member Conduct peter242 13:34, 7 April 2011 (CDT)
Below are some thoughts that I had regarding a few of the rules. -Steve Reeves 11/28/2011 Pandabob
I see a few potential problems with the "Minors" section:
Problem #1 - "4. Minors under 21 years old will need to sign a waiver..." Is a person aged 18, 19 or 20 still a minor? This also confuses rule #1 that states that "Minors" may not have a key. Do you have to be 18 or 21 to have a key?
Possible Solution - Reword #1 to state the minimum age required to posses a key. Reword #4 to read, "Anyone under the age of 21..."
Problem #2 - Do these rules apply to members that are minors or to members AND guests? The lack of specification suggests that the rules apply equally to all minors regardless of membership status but it may be that we have a different set of waivers that a person signs depending on their membership status.
Possible Solution A - Explicitly state that the rules apply to both members and guests. Possible Solution B - Create a subsection with specific rules that apply to minor guests (which may be either more strict, or in the case of waivers more streamlined...)
Problem #3 - "...they will not consume or possess alcohol on the premises nor any other illegal substances." This is problematic for a couple of reasons. First, it kind of suggests that those that are not minors may posses illegal substances. Secondly, the spirit of what this rule is trying to promote is mired in a semantic logical mess. I'm presuming that this rule is here because there's alcohol stored on the premises that isn't under lock and key and controlled by a designated party and the idea is to have minors promise not to drink any of it - and while we're at it don't do any other drugs either. Which is a good policy to have. The core of the problem is two-fold. One, it's sometimes legal for a minor to have alcohol. Two, some substances are legal for some to possess and illegal for others (ADHD meds) while some drugs are illegal for everyone to have regardless of their age. I also question the term "waiver" in this case... Would it be a waiver? or some other document? Why have a special document to sign for this rule and not the others?
Possible Solution - Reword #4 to state something like, "Anyone under the age of 21 is strictly prohibited from consuming or possessing alcohol." If it's felt that there needs to be a rule regarding other "illegal substances" then that should probably go under the section for "Code of Conduct" and apply to all ages. If we do want a special document to be signed then I think the term is 'pledge' and not 'waiver'.
Problem #4 - We require all guests to be " escorted in the warehouse area by a Member at all times" and they can not "inhabit" the DMS "without another member present", and anyone under the age of 15 must be "accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at all times." Reading these separate rules raises some questions as to what the difference between "inhabit", "accompanied", and "escorted" are.
Possible Solution - Get rid of the word "Inhabit" and standardize on "Accompanied." All guests and minors under 15 must be "Accompanied" by an appropriate individual which is defined as something like, "both parties must be on-site." Furthermore, state that in the Workshop area all guests and minors under a certain age (if this is indeed deemed appropriate) must be "escorted" by an appropriate individual and define that as something like, "both parties must be in the workshop" or "escorts must remain within 10 feet of..." or the like.
Problem #5 - "Minors are not allowed to have keys." - Keys to what? Anything in or at the space that has a lock on it? What about a fob that opens a door is that a key? This probably should be more specific. It also raises a larger problem. These rules seem to be written such that they apply to the physical space that DMS occupies yet they are the "Rules and Procedures" for members and guests of the organization. How do they relate to activities that take place off-site? It's probably worth going through all of these rules and tweak them such that it's more obvious which ones apply to the physical space and which ones apply at any DMS-related event.
Possible Solution - "Only members aged 18 and older are allowed to posses keys or other access devices (including passwords) that allow entry into DMS facilities, access to locked areas within the DMS facilities or enable the operation of any "locked" equipment located within the DMS facilities. It might be worth considering if this rule should apply to any DMS-related computer systems located on or off-site... It's probably worth adding something to the effect that the BOD may grant access to minors at it's discretion.
Storage Addition
Can we add "Personal Storage Bins" under the "Storage" heading - when searching "Storage" you get redirected to this page? It just needs to be a one-liner directing people to "https://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/Category:Logistics#Personal_Storage".
Erik Smith sez:
The Rules and Policies page are the exclusive purview of the Board of Directors since they're the standing rules for the organization. The single instance of non-policy within I'm responsible for was made to provide context for a complimentary board motion.
As a thoroughly ex-DMS-important person I am reluctant to include the mention of something you were able to find, however the Secretary may deem such a change useful.
Lastly, the wiki pages are used pretty much never for policy discussions - for that I suggest Talk or emailing the Board.
Andrew says:
Though Erik Smith is completely correct, I have put in an inquiry with the BoD as to whether this can be a simple "upkeep" edit of this page, or if it needs to be put to a vote/whatnot as part of the standing rules/policies. All the same, these Discussion pages are, in fact, virtually NEVER used as intended (this being a phenomenally rare exception and therefore notwithstanding), and Talk/email would be the better way to go when soliciting change/feedback/discussion.
