Table of Contents

• Hiring For 2022 Term
• Advice From The Chamber
• Member Mediation Process
• Important Links

Hiring For 2022 Term

I would like to start off by thanking both Alethia Archenksova and Kamjin "Maverick" Lap'lamiz for their work this term. Arch, specifically, has been a powerhouse and a reliable presence for myself and I have outlined that very clearly in my recommendations for Arch's recent Ruby Scepter and Elder Promotion. Kamjin had the difficult task of taking over mid-term when Dracaryis had to step away from his positions in the club. He has been a refreshing addition with a huge focus on members. I was happy to offer my recommendation (and permanently cement the "Other Mav" joke) for his Amethyst Kukri. Thank you so much. It would have been a far less successful term without your strong help, both of you. Also, thanks to Dracaryis for his help and perspective while I had the chance to work with him.

Now, it has been a very quiet term for the Appeals panelists, but they are no less deserving of thanks. Korvis, Tasha'Vel Versea, and Benevolent Taldrya Whiner provided a presence behind the curtain that I knew I could rely on should they be called upon. I sincerely apologize for stealing the wiki work that often falls to the panelists when it comes to wikifying the case files, but some might also consider that a gift! Thank you, and congratulations on completing your term.

In a fit of unoriginality, I shall be lifting the outline from my predecessors for the opening of these applications.

The current term for the Chamber of Justice ends on February 26.

I have five staff positions that need filling: two Hands and three Appeals Panel members. As usual, I'll be accepting applications only via a finely aged survey. I am accepting applications for a little over three weeks, from now until Sunday, Feb. 20. Feel free to apply for all five jobs or for none: the choice is yours! You can find the position descriptions on the CoJ Wiki page. I also encourage you to take Basic Covenant Studies if you haven't already.

There are no rank or experience requirements. I will try to select members from a broad range of clans to fill these slots, but, especially for the Hands, my decision will be based on who I think is the best person for each job.

One note I will make is that, aside from the RHoJ serving as prosecutor and LHoJ as defense counsel during trial, the day-to-day administrative work of the jobs differs in one key way: the Right Hand is primarily responsible for processing potential clone notices, including contacting relevant members and keeping our tracking database updated. It’s usually not a heavy lift, but it’s very important and time sensitive.

If you’re at all interested in serving in the Chamber and can commit to holding one of the positions for the next year, please apply!

Use the following Google Form to apply for Left Hand, Right Hand, Appeals Panel, or all of the above: CoJ Applications 2022 Term.

Advice From The Chamber

Our club has taken on a primarily chat focused existence, and with that comes a variety of pitfalls. Namely, we're a microcosm of society with all the differences that it brings. With those differences you're going to have, well, differences of opinion. Namely, in what can be considered offensive or rude. In chat, where everything is written and nothing is perceived, the interpretation of words by the recipient is everything and intention means very little. That is something we all must keep in mind, and it is critical to be mindful of it to avoid situations that make others uncomfortable, and, if that should occur despite best intentions, how we react to that and adapt means the world.

The Hands and I have discussed this at length time and time again, here's some advice from them:

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There's a difference between "I'm sorry you feel that way" and moving on, and Kam's "I'm sorry that I caused you to feel" followed by the action you're taking. I think that's what gets lost sometimes

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Perception is reality.

If the person receiving your message perceives it in a negative light, then the message is negative for that person. No amount of explaining, clarifying, or restatement will change how the person received the message.

Your message must be tailored in such a way as to prevent misinterpretation by the receiver. The best means to address this is to have candid feedback. For the receiver, use "I" or "me" statements.

e.g., "When you tell me I'm Other Mav, it makes me feel forgotten."

As the sender, it's best to apologize and make a commitment to not continue the line of discussion.

"e.g., I'm sorry that I caused you to feel forgotten. I'll refer to you as [Other] Mav from now on."

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What does this all mean to us as users? Well, it means you should be taking a "good faith" stance by default, which means not looking for insults in the text of others that aren't blatantly there. However, should you be made uncomfortable or upset by the comments of another, they won't know unless you tell them. Have you been told this? Then the ball has been passed to you and best practice should be to apologize and take corrective action. That means avoid doing it again and change how you interact in that space. It's a team effort between everyone here and, quite frankly, the "rules" will change from chat to chat depending on who makes their home there.

It's also important not to assume offense on another's behalf. Unless you know for a fact, from them, that they are offended, you could be missing an "in joke" or making an issue where none exists. Allow others to speak for themselves unless they're uncomfortable doing so. And, again, this relies on communication.

I, for one, have an extremely dark humour built up through several generations of family and a heavy dose of "coping with trauma through jokes". That means, for example, my first reaction to a death is a joke. I can't even count how many times this has gotten me in trouble. So, I adapted. I make those jokes on the inside instead...then share them with a close circle I know will appreciate it.

That's all we ask of members, and that's the biggest advice this chamber can give. We're not asking anyone to be psychic and know exactly what will or won't offend others. We only ask that should you happen to do so you will communicate, adapt, and carry on. It's all we can hope for, and it's not a guarantee that everyone will always be happy with everything said, but it's better than the alternatives.

Member Mediation Process

As has been said many a times, this chamber does not want to issue charges to the membership. Our focus is on mediation before adjudication. So, we've identified a process for mediation with the membership and have shared it with Consuls, and probably will do so again periodically as a reminder. That process goes:

1. Summit receives complaint or takes note of issue
2. Summit begins mediation and notifies CoJ
3. CoJ begins tracking
4. In the event of Summit mediation failure, CoJ steps in
5. In the event of CoJ mediation failure, charges will be reviewed
6. CoJ issues charges and the judicial process is followed

In the best of cases, and the majority, the process chain never moves past step 3. That is our happy place! The chamber is granted knowledge of a potential issue but never grows beyond the initial scope. That is good. Very good. However, step 4 will occur in extreme cases. As has been seen in the past, this step can extend a fair bit in the form of warnings and individual level barriers. But it is not perfect, so that's when things progress to the final links in the chain and the chamber initiates our formal processes.

No one likes that part, especially not us. Let's just not get there to begin with. That all said, this is the process we take towards every member level behavioral issue in the club, so you can all understand how it is handled and know beforehand what to expect.

Hopefully this helps.

Important Links

• The Covenant
• Dark Brotherhood Chat Policies
• Policies Category

Thank you for reading and remember: any questions relating to Brotherhood policies and the Covenant, or you just want to chat about any concerns, feel free to reach out by email ([Log in to view e-mail addresses]) or hit me up on Discord.