Staff statement regarding Toni's suspension
Jan 28, 2014 15:34:34 GMT -8
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Mike Lohmann, BLewis, and 1 more like this
Post by Elaine Heast on Jan 28, 2014 15:34:34 GMT -8
Staff has been talking about this issue constantly for the past few weeks. Our initial efforts were made in order to preserve the privacy of everyone involved, this includes Toni and the other parties. This has come under conflict due to some parties’ willingness to share their experience. With this post we are still trying to preserve the privacy of those who have been affected. The staff has to respect this privacy, and doing so has made a complicated situation even harder to deal with. We will not ask the parties involved to sacrifice their right to confidentiality concerning a delicate situation.
A few things to clear up first:
Staff still fully supports the fade to black clause; this includes all forms of communication tied to ECC directly (Forums, PA and Staff emails, face to face conversations at game or during meetings, etc)
Staff is still fully against potentially triggering subject matter coming up during nominations, announcements, or other such large out of character gatherings.
Staff supports each individual’s right to request that triggering statements not be made around them. If they are not comfortable asking for this from the other party directly, they should feel safe asking for a Player Advocate to speak on their behalf anonymously.
Under the Charter Code of Conduct it states:
2. Avoid Abuse- Please don’t engage in behavior that reasonably causes fear that you might cause physical harm, significant mental distress, or property damage.
Toni was suspended for a violation of this section of the charter, specifically “causing significant mental distress”.
The situation as it stands:
The Player Advocates received an email regarding a sensitive subject with many pertinent intricacies.
Toni presented her opinion on the matters at hand, as was her right to do so as player advocate trying to fulfil her responsibilities. Some of the opinions she expressed and the way she expressed them were found to be inflammatory by other members of the community. It was at this time that multiple people made requests for her to belay her comments and to refocus the conversation on the matters at hand. She did not heed these requests and continued the conversation in the fashion described above.
This caused multiple members of the community to feel unsafe, due to the subject matters’ sensitive nature.
Multiple requests were made for a formal charter action, and it was our responsibility as staff to investigate these claims.
After a thorough investigation, we found that the accusations made were substantiated.
After multiple requests to discontinue the conversation at hand in the tone she was presenting it in, she refused to do so. Any situation where one party is asked to adjust their behavior in a reasonable way, after being told that it makes other parties uncomfortable, can be perceived as harassment.
We approached Toni with the charter, informing her that we would need to suspend her temporarily.
Since multiple members of the community felt threatened by her actions, the staff chose to treat this as a severe infraction; something that could warrant up to a one year suspension from the Vampire game at ECC. We elected to not pursue the full extent of this disciplinary action in good faith, and staff was willing to reassess the situation after a period of 5 weeks, under specific provisions.
Toni was not suspended from ECC as a whole, as the Vampire Staff does not have the right to restrict her from playing in any of the other games that are offered.
It is our responsibility as the Vampire Staff to facilitate a game where players can enjoy themselves and feel safe. This includes advocating for our player base and respecting privacy.
We are always open to constructive feedback regarding our decisions and would welcome anyone to approach us. We will leave this thread open as long as the conversation remains civil.
storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com
A few things to clear up first:
Staff still fully supports the fade to black clause; this includes all forms of communication tied to ECC directly (Forums, PA and Staff emails, face to face conversations at game or during meetings, etc)
Staff is still fully against potentially triggering subject matter coming up during nominations, announcements, or other such large out of character gatherings.
Staff supports each individual’s right to request that triggering statements not be made around them. If they are not comfortable asking for this from the other party directly, they should feel safe asking for a Player Advocate to speak on their behalf anonymously.
Under the Charter Code of Conduct it states:
2. Avoid Abuse- Please don’t engage in behavior that reasonably causes fear that you might cause physical harm, significant mental distress, or property damage.
Toni was suspended for a violation of this section of the charter, specifically “causing significant mental distress”.
The situation as it stands:
The Player Advocates received an email regarding a sensitive subject with many pertinent intricacies.
Toni presented her opinion on the matters at hand, as was her right to do so as player advocate trying to fulfil her responsibilities. Some of the opinions she expressed and the way she expressed them were found to be inflammatory by other members of the community. It was at this time that multiple people made requests for her to belay her comments and to refocus the conversation on the matters at hand. She did not heed these requests and continued the conversation in the fashion described above.
This caused multiple members of the community to feel unsafe, due to the subject matters’ sensitive nature.
Multiple requests were made for a formal charter action, and it was our responsibility as staff to investigate these claims.
After a thorough investigation, we found that the accusations made were substantiated.
After multiple requests to discontinue the conversation at hand in the tone she was presenting it in, she refused to do so. Any situation where one party is asked to adjust their behavior in a reasonable way, after being told that it makes other parties uncomfortable, can be perceived as harassment.
We approached Toni with the charter, informing her that we would need to suspend her temporarily.
Since multiple members of the community felt threatened by her actions, the staff chose to treat this as a severe infraction; something that could warrant up to a one year suspension from the Vampire game at ECC. We elected to not pursue the full extent of this disciplinary action in good faith, and staff was willing to reassess the situation after a period of 5 weeks, under specific provisions.
Toni was not suspended from ECC as a whole, as the Vampire Staff does not have the right to restrict her from playing in any of the other games that are offered.
It is our responsibility as the Vampire Staff to facilitate a game where players can enjoy themselves and feel safe. This includes advocating for our player base and respecting privacy.
We are always open to constructive feedback regarding our decisions and would welcome anyone to approach us. We will leave this thread open as long as the conversation remains civil.
storyteller@emeraldcitychronicles.com
