Proposed Charter for The House of Paupers

Statement of Purpose

House of Paupers has been established as a Party House for the enjoyment of the members.

Statement of Governing

The Chairman and the Board of officers:

Co-Chairman, Secretary, Co-Secretary (2), Treasurer, Co-Treasurer, shall rule on all decisions of House policy in regards to the rules and physical nature of the House, and its officially sponsored events. The Board will make all decisions collectively by vote. Two-thirds of all seated officers must agree in order for an item to be considered passed. All decisions made by the Board in this manner will be made a matter of public record. The Board may omit some or all details when it involves a game secret, or, in its sole judgment, said details are inappropriate or not in the best interest of the House that they be publicly revealed.

Terms of Office

The office of the Chairman and the Board shall be considered at will service and said service may be terminated at any time by said officer unless the Board or CHE Controller finds sound reason to terminate service of said officer. If the Chairman or any member of the Board fails to make an appearance for 2 months (whether due to retirement, death or negligence), the position will be considered open unless prior notification and approval of the Board has been obtained.

Bylaws

Article I - Name

The name of this officially recognized House of Elanthia is The House of Paupers, hereinafter referred to as the "House".

Article II - Membership Services and Benefits

The following benefits follow the guidelines as those set forth by the local government unless otherwise noted. (Ref: Gemstone IV Houses of Elanthia Part 1 Revision 2.2: Services)

1. Coat of Arms - The House Coat of Arms is available at the Engravers Shop in the landing for all whom wish to have it engraved on their shields or other applicable gear. This service is provided by the Engraver for a small fee as specified by the local government.
2. Storage Facility - There will be an appropriate locker assigned to each member. These lockers may generally be accessed free of charge, and are usually larger than the locker that would normally be available to an individual resident of a given town. House locker annexes are provided in all towns that local government has made an annex available in, but the House is in no way responsible for movement of member's goods between towns, or the member's ability to gain access to said locker.
3. Node(s) - There are natural "nodes" in various locations about the House. These nodes are provided for the benefit of the members, but access may be restricted when that better serves the purpose of the House as a whole (such as limiting access to the workshop area). Currently nodes are located in the commons and at tables in the house lounge and pub.
4. Pool and Hot Tub - There is a pool and hot tub located through the arch in the Commons for the members' health and enjoyment.
5. Donation Table - There is a table in the commons on which members may donate items to other members as well as help themselves to items that others leave. No items from the table may be sold, as they are donations for personal use only.
6. Tables - There are "private" tables at various locations for the members' use and enjoyment. Said tables are not to be used for sleeping areas for extended periods of time.

Article III - Membership and Dues

1. Membership in this House is contingent with the requirements specified in these bylaws.
2. Membership is restricted by the minimum membership standards as set forth by the local government (ref. Gemstone IV Houses of Elanthia, Part 1, Revision 2.2: Membership requirements).
3. Membership is unrestricted by consideration of nationality, race, creed, lifestyle, size, color, sex or age.
4. All memberships are lifetime memberships for a one-time sum and members are not required to pay quarterly dues, as outlined in section 5.
5. An initial membership offering as stipulated by the local government (currently 20,000 silvers) must be given by all members at the time of initiation (ref: Gemstone IV Houses of Elanthia, Part 1, Revision 2.2: Membership requirements).

Article IV - Contributions:

1. Membership contributions to the GENERAL FUNDS and ENDOWMENT will be considered donations to the House.
2. The General Funds are required to always hold within it the minimum House balance of 5,000,000 silvers of which belongs solely to the House are to be used solely for House purposes. Any use of General Funds that does not go directly to a GM shall be posted on the Boards.
3. Members are not required to contribute to the GENERAL FUNDS or ENDOWMENT.
4. Contributions do not entitle a member to special privileges.
5. Contributions must be reported to the Treasurer so that possible discrepancies in the accounts (system) may be found and clarified.

Article V - House Officials

Section 1 - House Officers

1. The Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary, Co-Chairman, Co-Treasurer and Co-Secretary (2) shall be chosen by the Board through a system of applications and interviews.
2. An officer or candidate for officer must be a current member of the House.
3. Term of office is considered to be at will unless just cause is given to prematurely terminate the term of service to the House.
4. If the position of Chairman, Treasurer or Secretary becomes vacant, then the co-officer shall assume the duties of the vacant office and a new officer found to for the co-office position.
5. No new officer may be inducted to fill a vacancy without the approval by majority vote by the Board except by the direct instruction of the House Coordinator or other designated GM.
6. Any officer may voluntarily resign from office. Transfer of ownership of the character or account of an officer shall constitute immediate voluntary resignation from office.
7. An Officer may be removed from office for cause by a two thirds (2/3) majority vote of the House Board with additional agreement by the GM House Controller. Cause for removal must meet one or more of the following guidelines:
   1. Failure to perform or demonstrated lack of ability to perform defined duties in the best interest of the House, either through dereliction, incompetence or malfeasance.
   2. Gross misuse of House resources for illicit purposes or excessive personal gain, either real or in game.
   3. Justified voluntary or involuntary expulsion or resignation from the House, or any other action that could or should lead to the same, or might jeopardize the good status of the House.
   4. Direct request by the GM House Controller, or indirectly as a consequence of some action leading to temporary or permanent character/account lockout by the game staff.
   5. Allowing another person to control the officer  -character .  An exception may be made in the case of spouses (in game or real life), as long as it is done with prior approval of the  Board.   In all cases, the officer's player shall be  held re sponsible for anything done by anyone who has  access to control the officer.  Under no circumstances may any other person perform any actions related to the House when controlling the character.

Section 2 - House Officer Responsibilities

1. The Chairman and Co-Chairman
2. The Treasurer and Co-Treasurer
   1. The Treasurer shall be known as the Vault Master and the Co-Treasurer shall be known as Paymaster.
   2. The Treasurer is responsible for overseeing all financial transactions of the House and assisting in developing House events.
   3. The Co-Treasurer will assist the Treasurer with all his/her duties.
   4. The Treasurer and Co-Treasurer will provide a monthly report to the Board of all financial dealings for the preceding month, and a quarterly report will be provided to the Secretary for distribution to the House membership through whatever message service is available through the game, i.e., the Forums, and through any email lists set up for distribution of information to House members.
3. The Secretary and Co-Secretary (2)
   1. The Secretary shall be known as the Bartender, one Co-Secretary shall be known as the Enforcer, and the second Co-Secretary shall be known as the Custodian.
   2. The Secretary is responsible for dissemination of information to the Board and the members. He/she will record the minutes and votes of all House and officer meetings and post them on the House Boards. He/she will be responsible for maintaining and reviewing the Membership Rosters made available by the CHE Controller.
   3. One Co-Secretary will be responsible for helping with tracking of officer hours and maintaining proper records for the House Loaner Armory.
   4. One Co-Secretary will be responsible for leading the effort on organization and planning of house events.
   5. Both Co-Secretaries will assist the secretary with all of his/her duties.
4. 4. All Officers
   1. All Board members will assist with the general running of the house and assisting where needed.
   2. All Board members will assist with the organization, planning, and implementation of House events as possible and needed.

Article VI - Rules and regulations

Section 1 - General House Conduct

1. Violence in the House will not be tolerated. Any malicious violence committed on House grounds shall be grounds for permanent expulsion from the House at the discretion of the Board.
2. There shall be no stealing on House grounds; all members are expected to treat all other members courteously. First offense is punishable by a warning from the Board. Further offenses are punishable by permanent expulsion from the House.
3. Items placed on the table in the House commons are for personal use and may not be sold.
4. EAT, DRINK and PARTY and PARTY SOME MORE!
5. All House rules apply to all existing lounges and as well as any other future locations.

Violation of any of the above stated rules may lead to judgment and punishment as determined by the House Board. Involuntary expulsion requires ratification by a majority vote of the Board or direct GM request or intervention. Officers may seek such ratification retroactively when quick action is in the best interest of the House.

Section 2 - Workshop Management

1. The workshop will be used appropriately to provide services to best benefit the House membership at the lowest reasonable cost in accordance with the most current understanding of the game mechanics related to operation of the workshop.
2. The Board's workshop policy shall be made publicly known and shall remain in force until such time as a newer policy replaces it.
3. The primary purpose of the workshop is to facilitate enchanting done by Wizards.  
4. Unless directed by the Board, the workshop shall remain unlocked and accessible at all times, to all House members.
5. Non-members are not permitted in the workshop, except in an emergency (a dead enchanter, for example.)
6. If a wizard is in the process of enchanting inside the workshop, he or she may request any non-wizards to leave the workshop until the enchanting cast is completed. The non-wizards must leave the workshop.  This only applies while actually casting the Enchant Item spell (925).  At other times, all members are permitted to use the workshop.

Section 3 – House Accounts

1. All monies in the House accounts will be accounted for by the Treasurer and Co-Treasurer each month.
2. Withdrawals totaling under 50,000 silvers used for day to day expenses, activities, etc. (such as purchase of pins for new inductees) will be reported to the Chairman/Co-Chairman .
3. Withdrawals totaling over 50,000 silvers and up to 1,000,000 silvers require Chairman/Co-Chairman approval before such withdrawals are made.
4. Withdrawals totaling over 1,000,000 require approval by a majority vote of the Board before such withdrawals are made.

Article VII - Petitions

1. All members have the right to bring matters before the Board for a vote. Such matters will be submitted in writing to all House officers and will be posted by the House Secretary at least 24 hours before the next scheduled Board meeting. The Board, at the next regular Board meeting, will vote upon each matter. The result will be posted as a matter of public record thereafter. Duplicate matters, or matters that are substantially similar, may be grouped together in order to expedite handling.

Article VIII - Amendments to House Charter and Bylaws

1. Significant amendments to the charter/bylaws may only be made if they receive a majority of the Board's vote and then are approved by a 2/3 majority of the voters in a general or special House election.
2. Any significant changes desired by the Board or House membership must be posted on the House message Boards one month prior to elections.
3. Minor changes to correct spelling, grammar, or formatting that do not change the meaning of this charter, or minor changes to correct or remove factual errors, or changes made explicitly or implicitly to satisfy requirements of the GM House Controller require only a majority vote by the Board. Minor changes do not need to be published prior to being approved, but must be published once they are approved.