Emperor's Hammer Command Staff Meeting Minutes

The Emperor's Hammer Command Staff hold regular meetings (typically bi-annual) to discuss their individual office's performances while also discussing the future of the organization. A designee from the EHCS document each meeting and is tasked with posting the minutes for transparency with the members of the fleet.

Command Staff Offices

Offices that are in attendance are as follows:

• Fleet Commander
• Internet Officer
• Communications Officer
• Logistics Officer
• Training Officer
• Tactical Officer
• Reconnaissance Officer
• Imperial Sovereign Protector

Meeting Minutes

Oct 2023

EH Command Staff Meeting

TC Discord Server, 2000-2050Z, 9th October 2023

Attendees: GA Rapier (FC), FA Turtle Jerrar (IO), FA Jarek La’an (COMM), VA Jaxx Nassin (LO), VA Sylas Pitt (TO), VA Robert Hogan (CA:TO), RA TheBlackxRanger (RO), SA Kamjin Maverick Lap’lamiz (ISP)

Apologies: FA Pickled Yoda (TAC)

Opening Comments

• FC
  • Welcomed all CS attendees, thanking all for their work and announcing a number of EH CS awards/promotions would be issued in the next 2 weeks. COMM reminded all that this meeting would be minuted, with a draft version shared for comment before wider distribution.
  • Additionally reminded all EH CS of the need to stay within the limits of their offices during interactions on some TC Discord topics and channels - the Senior Officer role is there to support specific functions, but the chain of command within #officers-club and other

leadership channels should be preserved. Reports by CS Office

• IO
  • No significant issues to report, progress on Issue 716 regarding modifying the site’s backend for MP scoring and on Issue 601 regarding migration work in support of PHP8.
  • No questions from the floor - FC highlighted IO’s award of an Imperial Cross in recognition of work to integrate the DB into the main site.
• COMM
  • All EHCS MoCs awarded, continuing on a quarterly review and award routine
  • EH Code of Conduct (CoC) review planned for Q1 24, with comments sought from the wider membership to inform the review process.
  • Generally positive trends in Discord usage across all 4 EH servers (TC/DB/DIR/HF) seen, with a particularly positive increase in DB comms. Friction within some non-public TC channels post-Raise the Flag (RtF) reported and discussed briefly, highlighting that the TCCOM and TCCS were engaging with BGCOMs to work through a number of TC-centric issues.
  • No questions from the floor - ISP highlighted a need to ensure gender neutrality was included as part of the CoC review, expanding the discussion to include a potential need to conduct a review of the Articles of War (AoW) and Bylaws to streamline and improve their functionality. FC and ISP noted that the current trinity of AoW/CoC/Bylaws are legacies of a previous EH focus on discipline and semi-judicial practices that are largely no longer relevant to the running of the club. Initial review by the COMM to focus on CoC, with Bylaws a matter for Trustees to discuss at their next meeting.
• LO
  • Reported that the DB’s Dark Side Compendium (DSC) was now correctly linked on the wiki main page, while the wiki itself now supported vector graphics with efforts underway to release a design document or branding page to support standardisation.
  • Significant support being given by the LO to the team seeking to restart the DIR as a subgroup, with the current emphasis on a formal proposal document to the FC for the standing up of the group.
  • No questions from the floor - FC thanked the LO for their work and support.
• TO
  • Progress in multiple work streams reported, as well as the completion of over 300 IU exams since the last meeting, 251 of those during the TC’s RtF competition in September, with the award of 26 Qualifications.
  • Certificates and Graduates continuing to expand, with a first Masters in planning stages for the TC, with a DB equivalent to follow.
  • Second Graduate thesis received and under TOA review, with two more under discussion but not yet submitted - on approval, intent is to publish a Scientific Journal including all four, as well as any SG items including announcements, art or similar.
  • Discussing a Tactical Office related Qualification with the TAC.
  • Reorganisation of the Imperial University (IU) underway - intention being to assign a TOA within each subgroup to act as the DEAN of the group’s academy, including site permissions to work on content under TO/CA:TO supervision, allowing DEANs to focus on subgroups and the TO/CA:TO to plan longer term pan-EH activities.
  • Creation of a General Studies department being considered, noting the large number of general knowledge based courses and aiming to better organise courses.
  • Following rollout of DEANs and additional academies, TO/CA:TO to commence validation review of all courses (active and inactive) from Q1 24, identifying courses in need of update or retirement.
  • No questions from the floor - FC commended the TO for their efforts and the breadth of content being made available.
• TAC
  • Apologies presented in advance of the meeting due to timezone differences (AUS), with headlines passed to COMM for inclusion in minutes.
  • No significant issues to report, TAC aiming to restart beta testing having paused for duration of RtF.
  • Tactical Office looking to recruit testers, including those looking to take on the CA:TAC role and potentially TAC in due course. All interested parties should approach the TAC directly.
• RO
  • No significant issues to report, but progress being made on all areas of RO focus and opportunities being sought to message on behalf of the EH.
  • Production of a RO Field Manual underway based on the major update of an older version.
  • Establishment of a ROA IU course for selecting/training RO staff under discussion with the TO, with a Recon Office Certificate a later ‘nice to have’ should the opportunity arise to develop it.
  • Potential tweaks to the EH homepage being discussed with the IO to better capture group specific branding and messaging.
  • Advertisement of the TC is continuing across Facebook, Reddit and other areas, while within the DB INQ Khaz Bibble, Herald on the Dark Council, has joined the office as a ROA. ROAs focused on the DIR and HF will be sought should the subgroups be stood up.
  • No questions from the floor - FC thanked the RO team for their hard work.
• ISP
  • ISP thanked all EH CS for their updates, reminding all that the FC and ISP roles were there to support them and an ‘open door’ policy always existed - the need to remain member-centric was emphasised, allowing the membership to lead the group and avoiding an echo chamber at a CS level losing sight of what the majority wanted or needed.
  • Further discussion of the CoC/AoW/Bylaws continued, with ISP discussing potential replacement with a single set of coherent rules and regulations. Basis of current system on a 20+ year old construct of club CS positions and responsibilities highlighted as an issue, noting the long term gapping of positions such as SO and JAG, with those areas having been absorbed by the COMM and FC. COMM suggested a need to review and restructure EHCS positions, but FC content that recent changes were adequate and retaining positions allowed for future flexibility
  • No questions from the floor - COMM invited all attendees to introduce any other business.
• AOB
  • TO raised a query regarding inclusion of an academic cheating policy within the definition of cheating in the AoWs. FC agreed that this was a sensible move and actioned the TO to draft suitable words for inclusion.
  • FC raised the potential need for an AI policy across the club, coherent within all subgroups. Discussion continued about potential benefits and issues, scoring options for rubrics that weighted against AI derived images or text via limited scoring, with the FC closing the topic and signaling intent to discuss it as an item at the next Trustees meeting
  • COMM highlighted the intent to make all EH CS meeting minutes a public record
  • agreed unanimously by all present. LO advised that a suitable area of the wiki could be utilised as an archive and offered assistance.
  • No further items raised from the floor - COMM concluded the meeting, noting the intent to maintain a quarterly frequency and that a future meeting date would be agreed and publicised.