Operations Protocol

[Mario Collazo]

The Operations Protocol is a supplemental set of rules, guidelines, and instructions for day-to-day operations of the 501st Legion. The Operations Protocol acts as the bylaws of the organization, as referenced in the Legion Charter.

Section 1: Code of Conduct
The 501st Legion recognizes that its costumes represent characters from the STAR WARS™ films and as such, costume-wearers carry the responsibility of portraying these characters professionally and tastefully while in public. For these reasons, all members are prohibited from acting in a manner disrespectful towards the image they are portraying, towards fellow organization members, or towards the public at large while in costume at any event where the 501st Legion or its sub-units and members are official participants.

The 501st Legion maintains that part of the fun of trooping is to be able to do so in reasonable safety. It is the intention of the Legion to provide an outline of behavior wherein it has a Code of Conduct for the safety and security of its members the Legion defines the behaviors thought by society to be violent, illegal, or anti-social in nature. It is not the intent of the Legion to abridge the standard rights or practices of the individual member, but rather to protect all members against suffering from the defined behavior. In any event, common sense must prevail.

Harassment is defined as the act of systematic and/or continued unwanted and annoying actions of one member or a group of members, including but not limited to spamming, trolling, threats, and demands via phone, voice mail, forum, electronic social media or in writing of any kind. The purposes may vary, including but not limited to racial prejudice, religious prejudice, sexual orientation prejudice, personal malice, an attempt to force someone to quit the club, grant favors of any kind, apply pressure to commit an illegal act, or merely gain sadistic pleasure from making someone fearful or anxious.

Harassment takes many forms, and is not necessarily limited to the type of language used, but the intent. Repeatedly targeting a specific member with harassment can lead to more severe action. The idea behind this is to prevent any one member from consistently being uncomfortable in the forums or at troops. This category includes but is not limited to both clear and masked language, images, and/or links to websites containing such language or images which insultingly refer to other members or groups of people resulting in ongoing harassment to those other members or groups of people.

Sexual harassment is harassment that includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other conduct of a sexual nature. Additionally, where the alleged offender and victim are both in the same jurisdiction, local legal definitions of sexual harassment, if any, shall apply notwithstanding any other definition herein.

Threats are defined as a declaration of an intention or determination to inflict punishment, injury, or harm against a person or property of an individual including but not limited to phone calls / voice mail, forum, electronic social media or in writing of any kind. Threats must be direct and unmistakable to the average person. This category includes but is not limited to both clear and masked language, images, and/or links to websites containing such language or images which refer to violence in any capacity that is not directly related to the costume / fantasy world.

Spamming / Trolling is defined as, but not limited to, excessively communicating the same phrase, similar phrases, or pure gibberish, creating posts for the sole purpose of causing unrest in electronic social media or the forums, Examples include but are not limited to causing disturbances such as picking fights, making off topic posts that ruin the thread, insulting other posters, making non-constructive posts, abusing the Reported Post feature by sending false alarms or nonsensical messages, IBTL (In Before The Lock) comments, or any other fad statements.

Racial Prejudice is defined as, but not limited to, both clear and masked language, images, and/or links to websites containing such language or images which promote racial/ethnic hatred, are recognized as a racial/ethnic slur, or allude to a symbol of racial/ethnic hatred.

Sexual Orientation Prejudice is defined as both clear and masked language, images, and/or links to websites containing such language or images which insultingly refer to any aspect of sexual orientation pertaining to themselves or other members.

Religious Prejudice is defined as, but not limited to, both clear and masked language, images, and/or links to websites containing such language or images which negatively portray major religions or religious figures.

While some actions (as defined under Section 1.12: Major Offenses) may require removal from the Legion, there are other behaviors that do not require such extreme actions. It is the intent of the Legion to reduce the number of cases requiring removal where other less extreme actions can and will suffice.

Membership in the 501st Legion is a privilege granted by this private organization, not a social or legal right. Membership applications may be denied due to behavior contrary to the code of conduct with permission of Legion Command.

Major Offenses
Violent or threatening acts against a member of the 501st Legion. These acts are defined as:
Physically striking another member with the intent to cause bodily harm with or without cause, unless defending one’s self from a violent attack.
Threatening harm against the person or property of an individual via phone/ voice mail, forum, electronic social media or in writing. (Threats must be direct and unmistakable to the average person)
Cease and Desist orders or other legal action or documents issued by a member’s attorney due to justified and properly documented disciplinary action by the Garrison Commanding Officer, Legion Captain of the Guard, or Legion Command.
Trooping under the influence of an illegal substance. These acts are defined as:
Arriving to a troop under the influence of an Illegal substance.
Use, distribution, or administration of an illegal substance during a 501st event.
Violent or sexual acts. These acts are defined as:
Physically striking another person, member or non-member.
Sexual harassment against another person, member or non-member to include:
Unwanted sexual advances
Unwanted requests for sexual favors
Unwanted verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature
Embezzlement of funds intended for charitable donation. While the 501st's official policy is that all funds intended for charity must be submitted by the donor directly to the charity of choice, it has been concluded that in some rare occasions, money will be given directly to a representative of the 501st. Embezzlement is defined as:
Failing to ensure that funds are submitted to the receiving charity within a reasonable period of time following the event.
Failing to ensure that funds are submitted to the receiving charity.
Spending funds intended for charitable donations on personal or group expenses, including but not limited to patches, coins, cards, and personal expenses including and not limited to any expense which can be viewed as a "living expense."
Undisclosed criminal history is defined as convictions, which are not limited to but involve the following types of crimes or attempted crimes:
Sex Crimes and/or Sex Offender Registry Entry
Embezzlement and/or Theft
Violent Crimes
Crimes Against and/or Involving Children
Felony Drug offenses (or felony equivalent under the convicting nation's laws)

Undisclosed Criminal History may result in a default discharge upon presentation of incontrovertible proof of conviction on the criminal history. Discharging the member for an undisclosed criminal history falls exclusively to the Legion Captain of the Guard with the mutual consent of the Legion Commanding Officer and Legion Executive Officer. An e-mail must be sent to the Garrison Commanding Officer and all Detachment Commanding Officers, if this clause applies to a member of his or her Garrison/Detachment. Discharge of said member must occur within a reasonable time frame upon discovery and confirmation. Should there be ongoing criminal cases of any kind, misdemeanor/felony, the member will be placed on Administrative leave as to protect the Legion.


Said member will have 10 days to respond to LCOGs, in writing, to explain the conviction or convictions. After hearing the explanation the LCOG will make a determination, with the mutual consent of the Legion Commanding Officer and Legion Executive Officer, if the member will be allowed to remain. This would apply to all cases except crimes against children, which would still be an automatic discharge from the Legion


If a member is found guilty of any of the above listed items of the Code of Conduct, he or she has the option to submit an appeal to the office of the Legion Captain of the Guard within one week after notification of the change in status of membership. If the office of the Legion Captain of the Guard finds merit, they must call a hearing of Legion Council members to hear the appeal, where the number of councilors is an odd number greater than or equal to seven, and no Councilors who were involved in an earlier hearing on these charges. The decision of this Council panel is binding and cannot be appealed further.


Hearings for Major Offenses
If a hearing is required for a major offense, a poll will be set up in the hearing forum by the Legion Captain of the Guard. The poll for this type of hearing will include the following options:

Six month suspension
One year suspension
Two year suspension
Discharge
Exonerate
A simple-majority of those voting will be needed to obtain a decision in a Major Offense hearing. If exoneration is chosen by those voting in the hearing poll, the member will automatically be placed on 1 to 2 year probation at the discretion of the Legion Captain of the Guard.

Lesser Offenses
Conduct Unbecoming a Trooper
Legion members are expected to treat each other, our event sponsors, the public, and Lucasfilm, Ltd. with common sense and respect. Examples of inappropriate behavior that may result in disciplinary action include, but are not limited to, the following:

Harassment of fellow members.
Merchandise and branding infractions
Abuse or violation of message board privileges
Inappropriate behavior during trooping or unit events
Inappropriate contact with an event host, sponsor, or LFL
Misrepresentation of a unit or the Legion
Dispute Resolution
In an organization as large as ours, disputes and disagreements are bound to occur. With this in mind, the Legion requires that any disputes of a minor or semi-major degree must be resolved. Determination of the mechanism for dispute resolution resides with the Legion Captain of the Guard, the Legion Commanding Officer and the Garrison Commanding Officer. The policy in reference to Alternative Dispute Resolution is contained below.

Alternative Dispute Resolution
Alternative dispute resolution is used when a disagreement arises between two or more members that could escalate into a Charter violation. The Captain of the Guard, Commanding Officer, or Command Staff may recommend moderated mediation. All parties involved must agree to actively participate in good faith in the process in order for Alternative Dispute Resolution to be effective.

The procedure for Alternative Dispute Resolution is as follows:

The Member(s) or Garrison Commanding Officer must submit a request for a hearing room in writing to the Legion Captain of the Guard.
The Legion Captain of the Guard and/or either or both Legion Commanding Officer or Legion Executive Officer will monitor and moderate all discussions occurring in a private hearing room on the Legion Forum.
Members are free to discuss their issues without prejudice.
The Legion Captain of the Guard, Legion Commanding Officer, or Legion Executive Officer will provide methods to enable resolution.
Resolution may be:
mutual agreement of the parties involved
an arbitrated settlement proposed by the COG, LCO, LXO and accepted by the Members involved in the dispute.
Failing Alternative Dispute Resolution, the command staff or the affected member may request a disciplinary hearing only after all other avenues have been exhausted.
Disciplinary Hearing Procedure
For Lesser Offenses, a Disciplinary Hearing shall follow the steps below.

A written complaint is filed with the local unit Command Staff and the Legion Captain of the Guard.
The Legion Captain of the Guard will investigate and assess the merits of the charges.
The Legion Captain of the Guard, upon satisfactory determination of merit, will open a hearing forum on the Main Legion Forums.
The complaintant(s) or their representative will present the charges and evidence. Witnesses may be called to provide additional testimony.
The defendant will present their defense. Witnesses may be called to provide additional testimony.
A discussion phase will follow, where members in the hearing forum may address questions to the complaintant(s) and defendant.
At a time determined by the Captain of the Guard, the discussion phase of the hearing will be closed.
The Legion Captain of the Guard will then open a poll for members in the hearing room to determine the defendant's guilt or innocence. The Legion Captain of the Guard shall abstain from voting in this poll.
If the defendant is found innocent, then they are exonerated of all charges, with no penalties. The hearing is concluded.
If the defendant is found guilty of violating the Legion Code of Conduct, then a second poll shall be opened for members in the hearing room to determine the sentence. The Legion Captain of the Guard shall abstain from voting in this poll. At the conclusion of the sentencing poll, the Legion Captain of the Guard shall inform the defendant and the defendant's local Commanding Officer of the sentence and shall carry it out, effective from the date of the sentencing poll's closing.
Any sentence duration may be reduced by up to one half, at the discretion of the local unit Commander.
The sentencing poll shall contain the following options:

For a defendant's first guilty offense:

Six month probation
One year probation
Six month suspension
One year suspension
For a defendant's second or subsequent guilty offense:

Six month probation
One year probation
Six month suspension
One year suspension
Two year suspension
Discharge
Requirements:

All disciplinary actions taken by the Garrison Commanding Officer must have the approval of and notification provided to the Legion Captain of the Guard.
The Legion Captain of the Guard, Legion Commanding Officer and Legion Executive Officer must be made aware of any appeal in writing.
All hearings and alternative dispute resolution meetings must take place on the Legion Forums in a private area sectioned off for such purposes.
Any member may appeal disciplinary actions at the local level to the Legion Captain of the Guard. If the Legion Captain of the Guard finds merit, they must call a hearing of Legion Council members to hear the appeal, where the number of councilors is an odd number greater than or equal to seven, and no Councilors who were involved in an earlier hearing on these charges. The decision of this Council panel is binding and cannot be appealed further.
Administrative Leave
In order to protect the Legion and its membership from involvement in real-world legal proceedings, the Legion will not be involved in any legal action between or involving members and may take action necessary to protect the safety of the Legion and the membership. Any such actions will be at the discretion of the Captain of the Guard with the consent of the Legion Commanding Officer and may include placing members on temporary Administrative Leave and suspending Legion Hearings until such real-world legal proceedings are complete.

Administrative leave will be the functional equivalent of "Retired Status" and will end when the member has finished their involvement in the legal proceedings. Once returned to active status, the member will have six months grace period to troop if they wish to remain on active status.

The use of Administrative Leave is not intended to impact a member's status negatively or permanently and is only meant to be used as a temporary action to protect the Legion and its membership from undue involvement in legal proceedings.

Section 2: Membership
Active Members
An Active Member is defined as a member in good standing who meets the following requirements:

Meets all 501st Membership Requirements (i.e. ownership of an approved costume, is over 18 years of age, etc).
Has an approved membership record in the 501st Legion Membership Database
Maintains active contact with their Garrison CO or GML. Active contact and participation will be confirmed during the annual Legion Census held each year during the month of October.
Maintains contact information/membership record in the 501st Legion database either through their Garrison CO or GML.
Participates in at least one Garrison or Legion activity per year while wearing an approved 501st costume owned by said member as recorded in the Legion Census. One year is defined as the period from Legion Census to Legion Census. Examples of an activity include, but are not limited to conventions, charity events, or any activity designated as an official event by a coordinating administrative unit of the Legion.
Members who serve in military branches are exempt from activity level requirements if their service renders them unable to meet these requirements.
These Minimum Activity Level Requirements should be administered as justly and with as much common sense as possible.

A member may retain active status, even if they do not meet all of the requirements listed above at the discretion of their unit Commanding Officer or Legion Command.

Alternatively, if it is determined at any point during the year that more than twelve consecutive months have passed since a member's most recent local unit or Legion activity, a local Commanding Officer may exercise their discretion to move that member to reserve status.

The Legion Membership Officer is the final arbiter of a member's activity status.

An Active Member is eligible to:

Vote in polls of the Active Membership.
Vote in local and legion elections.
Run for and/or hold elected or appointed offices in the 501st Legion (including Detachment Leadership).
Coordinate/host official 501st events as designated or allowed by their unit leader.
Buy or create official 501st / member-only merchandise.
Have their picture and/or profile displayed on 501st.com in the membership section.
Participate in official 501st events (i.e. charity benefits, celebrity appearances, guest escorts, etc).
Have access to the 501st legion message boards and applicable unit messages boards.
Reserve Members
A Reserve Member is defined as a member in good standing who meets all of the requirements of an Active Member, except for the annual costumed participation in a 501st Legion event, as defined above.

A Reserve Member must still participate in a supporting role for the Garrison or Legion at least once per census year as defined above.

Examples of supporting activities include, but are not limited to the following: armor parties, out-of-costume event help, and/or any other non-administrative support functions to be approved by their Garrison Commanding Officer as qualifying activities or contributions.

A Reserve Member is eligible to:

Have limited access on 501st.com & Legion forums.
Have access to Garrison/Outpost planning forums and public or semi-private discussion areas.
Have access to Detachment forums.
Have a picture and/or profile displayed on the 501st membership and costume designation pages, marked with a "Reserve Duty" indicator.
A Reserve Member is NOT eligible to:

Vote in unit or legion polls or elections.
Run for office or accept an officer or administrative position.
Buy or create 501st or Unit merchandise.
Participate in limited access events or requests.
Retain full access on the Legion Forums.
Access unit members-only forums. This is reserved for active members who meet the requirements of active membership at the discretion of the unit leader.
Retired Members
A Retired Member is defined as a member in good standing who (one or more of the following):

Does not have an active costume or does not own a 501st approved costume.
Does not maintain active contact with his/her Outpost CO, Garrison CO or GML, nor participate in the annual Legion Census held each year during the month of October.
Has been listed as Reserve Duty for more than one year, and has not actively contributed to the Legion via non-costumed activity during that time.
Leaves the Legion voluntarily.
A Retired Member is eligible to:

Retain a displayable legion profile with .Retired. indicator.
Return to active status via a written request, re-approval of their costume, and completion of or immediately pending completion of a troop.
Have their membership information and ID number saved/maintained in the 501st Legion database with the member from cradle-to-grave, unless otherwise reassigned by a judgment of the Legion Council through a 2/3 majority vote of the Legion Council members.
A Retired Member is NOT eligible to:

Vote in unit or legion polls or elections.
Run for office or accept an officer or administrative position.
Buy or create 501st Legion or Unit merchandise.
Coordinate official 501st events.
Participate in limited access events or requests.
Access the main Legion forum.
Access unit members-only forums. This is reserved for active members who meet the requirements of active membership at the discretion of the unit leader.
Have their picture posted in the 501st.com membership section.
Suspended Members
A Suspended Member is defined as a member in poor standing as imposed by a governing unit leader or Legion officer during, or as the result of, a disciplinary action, administrative action or investigation. This status is meant to be temporary, pending either a return to active status or a change to Discharged status.

All event, forum, merchandise, voting, polling, administrative, election, and membership privileges are suspended, pending the outcome or any proceedings that were the catalyst for said status change, or at the end of the duration of the suspension that is established by said hearing.

Discharged Members
A Discharged Member is defined as a member in poor standing who has been removed from the legion based upon disciplinary proceedings or criminal offense or a member who leaves deliberately to avoid the loss of good standing or to avoid administrative or disciplinary action.

A Discharged Member is NOT eligible to:

Vote in any 501st Legion poll or election.
Run for and/or hold elected or appointed offices in the 501st Legion (including Detachment Leadership).
Purchase or create official 501st Legion or Unit merchandise.
Have their picture and/or profile displayed on 501st.com.
Coordinate/host official 501st events.
Participate in official 501st events and functions.
Have access to the 501st Legion or Legion Unit forums.
Members who are discharged shall have a record of the discharge noted in members profile.
In Memoriam
An In Memoriam Member is defined as a member in good standing who has passed away.

An In Memoriam member will have:

Their identification number preserved and not reissued.
Their profiles, minus contact information, displayed perpetually on the 501st.com Eternal Legionnaires page.
Honorary Members
Honorary Members are special members who have contributed their time, skills and talents to the Star Wars saga in some special way and have been recognized by the Legion for their efforts and contributions while working on the Star Wars universe.

Honorary members must be nominated by an active 501st member to the Legion through a Garrison, or Detachment. An Honorary Member is eligible to:

Have their picture and/or profile displayed on 501st.com in the honorary membership section.
Participate in official 501st events (i.e. charity benefits, celebrity appearances, guest escorts, etc).
Have access to the 501st legion message boards and applicable unit messages boards.
Purchase official 501st / member-only merchandise.
An Honorary Member is NOT eligible to:

Vote in unit or legion polls or elections.
Run for office or accept an officer or administrative position.
Run for and/or hold elected or appointed offices in the 501st.
Friend of the Legion
Friends of the Legion are individuals or organizations who may not have specifically worked for Lucasfilm, but who have shown tremendous support of the 501st Legion and Star Wars fandom. Friends of the Legion must be nominated by an active 501st member to the Legion.

A Friend of the Legion Member is eligible to:

Have their picture and/or profile displayed on 501st.com in the honorary membership section.
Participate in official 501st events (i.e. charity benefits, celebrity appearances, guest escorts, etc).
Have access to the 501st legion message boards and applicable unit messages boards.
Purchase official 501st / member-only merchandise.
A Friend of the Legion Member is NOT eligible to:

Vote in unit or legion polls or elections.
Run for office or accept an officer or administrative position.
Run for and/or hold elected or appointed offices in the 501st.
Section 3: Elections
The Legion Commanding Officer, Garrison Commanding Officer, Outpost Commanding Officer, Squad Leader, and Detachment Leader are all elected positions within the Legion. All other positions are appointed by their respective commander or leader. Only those in good standing are eligible to nominate, run for, and maintain elected or appointed positions. Elections for leadership positions are held once a year.

Nominations starts the Monday before the beginning of the elections and conclude at election start.
Legion elections will begin at 12:01am GMT on the 1st Saturday of February (Day 1) .
Question-and-answer phase will be opened for 5 days beginning on Saturday (Day 1) and concluding at 11:59pm GMT on the Wednesday (Day 5) immediately following.
Thursday (Day 6) is reserved for candidates' closing statements.
Voting will open at 12:01am GMT on the Friday following closing statements (Day 7) and be available for 5 days, ending at 11:59pm GMT on the following Tuesday (Day 11).
The next 5 days (Day 12-16). are reserved for transitioning between administrations. Elected candidates will take office at 12:01am GMT on the following Monday (Day 17).
Every active member in good standing may vote for candidates for Legion Commander, and candidates for their respective units. Notice of upcoming elections will be posted on the Legion forum at least one week prior to the beginning of the nomination period. Notification of any elections to individual members is ultimately the job of Garrison and Outpost Commanding Officers for members in their region, and Detachment Leaders for members in their Detachments. All elected positions are selected using the Legion forum for voting, and are selected by a simple majority (meaning any number of votes greater than 50% of the votes cast). In the event more than two candidates have been nominated and accepted for any election, a STV (Single Transferable Vote) system is to be used. For any elected office, every eligible voter, in respect of each respective candidate, may cast a single vote that is ranked from their most preferred to their least preferred candidate. The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and each vote given to that candidate is transferred to other remaining candidates according to the respective eligible voter's stated ranked preferences, in proportion to any surplus or discarded votes. The process is repeated by calculation to arrive at a winner that holds more than half of the votes thus cast. In the event an automated STV system is not available for use, a run-off system will be designated by the LCOG to address any election results where no candidate has more than 50% of the participating vote. In a run-off system, a second election poll would be created for the top two candidates and voting would restart without a new round of questions, within 24 hours of the first poll end.

The Legion Commander is elected by popular vote of the entire Legion. The offices of Garrison and Outpost Commanding Officers, Squad Leader, and Detachment Leader are all voted on by members of each respective unit by popular vote. Annual elections are mandatory for every unit.

Detachment participation is required to vote in detachment elections or be eligible to run for detachment office, and is defined by both having a forum account with detachment affiliation rights, and by logging onto said forum at least once during the election year. The election year is defined as the period between the installation of the newly elected unit commanders and the beginning of the nominations for the elections the following year. Failing this, the Legion member has no voting rights in that year’s detachment election and may not run for Detachment Leader. The detachment affiliation roster will be locked once the voting period of an election begins.

If no one challenges the incumbent leader of a unit, an election may be waived.

If a member of a unit suspects impropriety in a campaign or subsequent election within their unit, a written appeal must be submitted to the Legion Captain of the Guard, who may intervene or audit an election.

All Legion administrative officers are appointed by the Legion Commanding Officer, each of whom must be confirmed via a poll by the Legion Council prior to taking office. No such confirmations are required at the Garrison, Outpost, Squad, or Detachment level.

Qualifications
All offices require a member to be in good standing for the contiguous year immediately preceding election commencement and not have been previously recalled from that office.

Legion Commanding Officer
Minimum of 3 years of 501st membership
Minimum 1 year of service in any of the following offices or functions:
Garrison CO
Garrison XO
Outpost CO
Second Council representative (of a Garrison)
Legion administrative office (LXO, LCOG, LMO, LMBO, LPRO, LWM, LCR)
Garrison Commanding Officer
Minimum of 1 year of 501st membership -OR- prior experience on the Garrison's command staff
Squad Leader
Minimum of 6 months of 501st membership
Outpost Commanding Officer
Minimum of 6 months of 501st membership (except for a brand new Outpost's inaugural CO)
Extenuating circumstances regarding length of membership and standing may be waived at the discretion of the Legion Command.
Detachment Leader
Minimum of 1 year of 501st membership
Ownership of a costume covered by the Detachment
Trooped in a costume covered by the Detachment within 1 year of the commencement of the election
Extenuating circumstances regarding length of membership and standing may be waived at the discretion of the Legion Command.
Emergency Elections
In the event a Commanding Officer or Leader of any unit is unable to continue in office, that unit must notify the Legion Captain of the Guard in writing and follow the procedures below to maintain unit leadership.

If the unit in question has an XO, continue to step 2. If it does not, hold an emergency election as outlined below.
The LCOG will secure written intention from the XO of their willingness to assume the role of CO for the unit in question. If so, continue to step 3. If the XO is not willing, hold an emergency election as outlined below.
The LCOG will hold a simple confidence vote for all eligible voting members of the unit in question. If the unit votes by simple majority to allow the XO to continue, the XO of the unit becomes the CO. If not, hold an emergency election as outlined below.
Emergency Election: The election will follow the schedule of 5 days for nominations, 5 days for questions and answers, and 5 days for voting. These time frames may be altered by the Legion Captain of the Guard as necessary. During this time period, the unit's Executive Officer assumes the role of the acting commanding officer or leader until the elections are completed.

If there is no Executive Officer or both the Commanding Officer and Executive Officer resign or are deemed unable to serve, the Legion Captain of the Guard will assume the nominal role of Commanding Officer or Leader for that unit and will administer the election until it is completed. In the case of Squads, acting leadership will fall to the parent Garrison's Commanding Officer. A determination of inability to serve may be deduced from either voluntary self-removal or a period of 30 days of unresponsiveness to communications from the Legion or its members.

Recall Elections
Any unit of the Legion (including the Legion itself) may address problems in leadership by calling for a recall election of their elected leader. A recall election against an Outpost Commanding Officer or Squad Leader requires only one active member of that unit. A recall election against a Garrison Commanding Officer or Detachment Leader requires three active members of that unit. A recall election against the Legion Commanding Officer requires five active Garrison Commanding Officers.

If a request for a recall election is made, the Captain of the Guard will assess the merit of the request. If the Legion Captain of the Guard determines the complaint has merit, the unit Executive Officer will temporarily assume leadership of the unit. If the unit Executive Officer is unable to assume the duties of interim unit Commanding Officer then the LCOG, or their designated representative, will temporarily assume command of the unit in question (with the exception of Squads, which default to the parent Garrison's Commanding Officer).

The Legion Captain of the Guard will open a forum for 5 days to discuss the charges. After this, a poll will be opened for 5 days and a vote taken of the members of that unit (with the exception of Squads, which includes the entire Garrison's membership), with no minimum number of voters required. A recall vote must pass by at least two-thirds of the vote, in which case the Commander or Leader is removed from office immediately. Otherwise, the Commander or Leader retains the office. If a recall election does result in a removal from office, the Captain of the Guard will administer an emergency election as described above. The recalled Commander or Leader is ineligible to run as a candidate for the office they were just removed from. They are not an eligible candidate for that office again in any subsequent election.

No officer may be subject to a recall election more than twice in a single term.

Other
Appointed officers serve at the discretion of the elected official who appointed them, and are subject to being relieved of duty once the officer who appointed them is no longer in office. The incoming officer will have the option of retaining or replacing them.

With any election, in the event of a tie, the poll will be reopened for three additional days in hopes that uncast votes will break the tie.

In the event of no nominees or an unbreakable tie, the Legion Council will deliberate for 5 days and vote for 5 days to appoint a new interim leader for the unit in question until regular elections are held (with the exception of Squads, which default to the parent Garrison's Commanding Officer for appointment).

Section 4: Merchandise & Branding
This set of standards includes any item, print, or paraphernalia that bears the 501st Legion name, logo, or URL.

Any items bearing the words "501st Legion", "Fighting 501st", "Vader's Fist", the 501st Logo, or the club URLs are considered representative of the 501st Legion club. Such proposed items are to be submitted to the Merchandising and Branding Officer, who shall be responsible for the review and approval of any proposed merchandise of the Legion or any subdivision therein. The Merchandising and Branding Officer may impose additional regulations governing the production and/or distribution of such merchandise and make them available to the Legion. In the case of questionable material, the Legion Council has final word on approval.
Merchandise of the legion is considered to be but is not limited to the following items: Wearable clothing items, Hats, Patches, Coins, Pins, Bottle Openers, Bottle Caps, Trading Cards, Banners, Flags, Keychains, Cardbacks and figures, or any other item that can be customized and reproduced as a legion branded item.
All 501st Merchandise must bear the legion name either as “The 501st Legion”, “501st Legion” or for small items “501st”.
All Squad Merchandise and logos must include both the Legion name as noted in part 3, the Garrison name, and the Squad name.
501st items must be free of vulgarity.
501st items must be as free of copyrighted material as possible (including use of unmodified Lucasfilm LTD photos, artwork, official LFL/Star wars fonts, and movie titles.)
501st items must be sold only to members of the 501st Legion or the Rebel Legion and at cost except in sanctioned cases of fundraising approved by the Merchandising and Branding Officer(s) and Lucasfilm Ltd. Approval for these fundraising items will be obtained from Lucasfilm Ltd by the Legion Merchandising and Branding Officer(s).
501st items must not be advertised offered for sale anywhere open to the general public, except for sanctioned cases approved by the Legion Merchandising and Branding Officer(s) and Lucasfilm Ltd.
501st items must not be tied to any outside commercial entity or venture without the express permission of Lucasfilm Ltd. Approvals for these items will be obtained from Lucasfilm Ltd by the Legion Merchandising and Branding Officer(s).
501st items must not misrepresent or misidentify its user/wearer in any role other than as a member or supporter of the 501st Legion fan club. No shirt will bear the label "Security" or "Staff" unless created with the full permission of an event organizer and labeled specifically for that event only.
501st items specifying an official sub-unit of the club are allowed and encouraged. Such examples would be items promoting 501st Garrisons, Outposts, Squads, and Detachments. All such items are still subject to the same rules that apply to Legion merchandise. Sub-units such as pilot wings, sandtrooper patrols, etc that are garrison level/detachment level costume specific programs that are not recognized as official units, and may not contain any version of a Legion name/logo, Garrison/Squad/Outpost name/logo, or Detachment name/logo.
Unofficial merchandise, those that do not represent any official units of the 501st Legion or its officially recognized sub-units, are made at the individual’s own risk and are not monitored or controlled by the 501st Legion.
New-to-the-Legion units will have a 6 month, to 1 Year probationary period where they are barred from making merchandise. New Squads and Outposts are subject to 6 month probation. New Garrisons, that did not previously exist as a squad or outpost, and new Detachments are subject to a 1 year probation
To have new items and re-runs of previously offered items reviewed for approval, please submit as follows through the Merch Approval Form located at http://www.501st.com/merchandise/ - details on using the Approval Form are located within the 501st Legion forums. For unit level merchandise (Outpost, Squad, or Garrison) it must be approved by the local unit commanding officer first, and then submitted to Legion level for final review and approval.
Section 5: Unit Definitions
Garrison
The largest subdivisions of the Legion are the Garrisons, which generally cover large regions distinguished by geography, language, or other characteristics or borders. A Garrison requires at least twenty-five (25) members and is headed by a Garrison Commanding Officer (CO), who is elected by the active members of the Garrison.

The Garrison may form when an Outpost reaches sufficient membership or when a region within an existing Garrison finds pressing needs to break off and form a new Garrison.

Member affiliation with a Garrison is normally based upon geographical boundaries and the member's primary residence. A member can request to be placed in another Garrison if they feel closer to that Garrison and it is more feasible to regularly attend events with that Garrison. If approved by the CO of the member's original Garrison as well as the adopting Garrison's CO, the member may switch affiliations.

Applicants for new Garrison status must complete the Garrison Application Form in which they list their new Garrison name, roster of members from the 501st main membership roster, territorial boundaries, Garrison logo, working Web site and forum, and a brief statement of purpose outlining the reasons for their Garrison to be formed. The form will also list the administrative staff of the Garrison, including a Commanding Officer (CO), Executive Officer (XO), Garrison Public Relations Officer (GPRO), Garrison Web Liaison (GWL), and Garrison Membership Liaison (GML) who will work with the main Legion Membership Officer in helping to make sure their Garrison members are properly listed and updated on the main 501st website.

The Garrison application form must be submitted to the Legion Command. The Legion Captain of the Guard will verify the membership status of the applicants. The Legion Command will then present the application to the Legion Council for a vote of approval. Approval is granted upon a vote of the Legion Council members in a simple-majority vote.

If approved by the Legion Council, the new Garrison undergoes a one year probationary period, during which it must demonstrate that it can operate as an independent body. After the one year period, the Council will vote again to approve the Garrison officially. It is required that when a new Garrison forms within an existing Garrison that approval first be sought from the existing Garrison Commander. Garrison COs are free to adopt reasonable local policies and procedures in accordance with the Legion Charter and Operational Protocols as needed, so long as they are supported by the local membership and do not conflict with the Legion's policies and procedures. Garrison COs are also free to appoint additional administrative staff as needed.

Garrisons that fall under the minimum number of members required to apply for Garrison status will have a grace period of one year to return the membership level to or above the minimum. Garrisons that fail to retain the minimum required membership level may be subject to forfeiting one representative seat on the Legion Council. Garrisons that fall to less than half of the minimum required number of members for a Garrison may be subject to losing Garrison status and designated an Outpost.

Squads
Garrisons can create squads within their units where somewhat isolated clusters of members tend to operate together regularly. These squads may or may not eventually grow into potential new Garrisons, but such an evolution is neither presumed nor required. Squad affiliation is normally based upon geographical boundaries and each member's primary residence. A member of a Garrison residing within a squad's boundaries can petition their CO to be exempt from membership in that squad. A Garrison member not living within a squad's boundaries may request to join a squad, but the permission of both the Garrison CO and the Squad Leader is required. A member of a Garrison with multiple squads may also request switching squad affiliations from the one they reside in to another. In such cases the approval of the CO and both squad leaders (from the squad of residence and the adopting squad) must approve the transfer.

A Squad requires at least ten (10) members and is headed by a Squad Leader (SL) who is elected every February by the members of the Squad. The creation of a squad requires the completion of a Squad Application Form, which lists the new Squad's name, roster of members from their local Garrison membership roster, territorial boundaries, squad logo, and a brief statement of purpose outlining the reasons for the squad to be formed. This application must first be submitted to the Garrison Commanding Officer, who presents it to the Garrison membership must vote to ratify their leadership's decision and confirm the first Squad Leader.

The locally approved Squad Application Form is then submitted by the Garrison Commanding Officer to the Legion Commander and Legion Captain of the Guard (LCOG) for review, approval, and processing. The Legion Command will then present the application to the Legion Council for a vote of approval. Approval is granted upon a vote of the Legion Council members in a simple-majority vote. Once approved by the Legion, the squad must undergo a six-month probationary period during which it should demonstrate that it can operate as a productive and harmonious entity within the Garrison. After this six-month period, the squad's performance is reviewed by the Garrison CO and the LCOG.

If the squad's performance has been satisfactory, it earns full, ongoing operational status. If, however, their performance has not been satisfactory, the Garrison CO or the LCOG may set additional criteria for the squad to achieve before final approval is given. Approval may also be withdrawn by either their Garrison CO or the LCOG, necessitating a new application at some future time. An application for the same squad can only be submitted once a year.

Any squad that falls under the minimum number of ten (10) members will have a grace period of 12 months to return their membership level to or above the minimum requirement. A squad that cannot regain the required number of members within this 12 month period will be dissolved. The CO of a dissolved squad must notify Legion Command of the situation.

If, after a squad is approved, there should arise any grounds to dissolve the squad, the same process that created the squad must be followed to remove it. The Garrison Membership must vote to disband it. A dissolved squad must wait a minimum of one year from the time of dissolution before reapplying for squad status.

Outpost
For areas that lie outside 501st Legion control and do not have enough members to form a Garrison, an Outpost may be formed. An Outpost requires only one member and is headed by an Outpost Leader (OL), who is elected by the members of the Outpost.

Applicants wishing to form a new Outpost must complete the Outpost Application Form in which they list their new Outpost name, roster of members from the main 501st roster, territorial boundaries, and Outpost logo.

Application for an Outpost must be submitted to the Legion Council and voted on by the Legion Council members in a simple-majority vote. If approved by the Legion Council vote, the Outpost immediately becomes official.

Once an Outpost contains twenty-five members it may apply to be a recognized Garrison as outlined above and may waive the one-year trial period at the discretion of the Legion Council. Member affiliation with this unit is mandatory based upon geographical boundaries and the member's primary residence.

Outposts that lose all active members will be considered an inactive Outpost for a period of one year. If an Outpost gains a member or reactivates previously inactive members, the Outpost will be considered active without delay. If an Outpost remains inactive for one year, it will be considered abandoned, and any new Outpost in that region will require a new application.

Detachment
Given the diversity of costumes encompassed in the Legion's collective costume repertoire, special themed units called Detachments may be created to improve the quality and awareness of a specific costume category in the Legion's Costume Reference Library (CRL). These units serve as a resource for costumers both in and out of the Legion. Accordingly, their websites and forums may contain both public and 501st-only areas. Access to said areas and the decorum thereon are dictated by the Legion's membership and forum policies.

A detachment requires five (5) members (detachment membership is defined in the following paragraph), and is headed by a Detachment Leader (DL), who is elected by the active members of the detachment in accordance with the Legion's election procedures and timelines. A member wishing to form a new detachment must submit an application (as contained on 501st.com) first to the Legion Membership Officer (LMO), who will make sure the costume qualifies and does not encroach upon any existing detachment costume coverage.

The LMO will then submit the approved application to the Legion Commanding Officer and Legion Captain of the Guard for review and posting to the Council for a vote. The detachment is bound by the same probationary restrictions as other new units. A review of their probationary period will be held on the Council and a final poll taken to make the unit permanent. Both votes require a simple majority to pass.

Formal detachment affiliation, voting rights, and eligibility for office in a detachment requires that a Legion member be an active member of the 501st, own a qualifying costume as represented by the detachment, and have the corresponding costume designation in their profile. The approval of said costume is, however, still ultimately under the purview of the LMO. Ownership of a qualifying costume is verified annually as part of the Legion census. Affiliation with a detachment is optional, and a Legion member can be affiliated with more than one detachment. Detachment affiliation is initiated by the Legion member in their member database profile and requires that they create a detachment forum account, and follow that detachment’s process to gain forum access rights for those with “Detachment Affiliation”.

Section 6: Council
The Legion Council is the chief legislative body of the 501st and is comprised of Legion Command Officers, Outpost Leaders, Garrison Commanding Officers, and their Second Council Seat appointees. Each Council member has no more than a single vote on the Council, regardless of the number of vote-bearing offices that person holds.

The allocation of Council seats and votes are as follows:

Legion Commanding Officer: 1 Voting Seat
Legion Executive Officer: 1 Voting Seat
Other Legion Command Officers, as listed in Article VI of the Charter: 1 Non-Voting Seat
Detachment Leader: 1 Non-Voting Seat
Outposts/Garrisons with:
12 or fewer members: 1 Non-Voting Seat
More than 12, but fewer than 25 members: 1 Voting Seat and 1 Non-Voting Seat
25 or more members - 2 Voting Seats
Section 7: Costuming Standards
Costume Reference Library (CRL)
The Costume Reference Library is a collection of visual guides intended to assist members and garrison membership liaisons in the creation and review of costumes. Both the library as a whole and individual entries in the library are commonly referred to as “CRLs."

CRLs are comprised of text and images that attempt to detail all components of the costume. Each CRL contains both the minimal requirements (listed in black) for a costume's approval and any additional information that may be of interest to people wishing to build a more accurate costume (listed in blue and red).

CRLs may appear in the Library in the following states:


Not started: No work has been done on this CRL.
Work in progress: Some work has been done, but it is not complete.
Text complete: The text descriptions are complete but one or more images are missing.
Complete: All text and images are complete and approved by the LMO.
CRL Development
Costuming standards are developed by the detachments under the supervision of the LMO. In cases where there is no detachment affiliation, the LMO shall work directly with the member(s) to develop a standard.

By default, the Detachment Leader shall act as the CRL liaison to the LMO. The Detachment Leader may choose to designate one or more detachment members to act as CRL liaisons, if necessary.

The detachment CRL liaison(s) shall solicit feedback from the membership and use that feedback to develop a standard that is fair and achievable while still maintaining the level of quality expected of the Legion.
The detachment CRL liaison(s) may publish the content as a work in progress directly to 501st.com or submit changes to the LMO team.
The LMO will review the CRL entry to ensure that it is accurate and represents an acceptable level of guidance.
Completed CRLs will be marked as approved in the Legion membership database by the LMO and locked to prevent further editing. (see "CRL Revisions" below)
CRL Revisions
Once a CRL is marked complete, it is expected that changes shall be infrequent. These are living documents, however, and may require periodic review. The detachment leader and/or LMO team may initiate such a review as needed, subject to the following:

Substantive changes to the standards (changes to the costuming requirements) must be communicated to all GMLS.
Non-substantive changes (grammar, punctuation, text formatting, image replacements) may be made by the LMO at any time.
All changes must be reviewed and approved by the LMO.
New to the Legion Costumes
As the Star Wars universe grows, so does the 501st Legion's Costume Reference Library. For a new to the Legion costume to be added to our database, it must meet the following criteria:

Be confirmed as acceptable for inclusion in the 501st by the Legion Membership Officer.
Have at least one completed costume, approved by the Garrison Membership Liaison, Detachment Leader and Legion Membership Officer.
Have a completed CRL entry as described above.
This policy applies to new CRL entries, starting 12 January 2016 1:07pm GMT. Costumes with an incomplete CRL entry that were included in the Costume Reference Library prior to this date require Legion Membership Officer and Detachment Leader review.

Revised by Rhaethe 06-17-2019