12 Kompanie by laws:22 February 2003
1) The entity known as 12./Komp III Btl. III Panzer Grenadier Rgt. ?Deutschland? 2nd SS Panzer Div. ?Das Reich? (henceforth referred to as the unit) having been established in January 2003 by Christopher Brown, Edward Dalton, Vincent Knoll, Charles Ducastel, and James Stys is hereby affirmed. These regulations have been put into place to allow for maximum flexibility, enjoyment, and authentic standards as envisioned by the aforementioned gentlemen.
2) The unit will maintain a Committee for the handling of unit responsibilities, as it pertains to the unit?s involvement in reenacting events. These positions and their responsibilities are laid out in the Unit hand book (currently the ?committee? document) The Committee will consist of five (5) elected positions each carrying a term of not more than one calendar year without reelection. Rank and/or unit longevity does not have a role in who may be nominated for Committee position. The Committee is responsible for the daily business of the unit. Voting process will commence, in open forum, each October with tabulation of votes being the responsibility of the current unit Administrator. Any member in good standing, regardless of rank, shall have the opportunity to cast a ballot. Once the votes have been tabulated it will be the responsibility of the Unit Command board to ensure that each newly elected individual understands the complexities of his position. The positions are as follows in no particular order of importance: Authenticity officer, Kampfgruppe Liaison/Event Coordinator, Website Administrator, Recruit Coordinator, and Unit Administrator.
3) Any Committee member may resign from his position at any time. If said Committee member is responsible for unit property (i.e., account funds, paperwork, equipment, etc) it shall be turned over to the incoming appointee. Upon resignation an immediate unit vote will take place in order to fill the position. If the position is vacated within a 30 day window prior to the upcoming election process the Unit Command board will appoint someone to the position until the coming vote. When said position is up for reelection the following year the appointed member must be nominated for election in order to keep his seat! The resigning committee member will not be allowed to accept another nomination for a period not less than one full voting process.
4) The unit will maintain a ?Unit Command Board?. The purpose of the Unit Command Board (UCB) is to decide the growth avenues of the unit based on the unit TO and E, movement of members into available positions, award merit points for contributions, settle votes in Committee when a majority is not attainable, and when necessary demote members. The UCB in of itself does not have the authority or autonomy to create unit policy. UCB will consist of the five most senior personnel. When a vacancy occurs the UCB will immediately move the next senior person into that position.
5) UCB members can resign their position at any time, however once resignation is submitted it is permanent and the position is to be filled immediately. Members can take a leave of absence (duration not exceeding 1 year) for three specific reasons: Family illness or injury, military deployment or change of station, work related injury. In these cases the position will be filled temporarily for the duration of the leave by the next senior member. The member leaving will have his seniority in the unit halted, not eliminated. When that member returns he will be repositioned on the seniority list as pertains to his prior time invested with the unit. If it is determined a member no longer wishes to be an active participant, the remaining board members will appointas a permanent replacement the next senior member of the unit. Members are determined to be inactive if any of the following occur: 1) Member isnot on leave and is not actively attending 40 percent of events. 2) Following his leave of absence a member fails to attend the next 4 consecutive events without cause beyond the aforementioned three excused leaves.
6) Voting as it pertains to all unit business (i.e. changes to unit policies, events schedule etc. etc.) with the exception of promotions, demotions, awards, and issuance of merit points, will be conducted by all unit members in good standing. All votes will be cast either via the unit email or in person where possible, and in open forum. Votes will be tallied and the outcome disseminated to all members by the unit Administrator. All votes will be settled with a simple majority. If a simple majority cannot be reached the UCB will decide the vote by a simple majority.
7) A member listed as ?in good standing? shall be any dues paying member holding the rank of Grenadier and above who maintains at least 40% participation in unit events. The Committee retains the right to refuse the vote of any member listed ?not in good standing?, or has expressed a desire to abstain. Each member in good standing will participate in all votes regarding all issues brought to the unit.
8) Unit dues will be collected no later than 30 June of each calendar year. It will be the responsibility of the Unit Administrator to collect and maintain a record of dues paid, and money spent. This record will be presented biannually to the unit members. The amount of unit dues will be set by the UCB on a yearly basis.
9) If additions to the normal annual dues are required, and approval is granted by means a simple majority vote of all unit members, members will have three months from the date of notification to fulfill the request. Any member who does not submit his dues on schedule will be subject to ?membership standing? alteration. Dues will be kept in an account maintained by the Committee with direct access by the current Unit Administrator, and a specified member of the UCB.
10) All new recruits will be assigned a training officer (Alte Hase) by the Recruiting officer. New recruits will be placed on a three-event probationary period (also includes training events). The unit as a whole will be asked to cast a vote for the retention or disassociation of the recruit within one month after the third event. In order for the recruit to be retained a ? majority unit vote is necessary. If for any reason the Committee feels the recruit is worthy of an additional three events, but not worthy of membership at that time, they must submit a proposal in writing to the unit as a whole, explaining the additional time. The unit will then vote on the proposal. A simple majority will suffice. If the proposal is turned down, the UCB will immediately inform the unit on the retention/disassociation of the recruit. If the proposal is upheld voting on the retention of the recruit will be postponed for the three event period. Written notice of the unit?s decision, drafted by the Unit Administrator and approved by the UCB, will be given to the recruit within one weeks time of the vote.
11) Should any member feel a Committee position no longer serves a function within the unit he may propose the position be subtracted. He will create a document listing his concerns, reasons for removal, and proposal of an alternate direction for the unit to consider. The Committee is then responsible for informing the unit as a whole of pros/cons with regard to the unit position and it?s present status. The Committee will then return the proposal to the unit for a yea? nea? vote. Simple majority will suffice. The same process will be applied to additions to the Committee. Any ideas for the direction of the unit may be freely expressed at any time. However, in order for the idea to become unit policy the it must be submitted in draft form with a request for the issue to be voted upon to any Committee member. When a draft and request for vote is received the Committee member will post the draft to the unit for vote within one week following submission. The draft must gain the support of a simple majority of all unit members in order to become unit policy.
12) The position of Gruppenfuhrer does not exist in this unit. 12th Kompanie is based upon the military model of customs and courtesies. All forms of military protocol and bearing will be adhered to. When in the field the unit member with the highest rank will act as the unit commander regardless of that rank. As the unit grows the UCB will promote as necessary. Any member regardless of rank will adhere to the unit by laws, and orders issued by Committee members. Refusal to comply will be grounds for immediate Unit conference for dismissal.
13) Officers ? This unit will not promote any member to the rank of officer until unit strength is 75% of that specified by the 12th Kompanie unit TO & E, and the position is then necessary! At that point the UCB will convene to promote the subject they feel is deserving by a unanimous decision. If an officer has been promoted he will only be permitted to function in that capacity when unit strength in the field is 25 men or above.
14) Voting will take place each October/November of the calendar year. It will be the responsibility of the Event Coordinator to plan the site for the vote be it a reenactment or a training event. The site for the voting process will be designated not less than three months prior to the vote. Any member who is not in attendance without logical reason will not have the opportunity to vote. Anyone who will not be in attendance because of any logical reason will have an opportunity to cast a ballot by unit electronic mail. These will be considered legitimate votes. It will be the responsibility of the Unit Administrator to record votes for the Committee.
Unit Founder signatures:
Christopher Brown Edward Dalton Vincent Knoll Charles Ducastel James Stys