MAA Policies

Awards and Promotions

1. All recommendations for rewards are required to contain specific, concrete details. We are not interested in the fact that someone is great; we are interested in how they are great.
2. The Promotheus function on the Brotherhood website is an excellent tool for tracking member progress for the purposes of promotion – but it is not the arbiter of promotions, the Master At Arms is. If you feel that a member has earned a promotion based upon the written requirements and guidelines for the rank, but for whatever reason the site does not recognize it, you absolutely should request the promotion and explain the discrepancy.
3. All medals and promotions should be known up and down the chain of command in an Independent Unit. The Independent Unit leadership should know what is going on in their sub-Houses (if applicable) and the Battle Teams. This will lessen confusion, and avoid unfortunate (insofar that someone has a medal removed from their profile) situations of double awarding.
4. Do not double dip on activity when recommending awards. For instance, if a member was awarded for activity in the first two rounds of a multi-round Vendetta or competition; you cannot use that previous activity to justify a greater award at a later date. This does not necessarily apply to rank promotions, as these tend to be the sum of all activities that a member undertakes.
5. Time in rank and time in the Brotherhood factor into promotions. Journeyman ranks have specific requirements, which can be waived under certain circumstances. At higher levels there are no set limits on how much time you must spend at a certain rank or in the Brotherhood, but it is expected that people spend a reasonable time at each level. It is also expected that competent leaders consider this.
6. It is strongly suggested that all Summits start keeping a close account of all activities their members engage in. This ranges from hanging out on IRC, to participating in a competition, to completing a massive Unit project. Record what your members do. It will make it easier for you to justify an award when you want to reward them.
7. The promotion and medal awarding authority of Unit leaders is important, but is not a guarantee of approval. That said, the Master At Arms staff adopts the presumption that the member is deserving of an award and that the unit leader is honestly working within the system. However, the Master At Arms staff will ensure that the appropriate award guidelines are followed.
8. Do not presume that Independent Unit institutions confer validity on your recommendations. How an Independent Unit is ultimately run is determined by the Independent Unit leaders, not the Master At Arms. However, any authority that specific leaders and bodies within an Independent Unit may have (other than official Brotherhood positions) does not carry over to the awarding of medals or promotions.

Transfers

1. Do not use the transfer request form as a place for argument. If you have a problem with your superiors, address it to their superior. Do not just run away without addressing the problems. Transfers are the last resort. If you are transferring due to problems within your current Independent Unit, you are to email the Master At Arms office prior to transferring.
2. Transfers from Independent Unit to Independent Unit are examined and each one will be investigate by the Master at Arms office. Be sure to have a legitimate reason and any such requests should be discussed with your leaders before a transfer request is made.
3. Rogue hopping will not be allowed.
4. In the case of transfers, the Master at Arms office may impose a 48-hour cool down period; this period can be ended early with the consent of the leader of the originating Independent Unit.
5. Members accepting new positions in a Unit to which they do not already belong must first submit a transfer request before they will be appointed. Confirmation from their new unit leadership is required before appointment can be made.