WisLUG Policy

WisLUG Bylaws

Membership, participation expectations, governance, elections, meetings, and the WisLUG Code of Conduct.

Mission Statement

WisLUG – The Wisconsin LEGO Users Group exists to foster a sense of community among the Adult Fan of LEGO population. The group does this through monthly activities, public displays, and participation in LEGO fan conventions.

Membership Criteria

All memberships in WisLUG are renewed on an annual basis. Individuals can vote and qualify for benefits once they meet the membership criteria outlined in this section. The benefits of membership are covered in the Membership Benefits section.

A member is considered inactive and will be removed from the rolls if they fail to meet these criteria in the current calendar year, when membership status is officially checked in November. Members who have become inactive can become active again by resuming participation in WisLUG activities and asking the Ambassador or Chapter Vice-Coordinator to be restored to the rolls. They can begin accumulating participation credit immediately upon restoration to the rolls.

Adult WisLUG Member

  • Individuals age 18 or older who have participated in at least three WisLUG activities in the most recent calendar year, or who displayed their original LEGO creations with WisLUG at Brickworld Chicago as a full registrant of the convention.
  • Identify one chapter as their “home chapter” for voting purposes.
  • Agree to follow the WisLUG Code of Conduct.

Teen WisLUG Member

  • Individuals age 13–17 who have participated in at least three WisLUG activities in the most recent calendar year, or who displayed with WisLUG at Brickworld Chicago as a full registrant of the convention.
  • TFOL members under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian with them at all LUG meetings, public display events, and other social activities. Some discretion on this rule is left to the chapter coordinators.
  • Identify one chapter as their “home chapter” for voting purposes.
  • Agree to follow the WisLUG Code of Conduct.

Probationary Member

  • Individuals age 13 or older who have not yet met the membership requirements outlined in the adult and teen sections above.
  • May attend meetings and participate in meeting activities.
  • May not display original LEGO creations at public events without approval from a member of LUG leadership.
  • May not vote in WisLUG leadership elections.
  • May not access the WisLUG online discussion platform unless approved by a member of LUG leadership.
  • Removal of probationary status requires meeting with a member of LUG leadership to discuss the LUG constitution and Code of Conduct, and to designate their “home chapter.” A person must agree to abide by those rules before being granted member status.

WisLUG Activities That Count Toward Membership Status

  • Meetings: one meeting per month will be counted.
  • Public event: contributing a MOC or working a shift at a public display of LEGO creations.
  • Additional activities approved by the WisLUG leadership committee.

WisLUG Code of Conduct

Members must agree to comply with the following guidelines. Failure to do so can result in warnings or revocation of membership. Membership revocation is at the discretion of LUG leadership, who will review the facts before making a determination of the appropriate action to take against a member believed to have violated the Code of Conduct. Revocation of membership requires a simple majority vote by the WisLUG Committee.

  • A positive attitude should be on display when interacting with the public during display events. Members should be engaged with the audience and willing to talk about their work.
  • Profane, sexual, politically controversial, or discriminatory content is not allowed in public display settings.
  • The AFOL community draws from individuals with a wide range of backgrounds. Members will respect the personal views and beliefs of others, even if they may not personally agree with them.
  • Discrimination, violence, or other forms of aggression toward another member or those visiting public events will not be tolerated and are grounds for being banned from the LUG.
  • WisLUG frequently interacts with minor children, who are often present at both public and private events. Any individual with legal restrictions that prevent them from having unsupervised contact with minors shall be denied WisLUG membership and will be asked to leave any WisLUG events or meetings they may try to attend.

Meetings

Chapter meetings will be held monthly, except during the months of December and June. Meeting dates and locations are subject to change as warranted. The meeting date and location for a chapter will be confirmed at the previous meeting.

  • Madison meetings will typically be held the second Sunday of the month.
  • Milwaukee meetings will typically be held the third Saturday of the month.

Governance

WisLUG operations shall be overseen by a set of eight elected officers, an appointed Ambassador, and an appointed Treasurer, who will carry out the duties and responsibilities laid out below and be known as the WisLUG Committee. Only members of WisLUG who have been active for at least one full year may run for an elected office. Officers are not subject to term limits. Elected officers, the Ambassador, and the Treasurer will not receive compensation for their service to the LUG. They are still eligible for regular membership benefits.

WisLUG Ambassador

The Ambassador performs or delegates the following duties:

  • Identifies locations and coordinates scheduling for public events WisLUG hosts or participates in each year.
  • Tracks and collects membership participation data.
  • Oversees the online presence of WisLUG through its main website and social media accounts.
  • Posts monthly updates to the website and generates content for social media.
  • Assures ownership and renewal of the WisLUG web addresses.
  • Designates the official channel for communicating information to members outside of meetings, maintains the authorized users, and can add users as appropriate.
  • Communicates with the leadership of other LUG organizations as appropriate.
  • Runs meetings of the WisLUG Committee and serves as a tie-breaking vote when warranted on matters that go before the committee.
  • Along with the Treasurer, serves as an administrator of the WisLUG bank account.
  • May collect payments from LUG members and pay invoices for WisLUG expenses using WisLUG funds, under guidance from WisLUG Committee members.
  • Determines compensation from WisLUG resources to individuals who make a financial contribution or significant expenditure of personal time that benefits WisLUG operations, such as purchasing event supplies or designing web-based resources.

Chapter Coordinators

Each chapter will have one main coordinator who carries out or delegates the following duties:

  • Identifies the meeting location and makes sure the site is available.
  • Changes meeting dates and locations when required.
  • Plans and runs the monthly meeting in the location they are elected to serve.
  • If unable to attend a meeting, provides a detailed agenda to a member who will be in attendance. That member will run the meeting for that month in their place.
  • Helps identify locations for public display events and coordinates scheduling with the Ambassador.

Chapter Vice-Coordinators

Each chapter will have one vice-coordinator who carries out or delegates the following duties:

  • Tracks attendance at their respective meeting and records the minutes of the business portion of the meeting.
  • Makes meeting minutes available to members upon request.
  • Helps plan and organize activities during meetings.
  • Assumes the role of coordinator if the main coordinator is not present.
  • Sends any minutes, attendance lists, and pictures to the Ambassador within one week of that meeting or event taking place.

General Chapter Representatives

Each chapter will have two general representatives elected by membership who will serve on the WisLUG Committee. These members will attend biannual leadership meetings and will help write, review, and approve WisLUG policies. They can be called on to assist with running meetings and coordinating events as needed.

Treasurer

An appointed non-voting member from the LUG, this member does not have to be a member of the WisLUG Committee. This individual will be appointed by simple majority vote of the committee and will serve until they resign or are removed. The Treasurer may also be a member of the committee.

The Treasurer will perform the following duties:

  • Keeps a record of WisLUG finances.
  • Prepares a report on finances for WisLUG Committee meetings.
  • Makes financial reports available for review by any WisLUG member upon request.
  • Works with the Ambassador to create an annual budget for approval by the full WisLUG Committee. The budget for the next calendar year will be taken up in November.
  • Helps record and collect payments from WisLUG members for membership dues and other expenses.
  • May pay invoices for WisLUG expenses with Ambassador approval.

WisLUG Committee

In addition to the above-described duties, the WisLUG Committee will do the following:

  • Meet in person twice a year, in spring and fall, to set the current and future goals of WisLUG. This can include changes to existing policies or the adoption of new ones.
  • Maintain a quorum for these meetings that includes the Ambassador and six of the eight elected officers.
  • Set the meeting agenda through the Ambassador, with members of the committee able to request items be included for discussion.
  • Allow any WisLUG member to attend these meetings, though members may not participate in the discussions outside of a designated comment period.
  • Call additional meetings through the Ambassador or at the request of Chapter Coordinators if an issue facing WisLUG leadership requires action that cannot wait until the next regularly scheduled meeting.
  • Provide notice of special meetings to members through WisLUG’s designated official communication channels.
  • Form, supervise, and dissolve subcommittees as appropriate to conduct the business of WisLUG.
  • Approve an annual budget for the calendar year, which will be available for review by WisLUG members. This can include determining whether WisLUG should charge annual dues.
  • Remain active in the LUG and respond to communications on the official channel in a timely manner.

Election and Removal of WisLUG Officers

WisLUG will hold annual leadership elections in February of every even-numbered year for Chapter chairs, vice-chairs, and representatives. Officers will be elected to a two-year term that begins on March 1 of the election year.

  • Voting will take place at each chapter meeting during the designated month.
  • At least 20 percent of the currently active members who have designated a chapter as their home location must be present at that month’s meeting to vote.
  • If the required number of members is not present, voting will be delayed until the next monthly meeting of that chapter.
  • Members will only vote for the WisLUG Committee members who will represent the chapter they designate as their home chapter location.
  • The election process will be overseen by the WisLUG Ambassador or a person they designate to serve as the Election Coordinator.
  • The Election Coordinator must be an individual who is not running for office and will be able to attend both meetings during the election month.
  • All votes will be taken by secret ballot.
  • Those running for an office have the right to be present during the vote counting process.
  • All nominations will take place at the chapter meeting where an election will be held.
  • Any member can self-nominate or have another individual enter their name into nomination for an elected office.
  • Nominations do not require a second, but the candidate must consent to being considered for the office and be present at the election meeting.
  • Any person nominated to an office will be allowed to deliver a maximum three-minute speech prior to members voting.
  • Nominations will begin with chapter coordinator, with the vote taking place after nomination speeches for that office. The vote will be counted immediately and the results announced.
  • The same process will then be followed for vice-coordinator, then for chapter representatives.
  • The vote for chapter representatives will be held in two rounds, with the remaining candidates left after the first round moving on to the second round.
  • A member who is nominated for an office but does not win the election may be nominated to run for another office.

Removal and Replacement of Officers

  • An elected officer who believes they are no longer able to serve in their position may submit their resignation to the Ambassador. The remaining officers will appoint a member to fill the role for the remainder of that term. Approval of a replacement officer requires a simple majority vote of the WisLUG Committee.
  • If an elected officer reaches inactive status during their term, the WisLUG Committee will appoint a member to fill the role for the remainder of that term. Approval of a replacement officer requires a simple majority vote of the WisLUG Committee.
  • If an elected officer has their membership revoked due to a Code of Conduct violation, the WisLUG Committee will appoint a member to fill the role for the remainder of that term. Approval of a replacement officer requires a simple majority vote of the WisLUG Committee.
  • If members of the WisLUG Committee believe an elected officer is neglecting their duties, a motion may be made to remove them from office. If seconded, a simple majority vote of the WisLUG Committee will remove that individual from office. The WisLUG Committee will appoint a member to fill the role for the remainder of that term. Approval of a replacement officer requires a simple majority vote of the WisLUG Committee.
  • If a removed or resigning officer is a coordinator or vice-coordinator, an already elected officer for that chapter may be appointed to that position. If that happens, any vacancy will shift to that member’s previously held position.

Appointment of WisLUG Ambassador

Due to the ongoing administrative role the WisLUG Ambassador serves, the position will be appointed by members of the WisLUG Committee and not the membership at large. The Ambassador is an ongoing permanent position and serves until they decide to step down or the WisLUG Committee holds a no-confidence vote.

  • A no-confidence vote by elected officers must be unanimous and can only be initiated if the current Ambassador has been derelict in their duties.
  • If the Ambassador is no longer able to hold the position due to a no-confidence vote or other circumstances, the WisLUG Committee may appoint an interim Ambassador to serve until a permanent replacement can be made.
  • Any qualified member of WisLUG may serve as interim Ambassador. Approval of an interim Ambassador requires a simple majority vote of the committee.
  • In the event of a vacancy, any adult who has been a full member of WisLUG for at least 12 months will be allowed to apply for the position.
  • Applicants should submit their application to the WisLUG Committee.
  • Unless they were removed from the position, the outgoing Ambassador will help guide the process of selecting a replacement but will not vote.
  • If a sitting elected official wants to apply for the position of Ambassador, the remaining members of the WisLUG Committee will appoint a volunteer alternate from that individual’s home chapter to serve in their place during the selection process. Appointment of an alternate requires a simple majority vote.
  • The WisLUG Committee will review applications and interview all individuals interested in the position.
  • Interview criteria will be at the discretion of WisLUG Committee members but should focus on ability to perform the duties required of the Ambassador.
  • The new Ambassador must be approved by a simple majority vote of the WisLUG Committee.

Amending This Document

Once adopted by the general membership of WisLUG, amendments to these guidelines will be proposed and considered by members of the WisLUG Committee. Any WisLUG Committee member may propose revisions to this document, which will be considered at the next biannual committee meeting. General members may suggest changes to LUG policy through their elected chapter representatives. Adoption of changes requires a simple majority vote of the committee.