From Wikiversity

This page is a proposed Wikiversity policy, guideline, or process. The proposal may still be in development, under discussion, or in the process of gathering consensus for adoption. References or links to this page should only describe it as a "proposal".

This page should eventually look something like Wikiversity:Custodianship. We can start by continuing discussion started here. A first draft is below.

Contents 1 Draft policy 1.1 Role of bureaucrats 1.2 Duties of bureaucrats 1.3 Technical capabilities of bureaucrats 1.3.1 Limitations 1.4 Current bureaucrats 1.5 New bureaucrats 1.5.1 How many bureaucrats does Wikiversity need? 1.5.1.1 Simpler question 1.5.2 What is the method for creating new bureaucrats? 1.6 Can the community remove a bureaucrat? 1.7 See also

[edit] Draft policy

Bureaucrats are part of Wikiversity's support staff. This is a proposed policy document detailing their roles, duties and rights. In this document, their role with respect to changing user groups of accounts is emphasized.

[edit] Role of bureaucrats

First and foremost, bureaucrats must be well-trusted members of the community. They must have a deep understanding of Wikiversity's mission and processes, and must be excellent judges of consensus. They must demonstrate through their extensive contributions to Wikiversity that they are not rash in decision-making, nor uncivil to others, even those whom they are in disagreement with. They must also have the ability and willingness to thoroughly explain decisions or he or she makes, as well as to admit fault, where appropriate.

Bureaucrats do not have the right to use their status to appropriate any undue influence in community discussions - their participation in such activities is on a par with any other community member, insofar as is possible. Whatever influence they may have should be akin to that of any other community member, according to the weight of their opinions or their previous participation in the project.

[edit] Duties of bureaucrats

• Bureaucrats are charged with the responsibility of declaring at an appropriate time, whether a candidate for custodianship, bureaucratship, or bot status is successful or otherwise. This particular responsibility of the bureaucrat should not be superseded by the community-at-large. This is a formality intended to streamline processing of requests for user group changes, and to minimize ambiguity introduced to the process when non-bureaucrats intervene.
• Bureaucrats act as the final interpreter of consensus with respect to candidacies for user group changes.

[edit] Technical capabilities of bureaucrats

Bureaucrats have the following technical capabilities associated with their user account:

• Renaming users
• Marking accounts with bot status
• Setting user accounts as custodian
• Setting user accounts as bureaucrat

Generally speaking, these actions are taken independently of one another, based on prevailing community norms.

[edit] Limitations

By marking an account as bot, custodian, or bureaucrat, the bureaucrat expands the set of groups which a user belongs to. Bureaucrats may remove the bot group from a user, but are not capable of removing the custodian or bureaucrat group. The technical means to do this are associated with the stewards of Wikimedia.

[edit] Current bureaucrats

You can see the actual bureaucrats on Wikiversity here. Please feel free to contact them via their user talk pages, or by leaving a message on Wikiversity:Request custodian action.

[edit] New bureaucrats

[edit] How many bureaucrats does Wikiversity need?

How long is a piece of string? Any answer to this will be too vague, I feel. Cormaggio ^talk 16:12, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Simpler question

Does Wikiversity need more than two bureaucrats?

[edit] What is the method for creating new bureaucrats?

• Bureaucrats can currently be nominated at the same page as that for custodians, ie Wikiversity:Candidates for Custodianship. (A separate page can be created solely for nominating bureaucrats, of course.)
• There needs to be a very strong majority of users in support of a candidate, for that candidate to be made a bureaucrat. (70%? more?)
• Nominations should be advertised on announcement pages, and kept open for a period of at least a week before being acted upon. (More? Two weeks?)

[edit] Can the community remove a bureaucrat?

• and if so, how?
• and short of removal, how can the community question the behavior of a bureaucrat?
  • There should be a page for feedback on both custodians' and bureaucrats' actions. (What to call it? Simply RfC?)
    • Note: we have Wikiversity:Custodian feedback.
  • Demoting bureaucrats should be an option, and should probably be done under the same guidelines as those for making a bureaucrat.
    • Indicate what role we require of stewards...

[edit] See also

• List of Wikiversity bureaucrats
• Wikiversity:Support staff