Wikiversity:Voluntary custodial restraint

This is proposed agreement with the community for custodians to enter into, either during their candidacy for custodianship, or later.

A custodian accepting this agreement agrees to refrain from custodial actions under the following conditions:

Request by supporting administrator

Any permanent custodian who has supported the custodianship candidacy, in a process which awards permanent custodianship, may request that the custodian refrain from any specific action, specific class of actions, or entirely, and the custodian agrees to comply with this, pending community review or withdrawal of the request, unless the custodian has denied this right for that specific custodian as part of the promotion process, before closure, and, per this agreement, the custodian is, with this, requesting that a 'crat not consider that as a supporting !vote. This consideration creates a "review panel" with certain powers.

Survival of the request right

If a supporting custodian is no longer a custodian, the right as described above terminates. However, if the supporting custodian again becomes a custodian, the right will return. If a supporting editor or probationary custodian becomes a permanent custodian, that editor will gain the right of request described here.

General community recusal

On request of any editor who believes that the editor or Wikiversity has been injured by the custodian through a custodial action, the custodian agrees to refrain from such action pending review. This requirement may be lifted, as to the fast desysop process described in this agreement, by the agreement with the action of another custodian in good standing and not previously asserted to be involved in the situation.

No advance recusal request

Recusal may not be requested as described in advance of any action, except for the custodian request described initially. The custodian retains the right of original decision, and proper discretion regarding that.

Emergency exception

Nothing in this agreement shall be construed as prohibiting emergency action necessary to protect the wiki from immediate damage. If this agreement creates a recusal requirement, and the custodian believes that an emergency exists, the custodian may act, but shall not take long-lasting action, but, instead, shall act minimally to protect the project and the community pending review, and shall immediately refer the action to the community, through an appropriate noticeboard, disclosing the recusal requirement, and giving reasons both for the action itself, and for the opinion that emergency action was needed. If an emergency situation has been declared by the custodian, any supporting custodian, as described above, may request that the custodian refrain from further action, and if the custodian violates this, again, fast de-sysop procedures will apply.

Scope

If request to recuse is made based on a particular action, the request may be written to cover actions of the same class, i.e., if it involves a page deletion, it may cover all page deletions, if it involves blocking, it may cover all blocking. If the original action is confirmed by review by the community as proper, this shall cancel the effect of the request.

Failure to comply

Violation of this agreement shall result in a warning to the custodian, which may be issued by any user. If the custodian continues to violate this agreement, any editor may ask for a bureaucrat to review the situation, and if the bureaucrat finds the situation to warrant action to prevent an appearance or reality of impropriety, the bureaucrat may forward a request to a steward, recommending withdrawal of sysop privileges, and the custodian has agreed, in advance, through this agreement, to accept that, provided that evidence of this agreement and its violation has been provided to the steward. The bureaucrat may elect to warn the custodian instead of requesting desysop, but may then proceed with desysop if, in the judgment of the bureaucrat, there is a danger to the community.

Reversal of decision

A bureaucrat, finding that a significant risk no longer exists to the community of improper action by a custodian whose privileges have been removed, may restore the sysop privilege without further process.

Agreement does not supersede Community Review

Nothing about this agreement shall impair the right of the community to review the actions of a sysop and recommend removal of the privilege by consensus.

Substitution for Original Custodianship Candidacy support

A custodian subscribing to this agreement while already a permanent custodian, or with the candidacy, may substitute a panel of custodians for the "supporting custodian" right, and agrees to do this whenever the "supporting custodians" still available and active (as defined as use of custodial tools within the last three months) becomes less than three. The custodian may appoint new members of this panel, provided that they accept. If the custodian does not appoint such privileged custodians, and the defect has remained for one month, any remaining privileged custodian (i.e., from the original candidacy or from later substitution or appointment) may request immediate desysop without review. This is not a requirement, but a right of the privileged custodians. If a bureaucrat reviews the removal and restores the bit, that complaining custodian shall be removed from the review panel unless the bureaucrat specifically decides otherwise.

Ordinary editors as members of a review panel

With the consent of a majority of active custodian members of the review panel, as described above, or if there are only two, then one consenting custodian, a custodian may appoint an ordinary editor as a reviewer, who shall have all the privileges accorded the review panel members above, and who shall serve for a term of three months, provided that active custodian members are not less than one, giving time for the custodian to find another custodian reviewer. An inactive custodian may appoint an active regular editor to serve as a representative to this panel, upon assurances that the regular editor can contact the inactive custodian off-wiki with expectation of attention being given, in which case that custodian may be considered "active," as long as the regular editor is active [definition?].

Removal of review privilege from custodians

The custodian may specifically remove any custodian from the "review panel" with the consent of a majority of those remaining, after consideration of inactivity as described above.