Staff Participation in HC events

[abhorsen.]

Hey, guys!

We've gotten some anonymous feedback asking whether there was a way for staff to participate in HC events, and we've seen similar sentiments expressed at other points as well. We've been mulling over whether this is possible/wise for awhile, especially since while all staff can participate in planning events, not all staff members actually do - many staffers barely even stop into the event planning thread and would love to participate in events if they could.

We're wondering what you would think about our restricting non-gamekeeper access to house cup event planning threads so that other staffers have the option to fully participate in house cup events (similar to how they do in prefect-run events). This would involve:

• All staffers involved in planning an event formally joining the gamekeeper team. This would not involve any additional responsibilities or commitment beyond the event planning they would be doing anyway, and they could join at any time.
• Restricting permissions to view the event planning sub-forums and other houses' event discussion threads to gamekeepers. No other staff member (including admins) would have access to them, so non-gamekeeper staff would not have any advantages that members do not have.
• Clearly identifying gamekeepers (regardless of other roles) with a distinct color and the gamekeeper title for the duration of the event. If a staffer doesn't have "Gamekeeper" in a non-teal color under their name, they are free to participate and don't know anything more than members do.

We're making this a poll, but if you have any feedback, feel free to leave it below and/or contact the staff in another way. Thank you!

[abhorsen.]

Anonymous feedback:

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Regarding the recent poll that came out asking about whether staff should participate in House Cup events, I voted that I personally had reservations about this because not all houses are necessarily staffed equally. For example; Ravenclaw currently has 6 staffers in total, 3 of which are admins. Gryffindor has 3 staffers, 2 of which are already Gamekeepers. Slytherin only has 2 staffers, one that actively plans events and the other is an Admin. And Hufflepuff house (who always seems to already have the most active members helping them when it comes to events) has 2 active staff members currently.

So, when you break it down like this, it really wouldn't be fair because not EVERY HOUSE would have staff members on their teams to help them, and it would put some at an advantage over the others. Now, if some of the admins were to maybe join the other houses that were at a disadvantage or did not have a staffer on their team then that might help to even the score a bit. But they would need to be an actual active participant in the event in order for it to make a real difference. Overall though, I just think it's asking for more drama than what it's worth. It's a nice idea, but I don't really think it is fair for all parties involved.

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Staffers should not be allowed to participate. If you add up all the active members of each House and then add in non-gamekeeper staffers ... certain Houses will clearly have the advantage of more participants than other Houses. Unequal footing will result. Level the playing field if want to call these events fair.

 

I'd like to clarify that regardless of whether we move forward with this or maintain the status quo, as things stand the gamekeeper team will be me and @down-in-flames - if we move forward with this proposal, Taylor and I would remain on the team rather than deciding on an event-by-event basis. That team might grow if other staff members decided that they wanted to become gamekeepers as well at some point down the road, but it is currently just the two of us. Non-gamekeeper staff members (including admins) would not have permissions to see any event planning or what other houses were doing during the event, so staff members will not be at an advantage.

I'm limiting responses to clearing up misunderstandings and sharing other information, but we hear the other concerns you both have expressed here and will keep them in mind moving forward. Thank you for taking the time to share them.

Edit: @Dojh167, @grumpy cat, @Ineke, and @sibilant will be joining me and Taylor on the gamekeeping team.