Background
The mission of the Frankford Radio Club (FRC) is set forth in our Constitution Preamble:
“We, the undersigned, wishing to secure for ourselves the pleasures and benefits of an association of persons commonly interested in Amateur Radio radiosport, constitute ourselves the Frankford Radio Club and enact this constitution as our governing law. It shall be our purpose to further the exchange of information and cooperation between members, to promote individual operator skills, efficiency, and accomplishment, and to conduct club programs and activities with the intent of advancing the general interest and welfare of Amateur Radio within the community and worldwide.”
To accomplish the organizational goals described above, FRC members routinely and continuously communicate with each other both in person and via electronic media. Members are expected to adhere to reasonable and responsible standards of personal behavior at all times. To ensure decorum, members should be courteous, respectful, helpful, supportive, and patient with their fellow club members.
The FRC provides communications tools (hereafter referred to as “media”) to facilitate and support accomplishing its mission. Media includes an email reflector (currently Groups.IO), a chat room (currently Slack), a YouTube channel, video meeting venue (currently Zoom), a Facebook page and a club website, the whole of which may change over time. These systems have proven their worth in facilitating communication among club members, the accomplishment of club business and support of club activities.
All media platforms provided by the FRC are managed by the Board of Directors. Individuals assigned operational oversight duties report directly to the Board.
Frankford Radio Club Code of Conduct
The purpose of the Frankford Radio Club Code of Conduct (CoC) is to provide members with guidance and to set expectations in regard to acceptable personal conduct when engaged in communications with other FRC members.
1.0 Purpose and Scope
The Frankford Radio Club encourages the exchange of information between its members about Amateur Radio, contesting, and club activities. FRC members are expected to be courteous, respectful, helpful, supportive, and patient with fellow club members during formal and informal interactions that occur in-person or via electronic means.
Members who elect to use the FRC provided media agree to always communicate in a polite, courteous, and respectful manner, without using language that could be considered overly profane or otherwise disruptive and demeaning. Public personal attacks directed at other club members are inappropriate and prohibited.
Using FRC provided media for discussion of topics which are not related to Amateur Radio, contesting, or club activities is generally considered inappropriate and discouraged.
Discussion of common off topic subjects from time to time (like sports, the weather, etc.) on club media is expected and considered within the scope of what takes place within most membership organizations. Such communications are considered reasonable as long as they are limited in duration, the subject matter is not considered offensive to any way to other club members, and the content and tone of such discussions does not interfere with nor diminish the primary objectives of the club.
Conversations and/or posting on topics which are religious, racial, sexual, or political in nature, content, or tone, or might otherwise be considered offensive, are considered inappropriate and prohibited.
Intentional and repeated violation of this Code of Conduct by a member is considered a serious offense and could lead to suspension of media privileges or in extreme cases, expulsion from the club.
2. Oversight and Reporting
Officers, Directors, and other individuals approved by the Board of Directors will oversee and monitor the operation of club media systems.
When anyone observes an individual member or group of members in potential violation of the Code of Conduct, such conduct should be reported to the Board of Directors which will investigate the incident to determine if remedial action is warranted.
3. Enforcement
If the Board concludes that the Code of Conduct has been violated, the offending member(s) will be informed of the observed infraction(s) and asked to immediately discontinue the behavior deemed inappropriate. Whenever possible notification of infractions will be kept private.
When a member or a group of members disregards warnings and continues inappropriate behavior, further action may be taken.
In the rare case where a member repeatedly and willfully violates the Code of Conduct, the Board of Directors may take appropriate action, up to and including a possible recommendation for expulsion as provided for under the FRC Constitution and By-Laws.
Approved by the Frankford Radio Club Board of Directors – January 19, 2023