Accountability For Minimum Requirements
| This is the Document Release Information | |
| Article Number: | 7CAV-R-030 |
| Scope: | Accountability for Attendance at Section Practice & Signing Roll-Call |
| Version: | Version 1.2 |
| Effective Date: | 24 NOV 18 |
| Last Modified Date: | 08FEB21 |
| Approving Authority: | Regimental Commanding Officer |
| Point of Contact: | Regimental Chief of Staff |
Accountability for Maintaining Minimum Requirements
This policy outlines the minimum requirements to be a member of the 7th Cavalry Gaming Regiment, and the duties and responsibilities of members at various levels.
Minimum Requirements
At a very basic level, once a person joins the unit, there are two simple and fundamental requirements:
- Attend section practice once per week
- Sign roll-call once per week
This is taught from the very first moment a person joins the unit. There are a large number of extra, optional activities every week for people to attend, but troopers must maintain these two basic minimum requirements.
There can be a variety of reasons a person misses section practice. Sometimes, life happens and some is too busy to get there or they simply sleep in. Sometimes their work schedule changes and the time is no longer good for them. Sometimes people do not actually enjoy being in the squad they are in, and sometimes, life changes and they no longer have time to devote to a weekly section practice. None of these things are bad, this is normal. We have solutions for when someone finds themselves in one of these situations.
If something came up and you missed your regularly scheduled section practice, you should do the following:
- Send a private message to your Section Leader and let them know you know you missed.
- Try and get a makeup section practice done with another section.
- If you feel like you won't have time to get a makeup practice done, file for a Leave of Absence (LOA). This is one of the reasons they are here. If you file an LOA you will be accounted for that week.
If your schedule changes and the time no longer works, see the 1st Battalion Section Practice Times Thread or 2nd Battalion Section Practice Times Thread and request a transfer to a squad with a practice time that works for you.
If you don't enjoy being in your squad, you should approach your Platoon Sergeant or Platoon Leader and discuss it. They are there to help you.
If life changes, i.e. you get a job, a girlfriend, a baby or all of the above and you no longer have time for regular practices, no sweat. There's no problem with saying hey my life has gotten busy and I just don't have time for the Cav anymore. Life changes, things happen.
Absent Without Leave (AWOL)
One of the minimum requirements is to post in your roll-call every week. If you don't post somewhere in the forums at least once every seven days you are technically AWOL and you will show up on the AWOL tracker. The following week, you will appear on the AWOL list and then subsequently discharged if you don't reply. We do this so that members who decide to drop out of the unit and don't let us know can be cleaned up and we're not doing work for people who are no longer here.
Accountability
You are responsible for meeting the minimum requirements weekly. Your immediate superior is not required to remind or chase you to attend section practice and sign roll-call and they won't.
All members up to and including Battalion Staff are required to meet this minimum requirement.
If you fail to meet either of the minimum requirements for one week, you will receive a Developmental Counseling Statement (DCS) from your Platoon Staff. This will come in the form of a private message on the forums.
If you fail to meet either of the minimum requirements for a second week in the next 30 days, you will receive a Letter of Reprimand (LoR) from your Platoon Staff.
If you are unaccounted for a third time within a 90-day period, you will receive a second Letter of Reprimand. Any further proceedings are to be escalated to that of an Article 15 Commander's Investigation and Hearing, and are subject to the consequences contained in 7CAV-R-044.
If you are AWOL and fail to respond, you will be AWOL discharged by your Battalion Staff.
Why We Hold You Accountable
We cannot run section practices effectively if people don't show up. We can't plan good practices if we can't rely on having the full squad there at practice. If we don't run practices, we don't get better at the game. If we don't get better at the game, we don't do well in operations and when operations don't go well, we don't have a good time.
As mentioned above, there are tools available, i.e. a LOA or a makeup practice, if you miss your regularly scheduled practice.
Role of the Platoon Staff
Platoon staff are expected to do the following maintaining this policy:
- Issue Developmental Counselling Statements in the form of a private message on the forums that includes the trooper, the Company Staff, and the Squad Leader for info purposes only
- Issue Letters of Reprimand as per policy
- Inform the Chain of Command when a person receives a 2nd Letter of Reprimand within a 60-day period for failing to meet minimum requirements to be escalated to an Article 15
NOTE - These responsibilities are NOT to be delegated down to the Squad Leader level.
When to Counsel or Issue a Letter of Reprimand
- The first time someone misses section practice, roll-call or both, the Platoon Staff counsels (DCS's) them. Attempt to have a conversation with the trooper to deal with the root cause of why they missed.
- If within 30 days they miss again, they must issue a Letter of Reprimand to them. If outside the 31 days, reissue a Developmental Counselling Statement.
- If they miss again within 60 days of the first Letter of Reprimand, they receive another Letter of Reprimand.
- If they receive 2 Letters of Reprimand, the Platoon Staff forward them to Company, who then forward them to Battalion Staff., to escalate to an Article 15.
Role of the Squad Leader
Squad Leaders are not expected to chase down people to sign roll-call and attend section practice. Having said that, a good squad leader will care enough about the people in their squad to remind them of the consequences of failing to meet minimum requirements. Good processes such as having all members sign roll-call before section practice starts will also help. As a Squad Leader, you have the discretion to excuse troopers from section practice IF they contact you ahead of time and are responsible about keeping you in the loop. However, keep in mind that this shouldn't happen regularly.
Policy Goals
- Spread the total workload by easing the Squad Leader workload and adding to the Platoon Staff workload.
- Put more responsibility on the trooper for meeting minimum requirements by being more rigid about the disciplinary process.
