These core ideas have been around for a long time in USL. Right now there seems to be some concern among members of the league regarding changes and how we go about implementing changes. After some discussion with other admins, it seemed wise to entrench and publish these Admin Guidelines so that we're transparent with the players about how the league navigates important decisions.

<b>Unified Skirmish League</b>
<b>League Administration Guidelines</b>
<i>(Written by MP; April 30, 2007) (Last Revision: December 24, 2023)</i>

The purpose of the following guidelines is to ensure the stability of USL management and a structure for decision-making that appreciates the contribution of players, represented by their respective squad captains.

Definitions:
<i>Polling - conducting a poll accessible to a target group and abiding by the result of that poll unless an exception is exercised through Paragraph 2 of these guidelines.
Consulting - informal polling or discussions that are non-binding and used for the purpose of gathering data that are useful in discussions prior to binding polls.
Captain - the single primary leader of each registered squad, excluding co-captains (except if the primary captain designates a co-captain to temporarily replace him/her due to an absence or otherwise).</i>

USL Staff consists of League Administrator, Deputy League Administrator(s), Coordinator(s), Zone Developers, Webmaster, Head Referee, Senior Referees, Referees, and Head Analyst. All of the staff members in these roles must be provided an opportunity to vote in any USL Staff poll.


1. Major gameplay rules and settings changes (e.g., significant map changes, class modifications) will be determined by polling captains (unless bypassed in Paragraph 2). If the league is in offseason, USL Staff will poll the squad captains of the upcoming season. Typically, before a poll of the squad captains is conducted, there should be a preamble and some discussion to ensure squad captains are making an informed choice, to clarify ambiguities, and to allow for persuasive arguments to be composed. Data gathered from any consultations would be highlighted at this stage. Squad captains are expected to vote in binding polls as representatives of their squads, prioritizing the majority sentiments of their squad over personal preference. If there is a tie in a squad captains poll, the League Administrator will act as the tie-breaker by either casting a single deciding vote or distributing his/her vote to the outcome of a broader USL Staff poll, at his/her discretion.

2. If a League Administrator or Deputy Administrator chooses to bypass polling captains on major gameplay and settings changes, they must justify that exception to the general rule and must receive a majority approval by USL Staff members for each bypass.

3. Consulting the public on any major changes will be based on the discretion of USL Staff and may be used to gather valuable information for the preamble and discussion stage of polling captains. Feedback from players is important and should be thoughtfully considered by decision-makers, but these consultations cannot be binding due to the uncertainty and variability of polling players (i.e., voter turnout, representative sample, poll manipulation). The established system also extends appreciation to the squad captains who put in the work of organizing squads.

4. USL Staff should not repeatedly intervene in areas of the league where there is a conflict of interest or conflict of role. League decisions must be made with integrity and without bias.