The New Garrison Handbook
Table of Contents
Now that the Great Lakes Garrison is official, Garrison members may have some questions about how a Garrison operates. Things
are a little different from when we were a Squad of the Midwest Garrison. This page will explain some of the features,
procedures, and processes that a Garrison of the 501st Legion must follow.
Probation
Many people have a negative perception of the probation period. Probation for a new unit is seen as a restriction or limitation
of the unit's operations and abilities to do what 501st members do. This is a gross misconception and is simply
not true.
The probation period of a new unit is so that the parent unit can observe the new unit and offer advice and assistance. The
parent unit then submits its analysis and observations to the Legion Council at the conclusion of the probation period and then
the Council votes to make a unit permanent.
At no time is the new unit restricted in any way as far as event participation and costuming. Units are listed in the Legion
database immediately, they may hold elections, and can participate on the Legion forum with no restrictions whatsoever. A
unit on probation is treated no differently than a unit not on probation, with the exception of the review following probation.
A Garrison's probation period is one year. GLG's review date will be December 29, 2008.
Merchandise
All new units in the Legion, from Outposts up to Garrison and including every type of subdivision in between, is prohibited
from creating and distributing new merchandise for a period of six months following its inception. This is to remind units that
the primary focus of our existence is not to create t-shirts and patches, and that the ability and permission to create those items
are a reward for doing our job well, not a right.
GLG will be permitted to create merchandise beginning June 29, 2008.
The Garrison Membership Liaison
The Garrison Membership Liaison (GML) is responsible for updating your personal information in the 501st Legion database. If you
move, change names, or change e-mail addresses, you must contact the GML. If you have new costumes to add to your Legion profile
or wish to remove costumes from your Legion profile, the GML is the person to do it. The GML works closely with the Legion
Membership Officer (LMO) to ensure consistency with Legion policies for members and costumes.
The GML for the Great Lakes Garrison is
Michael Karp
The Garrison Web Liaison
The Garrison Web Liaison (GWL) is responsible for the Web site of GLG as well as processing your membership
photos for the
Legion database's roster.
All costume photos must be of high resolution and preferably well-lit (for example, an outside photo on a sunny day is much more
attractive than an inside shot in front of a busy background and lit by a single incandescent lightbulb). There is no need to
do any processing of the photo yourself -- that's the GWL's job. New members will be asked to submit these photos to the GWL
so that they will show up in the unit list on the 501st Web site as well as on the roster page on this site. The GWL works with
the Legion Webmaster (LWM) to make sure that the Web presence of the Garrison, including member photos, appear consistent with
the rest of the Legion.
The GWL maintains the Web site and forum for the Garrison. Any technical questions and concerns should be brought to the GWL
while concerns about participation, member interaction and relations, and such should be brought to Garrison commanders.
The GWL for the Great Lakes Garrison is
Rome Ohnui
The Garrison Public Relations Officer
The Garrison Public Relations officer (GPR) is the person in charge of any materials -- physical, tangible, virtual -- that
represents that Garrison to the public. This includes newsletters, flyers, business cards, banners, and even Web presence beyond the
main Web site (which is under the domain of the GWL).
The GPR manages these things to ensure a consistent appearance and voice across various media while adhering to 501st Legion
guidelines and works with the Legion Public Relations Officer (PRO) to make certain of it.
Any suggestions for materials in this area should be brought to the GPR prior to production. This ensures that you will have the
latest and most appropriate form of any graphic images and fonts required, that it doesn't inadvertently violate any Legion-level
rules that may not have filtered down to all of us here in Michigan, and that if any outside party questions the material, Garrison
leaders are prepared to answer those questions.
The GPR for the Great Lakes Garrison is
Jason Ujvari
Regional Captains
The geographic size of Michigan and the spread of members across the state can make it difficult to manage all members' specific needs
from one centralized area. Sometimes, members just need to talk to someone in charge in person rather than by e-mail, forum postings,
or sometimes even by phone. At other times, events and activities just need to be managed by someone who is familiar with the
region.
To aid in this, the positions of Regional Captains exist. Each area is loosely defined by concentrations of members, and
those areas outside of the Metro Detroit area are headed up by a Regional Captain. The office of the Regional Captain (which is not abbreviated "RC" because it's
too easily confused with the "Republic Commando" costume) is a position appointed by the Garrison CO.
The Metro Detroit area does not have a Regional Captain because the largest concentration of GLG members reside around Detroit.
Members in areas that have Regional Captains are of course free to communicate with Garrison leaders for any concerns they have.
The Regional Captain exists to make communications about local areas easier for both parties and assists Garrison leaders
in areas where regional familiarity may be lacking for Garrison leaders.
Regional Captains serve as members of the Garrison administrative staff.
