The Garrison Handbook

Table of Contents

New members and prospects of the 501st Legion may have some questions about how a Garrison operates. While most aspects are described in the 501st Legion Charter, some of the language and self-references may get confusing. This page will explain some of the features, procedures, and processes that a Garrison of the 501st Legion must follow.

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.

After this probationary period, merchandise may be created for the exclusive use of members only. All merchandise bearing Star Wars and/or 501st Legion unit designations and marks must be approved by the Legion's Merchandise & Branding Officer. All merchandise are to be sold at cost (no profit allowed!), and not to the general public.

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 Eric Alexander

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

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 Jerry Russell Michael Lica

Non-Member Costuming Policy

If a non-member would like to costume with us at an event, the Event Coordinator is required to follow the guidelines identified in this section.

For these guidelines a non-member is a costumer that is not an official member of the 501st Legion or the Rebel Legion*. The non-member may be a friend or family member of an official member, or they may be a complete stranger that has signed up on our forums and is working toward a full membership. In either case, these guidelines should be applied equally to everyone.

Guidelines:

Non-members are not eligible for any Formal/Canon events unless they officially join the 501st Legion. (ex. Star Wars Weekends, Weird Al, Star Wars in Concert, Major League Sporting Events, Thanksgiving Parade, etc.)
Private parties (birthdays, weddings, etc.) are exempt from these guidelines, based on approval from the Event Coordinator and the host.
A non-member will not displace an official member from an event.
If the non-member has a Rebel costume, then the Event Coordinator will refer them to the Great Lakes Base (GLB) Command Staff. The Event Coordinator must communicate with the GLB Command Staff to determine if the non-member has been approved to participate at the event, pending permanent RL membership.
If the non-member has an Imperial or other custom/unclassified Expanded Universe costume, they must send photos of themselves in costume to the GLG CO, XO and GML. The photos must be taken in a well lit area, and show the costume from head to foot, from the front sides and back.
The GLG command staff will review the costume for quality construction and depending on the character, check for accuracy. If the costume is not acceptable, the non-member will have the opportunity to improve or upgrade the costume as necessary prior to the event.
If the costume is acceptable, then the non-member will be allowed to participate in the requested event in costume, as well as other subsequent GLG events, based on approval from the Event Coordinator(s).
The non-member must resubmit photos of their costume if any extensive modifications or upgrades have been made to the costume.
In general there is no limit to the number of times a non-member may participate at events. However, the privilege of participating with 501st Legion shall not be abused and may be revoked on a case by case basis.

* As the Mandolorian Mercs presence grows in Michigan, and they develop a strong working relationship with us, they may be exempted from these guidelines. For now they should be considered non-members.