What is the remit of the misconduct organization?

A place to discuss topics affecting quizbowlers as a community rather than quizbowl as a game.
Post Reply
User avatar
1.82
Rikku
Posts: 398
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2015 9:35 pm
Location: a vibrant metropolis, the equal of Paris or New York

What is the remit of the misconduct organization?

Post by 1.82 »

Last night, Ryan Rosenberg stated that "not everything that is reported to the misconduct form is necessarily misconduct; it's much better if people have a bias towards overreporting rather than underreporting." Perhaps because of the way that it was worded, this made me deeply uncomfortable. I am displeased specifically with the idea of an organization whose deliberations are (as far as I know) secret claiming for itself the most expansive possible interpretation of its mandate, because I am familiar enough with bureaucracies to be aware of their tendency to expand. Since that statement last night, I have talked to other people who have expressed the same concerns. At the moment it's evidently not clear to people what this organization has power over, and based on Ryan's statement its scope could well be construed to be anything and everything.

I appreciate that Olivia posted a link to ask questions a couple weeks ago, indicating that the people involved are aware that lack of transparency is a concern. I do think that this is something that warrants a public conversation.
Naveed Chowdhury
Maryland '16
Georgia Tech '17
User avatar
TaylorH
Wakka
Posts: 197
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 7:31 pm

Re: What is the remit of the misconduct organization?

Post by TaylorH »

Maybe I just have a hard time following Naveed's writing style, but I do not understand what this post is getting at. It seems to me to conflate two concerns: 1) ACF misconduct decision making is not transparent 2) the purview of things that could be reported is too large or not well-defined. These are both fine things to discuss, but before they are I wanted to see if this was more or less what Naveed meant.

I am particularly puzzled by this sentence:
I am displeased specifically with the idea of an organization whose deliberations are (as far as I know) secret claiming for itself the most expansive possible interpretation of its mandate, because I am familiar enough with bureaucracies to be aware of their tendency to expand.
I don't understand how you derive this from Ryan's comment. Please elaborate.
Taylor Harvey (he/him)
ACF
University of Florida B.S. Nuclear Engineering '17
University of Florida Ph.D. Nuclear Engineering '21
2021 ACF Nationals Champion
User avatar
1.82
Rikku
Posts: 398
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2015 9:35 pm
Location: a vibrant metropolis, the equal of Paris or New York

Re: What is the remit of the misconduct organization?

Post by 1.82 »

TaylorH wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 1:38 pm Maybe I just have a hard time following Naveed's writing style, but I do not understand what this post is getting at. It seems to me to conflate two concerns: 1) ACF misconduct decision making is not transparent 2) the purview of things that could be reported is too large or not well-defined. These are both fine things to discuss, but before they are I wanted to see if this was more or less what Naveed meant.
I think that both of these things are concerns (although I don't think that ACF specifically is involved unless I have failed to understand the organizational flow chart properly), and specifically I think that they reinforce each other. It's particularly important to clearly define the scope of the organization because of its opacity, and that lack of transparency means that the organization is particularly susceptible to having its scope expanded without the general public really knowing.
TaylorH wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 1:38 pm I am particularly puzzled by this sentence:
I am displeased specifically with the idea of an organization whose deliberations are (as far as I know) secret claiming for itself the most expansive possible interpretation of its mandate, because I am familiar enough with bureaucracies to be aware of their tendency to expand.
I don't understand how you derive this from Ryan's comment. Please elaborate.
Ryan, as a member of the organization, has said that the organization's area of oversight should be construed widely. I am confident that Ryan is both competent and trustworthy, but nevertheless I am uncomfortable with the notion of an organization defining its own boundaries. This is why I think it's important to have a discussion about this.
Naveed Chowdhury
Maryland '16
Georgia Tech '17
User avatar
The Stately Rhododendron
Rikku
Posts: 484
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2011 7:18 pm
Location: Heart's in the woods

Re: What is the remit of the misconduct organization?

Post by The Stately Rhododendron »

Overreport clearly implies sending in information that the group themselves have decided are outside the scope of the form. A clear misreading by Naveed.
IKD
Yale 18
Oakland Mills 14
"I am the NAQT beast I worship."
User avatar
TaylorH
Wakka
Posts: 197
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 7:31 pm

Re: What is the remit of the misconduct organization?

Post by TaylorH »

1.82 wrote: Tue Oct 26, 2021 2:02 pm (although I don't think that ACF specifically is involved unless I have failed to understand the organizational flow chart properly)
This is correct, my bad for the conflation.
Taylor Harvey (he/him)
ACF
University of Florida B.S. Nuclear Engineering '17
University of Florida Ph.D. Nuclear Engineering '21
2021 ACF Nationals Champion
Post Reply