Pauline Bonaparte for Provost: Building Upward

The Magisterium
1

Magisters,

I have entered the running for Provost for the 62nd Magisterium. I would like to thank my colleagues in advance for their consideration.

I first joined the East Pacific in November to participate in RP, and I’ve felt very welcomed by this community. I would like to give back by taking on the role of Provost for this upcoming session.

Though I’m new to this community, I have been playing NationStates since 2006, in more regions than I can count. Most recently, I’ve been an active participant here and in Carcassonne. In each region I’ve been in over the years, I’ve been an enthusiastic participant in legislative work.

I’ve noticed that the Magisterium has had an increase in activity over the past few months, which is good. I believe we should continue this growth through recruiting efforts on the Discord and on NS. Occasional plugs, outside of the Magisterium channel can be used to promote what we do and cause new players to ask questions. Occasions for these plugs could be raising visibility on laws being discussed or congratulating new Magisters.

Gameside, telegrams to Magisters could raise visibility of what is happening on the forums. This would probably not be necessary for every bill, since our Discord is pretty active, but if we’re having trouble meeting quorum on something, it couldn’t hurt.

Activity is not an end in itself, however; we should also strive to integrate new Magisters and teach good legislative principles. Simple observation of legislative work as it happens is probably the major way people learn, but we can also undertake other methods.

As a UTEP staffer, I’ve been impressed with the drive there to increase its use. As Provost, I would share some of my thoughts and ideas for the legislature in the University, and I would encourage long-time Magisters to do the same. A collection of lectures/treatises on the Magisterium could serve as a useful tool for new legislators as they join. Further, Magisterial participation in UTEP is an example of the kind of cross-branch cooperation that raises all boats.

For many new players, legislative work is a stepping stone to larger roles in regional government. A good foundation here, in the Magisterium, can serve players well.

As Provost, I would continue the good work of promoting current discussions and votes on our Discord. I believe the auto-bump function on the forums could probably be turned down; perhaps to every week. I get the impression that people check the Discord more often, and pings there might be more useful. If people like the three-day interval, though, I’m happy to hear that argument.

The Magisterium of TEP has a storied history and vibrant traditions, and I hope to add further to each as your next Provost. Thanks for reading, and I’m happy to answer any questions!

2 Likes
3

Love your ideas, especially on UTEP treatises, but I have a couple questions:

  1. Do you intend to appoint Deputies and, if so, how do you intend to go about the process of selection and division of labor?
  2. How do you intend to spur debate and discussion when you don’t see it happening?
  3. What sort of legislative initiatives would you like to see from the Magisterium going forward?
4

Thank you for your questions!

I would like to appoint some deputies. In Discord, former Provosts have been offering help towards prospective nominees, which is always good to see. Though I have some experience as Speaker in other regions over the years, I would probably like to appoint one previous Provost willing to do so to help me acclimate.

I would also reach out to some of those nominated who declined on grounds of inexperience to see if they would like to be deputies. Deputies-for-experience I would probably seek to train on the basics first - opening and closing votes, etc. - before moving onto more advanced stuff.

Spurring debate is important, but tricky. On the one hand, vibrant discussion is a good thing in a legislature. On the other hand, you don’t want to be too heavy-handed with pings that could burn people out.

One way to ensure a proposed change to law is the best version it can be is to approach it from all sides, and encourage other legislators to do the same, such as through looking for opportunities to improve the bill’s language to close loopholes or tighten clauses. The Provost or their Deputies posting their thoughts can encourage others to pick up the discussion as well.

I’ve seen some pretty meaty proposals recently, such as the EPSA griefing discussion and Vussul’s proposed Concordat changes. I’d like to see more bold ideas like these, even if they don’t always pass. They tend to bring up things in other areas that are worth pursuing. Quality-of-life amendments like wording changes or the recent sponsorship motion amendment are also always worth exploring. I’ll have to look through our laws with an eye specifically for these kinds of simple updates to see what could be worth discussing.