Accountability, finances, safety, and other imporant issues
Richard Gartner PhD
Registrant
I have decided to start a new thread to respond to some things that were brought up on another thread (threads deleted for containing trigger issues). It seems to me that that thread has gotten too long and gone in too many directions for most people to follow it coherently and understand why I am saying the things I want to say here. I originally piggy-backed this post onto the "Structure" thread, but probaly it will be better on its own.
First, Andrew-almost52, you said, The only reason I have not become a member is my fear of belonging to a program or group that is dishonest or flawed. Somehow it feels safer as a 'guest' if 'things' go wrong ....maybe a little bit closer to the door. Andrew, I understand your apprehension about this. It is true for many who come here and it takes time to build the trust. Some never do build it, while others do over time. No one can make you trust, obviously, we can only be ourselves and you will decide what to do for yourself. And, of course, being oneself means not being perfect. Im not, you're not, no one on this Forum is. But hopefully most of us are good ENOUGH for others to feel safe ENOUGH to make this site work.
Andrew, you said, What accountability is in place for the moderators? The volunteer Moderators are chosen to help us keep it safe here. Ultimately I am responsible for the appropriateness of their actions, though Ken is the chair of the committee that oversees the running of the website. We are struggling to put in effect better monitoring and training for them as well as provide written Moderator guidelines. That has been happening with a lot of growing pains, which, as Roy points out in the "Structure" thread, is inevitable at this stage of our development. I can only suggest that you and others will have to wait to see how well it works. The present controversies take up a lot of our time that could be better spent working on the guidelines and training. While we will always welcome feedback, we will continue to work for a smoother operating and safer Moderator staff.
You went on to say, How much involvement did you have in the Lion Cub fiasco and its resolution? How accountable were the 2 moderators who became inappropriately involved with a 16 year old participant in chat and discussion forum. These are trust issues for me Richard.
The "LC fiasco" and other problems that have reflected on the behavior of Moderators were a serious concern. They were dealt with through considerable input from the board and myself as well as others who were involved. They presented a new challenge and there was a steep learning curve. I believe that everyone involved learned from it. LC is no longer here, the Moderators whose questionable judgment caused problems are no longer Moderating - and we are continually looking at it as a source for understanding how to improve the safety here.
You then said, I think it is wrong for this to be kept quiet (and I AM AWARE of the details). It just adds to the pile of secrets that we as survivors have
always been keeping.
Others have said in the other thread what they feel about your saying you are AWARE of the details. For my part, I do not believe that every aspect of what went on should be publicly discussed. The Board and I have had no secrets, but there is a difference between secrecy and privacy. Public discussion of "personnel" decisions leaves us without the option of dealing with the individuals in question in a way that respects their needs as well as respects privacy considerations of all involved. It would be unworkable to have to answer to the entire public (with all of its diverse points of view) for every single thing that is done.
While that may cause some to continue to feel unsafe, I think it is the
best we can do and hope that in time the trust will grow by the cumulative
experiences people have here. Some may never feel totally safe here but many have come to rely on the qualities of fellowship and concern for each other that sustains this organization.
I also want to respond to mattandrew. Ken has said a lot about our finances. Let me say more. Given our income -- under $30, 000 in our best year, usually far less -- it would be irresponsible for us to attempt to spend our money on an office. That money gets eaten up mighty quickly by expenses like our one paid worker, our postal expenses, phones, etc. Except for Trisha, our wonderful Administrative Assistant, who works very part time, we are entirely volunteer. However, we are certainly not fly-by-night -- we have been around formally as a non-profit since 1994 and informally since 1988. Therefore, our web site activities, while very important to us, were not even a factor for the first decade or so of our existence. We offer biannual conferences in varied cities, run healing retreats, speak to the media about male sexual victimization when possible, advocate with legislators, support a resource directory (still not big enough, but it is growing), and support research and education about male sexual victimization. We respond to varied requests from all over the world, usually from survivors in dire psychological and/or legal need. We cant always help but we try to, and at the least we offer psychological support for what they are going through. Im very proud of what we have accomplished, and Im ambitious for us to do much more.
Richard Gartner,
President
MS/NOMSV
First, Andrew-almost52, you said, The only reason I have not become a member is my fear of belonging to a program or group that is dishonest or flawed. Somehow it feels safer as a 'guest' if 'things' go wrong ....maybe a little bit closer to the door. Andrew, I understand your apprehension about this. It is true for many who come here and it takes time to build the trust. Some never do build it, while others do over time. No one can make you trust, obviously, we can only be ourselves and you will decide what to do for yourself. And, of course, being oneself means not being perfect. Im not, you're not, no one on this Forum is. But hopefully most of us are good ENOUGH for others to feel safe ENOUGH to make this site work.
Andrew, you said, What accountability is in place for the moderators? The volunteer Moderators are chosen to help us keep it safe here. Ultimately I am responsible for the appropriateness of their actions, though Ken is the chair of the committee that oversees the running of the website. We are struggling to put in effect better monitoring and training for them as well as provide written Moderator guidelines. That has been happening with a lot of growing pains, which, as Roy points out in the "Structure" thread, is inevitable at this stage of our development. I can only suggest that you and others will have to wait to see how well it works. The present controversies take up a lot of our time that could be better spent working on the guidelines and training. While we will always welcome feedback, we will continue to work for a smoother operating and safer Moderator staff.
You went on to say, How much involvement did you have in the Lion Cub fiasco and its resolution? How accountable were the 2 moderators who became inappropriately involved with a 16 year old participant in chat and discussion forum. These are trust issues for me Richard.
The "LC fiasco" and other problems that have reflected on the behavior of Moderators were a serious concern. They were dealt with through considerable input from the board and myself as well as others who were involved. They presented a new challenge and there was a steep learning curve. I believe that everyone involved learned from it. LC is no longer here, the Moderators whose questionable judgment caused problems are no longer Moderating - and we are continually looking at it as a source for understanding how to improve the safety here.
You then said, I think it is wrong for this to be kept quiet (and I AM AWARE of the details). It just adds to the pile of secrets that we as survivors have
always been keeping.
Others have said in the other thread what they feel about your saying you are AWARE of the details. For my part, I do not believe that every aspect of what went on should be publicly discussed. The Board and I have had no secrets, but there is a difference between secrecy and privacy. Public discussion of "personnel" decisions leaves us without the option of dealing with the individuals in question in a way that respects their needs as well as respects privacy considerations of all involved. It would be unworkable to have to answer to the entire public (with all of its diverse points of view) for every single thing that is done.
While that may cause some to continue to feel unsafe, I think it is the
best we can do and hope that in time the trust will grow by the cumulative
experiences people have here. Some may never feel totally safe here but many have come to rely on the qualities of fellowship and concern for each other that sustains this organization.
I also want to respond to mattandrew. Ken has said a lot about our finances. Let me say more. Given our income -- under $30, 000 in our best year, usually far less -- it would be irresponsible for us to attempt to spend our money on an office. That money gets eaten up mighty quickly by expenses like our one paid worker, our postal expenses, phones, etc. Except for Trisha, our wonderful Administrative Assistant, who works very part time, we are entirely volunteer. However, we are certainly not fly-by-night -- we have been around formally as a non-profit since 1994 and informally since 1988. Therefore, our web site activities, while very important to us, were not even a factor for the first decade or so of our existence. We offer biannual conferences in varied cities, run healing retreats, speak to the media about male sexual victimization when possible, advocate with legislators, support a resource directory (still not big enough, but it is growing), and support research and education about male sexual victimization. We respond to varied requests from all over the world, usually from survivors in dire psychological and/or legal need. We cant always help but we try to, and at the least we offer psychological support for what they are going through. Im very proud of what we have accomplished, and Im ambitious for us to do much more.
Richard Gartner,
President
MS/NOMSV
