Our reporters caught up with the busy Vice Admiral Kermie Mistwallow, Deputy Commander of United Federation Starfleet, to ask him for some information about the inaugural UFS ‘Town Hall’ happening on Saturday June 25th, 2022 at noon PDT (SLT).
Q: What is a ‘Town Hall’
The dictionary definition of this is “a way for local and national politicians to meet with their constituents either to hear from them on topics of interest or to discuss specific upcoming legislation or regulation.” This is pretty much what we are wanting to achieve. With the direction UFS is going, we want to emphasize that we are listening, that we want to hear ideas and suggestions, and we want to give the members the ‘power’ to let us know what they want.
Q: Did UFS have Town Halls before? What made you stop doing them?
Yes, we have previously had Town Halls in the past (quite a distant past), and it is something we want to try again. There are a few reasons these stopped: real life commitments for those hosting; disinterest from the members; and sometimes people used that platform to berate things, rather than offer constructive thinking and ideas. We have hope that this ideology has changed.
Q: What made the CinC/DCinC/JCs decide to start having Town Halls again?
When there is a change in the command structure, people often feel out of place at times. They may not know who they can turn to, or if topics are ‘allowed’ to be discussed. Admiral MilesPrower Dagger, UF Starfleet Commander-in-Chief, wishes to focus on what the members want, and while we have the forums and discord where people can ask questions and chat, that face-to-face interaction with someone (even as avatars) can really help with communication. And that’s just the thing, communication is key. If we don’t know what members are enjoying or not enjoying, we can’t change. This is why we wanted to bring back the Town Hall, because it’s another platform the members can use to bring topics up.
Q: Who can ask questions at a Town Hall?
This is a really easy one to answer… everyone.
Q: Who will answer the questions?
Generally the questions will be directed to whomever is running that area, for example questions about the Academy will be answered by the Superintendent, questions about events will be answered by the Chief of Communications and so forth. If that particular Joint Chief or Vice is not in attendance, then myself and Admiral Dagger will try to answer as best we can (if we know the answer). However if we do not know the answer to a question, we will say “I don’t know,” and we will pass the question to the appropriate person and make sure that they respond.
Q: How will it work, if I have a question or comment?
A nominated person will be on hand to contact. If you have a question, you simply instant message the assigned person, and your name will be called when the next spot is available. This helps to streamline the process and make sure everyone gets their opportunity to speak. If someone wishes to raise a comment or ask for further information during the topic, they can raise their hand after it has been answered and be called upon before the next topic is started.
Q: Anything else?
After each Town Hall we will also post ‘meeting notes’ on the UFS Forum so that those that could not attend (whether in world or via our Discord live events channel), will get the opportunity to read through and comment on the post. Again we hope that this will give the members another avenue to communicate with us. We are trying to move forward in a positive way for the betterment of all. We are being open about plans and changes, and this Open Door policy, in my opinion, is a great step forward. I would like to say thank you to the members who are bringing things to us, and for those that may be hesitant due to past experiences, I hope they can see this as proof that we are listening, supporting and moving forward.
June’s Town Hall will be held immediately after the June Promotions & Awards Ceremony, which begins at noon PDT (SLT) in Ceremony Hall, Pinastri (Second Life). Dress is Class B or formal attire. All are welcome to attend.