Rules & Procedures for Members of the Confederation Of Union Generals

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Application Process

Submit An Application
 
Explanation of Dues and Insurance
 
1. The Mission of COUG is to authentically portray historical figures from the American Civil War era in order to educate the public and honor the service & Sacrifice of the persons so portrayed; to aid and promote efforts to preserve the hallowed ground upon which the conflict was waged; and to communicate and celebrate the history of the period, thereby preserving our common heritage.

2. The Annual Dues for Active status members of COUG is $20.00.

A.) Annual dues is due and payable on January 1 of each calendar year. All checks should be made payable to: Confederation Of Union Generals, or COUG, and mailed to
Tony Rosati
4 Alexander Drive
Monroe Township NJ 08831


B.) Members in arrears for more than three (3) months after payment is due, i.e. by March 31st, shall be notified via email or postal mail that they are delinquent in payment of annual dues.

C.) If payment is not received by June 30th of that calendar year, the member will be notified that he has been dropped from COUG membership. The former member will be deleted from the web site; and from all COUG Group email listings; and from notification or inclusion in any COUG events.

D.) A member who has been dropped from COUG membership for failure to pay dues can reapply for membership into COUG by petitioning the Membership Committee for readmission into the organization. The Committee will rule on his readmission, and any conditions pertaining thereto.

E.) A member who is dropped from COUG for nonpayment of dues relinquishes all "RIGHTS" to the historical figure he portrayed insofar as COUG is concerned. Those "rights" then become open to "assumption" by any subsequent COUG applicant who is accepted into COUG by the Membership Committee as that historical figure.

F.) Any member who suffers financial reversal, catastrophic illness, or such as to render payment of dues and participation in COUG impossible, may preserve his character "rights" and a form of exempted status, by petitioning the Membership Committee for special consideration and "hardship status" exemption.

G.) The Membership Committee can, given extenuating circumstances applied for under article F.) above, waive the Annual Dues Requirement and place the member into a special "protected hardship status" subject to periodic review. ( Inactive member )


3. No Duplicate Historical Figures are permitted in COUG. ( “Rights” to the Character ) Within COUG, a historical figure from the Civil War period, either military or civilian, can only be portrayed by a single member of the organization. For example, there cannot be two (2), or more, individual members who portray General George G. Meade, or any other historical persona already assumed by a member. This shall be known as the "No Duplicates" rule, or the Rights To The Character law. However, the member with these "rights" to the character can, if they are unable to portray their character at any given COUG event, assign those portrayal rights to another member ( * ) if there is no objection by the President Of COUG. These "rights" exist for as long as the individual is a member in good standing of the organization.

* There is precedent for this in the specific case of General Meade who is very realistically portrayed by member Gerry McCormick standing in for Andy Waskie when the latter's job takes him to Germany.

4. A "Minimum Participation Rule" is applicable to all active status members. In order for COUG to be a viable Living History organization with credibility and reliability to organizers of Living History events, members are expected to be active participants in the group. Each members commitment to that requirement is assessed based on his participation in COUG functions that are considered “Primary” events. Within that category, some events are denoted as “maximum effort”, or “Signature Events” events in which members are strongly encouraged to attend.

The criterion used to classify an event as “Primary” are those in which COUG is either:

a.) the sponsor and/or the "Main" attraction.
b.) a substantial or the "centerpiece" attraction.
c.) the event features a “Meet The Generals” scenario
d.) COUG is billed in the event advertising.

Under those definitions, the following events are classified as "Primary", and “Signature” events are denoted with an asterisk:

1.) "Meet The Generals" at the Lightner Farm. *
2.) "Meet The Generals" at Old Bedford Village. *
3.) "Meet The Union Generals" at the Gettysburg Anniversary Reenactment site. *
4.) "Meet The Generals" at the Meade Society event at the Wax Museum.
5.) "Meet The Generals" at the Harrisburg Museum.
6.) “Meet The Generals” at a “Western Theater” event. ( To be determined year to year )
7.) “Meet The Generals” at Fort Pocahontas. *
8.) “Meet The Generals” at Shining Stars Horse show.
9.) The Remembrance Day Parade. *

Primary events depend on the attendance of COUG members in order to be successful; indeed, may depend on enough COUGers attending to even be held! It follows from this that a Minimum Participation requirement at such Primary events is a necessary ingredient to our success.

Therefore, the following specific Minimum Participation Rule (MinPart) applies:

Each COUGer is expected to attend and participate in at least two (2) Primary events over the course of a Campaign. If he doesn't, he will be placed on "Inactive" member status. As long as he continues to pay his dues regularly, he can maintain that status and attend Winter Rendezvous and all events. If a similar record of non-attendance in at least two (2) primary events occurs in the next successive year, he will be dropped from the Membership rolls and denied reapplication for one (1) full year. After that period, he may re-apply if his character has NOT been assumed by another in the interim.

If the member fails Minimum Participation standards due to extended illness; hospitalization; military deployment, job requirements, job loss, or family illness or emergency, or economic distress, each of which will be decided on a case by case basis by the COUG Membership Committee, he will not be penalized unfairly. Indeed, he need merely apply to the Membership Committee for a MINPART WAIVER from the standard and a voluntary entry to Inactive Status due to the situation being experienced. Such application for cause would, too, if approved, exempt the member from any termination of membership.

In the event that a new, annual or a nonrecurring, Primary event is adapted into the COUG Campaign in any particular year, attendance and participation at such an event will count toward the minimum requirement of two (2) participations.

"Participation" is defined as completely attending and engaging in the full schedule of the planned events for the day. In the case of events spanning 2 or more days, the participation requirement is met by attending at least one day of the planned schedule. However, attendance is not satisfied by a mere appearance for short duration followed by an abrupt departure from the field. Also, attending multiple days of a multiple day event does not count as multiple events attended. A member will not lose attendance credit if he has to leave an event early due to an emergency or an illness.

If a member doesn’t participate, as defined above, for two(2) successive years and does not file a MINPART WAIVER for the cause of his non-participation, he will be dropped from the Membership.

5.) The COUG HONOR CODE for the members is this: A COUGer WILL NOT LIE, CHEAT, STEAL, OR TOLERATE THOSE WHO DO.

6.) The CODE OF CONDUCT for members is this:

a.) Fighting, Profanity, drunkenness, alcohol or substance abuse, or any behavior that is conspicuous, disorderly, outrageous, illegal, or disruptive is strictly prohibited at any Living History event. Similarly, any lewd or bawdy behavior is strictly forbidden. These are SERIOUS conduct violations.

b.) Behavior will be held to the rigid standards of the Civil War period, meaning politeness, deference, and caring and attention to members of the opposite sex in our own Group and to all members of the public, consistent with a Civil War period officer of breeding, education, and position.

c.) Modern colloquialisms or figures of speech are strongly discouraged. Every COUGer will endeavor to speak and act in the manner of a "Gentleman" officer of the CW period.

d.) During those hours that re-enactment/living history camps are open to the public, members will remain in period dress and deport themselves in period manner and conduct.

e.) No conduct shall be tolerated that endangers the health of any member of the public, or any other COUGer.

f.) The COUG chain of command is an honorary status, and professional courtesy and respect shall be given to all unit members and their families.

g.) Federal, state, and local laws and event rules in effect will be obeyed by each member present at any event. h.) Each member shall strive to behave in an authentic, military manner, particularly in the presence of the public and members of other reenactment units. This includes paying appropriate respect to officers of superior rank, and observing rigorous military protocol during the course of a Living History event.

i.) It is also a serious violation to undermine or discredit COUG or any COUG member.

j.) COUG members acknowledge their support and loyalty to the COUG, its guiding principles and objectives, and pledge to support their fellow members, and promote the COUG, in good faith, whenever and wherever possible.

7.) Rules for an appropriate Historical Impression encompass the following:

A. Uniform

1.No anachronisms are to be worn; for example, no modern spectacles, shoes ( i.e. tasseled black loafers, sneakers etc.), baseball caps, wristwatches, ear rings, modern high school or college class rings, diamond orspecial stone rings, etc. (wedding rings are acceptable)

2. A COUGer's uniform should be as historically accurate as possible. There should be no obvious, strikingly out of place clothing or personal accouterments in evidence either on one's person or within sight at one's headquarters tent.

B. Presentation

1. Presentations made as part of any "Meet The Generals" scenario are to be delivered in 1st person, not 3rd person. ( meaning I did this or I thought that; Not he did this or he thought that; you are portraying the historical figure and must speak and act as if you are! )

2. Presentation rules are often guided by whether or not an event is date specific. This is known to have a limiting effect on some officers killed early in the war. It is also recognized to be counter- educational, counterproductive, and may even be cross purposeful to our "mission" in certain circumstances with the public. It is recognized that such "rules" may be historically "authentic", but can and should be waived in situations where a public interest would be frustrated if rigid adherence to such a standard was maintained, i.e. in refusing to answer such questions from the public. Under such a waiver, which can occur "on the spot" at an event, by acclamation of those present, the prematurely "dead", as it were, can be allowed to speak.

3. When answering public queries about one's character, a COUGers' response will be restrained to that which he either knows for certain his character believed, i.e. as derived from primary sources or secondary sources such as personal diaries, journals, biographies, post action reports made by that officer, etc, or that can be reasonably imputed to one's character from known facts or historical data that validate such responses. In other words, there must be reasonable provenance behind the opinions given or answers expressed in public by one's character. ( for example, to speak and act General Sherman as if he was an abolitionist himself and liked Abolitionists would be a clear distortion of the man. )

C. Other

1. No cell phones should be used in sight of the public.
2. No modern cigarettes should be smoked in public view.
3. Any cell phone should be turned off before you address the public or are present while other COUGers do so.

4. If you must use your cell phone for an emergency call, proceed out of view of the public before doing so.

5. No out of century "artifacts" are to be exhibited in view of the public, such as: drinking from a Coke can or plastic water bottle; eating chips from a foil bag, etc.

6. Accouterments used around a camp such as drinking vessels, coffee mugs, etc are expected to be period correct.

D.) Camp

1. Tent and camp areas are to have any modern day conveniences concealed within a tent with flaps tied, and preferably covered with a period blanket. For example, coolers.

E.) Medals & Badges

1. The wearing of medals or badges will be governed by the type of event at which COUG is participating. These are defined as follows:

1. For an event that is anchored to a "TIME SPECIFIC DATE", such as the Gettysburg Anniversary Reenactment, a COUGer is not permitted to wear any medal that did not exist at the time of that event.( anachronistic medals & badges ) In the example, the battle having taken place on July 1, 2, & 3, 1863, no badge or medal that did not exist at that time can be worn on a COUGers' uniform.

2. For an event that is NOT anchored to a time specific event, or "NON DATE SPECIFIC”, such as the Remembrance Day Parade, which is not set to any specific year, ANY "reasonable" medal or badge can be worn by a COUGer on this occasion.

3. A waiver of the No Anachronistic Medals and Badges policy can be effected for any Date Specific COUG event if a majority of COUGers present at the event agree that such a policy would enhance the educational experience of the attending public. 4. The No Anachronistic Medals and Badges policy does not apply to any individual COUGers participation in any portion of any Living History event wherein his activity & engagement is under the auspices & direction of another Living History organization or the event organizers.

8. Procedures for conduct and/or impression violations & their enforcement. a.) SERIOUS conduct violations are to be reported immediately to the designated “General Officer of the day” at the event. That person will be responsible, in concert with other ranking officers present, for determining a course of action to be promptly taken. Such action may result in the offending COUG member being asked to leave the event. A Post Action Report, by the designated “General Officer Of The Day” who took action, will be filed with the President who will be responsible for any subsequent action against the member such as suspension and probation. The services of the Provost Marshal, if one is appointed for the event, will be employed to enforce discipline as required. ( Note: If it is the designated “General Officer of the day” who is committing the serious offense, the need for action will devolve to the Senior Ranking officer, by shoulder board rank, present at the event.)

b.) Offenses that are not SERIOUS, for example, minor breeches of etiquette, uniform, medals, appearance, camp impression, etc. will be brought directly to the attention of the offender by whoever observed it in an effort to correct the problem. This shall be done discreetly, out of sight and earshot of the attending public. If the infraction continues at subsequent events, and no resolution can be effected between the parties, a 3rd COUGer, will be asked to mediate a solution that settles the issue. If this fails to resolve it, an Infraction Report may be filed with the President requesting action to be taken but it must be co-signed by three (3) COUG members. The action to be taken will be determined by the President and the offender will be notified by the President as to what remedial action needs to be taken and what will be the consequences if it is not. Such consequences may result in suspension, probation, or both if noncompliance continues at subsequent events. If the breech of etiquette is a flagrant & outrageous anachronism, such as wearing sneakers with one's uniform, it will be reported immediately to the designated “General Officer of the day” at the event. That person will be responsible, in concert with other ranking officers present, for determining a course of action to be promptly taken. Such action may result in the offending COUG member being asked to leave the event if a correction cannot be effected. The services of the Provost Marshal, if one is appointed for the event, may be employed to enforce discipline as required. ( Note: If it is the designated “General Officer of the day” who is committing the offense, the need for action will devolve to the next Senior Ranking officer present, by shoulder board rank, at the event.)

c.) A member can bring "charges" against another COUG member to the President for alleged infractions of serious misconduct, but they must be formal, in writing, and based on observed conduct, not innuendo, rumor, hearsay, etc. The President will take such a report very seriously and launch an investigation into the charges and render a decision on what, if any, discipline or remedial action will apply.

9. Procedures to apply for Membership in COUG

Overview: Becoming a Member of COUG is 4 step process:

I. Completing and filing an Application for membership. ( The Applicant Phase )

II. A Candidate Phase that includes:

a.) Becoming a "Candidate for Membership".
b.) Acquiring the necessary uniform and accouterments.
c.) Demonstrating knowledge of the historical figure or "generic" role.
lll. A Probationary Period wherein the candidates commitment to the COUG mission, and his adherence to its rules, are observed.
IV. Approval -- an evaluation of the candidate and decision to accept or not to accept his application.

These 4 steps are expanded as follows:

1.) Application

A.)The person seeking to join COUG shall fill out an Application Form and return it to the Chairman of the COUG Membership Committee. This form, and the rules of COUG, can be obtained in one of two ways. By contacting an existing COUG member --- who will have physical copies of the form & COUG rules -- - or by sending an email request to the Chairman of the Membership Committee at tjrosati@verizon.net requesting electronic versions of both documents be sent to them. ( these will be in MS Word format ) After completing the Application Form and reading the COUG Rules, the form should be dated, signed and returned, with a photo of the applicant in uniform, if available, either to the member from whom the applicant obtained it or by mailing it to:

TONY ROSATI, 4 ALEXANDER DRIVE, MONROE TOWNSHIP, NJ 08831

B.) The Membership Committee will review the application and either accept or not accept the APPLICANT for advancement to step 2 (Candidate Phase). This will be done within 2 weeks of receipt of the application. If the Committee accepts the APPLICANT for membership, that person will advance to the Vetting phase of the membership process, and will become a CANDIDATE for membership.

2. ) Candidate (Vetting) Phase

A.) The CANDIDATE will acquire, if he does not already possess, the necessary uniform and accouterments of the historical figure or generic role he is adopting. Officers, Non-Comms, and privates will be guided by US. Army Uniform Regulations existing in 1862 for uniform appearance & accouterment. However, deviation from standard for those officers of Brigadier Generals' rank and higher who, by photograph, diary, museum piece, or primary/secondary documentation can be seen to effect a particular hat, or uniquely decorated or altered frock, or other uniform accouterment. Within reason, all efforts shall be made to present a close facsimile to the field presentation of the Officer portrayed. This also includes facial hair. Note: the more famous and noteworthy the officer, the more important this effort must be. ( for example, a clean shaven General Meade would be an unacceptable portrayal )

B.) The candidate, as observed by other members, demonstrates knowledge of his adapted historical figure or, in the case of a "generic" role, shows a knowledge and familiarity of the duties and responsibilities of that position. This demonstration can be presented in an interaction with members of the public; with other members; or in "in character" presentations made at COUG events.

3. ) Probation Period

A.) The candidate will be on probation for a period of twelve (12) months.

B) During that period, the CANDIDATE is required to attend a minimum of two ( 2 ) Primary COUG events, and as many other events as possible. ( in fact, it behooves the CANDIDATE to attend as many events and interact with as many fellow COUGers as possible during his probation period.)

C.) Over the course of the Probationary Period, any flagrant conduct violation report received regarding the Candidate may result in the Membership Committee taking immediate action to terminate the Candidate from the Vetting Phase and thus abort the entire process. If so, the candidate will be notified immediately.

D.) Each candidate will be appointed a mentor who will accumulate observations, comments, etc. from other members, after each event attended by the candidate. This information will be reviewed and summarized by the mentor and communicated back to the Candidate.

E.) At the mid-point of the Probationary Period, the candidate’s mentor will send him an appraisal of his historical impression, using the feedback reports of members, and will include suggestions for improvement, if any. This report must be based on the candidates’ attendance of at least two (2) events.

F.) At the conclusion of the Probation Period, the Membership Committee will survey the membership for their comments on the Candidates' performance as his Historical figure or in his generic role. The report and recommendation of the candidate’s mentor will also be obtained.

G.) If a candidate does not meet the Minimum Participation rule during the Probation Period, then he will not pass probation and will not become a member of COUG. It is during this time that he needs to be observed by other members ; hence, participation by the candidate is very important.

4.) Acceptance ( or non acceptance)

A.) At the conclusion of the Candidates' Probationary Period, if it has not been prematurely aborted for cause, the Membership Committee will evaluate all information and recommendations received about the CANDIDATE.

B.) From that data, the Membership Committee will vote to either accept or not to accept the CANDIDATE.

C.) The Membership Committee will advise the CANDIDATE, and all COUG members, of the decision reached.

D.) At the discretion of the Membership Committee, they may terminate the Candidates' Probationary Period and elect to hasten the Candidates admission into COUG or his rejection from any further membership consideration. (hence, acceptance or non acceptance may occur before the end of the 12 month probationary period.)

E.) If the candidate is accepted, the Annual Dues is payable upon that acceptance. Should Acceptance occur in the 4th Quarter of the calendar year, the Annual Dues will be credited toward the following years dues.

REVD 10/27/09