Approved April 14, 2022
This page details how we implement virtual events, including technical requirements, scheduling guidelines, and diversity concerns. For discussion of why Zoom, please see Why we chose Zoom.
- Introduction
As part of its core mission, Black Rose operates an ongoing education program throughout the year. This consists of Tuesday night meetings, monthly workshops generally held in conjunction with the play party socials, quarterly Dungeon Monitor safety training (additional classes as necessary), and CPR/First Aid classes on an as-needed or requested basis.
With the advent of the 2019 novel coronavirus, BR, along with other organizations, has been forced to adopt virtual events to ensure the safety of its members and attendees.
- Scope
This document replaces the previous version of Policy 205, the BR Education Handbook. Much of the information in that document had been overtaken by events and no longer reflects actual BR procedure. This policy is intended to address virtual events only, and this policy will be replaced by a new policy upon the end of the coronavirus pandemic when in-person events are possible again.
In the case of ambiguity in this policy, the Education Team may use Policy 205.1 for guidance.
- Virtual education events
BR will begin holding a virtual version of our Tuesday education events at the earliest feasible date following the enactment of this policy. Other virtual events may be scheduled as needed or appropriate.
Platform and Accessibility
Virtual events will be held using a Zoom Pro account. Event announcements shall note users can contact the Accessibility Team for needed accommodations, including but not limited to ASL interpreting, closed captioning, or audio description services. The Accessibility and Education Teams shall ensure that instructions on the use of any service are prominently published, should user action be required.
Recordings
Subject to individual Presenter approval, classes may be recorded for later consumption. This shall be subject to presenter approval, and whether the class is being recorded shall be published prominently as part of the class description. Recordings will only begin after announcements are complete, to keep the recording shorter and the information more relevant. All attendee cameras will be administratively turned off and all attendee microphones would be administratively muted by the Host or Moderator as appropriate. Microphones will be unmuted for specific attendees as needed for specific questions or dialogue with the Host or Presenter.
Recordings shall be retained for no more than seven days following the class. Whenever recordings are made available for later consumption, they shall to the extent possible be made available for streaming only, and not available for download to a local device. As attendee cameras are administratively muted, they can be assured their faces and voices are not included in the recording.
Electronic devices used for this recording purpose shall not be subject to Policy 605, the Electronic Device policy.
Ticketing
Tickets shall be sold online using The Events Calendar’s plugin, which BR already pays for. Attendees who purchase a ticket to the class will be provided a link to view the recording emailed to them within 24-48 hours of the class. As described above, the link would have a set expiration date, after which the recording will no longer be available.
Tickets shall be $5 for BR members and $10 for non-members, which was the same pricing tier as the in-person events prior to the pandemic. Links to purchase tickets at the members-only rate will be included in the Members Announcements newsletter.
Profits from virtual classes shall be split between the Presenter and BR, with a 70% share going to the Presenter and 30% going to BR. Before the split, BR shall deduct any expenses directly related to holding the class, including but not limited to costs for the platform account subscription, any closed-captioning or other accessibility service, any ticketing system, any materials that may be needed for the class, and any reimbursable expenses or fees incurred by the Presenter. Because some fees are incurred monthly or with similar regularity, the expenses allocated to each individual class shall be set in coordination with the Treasurer, no less frequently than quarterly.
Advertising
Classes shall be posted on both the BR Calendar, in the BR announcement emails, and on Fetlife six weeks in advance of the class. Posting classes with advance notice will make it easier for potential attendees to schedule time off or make plans to attend.
BR will work in conjunction with the presenter on how best to promote their class on various social media platforms. Classes will be posted in the BR Fetlife group as a discussion; this gives attendees the ability to have post their questions for the presenter and what they hope to get out of the class. The Education Team will, to the best of their ability, forward feedback from possible attendees to the Presenter to ensure a better experience for attendees, to better plan future events, and to answer an attendee’s questions or concerns before or during the class.
- Planning
Class Series
Many topics are frequently requested by prospective attendees for BR classes. BR has always received requests for more advanced classes on D/s, M/s, Polyamory, Leather, CG/L, negotiations, and others. To that end, BR will offer a number of educational series with classes by a single presenter ideally every 6-8 weeks on a given subject matter. This permits a deep dive into certain common topics, with more advanced treatment than might otherwise be possible. Offering an education series on some of these topics will allow both an introductory-level discussion on a given topic, and then higher-level discussions and education shortly afterwards. This arrangement will encourage people to attend more than one class on a topic they are interested in.
Non-local presenters
With the advent of virtual education events, presenters no longer need be physically present in the DMV area. The Education Team will therefore schedule nationally-known presenters with a frequency of approximately six to eight weeks. This frequency ensures that BR will continue to engage with the local community of presenters.
Representation and diversity
BR will continue to focus on ensuring a diverse pool of presenters and will continue to ensure presenters of color, queer presenters, and presenters with disabilities are given the ability to present on topics that are not merely related to topics about their various minority groups.
BR will host a community roundtable or panel discussion ideally every 10-12 weeks to continue to highlight issues related to minority groups in the community. These discussions are a continuation of our existing education direction that held panels related to transgender rights, Blacks in Leather, Polyamory, and sexual diversity. The goal of this is to continue to bring meaningful discussion and education on topics that affect minority groups in our community.