From the NWPA Policy & Procedure Manual, Revised 2014
12 Code of Conduct
12.1 Board Members
12.1.1 The Board exists solely to direct and serve the NWPA Membership. Decisions made by Board Members must be for the good of the Membership and the growth of the activity. Board members are required to put aside any unit affiliations with regard to any decisions made on behalf of the membership. Any member unit, board member, or adjudicator who feels that decisions being made by one or more Board members is not in keeping with the betterment of the Association, may present these issues to board for action. Action may include removal of the Board member upon review of the entire Board.
12.2 Judges
12.2.1 Affiliation: A judge should not adjudicate a class in which a competing unit is one with which they have a formal affiliation as defined below.
12.2.1.1 Primary Affiliation: Designer, instructor, management or performing member of the competing unit. Any judge who receives a salary from a competing group or the department that sponsors the competing unit. (i.e. an individual who teaches music in the school where the music department sponsors the winter guard/percussion unit or where it is connected to the band).
12.2.1.2 Secondary Affiliation: Family, spouse or significant other relationship with an individual who has a primary affiliation as described above. Individuals may not judge for NWPA if they are still performing in any Winter Guard/Percussion Unit.
12.2.1.3 Task Force Facilitators (future role to be used as the organization grows) may not have any affiliations. Members of the Board of Directors who are also active NWPA judges are not eligible to run for positions within the Task Force. This would constitute a conflict of interest in dealing with both judge and instructor issues.
12.2.2 Consultations: A current NWPA Judge is not permitted to give any consultation to any unit two (2) weeks prior to an adjudication assignment.
12.2.3 Conduct: No judge may display interest or preference toward any competing unit they may judge. Wearing a unit’s insignia is forbidden. Judges are encouraged to give input regarding the ethical standards of the judging community. This should be handled through the NWPA Judges Coordinator.
12.2.4 Availability/Travel: Judges must provide their dates of availability, for judging assignments, prior to December 31 of the current year.
12.2.5 The NWPA Judges Coordinator, in consultation with the NWPA Board of Directors, shall determine if a judge’s affiliation may impact the impartiality of the judge in question.
12.3 Instructors Code of Conduct
12.3.1 NWPA feels that it is important to enforce the Instructors’ Code of Ethics. If judges and staff are expected to adhere to a professional code of conduct, then it is appropriate that this standard is exacted from the instructional community as well.
12.3.2 If undue and unfair pressure is applied to judges through inappropriate behavior, then this places the competitive experience at risk. Examples cited included, but were not limited to: instructors shouting at judges in public and/or at critique. Inappropriate conduct of any instructor while accompanying the guard onto the contest floor, inordinate and unauthorized telephone calls to judges. There is also a growing concern about disruptive behavior in the warm up area, and rude behavior from the performers and/or staff of one group towards another. Behavior of this type is intolerable and results in the loss of privilege that has been violated. For example, instructors could lose all telephone privileges with judges, they could be barred from critiques for the season, they could be barred from the arena floor or contest venue, or lose the right to use the warm up venue. Addressing this important issue must be a priority for every unit/instructor.
12.3.3 The managing administrator will determine the application of the action. The managing administrator in judging issues is the NWPA Judges Coordinator. The designated NWPA Contest Director (if assigned) or Chief Judge is the administrator in situations pertaining to contest personnel. The NWPA Board is the administrator in matter of poor sportsmanship or inter-unit issues.
12.4 Unit Members Code of Conduct