UCIP INTERNATIONAL
STATE OF THE ORGANSATION ADDRESS
JANUARY 2010

PRESIDENT FRANKIE & VICE-PRESIDENT SUZANNA

Another year gone – and what a year it was. UCIP has seen many changes in the past year – New SIMs, New members, Positive changes and other great things. We’ve also had our share of sadness and loss; the most significant being the loss of Phishie in July.

We stand at a crossroads in our future. UCIP has changed beyond all measure of what it used to be. To mark this change, our website has changed for the first time in nearly ten years. As we look back on what we’ve left behind, we must also keep our eyes to the future – to see where we can go from here. Our path is not one of reminiscing on the ‘golden age’, but looking to create our own golden age.

I come to you today with a vision for our continued progression into 2010 and beyond. We’ve already launched the UCIP Community Department, whose remit will be to promote our OOC sense of community and shared purpose and enjoyment. In February, we will witness the most crucial moment in Trek history for some time. After nearly five years of promises and crushed dreams, Star Trek Online will be launched – and I suspect that those that fiscally can, will be in that game like grease on a McDonald’s burger.

UCIP will be taking steps to form a UCIP Fleet/Guild within StarTrek Online, that we will hope that many of our members will choose to be part of. The concept of this fleet will be discussed at length by those who wish to be part of its creation, so that when STO goes live, UCIP will have a rather big foot in the door. We also see the potential in recruitment from STO and will be making plans to capitalise on this.

A much needed review of UCIP Procedures, Rules, and Bylaws will commence this year, undertaken by Suzanna and I, as we attempt to weed out useless rules, create better rules, fix broken ones and generally bring our governing regulations into line with what UCIP of today needs of them – rather than what UCIP of 1999 needed of them.

We will also be working with the DIV COMS to support our current SIMs, the newly formed Community department will also be working on advertisement and getting the name of UCIP out, and that of our high quality SIMs. With additional members it is the aim that both division will be able to open development and thus grow more SIMs. Another project we will be working on is revitalising the UCIP IRC channels, the use of #ten-forward being one of them.

Many things were brought to light in the recent UCIP Survey, undertaken by Jazza at the end of last year. The results were insightful and helped myself and my staff realise where our objectives need to be for the next six months to a year.

UCIP has been, and always shall be, about gaming. It was why it was created, and why it exists now. We’ve strayed from the path more often than we’d like to admit, and it has had a profound impact on our wellbeing as an organisation. The staff and I will work closer together than before to bring back this central focus, to move away from the quasi-political state that has formed around the Presidency and the Senior Staff. The above steps will help reduce the politics, real and perceived, in the organisation, because everything that we will be striving to acomplish in the coming year, will help cut that down.

A quote I took to heart early on in my life came from an unusual source:- a Richard Sharpe program. The quote is: “A man has two ears but only one mouth, so a good leader listens twice as much as he shouts.” I want to fall back to this basic principle – and I want to make changes that you, the members of UCIP, want done. A regular town-hall session will be held, with either Suzanna or myself, where we will listen to what you have to say. Alternately, you can email us any ideas or thoughts you might have.

With all that said, we wish you a Happy, healthy and prosperous 2010

Regards,

Frankie
President
UCIP

Suzanna
Vice-President
UCIP