Guest Policy - Twin Oaks - 2004

Guest Policy (2004)
4- 5- 99; Rev 5-04
by CMT

- GENERAL

A member should post in advance the arrival of a guest, find co a room, give a general orientation about the community (our norms, etc) , and find appropriate kinds and amounts of work for the guest. The host will be considered responsible for the guest at all times and, if the member leaves the farm for more than a day, co must find an on-the-farm host for the guest. Guests must always have an on-the-farm host and the name of the host must be posted in the guest logs in Llano office and ZK. Members are encouraged to address any concerns about a guest directly and as expeditiously as possible to the host and/or the guest. During periods of high population, adherence to the guest policy is more important to more people. Please remember it can be over-stimulating to some members to have an abundance of new faces around.

"Appropriate work" : It is reasonable to expect guests to contribute labor after they have been here for a few days, but how much and what kind of work will vary greatly depending on the circumstances of the specific guest . One factor that should determine the labor contribution is the nature of the host's relationship with the guest. In the case of a close friend or family member who is here primarily to see the host, it may be appropriate for the guest to just spend time with the host rather than work. On the other hand, if the guest is here mainly to visit the community and the host will not be spending a lot of time with co, then more work is appropriate, usually approximately full quota. Another factor to be considered is the guest's physical ability to work; if the guest is physically disabled in some way, this may limit how much and what kind of work co can do. Generally speaking, a guest who is here for more than two weeks is expected to work full quota.

If at any time it seems appropriate for community input to be solicited about a guest, any member may ask the CMT to do so. The CMT has the authority to ask guests to leave based on community input. Or, if a guest is being threatening to the community or individual(s) or repeatedly disruptive, the CMT has the authority to, at its discretion, require the guest to leave without community input.

Occasionally guests will want to stay longer than a month. If so, they should post a paper and get approval through the process outlined below under "Long-term Guests."

- LONG-TERM GUESTS

The general guesting policy above applies to long-term guests as well.

Anyone wishing to host someone for more than a month should post a paper to the community explaining the situation, preferably before the guest's arrival. Any special needs of the guest should be included in the paper. The host will notify the CMT of the arrival date. If any guest would like to stay longer than four weeks, whether co had initially planned to or not, the guest and/or host must post a letter to the community during the fourth week. The letter should include the guest's plans and what work and other activities co has participated in during co's stay. Also in the fourth week, the CMT will ask for input or conduct a poll to determine whether the community approves the guest staying longer. If the guest wishes to stay longer than eight weeks, the guest and/or host must post another letter to the community in the eighth week, and the CMT will solicit input again. Members will have one week to give input. The maximum stay as a guest is 12 weeks.

- CHILD GUESTS
Members wishing to have minors as guests at Twin Oaks should check with the Child Board about cmty expectations regarding hosting guest children, as well as comply with CMT guest policy.

- FREQUENT-SHORT TERM GUESTS
This grouping of folks consists of ex-members, relationship partners, and other friends who have established an ongoing presence here with members. It is those members' responsibility to ensure that
If a debt exists that an arrangement is in place to repay it.
"Appropriate work" is being contributed, as a minimum we recommend helping with a K shift.

- EXCEPTIONS
Any exceptions to these policies must be addressed to and approved by the CMT. The CMT will post any exceptions they make.

CMT decisions can be appealed to the planners.