CHAPTER 2 MANAGING THE OFFICE OF THE CHAPLAIN

CHAPTER 2 MANAGING THE OFFICE OF THE CHAPLAIN Most of the duties of a Religious Program Specialist are performed in an office environment. Junior RPs may be assigned to small offices or to large ones where they are likely to be super- vised by a Chief Religious Program Specialist. Regardless of the size of the office of the chaplain, the RP has a tremendous responsibility in render- ing support to assigned chaplains. This chapter will be devoted to describing the general appearance and arrangement of office spaces; the proper method of stowing materials; the use and maintenance of office equipment; office procedures for CRP personnel including receptionist duties; the concept of privileged com- munication; the Navy’s information security pro- gram; the proper handling of “For Official Use Only” information and records; and screening procedures for enlisted service records. An office makes a lasting impression on the people who visit it. It should be noted that office atmosphere is the product of both mental and physical factors. Physical factors are the most obvious and will be discussed in the following section of this chapter. GENERAL APPEARANCE OF OFFICE SPACES The amount of control that the RP will have over the physical conditions in the office of the chaplain will vary with the location and type of duty. Conditions outside the RP’s control may determine the kind of office that will be estab- lished and the types of equipment used. Regardless of the size and type of office, the RP is normally assigned responsibility for maintain- ing the appearance of the spaces allocated for use in support of the Command Religious Program. All gear and supplies must be properly secured or stowed at the close of business each day. This is especially important at sea since there is always the possibility that the ship could encounter bad 2-1 weather and rough seas. Shown below are certain other tasks that the RP should routinely perform: Check and clear correspondence baskets daily. Store supplies such as ink and carbon paper so they will not stain other materials. Avoid accumulations of loose papers to prevent possible fire hazards. Plan cleaning periods and field days so as not to disturb the work of assigned chaplains. Dust desks frequently. THE RP’s DESK RPs are responsible for maintaining their own desks. Desks should be kept in a neat and orderly fashion at all times. Listed below are some ideas for establishing sound organizational procedures for maintaining desks: Shallow trays or drawers may be used to store pencils, erasers, paper clips, and other small articles. Slanted stationery trays maybe used in the upper drawers of desks to separate different types of stationery. Carbon paper should be kept in its original box to keep it from curling or soiling the stationery. Unused stencils and correction fluid should be stored in a supply cabinet. Personal separate drawer belongings should be kept in a of the desk.