Sample Club Constitution
*bold text may be school-specific
Constitution
__(team name here)__
This Constitution shall take effect when six official
members sign below Article X. The acting President shall indicate the
date below all the signatures. The original, signed copy of this
Constitution shall be the property of the first President of __(team name
here)__.
Copies of this Constitution shall be present at all Executive Council Meetings,
and in the Campus Activities and Sports Clubs offices.
Article I
Foundation
This organization shall be officially titled, "__(team name here)__", and
for purposes of abbreviation may be listed by the four-letter code, "____".
Article II
Purpose
This organization will provide members with the following
opportunities as they relate to the sport of swimming: to train with a group of
peers, to receive instruction in stroke technique and training methods, and to
participate in organized competition.
Article III
Membership
a. Membership Requirements
Members of the Swim Club must be current members of the Campus
Recreation and Wellness Center at the __(school name here)__. Additionally, persons seeking membership must demonstrate minimal competency in the water by completing, in the presence of the coach, two lengths of a Twenty-Five yard course in under __(__minutes, __seconds)__.
b. Membership Privileges
Members have the right to equal participation in all
practices, competitions, Club events, and Club voting.
c. Member Responsibilities
Members are expected to attend more than one-half of all
practices, unless admitted to the Club by the President or Vice-President with
a mutual understanding otherwise which allows for extenuating
circumstances. Each member is expected to vote in all Club
elections. Each member is expected to communicate with the President
weekly and to keep the President informed of which practices he/she plans to
attend. All members of the club must have a current "Sports Club Members Release Form" on file in the Sports Club Director's office.
d. Member Resignation
A
Member may discontinue his participation in the Club by notifying the Club
President.
e. Member Expulsion
A member may be expelled from the Club for violating any
clause of this Constitution or the Club Sports Handbook by the consent of the President,
Vice-President, and any other executive council member, or by any Five Members
of the Executive Council only at a scheduled Executive Council meeting.
Article IV
Officers
The Club shall employ seven offices: President,
Vice-President, Coach, Executive Council Member, Recruitment Officer, and
Secretary. No club member may serve concurrently in more than one office,
with one exception: a Club member may serve as Coach while concurrently serving
another office. All officers must be responsible for informing the Club
Members of the Sports Clubs Handbook, and must operate the Club according to said Handbook. Only Club Members currently
enrolled as students at the University may serve as officers. An Officer
may be removed from office by 5 votes at an Executive Council Meeting. In
the event of an unexpected opening in the Executive Council, the Council
Members shall elect with no more than one dissenting vote a replacement from
among a list of persons offered by the President. The President shall
make his list considering the recommendations of each Executive Council
Member. The President shall request said recommendations, specifying a
duration of no less than 24 hours for their submission. Votes for persons
not on the President's list of candidates shall be recorded as
"None". Should no person on the President's list receive the
requisite number of votes, the President must add at least one name to his
list, with the advice of the Council.
a. The Executive Council
The Executive Council shall consist of The President,
Vice-President, Two Executive Council Members, Recruitment Officer, and
Secretary.
i. Duties
of the Executive Council
The Executive Council shall make all decisions for the Club
relating to, but not limited to, the following: practice schedule, competition
schedule, finances, travel, elections, membership, and amending the
Constitution.
b. The Presidency
i.
Term of Office
The President's term shall be one academic year.
ii.
Election of the President
Each year, the first year of operation excepted, the Members of the Executive Council shall elect a President. For the first year of operation, the founder of the Club shall serve as interim President. No later than the first week of April, each calendar year, the incumbent President shall present to the Executive Council exactly three candidates to serve as President the following academic year, chosen from among the Members of the Club. No later than the second week of April, each calendar year, the Executive Council shall meet to elect the President for the following academic year. Each Executive Council member shall cast an oral vote for exactly one of the candidates chosen by the incumbent President. The Vice-President shall record the oral votes on paper. The candidate receiving the most votes shall serve as President the following academic year. Votes for persons not chosen as candidates by the incumbent President shall not be recorded. If more than one person receives the most votes, another vote shall be taken in the same manner, but the Vice-President shall only record votes for the persons having previously received the most votes.
iii.
Duties of the President
a.
The President shall be one of six members of the Executive Council.
b.
The President shall schedule monthly meetings of the Executive Council.
c. The President must attend all meetings of the Executive Council, or designate a non-office-holding member of the Club to attend in his stead. In the President's absence, the designated substitute shall function as a regular Executive Council Member and the Vice-President shall function as both President and Vice-President. Under no circumstance shall this or any other clause of this Constitution be interpreted to give more than one vote to any individual for any purpose. Votes cast by the Vice-President in the President's absence shall be construed as the vote of both President and Vice-President, but shall count as only one vote.
d. The President shall be a liaison
between the club and the Sports Club office. He shall communicate of club
activities and events to the Sports Club office at least once per week.
e. The President shall serve on
the Sports Club Council and shall attend all Sports Club Council
meetings. In exceptional cases, the President may send another club
officer to take his place at Sports Club Council meetings.
f. The President shall inform
the next club president of the routines and guidelines for club operation prior
to the next president's assumption of duties. This includes the transfer
of the Sports Club Handbook to the new president and arranging a meeting between the
new president and the Assistant Director for Sport Clubs.
g. The President shall keep the
following information current in the Sports Club Office:
1. Sport Club Recognition form (Appendix I of the
Sports Club Handbook)
2. Release forms for each club member (Appendices
XXII and XVI or XXII and XVII of the Sports Club Handbook)
3. List of club officers and club advisor (Appendix
II of the Sports Club Handbook)
4.
Membership Roster (Appendix III of the Sports Club Handbook)
5.
A copy of the Club Constitution.
h. The President shall check the
Club mailbox in the Campus Recreation Center at least once per week or delegate
said duty to another willing member.
i. In the event of a vacancy
or anticipated vacancy (due to a failure by an officer to communicate his
intention to attend or to designate a substitute himself before 24 hours prior
to the scheduled meeting) at an Executive Council Meeting, the President shall
designate a student member of the club to substitute for the absent officer.
c. The Vice-Presidency
i.
Term of Office
The Vice-President's term shall be one academic year.
ii.
The Election of the Vice-President
Each year, the first year of operation excepted, the Members
of the Club shall elect a Vice-President. For the first year of
operation, the President shall appoint an interim Vice-President. No
later than the second week of April, each calendar year, the newly-elected
President shall present to the Club exactly three candidates to serve as
Vice-President the following academic year, chosen from among the Members of
the Club. No later than the third week of April, each calendar year, the
entire body of the Club shall meet to elect the Vice-President for the
following year. Each Club Member shall cast an oral vote for exactly one
of the candidates chosen by the newly-elected President. The incumbent
Vice-President shall record the votes. The candidate receiving the most
votes shall serve as Vice-President the following academic year. Votes
for persons not chosen as candidates by the newly-elected President shall not
be recorded. If more than one person receives the most votes, another vote
shall be taken in the same manner, but the Vice-President shall only record
votes for the persons having previously received the most votes.
iii.
Duties of the Vice-President
a.
The Vice-President shall be one of six members of the Executive Council.
b. The Vice-President must attend all meetings of the Executive Council, or designate a non-office-holding member of the Club to attend in his stead. In the Vice-President's absence, the designated substitute shall function as a regular Executive Council Member and the President shall function as both President and Vice-President. Votes cast by the President in the Vice-President¹s
absence shall be construed as the vote of both President and Vice-President,
but shall count as only one vote.
c. The Vice-President shall be the
administrator of finances for the club, and shall perform all duties relevant
to that purpose.
d. The Vice-President shall
complete an Accident Injury Report form for any injury requiring some form of
medical attention that occurs during an on-campus, Club-related activity.
(Appendix XVIII of the Sports Club Handbook)
e. The Vice-President shall report
the results of all club association competitions to the Sports Club office
f. The Vice-President shall furnish copies of the club's schedule to the Assistant Director for Sports Clubs at the beginning of each competitive season.
g. The Vice-President may, during
any Executive Council Meeting, delegate any the duties d., e., and f., as
listed here, to the Secretary only with the consent of the currently-serving
Secretary. Those duties which are delegated shall be recorded by the
Secretary at the meeting, and said record shall be available to all Club
Members
d. Executive Council Member
i.
Term of Office
Executive
Council Member¹s term shall be one academic semester
ii.
The Election of Executive Council Members
Each semester, the first semester of operation excepted, the
Members of the Club shall elect two Executive Council Members. For the
first year of operation, the first two willing Members of the club not serving
any other office shall serve as interim Executive Council Members. No
later than the third weeks of November and April, each calendar year the entire
body of the Club shall meet to elect two Executive Council Members. Each
Club Member shall cast an oral vote for no more than two Club Members.
The incumbent Vice-President shall record the votes. The two persons
receiving the most votes shall serve as Executive Council Members. Should
more than two persons receive the most votes, the President shall choose from
among those receiving the most votes who shall serve as Executive Council
Members. Among those receiving the most votes, the number of votes
received by each person shall be the primary criteria for selection by the
President. Under no circumstance shall any of those chosen as Executive
Council Members have received fewer votes than a person not chosen.
iii.
Duties of Executive Council Members
a. Each Executive Council Member
shall be one of six members of the Executive Council.
b. Each Executive Council Member must attend all meetings of the Executive Council, or designate a non-office-holding member of the Club to attend in his stead; failure to due so shall be sufficient but not necessary grounds for the offending Council Member's removal from office. The designated substitute shall function as a regular Executive Council Member.
e. Secretary
i.
Term of Office
The Secretary's Term shall be one academic semester.
ii.
The Election of the Secretary
The manner of election of Secretary shall be the same as
that of Executive Council Members. The election of the Secretary shall be
a separate vote, to be held immediately prior to the vote for Executive Council
Members. The incumbent Vice-President shall record the votes. The Club
Member receiving the most votes shall serve as Secretary. The
Vice-President shall read the results of this election and shall designate the
Secretary-elect immediately prior to the vote for Executive Council Members.
If more than one person receives the most votes, another vote shall be taken in
the same manner, but the Vice-President shall only record votes for the persons
having previously received the most votes.
iii.
Duties of the Secretary
a. The Secretary shall have, in
addition to his particular duties, all the duties of an Executive Council
Member as outlined in section d., item iii. above.
b. Those duties which are delegated
to the Secretary by the Vice-President shall be recorded by the Secretary at
which meeting said transfer of duties occurs, and said record shall be
available to all Club Members
c. The Secretary shall record and make available to the entire body of the Club such information as the Rules of Order determine to be pertinent to the Club's operation, to include but not limited to:
1.
All issues considered by vote in the Executive Council
2. All votes taken by the Executive Council, votes for
elections excepted, with the names of Council members present and how each
member voted
3.
Records of attendance at Executive Council Meetings
f. Recruitment Officer
The manner of election of Recruitment Officer shall be the
same as that of Executive Council Members. The election of the
Recruitment Officer shall be a separate vote, to be held immediately prior to
the vote for Executive Council Members. The incumbent Vice-President shall
record the votes. The Club Member receiving the most votes shall serve as
Recruitment Officer. The Vice-President shall read the results of this
election, and shall designate the Recruitment Officer-elect immediately prior
to the vote for Executive Council Members. If more than one person
receives the most votes, another vote shall be taken in the same manner, but
the Vice-President shall only record votes for the persons having previously
received the most votes.
i.
Duties of the Recruitment Officer
a. The Recruitment
Officer shall have, in addition to his particular duties, all the duties of an
Executive Council Member as outlined in section d., item iii. above.
b. The Recruitment
Officer shall be responsible for implementing all decisions of the Executive
Council pertaining to recruitment of new members.
c. The Recruitment
Officer shall be responsible for initiating, proposing, planning, and executing
club activities pertaining to recruitment of new members.
g. Coach
i.
Term of Office
The Coach's term shall be one academic year.
ii. The Selection of the Coach
Each year, the first year of operation excepted, the
Executive Council shall select a Coach. For the first year of operation,
the Founder of the Club shall select an interim Coach. The manner of
selection of the Coach shall be determined by the Executive Council serving the
Spring semester of each academic year, or whenever the need arises. No
later than the fourth week of April, each calendar year the Executive Council
shall meet to select a Coach.
iii.
Duties of the Coach
a.
The Coach shall oversee all practices and competitions
b.
The Coach shall instruct the Members as to technique and training methods
Article V
Meetings of the Executive Council
a. Each calendar month during the
academic school-year, the Executive Council shall have no fewer than one
scheduled meeting.
b. All Members of the Club must be
admitted to, but are not required to attend, Executive Council meetings.
Non-office-holding members shall be allotted time to speak at the end of each
Executive Council Meeting before the agenda for the next meeting is set.
c. At least one physical copy of the
Club Sports Handbook and the Club Constitution must be present at every Executive Council
Meeting
d. An Executive Council meeting must
be scheduled, in addition to the required monthly meeting, under the following
circumstances: when called for by a group of Members consisting of at least
five individuals, at least two of whom must serve on the Executive Council, to
include the President or Vice-President.
e. Six Members must be in attendance
at all Executive Council meetings.
f. It shall be the duty of the
Executive Council to enumerate the tasks required of the Vice-President with
regard to the administration of finances.
g. All decisions of the Executive
Council with regard to finances shall be made by the consent of three Members
of the Executive Council, to include the President and Vice-President; or by
the consent of four Members of the Council, to include the Vice-President; or
by the consent of any five Members.
h. All decisions not directly
related to the administration of finances shall be made by the consent of four
Members of the Executive Council, to include either the President or the
Vice-President.
Article VI
Relationship to National Organization
This Club shall register each calendar year with the American Swimming Association University League. All members wishing to participate in any Club competitions shall register individually with the American Swimming Association, and shall designate __(team name here)__ for his team.
Article VII
Club Activities
During each calendar week the Club shall hold no fewer than
three and no more than nine Club activities of any kind.
a. Practices
There shall be no fewer than three practices during each
week of the academic school-year, school holidays excepted.
b. Competitions
The Club and its officers shall endeavor secure no fewer
than three opportunities for the Club to compete each semester.
c. Special Events
All formal Club activities shall be scheduled or approved by
the Executive Council.
Article VIII
Advisor
a. Selection of the Advisor
Each year, the first year of operation excepted, the
Executive Council shall select a faculty/staff Advisor. For the first
year of operation, the founder of the Club shall select an interim Advisor. For
each subsequent year, or whenever the need arises, the Executive Council shall,
considering recommendations by the Club Members, select an Advisor by the
recorded, oral consent of three concurring Council Members, to include the
President. No later than the fourth week of April, each calendar year the
Executive Council shall meet to select an Advisor for the following academic
year.
b. Duties of the Advisor
i. The Advisor shall advise that the
Club follow all guidelines for Campus Recreation and Campus Activities
including policies and procedures stated in the University Handbook, national, state, local and federal
laws.
ii. The Advisor shall advise that
the club works towards its purpose and follows its constitution and by-laws.
iii. The Advisor shall meet with club
or one of its officers at least every other week, at the Executive Council
meetings when possible. All conversations relevant to the operation or
administration of the Club between the Advisor and any officer, shall be
transmitted orally to the whole of the Executive Council at the next scheduled
meeting.
iv. The Advisor shall meet with Assistant
Director for Sport Clubs at least once each semester.
v.
The Advisor shall advise clubs in financial matters dealing with their clubs.
vi. The Advisor shall serve as a
knowledgeable campus and community referral and resource for the club and its
officers.
vii.
The Advisor shall attend or be accessible at events sponsored by the club.
Article IX
Rules of Order
The Rules of Order shall be determined by the Executive
Council as the need arises and added to this Article of the Constitution as
amendments.
Article X
Amending the Club Constitution
The Club Constitution may be amended only at scheduled
Executive Council Meetings by the recorded, oral consent of any five elected
Members of the Executive Council. Amendments shall not be identified as
such in the Constitution, but shall read as a continuous, integral part of this
Constitution. Amendments may call for the removal of language already
present in the Constitution.
Signatures:
Signed by a sufficient number of members on __(date
here)__