Preamble We, the members of the Running Club, do hereby establish this constitution in order that our purpose be realized to its fullest extent.

Transcription

1 Running Club Constitution Preamble We, the members of the Running Club, do hereby establish this constitution in order that our purpose be realized to its fullest extent. Article I. Organization Name a.the name of the organization will be the Running Club at the Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA. Article II. Purpose a. The general purpose of this organization shall be to to raise awareness of the sports of running in the community. The specific purpose shall be to promote running as a sound platform for improving fitness and physical health and to socialize among the members of the Running Club. Article III: Basic Policies a. The organization shall be non-commercial b.the name of the organization or the names of any members in their official capacities shall not be used in connection with a commercial concern c. The organization shall cooperate with Louisiana State University to support the improvement of education in ways that will not interfere with administration of the University d. The organization may cooperate with other organizations and agencies, but persons representing the organization in such matters shall make no commitments that bind the organization e. The organization agrees to abide by all University polices and local, state and federal laws. Article IV. Affiliations The Running Club is not associated with any national governing body. Article V. Membership Section 1. Credit Requirement a. Club membership is limited to full-time LSU-Baton Rouge students, and faculty/staff with an active University Recreation Membership. Full time enrollment is 12 or more credits for undergraduate students, 9 or more credits for graduate students. Section 2. Becoming a Member a. Active membership is restricted to LSU students. Associate membership is restricted to LSU faculty members, and staff member. Associate members are non-voting members. b. In order to become an active member, one must join the Running Club via the IMLeagues website ( Accepting the UREC participation waiver is necessary for completing the procedure. 1

2 Section 3. Status Maintenance a. The organization shall conduct an annual enrollment of members, which is required to maintain the membership status, however, persons may be admitted to membership at any time. b. A member may be removed if they fail to maintain the credit requirements, graduate or drop out of LSU. c. In order to maintain an active status, a member must participate in at least three runs with the club every semester. This requirement does not apply for the summer semester. Section 4. Voting Member Rights/ Inclusion a. Each member shall have one vote for electing the executive officers or otherwise. The auxiliary members such as coaches, or faculty are non-voting members. b. No member shall be excluded for any reason, included but not limited to: race, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, citizenship, weight, disability, veteran status, or any other factors covered by law. Students may participate in the gender specific club that affirms their personal gender identity. Section 5. Non-LSU and Tiger Bridge Program students a. Non-LSU and Tiger Bridge Program students CANNOT be members of any Sport Clubs. b. Only currently registered full time students are eligible to maintain membership in LSU Sport Clubs. Therefore, no alumni are eligible to participate within and Sport Club. Section 6. Dues a. Each member of the organization shall pay annual dues of an amount to be determined each year. This amount is NOT mandatory. The amount of said dues for the coming calendar year shall be determined by a vote of the members present at the last regular meeting of the current calendar year. b. Membership dues will be assessed by the executive officers of the Running Club organization. c. Membership, dues, and attendance will be tracked by the executive committee of Running Club. d. If a member chooses not to pay the dues, they may continue to be a member of the Running Club. However they may not be allowed full benefits that paid members receive, to be determined based on current sponsorship. For example, organized races may be free or subsidized for paid members. The same races may have an entree fee for the members who have chosen not to pay the annual dues. Article VI. Officers Section 1. Basic Officer Rules To be eligible to be elected to, appointed to, or to hold an office or be a standing committee chairperson, a student must: 2

3 a. Undergraduate students must be enrolled as full-time students at Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge); graduate students must be enrolled as parttime (with at least 6 hours) or full-time students at LSU; b. Students must have at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA and be in good academic standing with the University; c. Students must not be on disciplinary probation or deferred suspension. This includes newly elected officers, as well as continuing officers. Students may continue organizational membership if on disciplinary probation. d. Students must meet all other academic standards established by the student organization and included in the organization s constitution and/or bylaws. e. Graduating seniors who are not registered full-time may still hold office in a student organization during the semester in which they are scheduled to graduate. Section 2: Officer Positions a. The officers of this organization shall be president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and others, if desired. b. The president shall preside at all meetings of the association and of the executive committee; shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed in the constitution or are assigned by the membership or the executive committee; and shall coordinate the work of the officers and committee, in order that projects be promoted; and is responsible for conducting an annual registration with Sport Clubs. c. The vice-president shall act as aide to the president and shall perform the duties of the president in the absence or inability of that officer to serve. (Other duties may be added). d. The secretary shall record the minutes of all meetings of the organization and of the executive committee and shall perform other duties as may be delegated. e. The treasurer shall receive all monies of the organization; shall keep an accurate record of receipts and expenditures; shall pay out local funds in accordance with the approved budget as authorized by the organization. The treasurer shall present a financial statement at meetings of the organization once a month and at other times when requested by the executive committee. The treasurer s accounts shall be examined annually by an auditor or an auditing committee of not less than three members, who, satisfied that the treasurer s annual report is correct, should sign a statement of that fact at the end of the report. The auditing committee shall be appointed by the executive committee at least two weeks before the meeting. f. The faculty advisor shall serve as a resource and support mechanism for the officers and members of the organization. The faculty advisor should attend regular and executive board meetings and other events as necessary. Section 3: Officer Nominations a. A person shall be nominated or nominate himself/ herself for office at least 7 days before the last annual meeting. Members will be informed about this meeting. 3

4 Section 4: Officer Elections a. Officers shall be elected by ballot during the last meeting of the year. b. The elected personnel shall act as executive officers for Running Club and shall assume their official duties at the opening of the next calendar year and shall serve for a term of one year and/or until their successors are elected. c. The elections are carried out by the executive officers of the previous term. Section 5: Terms of Office a. No member will remain in power (as an executive officer, president, vice president, secretary, treasurer or other) for more than three academic years. No coach, advisor or any other auxiliary member will remain in power for more than two academic years. Section 6: Vacancies in Office a. A vacancy occurring in any office shall be filled for the non-expired term by a person elected by majority vote of the remaining members of the executive committee. Article VII: Recall and Impeachment of Officers a. Any officer of Running Club in violation of the organization s purpose or constitution may be removed from office by the following process: 1. A written request is needed by at least two members of the organization. 2. Written notification is given to the officer in concern, asking the officer to be present at the next meeting and prepared to speak. 3. A two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of active members or 2/3 majority vote of the remaining executive members is necessary to remove the officer. Article VIII. Meetings Section 1: Club Meetings a. The weekly runs may be considered as meetings. However, a meeting which requires voting or decision making, will be announced at a minimum of one week prior to occurring. b. An executive officer of the club may call for a meeting or members may request executive members for a meeting. c. Meetings will open to all eligible students and faculty who wish to join the organization, however the privilege to hold office, make motions, debate, and vote shall be limited to active members. Section 2: Special Meetings a. Special Meetings may be called by an executive officer of the Running Club for discussing a specific agenda. b. Officers do not need to have a regular meeting. A majority of officers need to be present at a special meeting. Section 3: Agenda and Minutes 4

5 a. The agenda of a meeting may be ed to the members or executive officers. b.the minutes may be ed to the members or posted on the Running Club s tigerlink website. Section 4: Quorum a. A quorum is not required to hold a meeting. Article IX. Powers Section 1: Voting a. Each member shall have one vote for electing the executive officers or otherwise. The auxiliary members such as coaches, or faculty are non-voting members. b. Members can vote by proxy. This can be achieved by sending an from the student s lsu.edu address to the Running Club (runningclub@lsu.edu). Section 2: Majority Votes a. All elections will be decided by relative majority. Article X. Amendments Section 1. This constitution may be amended at any regular meeting of the organization by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the members present and voting, provided that notice of the proposed amendment shall have been given at the previous meeting and that the proposed amendment shall be subject to approval of the Sport Clubs. The amendments may take effect in the next academic year. Section 2. A committee may be appointed to submit a revised constitution for the existing constitution only by a majority vote at a meeting of the association, or by two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Executive Committee. 5