Cougar Swim Club
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 Cougar Swim Club. Copies of this Constitution shall be present at all Executive Council Meetings, and in the Campus Activities and Sports Clubs offices.
This organization shall be officially titled, "Cougar Swim Club", and for purposes of abbreviation may be listed by the four-letter code, "CASC".
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.
a. Membership Requirements
Members of the Swim Club must be current members of the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center at the University of Houston. Additionally, persons seeking membership must complete, in the presence of the coach, two lengths of a Twenty-Five yard course in under One Minute, Thirty Seconds.
b. Membership Privileges
Members have the right to equal participation in all practices, competitions, Club events, and Club voting.
c. Member Responsibilities
Each Member must register with the American Swimming Association University League. Members shall, within one week of commencing participation with the club, return a Club Membership Form with dues and an ASA U. Registration Application with league fee. 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 Director¹s 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.
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
a. 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 President¹s term shall be one academic year.
ii. Election of the President
Each year, the Members of the Executive Council shall elect a 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. I f 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 President¹s 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 President¹s 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 happenings 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-President¹s term shall be one academic year.
ii. The Election of the Vice-President
Each year, the Members of the Club shall elect a 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-President¹s 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 club¹s 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 academic year 2003-2004, the first three 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 Member¹s removal from office. The designated substitute shall function as a regular Executive Council Member.
e. Secretary
i. Term of Office
The Secretary¹s 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 results of this election shall be read by the Vice-President, and a Secretary-elect shall be designated 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 Club¹s 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 results of this election shall be read by the Vice-President, and a Recruitment Officer-elect shall be designated 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 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 Coach¹s term shall be one academic year.
ii. The Selection of the Coach
Each year, the Executive Council shall select a 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
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.
Relationship to National Organization
This Club shall register each schoolyear with the American Swimming Association University League. All members shall register individually with the American Swimming Association University League.
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 Club activities shall be approved and scheduled by the Executive Council.
Advisor
a. Selection of the Advisor
Each year, the Executive Council shall select an 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 Sport Club follows all guidelines for Campus Recreation and Campus Activities including policies and procedures stated in the University of Houston 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 attend Leadership UH programs, especially those geared toward assisting advisors in successfully and effectively fulfilling their role.
vi. The Advisor shall advise clubs in financial matters dealing with their clubs.
vii. The Advisor shall serve as a knowledgeable campus and community referral and resource for the club and its officers.
viii. The Advisor shall attend or be accessible at events sponsored by the club.
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.
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 August 29th, 2003