Constitution

Updated: April 2016

American University Women’s Rugby Football Club Constitution

Article I.

The Name of this Organization Shall Be the American University Women’s Rugby Football Club, hereafter referred to as “the AUWRFC” or “the club.” The club shall be a member of the Northern division of the Capital Rugby Union (herein “CRU”) and shall participate and cooperate in the activities of said organization. The club shall be a member of the United States of America Rugby Football Union (herein “USA Rugby”), and shall participate and cooperate in the activities of said organization.

Article II.Purpose:

The AUWRFC is dedicated to developing the rugby skills of each club member and helping them reach their maximum potential. This organization shall encourage, promote, teach and compete in the sport of rugby as defined by USA Rugby and the International Rugby Board (herein “IRB”). The club shall do so in keeping with the policies of American University and those policies set forth by American University Recreational Sports and Fitness in the manual, “Club Sports Program Policies and Procedure.”

Article III.Membership

1. Membership shall be open to any currently enrolled female American University student.
2. Affiliate club membership shall be open to any female American University staff or faculty member. However, affiliate members may not hold an executive board (herein “e-board”) position or vote on any club matters or in club elections.
3. Members shall pay seasonal dues established before each season by the executive board.
4. Members recognize that dues constitute only part of the team’s financial needs for each season. In addition to dues, members must participate regularly in team fundraisers, the amount of which shall be determined by the Fundraising Chair in conjunction with the Executive Board at the beginning of each semester. Members unable to fulfill the fundraising requirement must pay additional dues proportional to the fundraising they did not complete. Members who cannot do this must work out other arrangements with the Fundraising Chair, Treasurer, and President.
5. Members are expected to conduct themselves in a manner compliant with American University policies and Club Sports policies.
6. Members must meet USA Rugby Eligibility Requirements in order to compete in regulation matches or in any game that falls under USA Rugby jurisdiction.
7. Members shall adhere to all applicable rules and regulations set forth by the CRU, USA Rugby, the IRB, and any other governing body that the club is a member of.
8. Active Members:
   1. Shall attend practices, games and team events on a regular basis.
   2. Shall state availability upon request.
   3. Shall have one vote on all full team matters.
   4. As a member of the AUWRFC team members accept AUWRFC as their primary identification. In accordance with identifying primarily with the AUWRFC, members are responsible for notifying the team captains and Coach in advance of participating in another rugby club match, and gaining approval before participating in a game with another collegiate side.

Article IV.Seasons:

1. The Club shall play two seasons per year: the fall season and the spring season.
2. Practice times and locations shall be established before each season in a decision made by the executive board.

Article V.Executive Board:

1. The executive board shall meet at regular intervals.
2. The executive board is a representative governing body of the AUWRFC and its purpose is to act in the best interest of the club at all times.
3. The executive board shall be elected as governed by Article VI.
4. Members of the e-boards are expected to attend all e-board meetings, unless they have received prior approval from the President.
5. The e-board position of coach is exempt from this requirement, except upon request of attendance by e-board or coach.
6. All e-board members are required to fulfill all individual responsibilities in addition to active member duties.
7. All terms (excluding coach and captain) shall last for one year  unless an e-board member is unable to perform the duty for the second season and informs the team at the time of nomination.
8. Team members have the right to present their concerns before the e-board with adequate notice to president before said meeting. The concerns must be considered and/or investigated by e-board with appropriate follow-through.

Section 1. President

1. Shall call and moderate e-board and team meetings.
2. Shall prepare agendas for all e-board and full team meetings.
3. Shall act as a representative of the club to the American University Athletics Department and the Club Sports Director.
4. Shall attend all AU Club Sports meetings.
5. Shall attend all mandatory CRU and other divisional meetings or find a proxy if unable to attend.
6. Shall be the acting member of the Presidents Council and represent the club at all council meeting. If the president should choose or is unable to fulfill those duties then she must appoint another team member to act as her proxy.
7. Shall appoint committees and committee chairs when necessary.
8. Shall be responsible for arranging space for practices and meetings.
9. Shall be responsible for getting all appropriate activities approved by the club sports director.
10. Shall distribute copies of the constitution to the executive board members at the beginning of each season.
11. Shall organize team involvement in local and campus-wide community service projects, and sponsorships of events.
12. Shall run Club elections in the spring.
13. Shall oversee all other officer activity.
14. Shall only vote in the event of a tie.

Section 2. Treasurer

1. Shall take charge of the Club’s funds and shall keep account of all receipts and expenditures. These include but are not limited to:
   1. CRU and USA Rugby dues
   2. Tournament dues
   3. Referee dues
   4. Hotel bills
   5. Transportation costs
   6. Personal reimbursement
   7. Equipment purchase
   8. Seasonal dues in an amount established by the executive board at the beginning of each season
   9. Shall submit budget updates to the e-board on a bi-monthly schedule.
   10. Shall submit the Rugby Club Budget to the American University Athletics Department
   11. Shall be in constant communication with other e-board members and non-executive officers to discuss budgetary matters.
       1. Shall assist the Equipment Manager with the purchasing of team equipment.
       2. Shall be responsible for outlining at the beginning of each season updated guidelines for both individual reimbursements and purchase requests, including appropriate forms.
   12. Shall adhere to the financial regulations set forth in the “Club Sports Program Policies and Procedure” manual, and provide any financial documentation to the Club Sports Director upon request.

Section 3. Match Secretary

1. Shall be the point/contact person for the club with regard to matches.
2. Shall be responsible for scheduling matches required by the CRU matrix as well as scheduling matches additional matches with other clubs who would like  to compete with the AUWRFC.
3. Shall contact other clubs to fill the schedule.
4. Shall respond to clubs that have expressed interest in playing the AUWRFC.
5. Shall oversee all decision-making with regard to what teams we will play, where and on which days.
6. Shall find referees for home games.
7. Shall find a pitch for home games and communicate with the Equipment Manager to make sure this pitch is lined, and that flags and goal post pads are provided.
8. Shall confirm all information related to game day with the other team, referee and field contact.
9. Shall be responsible for distributing a copy of the schedule to all team members.
10. Shall coordinate the game schedule with the CRU.
11. Shall report all game scores to the CRU.
12. Shall coordinate travel whether it be Zipcar, personal cars, or other.
13. Shall e-mail the team game day information by Tuesday of that week.
14. Shall resolve any problems or issues with regard to the schedule and games.
15. Shall be responsible for planning matrix games for the upcoming fall season. Will assist the incoming match secretary schedule non-matrix games for the upcoming fall as well.
16. Shall communicate effectively with the rest of the e-board officers.
17. Shall submit the Competition Roster & Itinerary Form to AU Club Sports office for each match weekend by the preceding Thursday at 4:00pm.
18. Shall submit the Post Competition Report to the AU Club Sports Office each Monday by 4:00pm following all matches.

Section 4. Secretary

1. Shall help players fill out IM Leagues forms and join USA Rugby at the beginning of each season.
2. Shall collect semi-final and final eligibility paperwork as required by the CRU and USA Rugby.
3. Shall assist in filling out and submitting any injury reports to AU Club Sports as necessary.
4. Shall maintain the club listserve.
5. Shall maintain the contact list and distribute to all team members.
6. Shall take minutes at all e-board and team meetings.

Section 5. Social Media Chair

1. Shall be responsible for updating all social media accounts 10 times a week
2. Shall update website with scores, contacts, roster, and anything else as needed
3. Shall take or assign someone to take photos
4. Shall write, send out, and keep a record of a seasonal newsletter to parents, alumni, and friends.
5. Shall maintain the alumni listserv.
6. Shall send out thank you notes to donators.

Section 6. Fundraising Chair

1. Shall oversee and plan all fundraising activities, which will amount to no less than two fundraisers per semester and five for the academic year.
2. Shall be responsible for generating enough funds annually to cover expenses, which can be no less than 75% of the AU Club Sports allocation each year.
3. Shall communicate effectively and frequently with the treasurer to have knowledge of funds.
4. Shall communicate effectively with the Social Chair to coordinate events.
5. Shall form and oversee all fundraising committees.
6. Shall be responsible for recruiting team members to fundraise and participate in fundraising events.
7. Shall submit a fundraising request to the Club Sports Director prior to the fundraiser as mandated by AU Club Sports.

Section 7. Recruitment/Social Officer

1. Shall be responsible for strong recruitment efforts before the start of each semester.
2. Shall use any recruitment methods available that are approved by AU Club Sports and the e-board
3. Shall be responsible for encouraging other team members to recruit.
4. Shall have recruitment methods in place by the time students arrive to campus.
5. Shall plan and announce at least two informational meetings for prospective players.
6. Shall obtain rookie contact information and give that information to the Secretary.
7. Shall maintain an enthusiastic and encouraging relationship with Rookies.
8. Shall be responsible for planning all socials after home games.
9. Shall coordinate social events with Match Secretary and Treasurer.
10. Shall consistently have social events available for new members to get involved, the nights after home games, and throughout the season.
11. Shall be in charge of planning the rookie party and all that is included.

Section 8. Equipment Manager

1. Shall keep an inventory of all equipment owned by the team.
2. Shall keep a schedule of how and where all equipment will be stored during and outside the season.
3. Shall report to the e-board the condition of the equipment and advice on purchasing and replacement of such.
4. Shall get approval from the e-board about the purchase of new equipment.
5. Shall collaborate with the Treasurer to purchase said equipment.

Section 9.Captains

1. There shall be two field captains each season.
2. Shall serve as the liaison between the team and coach in team matters.
3. Shall be accessible to team members.
4. Shall be responsible for leading team practices in conjunction with the coach.
5. Shall attend all e-board meetings.
6. See Article VI, 11 for voting and appointment procedure.
7. Shall serve a term of one semester.
8. If a captain holds an additional e-board position, she forfeits her captain vote on the executive board.

Section 10. Coach

1. Shall have played rugby extensively and have adequate coaching skills.
2. Shall be a non-voting member of e-board.
3. Shall abide by and sign AU Club Sports, CRU and USA Rugby coaching policies and paperwork.
4. Shall sign the AUWRFC’s coaching contract at beginning of each season.
5. Should be or have plans to become Level 1 USA Rugby Certified.
6. Guest coaches must be approved by captains.
7. Assistant coaches shall be approved by a 2/3 board vote.
8. New head coaches shall be approved by full team vote of 2/3 with recommendation by the e-board.
9. Coaches shall be dismissed by recommendation of the e-board with a 2/3 majority vote from the team.
10. Captains and e-board members shall facilitate communication with the coaches.

Article VI: Elections

1. Elections will be held at the end of each season as needed for the following semester. Each term will last for one year unless otherwise specified in the constitution.
2. Elections shall be held no later than the last day of finals and newly elected officers’ duties will take effect the last day of that semester.
3. Team members may run in consecutive seasons or years.
4. Team members intending to run for an executive board position must declare prior to elections if they are intending to go abroad at any point during the term they would be serving.
5. If a team member is abroad or unable to attend the election meeting, that member should submit a written letter of self-nomination and acceptance to the President. The team member should list any and all positions to which she is willing to be elected.
   1. This team member’s self-nomination must be seconded by another team member present at the election meeting.
   2. Team members abroad may also submit a paragraph to be read by the President at the election meeting.
   3. A majority of all active members must be present to hold elections.
   4. A majority vote of team members present is necessary to win each office.
   5. If a single candidate does not win a majority, a runoff shall be held between the two top candidates.
   6. If a runoff is necessary there will be another club vote.
   7. Nominations shall be vocally announced, seconded by another present team member, and followed by the acceptance of the nominee.
   8. Once nominated, all nominees will leave the room. One by one each nominee will come in and have up to two minutes to explain what she will bring to the position and answer questions from team members. While all candidates are outside of the room, team members will discuss any pros or cons they wish to bring up about the Nominee. Once voting takes place, candidates will be brought in with the winner then announced. Nominees do not vote.
   9. Voting shall be by secret ballot.
   10. Any vacancies shall be filled by another club vote.
   11. In case of captains:
       1. “Captains shall be appointed at each end of season meeting. Procedure will be the same as Article VI, 11 but the ballots shall be presented to the coach(es) for counting and review to take the team’s vote into account when the coach(es) appoints the captain(s).”.
       2. After elections, a transitional meeting shall be held with all outgoing and incoming officers.
       3. Outgoing members shall prepare or update officer binder for meeting.
       4. In the event that an officer is not fulfilling her said duties:
          1. A written warning shall be issued from the president on behalf of the e-board, determined by a majority vote.
          2. If performance has not improved, then in no less than two weeks, another e-board meeting shall be held for purpose of removing the officer by a vote of two-thirds majority of the entire e-board.
          3. If the e-board member is removed, special full team elections shall be held to elect a new executive officer.
          4. In the event that an officer resigns before said term is finished:
             1. If an e-board member resigns, special elections shall be held to elect a new executive officer.
             2. No member of the executive board may resign mid-term with the intention of being elected to a different executive board position at that time.

Article VII: Funds

1. The Club will apply annually to the Athletics Department for yearly funds to cover the cost of equipment, transportation, referees, and publicity.
2. The Club will supplement Athletics Department funding with membership dues and the proceeds from its own fundraising.
3. The E-board must approve the budget before submission to AU Club Sports.

Article VIII: Safety Officers

 

• There shall be no less than two safety officers in the club, and at least one of the officers must be present at each game.

• Shall have valid First Aid/CPR/AED certification, and must provide proof of said certification to AU Club Sports at the beginning of the season.

• Must be both willing and able to apply the knowledge gained through the certification course as needed.

• Shall not be an acting member of the e-board, but, upon request, must assist the secretary in filling out any injury reports should they become necessary.

 

Article VIV: Discipline and Due Process

 

• All members must abide by the American University Student Code of Conduct as well as Club Sports Policies and Procedures.

• All disciplinary matters will be first handled by the e-board, who will decide on punishment based on the severity of the offense, number of prior offenses, as well as any other criteria that they see fit. The result of disciplinary action may range from a warning to suspension from the team.

• Should the e-board see themselves as unfit to deal with the disciplinary action, the e-board reserves the right to inform AU Club Sports of the infraction and/or notify the Dean of Students office, the Department of Public Safety, Student Conduct and Conflict Service, or any other organization that they see fit for further action.

• All appeals will be handled by the President.

Article VIII: Amendments

1. Amendments shall be proposed by e-board and voted on by team with 2/3 majority.
2. Changes to e-board positions shall be voted upon by the board with a 2/3 majority.