Cycling Club Constitution

CSB/SJU Cycling Constitution

30 December 2011

Date of Recognition/Revision: ­­­March 1, 2012

Article I: Name and Purpose

Section 1: Name
The name of our club is "College of St. Benedict and St. John's University Cycling" to be referred to as "CSB/SJU Cycling."

Section 2: Purpose/Mission
CSB/SJU Cycling exists to...

Safely promote the fun and healthy sport of cycling through events such as group rides, training, organized races, workshops, service projects, and cause-oriented charitable fundraisers in conjunction with institutional fundraising and solicitation policies.

Support different aspects of cycling through three tiers: 1) road bike riding and racing, 2) mountain bike riding and racing, and 3) group rides.

Advocate for personal sustainable transportation strategies.

Field a competitive cycling club in the National Collegiate Cycling Association North Central Collegiate Cycling Conference and other regional cycling forums.

Advance the Catholic Benedictine mission of the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University by building community, emphasizing stewardship, and fostering altruistic service at the cornerstone of all group efforts.

Section 3: Affiliation
Our club will be a member of the North Central Collegiate Cycling Conference (NCCCC) in the National Collegiate Cycling Association (NCCA), maintained by USA Cycling (USAC).

Article II: Membership

Section 1: Eligibility for Membership:
CSB/SJU Cycling is open to all students, faculty, and staff on campus. Membership is open to all CSB/SJU students. Members must participate in or contribute to at least one Cycling club event per semester.  All members must submit the CSB/SJU Hold Harmless Agreement.

Section 2: Voting Member Criteria:
Voting is open to all current members who meet the specifications in Section One.

Section 3: Removal of Members:
Any member who inhibits safety or exhibits any behavior which violates the CSB/SJU policy during CSB/SJU Cycling events will be subjected to removal procedures. Removal procedures will result in a majority vote of the club officers to be held within the span of two weeks from the incident. Appeals should be directed towards the club advisor.

Article III: Officers

Section 1: Officer Qualifications
Officers must have been members of the CSB/SJU Cycling for at least one semester and be in good academic standing with the institution.

Section 2: Elected Officers
The roles for officers in CSB/SJU Cycling will be as follows: Three co-Presidents to represent each tier of our club, in addition to a Secretary, a Treasurer, and a Publicity Coordinator. Each of the officers is responsible for overseeing their areas of interest, not necessarily accomplishing all of the tasks on their own. Responsibility, either by direct handling or through delegation, include, but are not to be limited to:

Co-Presidents:

  • Presides over club meetings and agendas
  • Establishes the goals of the club in conjunction with the other officers
  • Communicates with the conference director, advisor, coach, sponsors, and other cycling connections, relaying general information and keeping communication open
  • Coordinates race, fundraising, and other events when the necessary roles are not filled by an appointed committee or officer
  • Ensures that club is following their mission, training, racing, and hosting practices as deemed appropriate
  • Organizes group rides at the correct skill level for their category
  • Organizes the teams for each race, with the coach if possible
  • Provides Leadership and example for younger riders
  • Submits all required travel documentation and requests

Secretary

  • Acts as the official recording officer of the club, keeping detailed record of all club proceedings
  • Is responsible for maintaining and documenting the club's records, reports and correspondences, club memberships, racing disciplines, and race categories
  • Submits club rosters to the president to give to the Conference Director
  • Ensures all procedures are being followed, both at CSB/SJU and through USA Cycling, including event permits and other procedures
  • Reads the minutes from the previous meeting

Treasurer:

  • Maintains all bookkeeping records
  • Receives and keeps records of all monies due to the club
  • Pays all bills on time and in full
  • Prepares yearly financial statements and prepares club budget
  • Processes all orders

Publicity Coordinator(s)

  • Provides regular race results and/or press releases for the school paper, the web page, local press, and student e-mail
  • Either directly or with others, maintains the team website and the membership/club description pamphlet
  • Provides race reports and web updates for USA Cycling
  • With the help of a committee, leads efforts to publicize campus events and races
  • Seeks new membership and increased participation
  • Coordinate photography of Club events

Section 3: Duties of Officers
Officers will hold their office for a whole academic school year.  After new officers are elected, old officers will work together with the new officers, gradually handing over the roles with a smooth transition.  Officers may serve repeated terms, but must be reelected each year.  If officers are unable to complete their full term, they may hold office for only one semester.

Section 4: Vacancy in Office
In the event of a vacancy, the President will appoint a Full Member to hold the responsibilities for no more than two weeks.  During this time an emergency vote of all voting members will be held to fill the vacancy by the procedure outlined in Article IV.

Section 5: Removal of Officers
A petition to remove the officers in question must be submitted to another officer. This petition must contain the signatures of at least one third of the voting members. When such a petition is received the officer will call an emergency vote to determine whether or not the officer should be removed in accordance with the voting procedure outlined in Article IV.

Section 6: Appeal of Removal of Officers
Any appeals to the procedure of the removal of an officer should be directed towards the club advisor.

Article IV: Voting

Section 1: Nomination Process for Officer Candidates
Any voting member, including the candidates themselves, can publicly nominate officer candidates.  This nomination must occur during an annual officer election meeting.

Section 2: Officer Elections
Candidate Elections will be held once a year during the month of March. Following public nominations a secret ballot will be taken of all voting members and the person who holds the majority will assume the role of the officer. Three fourths of the club must be present for an election to be valid.

Section 3: Special Elections
If an officer leaves office, a special election will be held within two weeks of the absence.  Special elections will be bound to the same procedure as outlined in Section 2 for normal officer elections, but will take place at the necessary time.

Section 4: Other Voting
All other voting matters will take place after a discussion of the events at hand. The vote requires two thirds of voting members to be present and a vote of two thirds of the people present will pass.

Article V: Advisor

Section 1: Selection
Only employees of CSB/SJU will be considered for the role of Advisor. Preference will be given to those who have experience in cycling. If club members cannot reach a consensus when choosing an advisor, responsibility will fall on the board of officers who will then have to have a majority vote. An advisory board of up to three persons can jointly fill the responsibilities of advising; this brings extra experience to the club and allows certain faculty/staff members to take leave or sabbatical without leaving the club with an empty advising seat.

Section 2: Duties
The CSB/SJU Cycling Advisor's main responsibility will be to help the club to think creatively by bringing their own personal experience to the table. He/She should promote group activities to other faculty and staff when necessary and assist the club with networking in the cycling community. If possible, He/She will attend CSB/SJU Cycling events. Any assistance beyond these duties is welcome, but not mandatory.

Article VI: Meetings

Section I: Regular Meeting/Club Activities
Regular administrative meetings of the officers will occur at least once per month. Attendance for officers is mandatory, although other members are invited to attend. Group cycling rides will regularly be offered at least once every two weeks during the school year, so long as the weather permits. At the discretion of captains, training can vary in intensity and frequency. The club will normally hold at least one racing event per year, at least one non-profit fundraising event per year, and at least one cycling workshop per year.

Section 2: Special Meetings
Special meetings will take place before any race in which the CSB/SJU Cycling club will be participating, and include all members who will be participating in that particular race. Members will also attend special meetings before any major club event which will require labor to be divided between volunteers within the group. Any officer may also call a special meeting, when necessary, either at the suggestion of a club member or upon a certain topic.

Section 3: Parliamentary Authority
All meetings will be run completely democratically, with each person being allowed to provide input in a respectful manner. In the event of turmoil with this process, the president will mediate discussion.

Section 4: Quorum
In any normal vote, at least two thirds of voting members must be present for that vote to be valid.

Article VII: Committee

Section 1: Committee Structure
There will be no regular committees. Event committees will be formed within a necessary amount of time before any larger event, including races, fundraisers, etc. Event committees will derive their structure and positions as deemed necessary by the board of officers.

Section 2: Special/Ad-Hoc Committees
Special/ad-hoc committees may be formed as needed.

Article VIII: Finances

Section 1: Co-Funding Board
CSB/SJU Cycling will apply for CFB monies. If allocated, CSB/SJU Cycling will abide by all CFB and institutional regulations. Possible regular uses of monies include, but are not limited to: NCAA membership fee, racing license fees, jersey purchasing, travel expenses, and other event costs.

Section 2: Honorariums
No member of the club will receive any form of honorarium/stipend from CSB/SJU Cycling.

Section 3: Dues
All CSB/SJU Cycling members will pay dues of $10 per academic school year. Dues are collected to support racing necessities and to further club efforts.

Article IX: Amendments

Section 1: Ratification
If any Amendment is deemed necessary, it may be ratified in two ways.  First, the officers may ratify an amendment with a majority vote in accordance with Article IV after consulting the other members of the club.  Second, voting members of the club may propose an amendment to the constitution to other members of the club.

Section 2: Submittal to Department of Student Activities and Joint Club Board
Any changes made to this constitution must be submitted to the Department of Student Activities and the JCB.

Article X
CSB/SJU Cycling admits students without regard to their race, religion color, sex, gender, age, sexual orientation, or national/ethnic origins to all the rights, privileges, programs, and other activities generally accorded or made available to members of the organization.

Article XI
CSB/SJU Cycling considers hazing to be a degrading and destructive activity which is inconsistent with the standards of this student organization.  CSB/SJU Cycling recognizes the dignity of every person and opposes all forms of hazing.