University Kayak Club Constitution

• Article I: Name
• Article II: Purpose
• Article III: Membership
• Article IV: Meetings
• Article V: Dues and Fees
• Article VI: Officers and Club Representatives
• Article VII: Executive Committee
• Article VIII: Safety Committee
• Article IX: Faculty Advisor
• Article X: Committees
• Article XI: Amendments
• Notes

Constitution of the University Kayak Club

Article I: Name

• The name of this organization will be University Kayak Club.

Article II: Purpose

• Section 1: The purpose of this organization is to promote kayaking and canoeing. The club will (a) provide to members instruction in the safe use of both canoes and kayaks, (b) organize trips, and (c) assist individuals interested in informal or organized competition.

• Section 2: The term 'kayaking and canoeing' as used in Section 1 refers to flatwater, whitewater, and ocean touring kayaking and canoeing.  It includes a range of paddling activities on flatwater, such as touring, kayak polo, and flatwater racing.

Article III: Membership

• Section 1: The voting membership will consist of regularly admitted and currently registered students of the University of Washington. Faculty and staff of the University of Washington, spouses, domestic partners, and instructors comprise the non-voting membership. To be an active member (and thereby eligible to use club equipment and facilities), a person must have paid required dues and fees, signed a University of Washington waiver card, and successfully performed a kayak swim test.  Membership expires at the end of the dues year, or at the time a person ceases to be either a regularly enrolled student or a member of the faculty or staff.  Spousal and domestic partner memberships expire when the membership of the related student, faculty, or staff member expires.

• Section 2: A group of non-voting members are club instructors.  Instructors need not be enrolled students, faculty or staff at the University of Washington. They are appointed by the Executive Committee to provide paddling instruction and promote safety in club activities. Their appointments are renewed each October.  Instructors have all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of other non-voting members.

Article IV: Meetings

• Section l: Four regular meetings will be held each academic year. The first three are held during the second week of the fall, winter, and spring quarters. The fourth is the officer election meeting held during the last two weeks of the spring quarter.

• Section 2: Special meetings may be called by the president upon five day notice.

• Section 3: All meetings will be announced in advance through email distribution or posting on the club's web site.

Article V: Dues and Fees

• Section 1: The dues year will run from the first day of autumn quarter of the academic year to the last day of October in the following year.

• Section 2: Club dues rules will be announced at the fall quarter meeting for the coming academic year.

• Section 3: Faculty, staff, spouses, and domestic partners may be asked to pay a Waterfront Activities Center (WAC) "quarterly use fee" above any regular club dues assessment.

Article VI: Officers and Club Representatives

• Section 1: The officers of the club will be the president, vice-president, treasurer, secretary, and equipment manager.

• Section 2: The club must have five representatives that register with the Student Activities Office (SAO) by submitting their names, addresses, telephone numbers, and copies of student ID cards. The five club representatives must be regularly admitted and registered students.  They collectively bear responsibility for club activities including unpaid debts billed to the club.  Club representatives represent the club to the SAO.

  To satisfy the SAO requirement that students control the club, and at the same time provide the club with flexibility in electing officers, the club will use the following election procedure:

  1. The five club officer positions of president, vice-president, treasurer, equipment manager and secretary are elected at a club meeting held during the last two weeks of the spring quarter.

  2. The president, vice-president, and treasurer must be students. These three officers must register as official club representatives with the SAO.

  3. The officer positions of equipment manager and secretary may be filled by either student or nonstudent members. If students are elected, they must also register as official club representatives with the SAO.

  4. If either the equipment manager or the secretary is a non-student (faculty, staff, or spouse), the new president will appoint one or two (however many are needed) student club members willing to serve as 'at-large' club representatives.  At-large representatives assume the same bad debt responsibility as other club representatives, however they are not club officers and have neither the responsibilities nor the authority of club officers.  At-large representatives must register as offical club representatives with the SAO.  If an at-large representative resigns before the end of his or her term, the president will appoint a replacement to serve the remainder of the term.

  In summary, a minimum of three of the club officer positions will be held by students, and there will be a maximum of two at-large student representatives.

• Section 3: The term of office for all officers and committee chairpersons will be from the spring quarter election meeting of one year to the spring quarter election meeting of the following year. Any vacancies in the officer and committee chairmanship positions that arise shall be filled to serve the remainder of the term by vote of the Executive Committee.

• Section 4: The responsibilities of officers are as follows:
  1. The President will preside over club meetings and coordinate club activities. The president will be the official representative of the club and will delegate an alternate only when absent or incapacitated for an extended period.

  2. The Vice-President of the club will assist the club president and assume the president's powers and responsibilities when designated by the president. The vice-president will be responsible for organizing pool sessions.

  3. The Treasurer will organize membership drives, coordinate purchases of club equipment, maintain the Club's accounts and funds, and will assist the secretary in preparing membership lists. The treasurer, in consultation with the Executive Committee and the IMA Sports Club Coordinator, will also submit a budget proposal to the Department of Intramural Activities.

  4. The Equipment Manager will supervise all construction, modification, and repair of club equipment, organize work parties to build or repair boats and other club equipment, and be responsible for safety at work parties. The equipment manager will compile a priority boat use list based on work party participation.  The equipment manager will frequently make an inventory of club equipment and immediately report missing club equipment to the president.  In the event that equipment is lost or suffers major or irreparable damage, the Executive Committee will determine appropriate compensation from the responsible user.

  5. The Secretary will maintain and monitor the club's paperwork. This includes providing a sufficient supply of forms for signing up new members and checking out boats. The secretary will organize the filing system for membership forms and assist the treasurer in entering new members into the club's database. The secretary will also record and distribute minutes from club meetings. Finally, the secretary will reserve rooms for the old and new members' meetings and place an add in the UW's daily newspaper that announces the new members' meeting.

• Section 5: Provisions for removing officers are:
  1. Officers may be removed from office by a vote of 'no confidence' by the club voting members.

  2. Prior to a vote of 'no confidence', a two week notice must be given to voting members.

  3. The named officer will be removed from office if more more than half the voting members present vote 'no confidence'.

  4. Voting will be done by secret ballot.

  5. A vote of 'no confidence' requires a quorum of two-thirds of the voting membership, or forty voting members, whichever is smaller.

  6. If a quorum is not present at the meeting, additional votes to reach a quorum may be tallied for one week after the meeting by a secure absentee ballot, email, or website voting procedure.

Article VII: Executive Committee

• Section 1: Management of the club will be vested in an Executive Committee made up of the five club officers: president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, and equipment manager.

• Section 2: The president will coordinate the activities of the Executive Committee and report on its activities at club meetings.

• Section 3: The powers and duties of the Executive committee constitute: (a) allocating and spending funds, (b) preparing a budget in September or early in the fall quarter for the coming academic year, (c) deciding what emphasis should be placed on various club activities, (d) designating various club activities and when and where they will be held, (e) appointing individuals to be classified as instructors, (f) appointing individuals to serve as expert paddlers on the Safety Committee, (g) electing people to serve vacated officer terms, (h) determining reasonable compensation for lost or damaged club equipment, and (i) making changes to the club bylaw document Rules and Customs.

• Section 4: The Executive Committee will periodically review and revise the document Rules and Customs.  This document reviews in detail various club policies concerning dues, standing committees and committee chairpersons, pool session information, kayak swim test procedures, river trips, sea trips, sign-out of club equipment for river, lake, and sea use, and various restrictions on club equipment use.

  The Club Constitution and its bylaws in the form of the documents Rules and Customs and Safety Guidelines are the three documents which describe the Club's organization, procedures, and rules. These documents should be made accessible to all members.

Article VIII: Safety Committee

• Section 1: The Safety Committee will consist of seven members: the president, vice-president, treasurer, equipment manager, and three expert paddlers designated by the executive committee.

• Section 2: The president will appoint a Safety Committee chairperson from among its club members who will report on Safety Committee activities at club meetings.

• Section 3: The Safety Committee will (a) make decisions concerning the classification of the difficulty of river runs under various conditions, (b) make additions or deletions of names to the white water and sea trip coordinator lists, (c) determine penalties for members violating club rules and safety procedures, (d) suggest to the club Executive Committee safety education activities that should be undertaken, and (e) periodically edit and update the document Safety Guidelines.

Article IX: Faculty Advisor

• Section 1: An interested faculty member will be appointed by the Executive Committee as faculty advisor for an academic year. It is preferable that this person be an experienced paddler.

• Section 2: The faculty advisor will advise the club. The president will suggest to the faculty advisor where his or her help is most needed.

• Section 3: The faculty advisor will be consulted about any disputes with officials of the Waterfront Activities Center (WAC) or the Department of Intramural Activities (IMA), and will be expected to assist in resolving them.

Article X: Committees

• Section 1: The Executive Committee will appoint interested club members to chair committees such as the 'Beginner Trips Committee' and 'Environmental Affairs Committee'.  Other standing or ad hoc committees may be established by the Executive Committee as it deems necessary. Committee chairpersons may select willing members to assist them.

Article XI: Amendments

• Section 1: A meeting for voting on proposed amendments to the Club Constitution must be announced two weeks in advance through email distribution or posting on the club's web site.

• Section 2: The Club Constitution may be amended (or an entirely new version adopted) if more than two thirds of the voting members present vote in favor of the amendment.

• Section 3: A vote on an amendment to the Club Constitution requires a quorum of two thirds of the voting membership or forty voting members, whichever is smaller.

• Section 4: If a quorum is not present at the meeting, additional votes to reach a quorum may be tallied for one week after the meeting by a secure absentee ballot, email, or website voting procedure.

Notes

1. A new version of the Club Constitution was approved at the autumn quarter meeting, October 1985.

2. Article I designating the name of the club was ammended at the autumn quarter meeting, October 1986.

   From the Club's beginning in the early 1970's until October 1985, the club was known as the University of Washington Canoe Club (UWCC). This was changed to The Canoe Club in October 1985 at the request of the Student Activities Office due to liability concerns. In October 1986 the name was changed to University Kayak Club to better reflect the Club's principle activity.

3. 'Executive Board' was changed to 'Executive Committee' in October 1987 to conform with customary usage. Provision for a Safety Committee Chairperson was also made at this meeting.

4. A new version of the Club Constitution was approved at the autumn quarter meeting, September 1999.