Constitution of the Case Western Reserve Aikido Club
Recognized as a sports club of Case Western University
Content last revised 2005-04-08
ARTICLE I - Name
Case Western Reserve University Aikido Club (alternately: Case Aikido Club)
ARTICLE II - Purpose
As Aikido is a martial art that takes a lifetime to truly learn, the Case Aikido Club was formed in order to give students who wish to study Aikido a chance to begin their training and to promote the advancement of those who have previous experience.
ARTICLE III - Membership
Section I.
Active membership will be open to anyone who is an officially registered full-time student, faculty member, or staff member of Case who wishes to learn the art. All members will be treated equally and fairly as students of Aikido; the Case Aikido Club does not discriminate on the counts of race, sex, creed, sexual orientation, or religious beliefs.
Section II.
Active membership requires payment of dues on a semesterly basis, completion of any and all paperwork required by the Case Aikido Club or the Case Athletics Department, and attendance of at least one class per month. Failure to meet any of these requirements will result in a member losing active status, losing voting privileges, and being removed from the club's tally when calculating the number of active members for purposes of voting. Payment and paperwork requirements are waived at the beginning of each semester until their respective due-dates.
Section III.
Active members shall be entitled to attend basic and weapons classes, and general meetings. At the discretion of the head instructor, active members may also be entitled to attend advanced classes.
ARTICLE IV - Practices and Meetings
Section I.
During each semester, a regular practice schedule shall be established taking into account the availability of instructors, practice space, and club members. The schedule should include two basics classes, one weapons class, and one advanced class per week. The schedule must be approved by a majority of active club members.
Section II.
A general informational meeting should be held during the first two weeks of each semester. During this meeting, copies of the constitution will be distributed and the Aikido School of Ueshiba Training Handbook will be made available for purchase to all members. All members of the club are expected to own a current copy of the ASU Training Handbook. Club policies and rules of etiquette should be thoroughly explained during this meeting. Additional meetings during the semester may be scheduled by a majority of the members of the Executive Board.
Section III.
Private meetings of the Executive Board may be scheduled by a majority of the members of the Executive Board. Only Executive Board members may attend these meetings by default, but a majority of the members of the Executive Board may choose to invite selected other people to the meetings, such as the club advisor, intructors, university officials, or selected other members of the club.
ARTICLE V - Club Government
Section I.
The Case Aikido Club shall be governed by an Executive Board consisting of five elected officers. The elected officers shall consist of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Safety Officer. The duties of the officers are as follows:
- President:
- Duties are to handle all organizational aspects of the club, ensuring the presence of an instructor, and handling public relations. The President shall also preside over all meetings of the Case Aikido Club. The President shall not preside over class sessions, as this is the duty of the Instructor(s).
- Vice President:
- Shall be in charge of ensuring the club has space to practice and to care for and maintain all equipment.
- Treasurer:
- Shall handle all monetary exchanges including but not limited to dues, fundraising, and fund disbursement as defined by the sports club manual of Case.
- Secretary:
- Duties include maintaining a record of the attendance of each practice session, and to record meeting minutes during club meetings
Section II.
Only full-time undergraduate students of Case are eligible to hold elected officer positions. No person shall be able to hold more than one elected officer position simultaneously.
Section III.
Should a vacancy occur within the executive board an election meeting will be held within two weeks of the vacancy to fill the position. The newly elected officer shall fulfill the remainder of the term of the previous officer.
ARTICLE VI - Appointed Positions
Section I.
At his or her discretion, the President shall appoint a member or members of the Club to serve in Appointed Positions. The President may reappoint a different club member to any Appointed Position at any time. The President must inform members of the Club of changes in Appointed Positions within 24 hours. Serving as an Elected Officer of the Club does not preclude a member from also holding an Appointed Position. A member of the Club may also hold more the one Appointed Position simultaneously.
Section II.
Appointed positions include:
- Webmaster
- The Webmaster shall manage the club's website and update it as necessary.
- Listmaster
- The Listmaster shall manage the club's mailing list and update it as necessary.
- Safety Officer
- The Safety Officer shall be responsible for knowing all safety procedures and, in the event of an injury, fulfill all procedural requirements as defined by the sports club manual of CWRU.
- Publicity Chair
- The Publicity Chair shall be responsible for promoting the Club and its activities. The Publicity Chair shall be responsible for designing posters and other promotional materials. The Publicity Chair shall be responsible for posting flyers around campus and in other location as appropriate. The Publicity Chair shall work within a budget to be approved by both the President and Treasurer.
ARTICLE VII - Elections
Section I.
An officer election meeting must be scheduled within two weeks of the beginning of practice in the Spring semester.
Section II.
Candidates for officer positions may be nominated by any active member at any time during the two weeks prior to any election.
Section III.
At least 50% of the active members of the club must be present in order for an election meeting to take place. During the election meeting, nominees will have a chance to present their qualifications to the assembled club members. Each election will be conducted using a method of the President's choice, such as blind show of hands. The order of the elections shall be: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Safety Officer.
Section IV.
The President shall abstain from voting initially. If a tie must be broken, the President may then use his or her vote to break the tie.
Section V.
Elected officers shall assume their new roles fully at the end of the meeting in which they are elected. The new officers are encouraged to use former officers in an advisory role, but the old officers shall not serve in any official capacity once they have been replaced.
ARTICLE VIII - Funds
Allocation of club funds will be at the discretion of the club officers and shall be in accordance with the policies of the Case Sports Club Manual.
ARTICLE IX - Committees/Divisions
Committees shall be formed as needed to take care of individual responsibilities and shall terminate upon completion of said responsibility. Examples include, but are not limited to, conferences, discipline, and emergencies as they arise.
ARTICLE X - Affiliation
Section I.
The Case Aikido Club shall follow the testing procedures outlined by the Aikido Schools of Ueshiba.
ARTICLE XI - Advisor
An Advisor shall be selected by the members of the executive board and shall function as an advisor to the club in such manners as described by the sports club manual.
ARTICLE XII - Instructor
Instructors shall be formally trained in Aikido in the style of the Aikido Schools of Ueshiba and shall be selected by the executive board.
ARTICLE XIII - Ratification
Copies of the constitution shall be distributed to active members and the constitution shall be approved during the following meeting by blind show of hands by a majority of members.
ARTICLE XIV - Amendment
Section I.
Any active member of the Case Aikido Club may propose amendments to the constitution by submitting them in writing to a member of the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall make the text of the amendment available to all members of the club.
Section II.
A meeting should be scheduled within two weeks of submission of the amendment during which active members of the club will vote to accept or reject the amendment. At least five days must pass after the text of the amendment is made available before this meeting takes place.
Section III.
Amendments to the constitution require a 2/3 vote of the active members of the Case Aikido Club in order to pass.
