CONSTITUTION OF THE USU FENCING CLUB

Article 1 - Name, Purpose, and General Statements

Section 1:
The official name of this organization shall be the USU Fencing Club.

Section 2:
The club shall operate as a nonprofit organization.

Section 3:
The club shall abide by the applicable policies and procedures of ASUSU and the Utah State University Student Code.

Section 4:
The USU Fencing Club shall exist to provide:

Introduction and training in the modern Olympic styles of Fencing, namely Foil, Epee, and Sabre.
Opportunities for its experienced members to prepare for and compete in local, divisional, regional, and national competitions.
Financial travel assistance, from club funds, to those members who participate in sectional or national level events. These monies shall be approved by a 2/3 majority of all members on a per instance basis.

Article 2 - Membership

Section 1:
All persons of the community, without regard for race, creed, color, sex, national origin, or disability are eligible for USU Fencing Club membership.

USU has no qualified wheelchair fencing instructors, nor does the Utah/Southern Idaho division compete in this event.
Due to the cost of providing small equipment, USU will not teach minors who cannot acquire their own gear.

Section 2:
A two-to-one ratio of students to non-students shall be maintained at all times.

The USU Fencing Club shall adopt the United States Fencing Association system to differentiate novice, unrated, and rated fencers.
All fencers, regardless of rank, have one vote in any Salle decision.

Section 3:
The following actions must be taken once to become a USU Fencing Club member:

The person must enroll in a USU Fencing Club introduction to fencing class, or demonstrate a level of competency in fencing equivalent to the completion of same course.
The person must fill out and sign a personal injury waiver, releasing the USU Fencing Club, its members/instructors, and Utah State University from liability for any injuries incurred while participating in any fencing-related activity.

The following actions must be taken every semester to maintain membership status:

Semester fees must be paid.

Section 4:
A member is in good standing with the club, and may use club equipment as long as:

His/her fees are paid in a timely fashion.
S/he remains respectful of the United States Fencing Association (USFA) rules of safety and conduct.
The member must be able to show that they have represented the club in at least one competition at their level of capability per semester of club involvement.

A member shall be removed from the club rolls and forfeit all benefits pertaining to membership for a time decided upon by the club officers for any of the following offenses:

Deliberate theft or wonton damage of club equipment.
Deliberate violation of the USFA code of conduct.
Receiving a Black Card at any USFA sanctioned tournament.

Article III - Officers

Section 1:
Officers of the USU Fencing Club shall consist of a President, a Sergeant-at-Arms, Treasurer, and Instructor.

USU policy requires that only matriculated students of USU may be officers. If the Instructor is not a student, not s/he nor any other instructor will be considered an officer.

Section 2:
Duties and responsibilities of officers:

President:Preside over all meetings, both general and executive. The President shall represent the club at the annual Utah/Southern Idaho divisional meetings, and any other events - including (possibly via delegation) the CSCO meetings. The President has failed in his responsibilities if no representation is present at a divisional meeting.

Sergeant-at-Arms:Maintains equipment in good working order.

Keeps a semesterly inventory of all Salle-owned equipment.
Makes all final decisions regarding priority of expendatures for maintenance and repair.
Responsible for (may delegate) washing uniforms on a regular basis.

The Sergeant-at-Arms has failed in his responsibilities if equipment is unaccounted for, or considered to be in continual disrepair.

Treasurer:Handles all financial transactions for the club. Brings with him/her to all practices and meetings an itemized accounting of past expenditures and current account balance. The Treasurer has failed in his responsibilities if monies are unaccounted for, or financial transactions are not made in a timely fashion.

Instructor:Teaches, or arranges for a teacher, of drills, practices, and introduction classes. Schedules time at practice sessions. The Instructor has failed in his responsibilities if his absence or lack of pre-planning prevents smooth operation of the beginners' classes.

Section 3:
All officers, except for the Instructor, shall be elected by a majority vote of all members in good standing. The Instructor shall be appointed by the Executive Committee. This is to be done at the end of each Spring Semester. Elected officers take office at the beginning of the following Fall Semester. Officers shall be selected from available members according to the following requirements:

Officers shall be selected in the following order: President, Treasurer, Sergeant-at-Arms. These 3 select, under the advisement of the previous Instructor if s/he is available, an Instructor for the next year.
Officers must be selected from the available rated fencers.
If less than 2 rated fencers are available for an office, officers may be selected from the available rated and unrated fencers.
If less than 2 rated or unrated fencers are available, officer positions will be consolidated. Under no circumstances will a novice fencer be allowed to hold office.

Removal of an officer shall only be considered if:

That officer is absent 3 out of any 4 consecutive meetings or practices, or fails to meet the requirements of their job description. In this case, an officer may be removed from office by a 2/3 majority vote of active members. Only those members not enrolled in the beginners' class may vote regarding the removal of the Instructor.

Article IV - Committees

Section 1:
The Executive Committee shall consist of all four club officers.

The Executive Committee shall make all financial decisions.
The Executive Committee has the final word when considering removal of members.
The Executive Committee makes all decisions regarding ratification of the Constitution.

Article 5 - Meetings

Section 1:
Executive meetings will be held during the usual practice time, preferably during open fencing time. Any officer may call an executive meeting. A meeting may be rescheduled for a non-fencing time if it is expected to be time consuming.

A practice session may be utilized to call a vote of all members when necessary. Any member can call for, and with a second, institute a discussion and vote on an issue.

Article 6 - Financial Matters

Section 1:
The Salle shall not provide monetary gain, incidentally or otherwise, to its directors or membership except as payment for services rendered in the form of wages, salaries, or incentives.

Section 2:
Should the USU Fencing Club be dissolved for any reason, all residual assets and remaining equipment shall be donated to the non-profit organization of Wasatch Fencing, Layton, UT c/o Ron Hendricks.

Section 3:
The Executive Committee makes all monetary decisions by a simple majority.

Last update: 5/18/00
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