Constitution and By Laws

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United Angora Rabbit Club

Constitution & By-Laws

1: NAME

the name of this Club shall be known as the United Angora Rabbit Club.

2: MISSION

A club for all angora rabbit fanciers, whether their interests are showing, breeding or fiber related. A club that is run by its members, for its members for the promotion of the angoras through shared information, shows, meetings and instruction in a creative and positive atmosphere.

3: AFFILIATION:

This club shall be affiliated with and support the American Rabbit Breeders Association,Inc.

4: MEMBERSHIP:

A: Any person may apply to become a member of this club upon payment of membership dues as outlined in the By-Laws , by agreeing to comply with all rules, regulations and mandates of this Club.

B: A Membership application will be voted on by the Board of Directors of this club and the person will be notified of the ruling. A simple majority vote( half plus one) will decide if a person's membership will be approved or disapproved.

C: The Board of Directors reserves the right to accept or reject for any cause any application for membership or membership renewal. Membership dues paid with application that is refused/ rejected will be refunded to the applicant. Membership in UARC is a privilege, not a right.

D: Memberships:

Single Adult – adult members age 19 and over.

Single youth – youth members through the age of 18 years.

Family membership – Consists of two adults ( parents ) and all related children under the age of 19 who live at the same address. Family members names and ages must be listed at time of membership application.

E: Privileges:

Each adult member will be allowed one vote in all matters pertaining to the Club (elections, amendments)

Youth members shall not have the right to vote in club matters.

Each adult member has the right to run for an office in this club.

Youth members shall not have the right to run for a office.

Membership shall begin on the date of approval from the BOD. The Secretary of this club will be authorized to issue a membership card OR to inform the applicant of rejection with a written form letter to be mailed or e-mailed to the applicant. Each person interested in joining the Club shall receive a membership application along with a copy of the Constitution & By-laws. With the application the person agrees that they have read and understood the rules as outlined in the C & BL.

The term of membership shall expire the last day of the month of application. A renewal notice shall be issued by the Club's Secretary to the address on file. Renewal dues should be paid before the termination of membership. New Member dues are to be paid by all members that let their membership expire past the last day of the month of their term.

5: Officers:

A: The Officers of this Club shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary,. Treasurer ( can be combined into one office) and at least 3 Directors . All members of the BOD have to be paid members of the ARBA
All of these Officers are elected by the membership via a paper ballot to be issued in the Club newsletter, or to be mailed individually. .
The President, or in the absence of the President the Vice President, with the approval vote of the BOD, may appoint a person pro tempore. The appointment shall expire at the normal term end, at which time elections shall take place.

B: Membership dues for all members running for an office shall be paid 10 days in advance of their resume's being published in the Newsletter and / or on the Club's website. Dues are to be paid for the the full term of office being sought. Members running for an office have to be paid up members of ARBA as well.

C: All elected Officers have to be adult members of this Club.

D:The term of office for all officers shall be 2 years. The President, Treasurer and 2 Directors shall be elected in even years. The Vice President, Secretary and 1 Director shall be elected in odd years. There shall be no term limitation on all offices.

E: all newly elected officers shall assume office on August 1 and run through their term of office on July 31 of their respective year. Vacancies in any office shall be filled by appointment from the President , subject to a simple majority vote from the BOD. All outgoing Officers shall offer help and facilitate a smooth transition of office or risk being disciplined by the BOD for their actions.

F: There shall be no “ write-in “ candidates during elections. All members willing to run for an office on the BOD shall furnish a written resume to the Secretary prior to the deadline which will be noted on the club's website and in the Newsletter. Resume's received after the deadline ( post mark ) shall not be considered.
Resume's will be included in the Ballot, which will be mailed to each adult member.
Deadlines for all election procedures shall be noted on the website, in the newsletter as well as in the ballot.

6: DISCIPLINE:

A: Any member wishing to file a complaint of misconduct against another member of the UARC shall cite the ARBA or UARC C & BL and / or official ARBA show rules in their charge and submit those charges in writing, along with proof of misconduct and documentation , to the Secretary of UARC. In case of charges filed against the Secretary, charges can be filed with the President. A processing fee of $ 20.00 is applicable. The Secretary or President shall bring the charges to the prompt attention of the BOD. The BOD will review and discuss the charges in private, and will vote on the issues at hand. In case of the charges being dismissed as invalid, the processing fee will be kept by the Club. In case the charges are voted on and filed, the processing fee will be refunded.

B: Valid charges include, but are not limited to :
Any and all charges of misconduct at a ARBA sanctioned Rabbit show as outlined in the ARBA show rules section. Charges of gross misconduct within this Club, misconduct directed at the Club itself or against a fellow member of this club. Misconduct can include but is not limited to negative argumentative behavior, slander, stonewalling, disturbing peace inside the club, proven sabotage of club business. Unacceptable behavior during UARC sanctioned specialty shows, known and proven mistreatment of animals in ownership of a member, having been convicted of animal abuse/ neglect by a local court, total lack of interest in club business and failure to participate in club related business in case of the BOD members.

C: any member against whom charges have been filed shall be furnished with a complete statement of the charges by the Secretary or President and shall be allowed 20 days to file a reply with the Secretary / President. This can be done via e-mail or paper mail, at the discretion of the BOD.

D: The charges, together with a reply, if any has been received, shall be furnished to each member of the BOD for their consideration. This can be done via paper mail or e-mail. The BOD may, by a simple majority vote, reprimand, suspend or expel the member. Less then a simple majority vote( less then half plus 1) shall constitute acquittal of the charges. Notification of the vote shall be furnished by the Secretary in form of a letter mailed by the U.S. Post office.

E: Any member suspended from membership shall not be eligible for reinstatement within one year of the date of suspension and the membership must be approved by the BOD. An expelled member will have the right to apply for membership removed for life time. A list of suspended and expelled members shall be kept by the Secretary who shall furnish it to each Officer of the BOD once a year.

F: If an Officer or Director does not fulfill his / her duties or shows a lack of interest in club matters, he / she shall be asked to resign by the President or in the case of the President, by the Vice President. Lack of interest includes, but is not limited to : lack of voting on important issues or stone walling club business. If the Officer or Director fails to resign, disciplinary actions as outlined in section B,C,D, will go into action. No processing fee will apply. The BOD can declare an office vacant with a simple majority vote, disciplinary actions against the member can be taken if deemed necessary and the President will appoint a new Officer / Director to fill the vacancy.

7: MEETINGS:

The UARC can host membership meetings at any given time and place. Such meetings shall take place at large rabbit shows, ARBA Convention, wherever a majority of the BOD will be in one place. Such meetings / club gatherings shall be advertised on the Club website / newsletter.
No voting shall take place unless a majority of the BOD is present to officiate a vote valid for the BOD. No annual BOD meetings are mandated. Club meetings / gatherings are for social purposes only to unify the membership and to allow for idea sharing.

8:VOTING:

The Board of Directors shall vote on all issues related to running the Club in a efficiant manner. Voting within the BOD shall be done via e-mail, copies of all votes to be kept on paper by the Secretary and published on the Website.
The general membership shall vote on election related issues, as well as on amendments of this Constitution & By-Laws( simple majority rule applies to elections and amendments).
General membership voting shall be done with a mailed ballot. A ballot will be issued by the Elections committee chair and will be counted by the same person.
Ballot mailings will be assigned a random number for each adult member, and such numbers will be kept on one special membership list. Ballots are to be mailed to each member, with voting issues outlined and a deadline for votes given. Members are to mail ballots to the elections Chair person in a timely manner. The President will appoint a Elections Chair person to oversee the elections process. The Elections Chair person shall, after completion of the elections, mail all ballots and tally to the Secretary for safe keeping for at least 5 years.
The first general elections for odd year terms as outlined in article 5, chapter D shall comence in the year 2009.
The first general elections for even year terms shall commence in the year 2010, and as outlined in article 5 every year after.
The general membership shall vote on C & BL ammendments starting in the year of 2007.

9: Dissolution:

In the event of a dissolution of this Club, all monies and ARBA related assets assets held by the club at that time shall be donated to the ARBA research and development fund. Equipment brought into / donated to this club by a member shall be returned to that member at that time if possible.

10: Amendments:

Any proposed amendment to this document must be submitted in writing to the BOD ( Secretary or President) for review and discussion among the BOD. A change can be approved by a simple majority vote from the BOD, at which time the change is submitted to the general membership for vote. The proposal will be submitted via paper ballot. Shall the change be elected, the Secretary shall change the Constitution & By-laws document and furnish a new copy to ARBA in January each year as well as post the new wording to the Club's Website. A new copy of the C & BL shall be published in the club's newsletter or it's equivalent.

By-Laws of the UARC

1: DUES:

Adult new: $12.00 renew: $ 8.00

Youth new: $ 6.00 renew: $ 5.00

Family new: $ 30.00 renew: $ 20.00

All dues must be paid in U.S. Funds. Membership applications can be found on the UARC website, and can be requested from the Secretary. Only complete membership applications mailed with funds will be considered.

2: Officers:

President :

Preside over meetings, initiate meetings. Appoint/ fill vacant offices and appoint committees as needed.
The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees and the BOD.

Vice – President:

Perform all duties in absence of the President. Automatically succeed to the office of President in the event of vacancy. Appoint a new Vice – President with a simple majority vote from the BOD. The Vice President shall be a ex- officio member of the BOD.

Secretary:

Receive and act on all membership application. Mail renewal reminders to all members.Maintain a complete set of books and records for the club, including but not limited to : voting results, ballots, disciplinary actions, membership list. Actively work with the website committee to furnish updates, information and articles submitted. Maintain club records in a secure manner and keep records on file for a minimum of 5 years, including show reports.Handle all club correspondence and advise President or BOD of any unusual matters.
Mail all incoming funds to the Treasurer on a monthly basis. Issue membership cards with expiration date to the new member as soon as the membership was voted on.The Secretary shall be an ex-officio member of the BOD.

Treasurer:

Maintain a bank account in the name of the Club and from it pay expenses which have been pre authorized by either the C & BL or by a special vote by the membership or BOD.
Maintain a complete set of financial records and books, and keep them on file for review for at least 5 years.
Will report quarterly in the newsletter and on the Website, make a financial statement to the BOD and the general membership. The Treasurer shall be an ex-officio member of the BOD. The President can appoint a person to audit the books at any given time and place. Audits should be done at least once every 2 years.

Directors:

The Board of Directors ( BOD ) is to include at least 3 Directors as well as the President, Vice- President, Secretary and Treasurer. The general supervision and conduct of affairs shall be vested in the Board of Directors which shall have legislative powers. The BOD as a body shall be solely responsible for making or changing policy within the club. No individual officer or Director may make a policy change, it must be brought before the board and approved by a simple majority vote.

3: FUNDS :

The Secretary shall be reimbursed monthly for all routine, expected expenses related to fulfillment of her duties. Non routine expenses have to be approved by the BOD PRIOR to making the purchase. All purchased items that are club related become the property of the Club and shall be passed on to the next Secretary upon fulfillment of term via Post office mailing. All expenses have to be proven with receipts. Such have to be mailed to the treasurer to keep on file.
The Secretary shall forward all Club income to the Treasurer on a monthly basis by mail.
The Treasurer shall reimburse all Officers and Directors for club related , normal expenses that are within the realm of business, however, shall not issue payment for any expenses that do not have a receipt, or for large payments that have not been approved by the BOD prior to purchase. Phone bills, Internet charges and costs , cell phone charges etc can not be reimbursed by the Treasurer. Each BOD member is expected to be frugal with Club owned funds.

4:Special Committees :

The president shall appoint members in good standing to head special committees within the club to help with certain functions. An appointment shall be voted on by the BOD with a simple majority vote.
Committees can be appointed to handle: elections (elections Chairperson) , angora specialty shows (show committee), promotional merchandise owned by the club (supply committee). Internet committee ( Website, blogs and lists), Newsletter committee (Editor) , membership committee, Fiber committee (fiber shows, contests, fiber related information)
Such committee chairs shall answer directly to the President and report to the BOD, but shall have no BOD votes. However, BOD members can hold a committee chair.