The South Texas Division, USFA

SOUTH TEXAS DIVISION, USFA BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I: Name and Affiliation

The name of the Division shall be the South Texas Division, United States Fencing Association.

The South Texas Division shall hereinafter be referred to as “THE DIVISION” and the United States Fencing Association shall be referred to as “the USFA”.

THE DIVISION is a duly chartered, subordinate, constituent body of the USFA, exercising powers given by, performing duties under and subject to the Charter and By-Laws of the USFA.

ARTICLE II: Objectives

The purposes and objectives of THE DIVISION are:

1. To promote, encourage, and develop the sport of fencing.

2. To provide local competitions and tournaments.

3. To assist member fencers in reaching their full potential as competitors or referees.

4. To aid and assist the USFA in all its objectives and purposes.

Article III: Membership - Dues - Competitions

Section 1. Any person residing within the boundaries of THE DIVISION or representing a fencing club within this same area shall be eligible for membership in

THE DIVISION.

Section 2. Membership classification shall be the same as established by the USFA.

Section 3. Any member in good standing and of voting age as determined by the USFA shall be qualified to vote.

Section 4. DIVISION membership fees shall be determined by the USFA.

Section 5. THE DIVISION may add a Head-Tax in addition to any registration and entry fees for a Division hosted tournament to defray Divisional expenses.

Section 6. The Divisional Executive Committee shall prepare the seasonal fencing schedule and shall determine the conditions and restrictions governing the qualifications, entries, and conduct of all competitions under its jurisdiction.

ARTICLE IV: Officers and Duties

The officers of THE DIVISION shall consist of a Chair, a Vice-Chair, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. All officers shall take office the first day of August next following their election, and shall hold office until the following July 31.

The duties of the officers shall be as follows:

Section 1. Chair (DivChair): shall preside at all meetings of THE DIVISION and its Executive Committee, and perform other duties as usually pertain to that office and are not inconsistent with these By-Laws. The Chairperson has the responsibility for filing with the Secretary and Treasurer of the USFA the annual report called for under the -Corporate By-Laws of the USFA and the standing votes of the Board of Directors. The preparation of these reports may be delegated to the Secretary and Treasurer of THE DIVISION. The Chairperson may assign officers and members of THE DIVISION to chair standing or ad-hoc committees. The Chairperson shall be ex-officio member of all committees.

Section 2. Vice-Chair (of Tournament Programs): shall perform the duties of the Chairperson in their absence, and any other duties as assigned by the Chairperson and/or the Executive Committee. The Vice-Chairs shall also be the delegated representatives of the Junior, Youth, and Cadet fencers, and their parents, in the Executive Committee.

Section 3. Secretary (DivSec): shall conduct all official correspondence, keep a record of the meetings of THE DIVISION, issue notices to members of all meetings, and perform such duties as may be assigned by the Chairperson of THE DIVISION or any other proper authority. The Secretary shall also be official custodian of THE DIVISION records.

Section 4. Treasurer (DivTreas): shall, with the assistance of the Executive Committee, present a budget for the following fiscal year (August 1 - July 31) at the Annual Meeting. The Treasurer Shall keep the accounts of THE DIVISION, receive all monies, fees, dues, pay all bills approved by the Executive Committee, and preserve all vouchers for such disbursements. The Treasurer shall, at the Annual Meeting of THE DIVISION, submit a report of the financial transactions of the preceding period. All disbursements shall be made by check from the Divisional checking account. Receipts stating the nature of the transaction and the payee must support such disbursements. All funds of THE DIVISION shall be maintained in an FDIC insured account under the name of The South Texas Division, USFA, checking and/or savings. No amounts above $50 will be dispersed without Executive Committee approval, and no amounts over $1000, not part of the budget presented at the annual meeting, will be dispersed without the approval of THE DIVISION’S membership by a majority vote. Said vote may be taken by either electronic mail or at a membership meeting. The Treasurer will provide upon written request of at least five (5) members of THE DIVISION current financial records within one (1) month of the request. The Treasurer shall perform other duties as may be assigned by the Chair or other proper authorities.

Section 5. Any officer of THE DIVISION may be removed from office by the following procedure:

1. A petition by twenty-five (25) voting members of THE DIVISION, and

2. An election in which the officer receives less than a majority.

3. The election may be held at either an Annual meeting or a special meeting of the Divisional membership.

ARTICLE V: Management by the Executive Committee

Section 1. Composition: The management of THE DIVISION shall be vested in an Executive Committee consisting of the officers of THE DIVISION.

Section 2. Quorum: A quorum shall consist of three-quarters (3/4) of the members of the Executive Committee or two (2) members, whichever is greater.

Section 3. Meetings: shall be held on a regular basis at such time and place as shall be designated by the Chair, and shall also be called upon the request of two or more members of the Executive Committee. All members shall be given not less than forty-eight (48) hours prior notice of all special meetings. All meetings except those in which disciplinary action is to be taken or contemplated against any Executive Committee member or Divisional member shall be open to the Divisional membership.

Section 4. The Executive Committee using the following procedures may remove any member of said same Executive Committee who fails to perform his or her duties:

a. Written notification of the causes for removal must be provided to the entire Executive Committee, including the member to be removed.

b. At any meeting in which the removal of any member of the Executive Committee is contemplated, three quarters of the members of the Executive Committee must be present.

c. The member so charged has the right to appear at the meeting and present any arguments against removal.

d. The member who is contemplated for removal has no vote at this meeting.

e. The majority of the Exec Board members present must vote for removal before the person in question is removed.

Section 5. The Executive Committee may replace a member who has resigned or who has been removed by the following procedure:

a. At any Special Meeting where a new member is to be voted upon, three-quarters (3/4) of the members of the Executive Committee must be present.

b. Three-quarters (3/4) of the General Membership at this meeting must cast votes of approval before the new member of the Executive Committee is so approved.

Section 1. Annual Meeting: Shall be held in May of each year. The Chairperson shall designate the date, time, and place for the meeting.

Section 2. Special Meetings: may be called at any time and place by the Chair, and shall be called by the Chair upon request of not less than five (5) members of THE DIVISION. Members must be given one weeks advance notice of such special meeting.

Section 3. Quorum: shall consist of those members of THE DIVISION present in person, and a majority of those present shall control.

Section 1. Candidates for all offices established under these By-Laws shall be nominated from the floor at the Annual Meeting of THE DIVISION.

Section 2. If not more than one (1) nomination is made for any office, the Secretary of THE DIVISION shall cast a unanimous ballot at the Annual Meeting for the candidate nominated. If two (2) nominations are made for any office, voting for the candidates shall either be in person or proxy and the candidate shall declare receiving the majority of the votes elected. Written ballots shall be used. In the event that three (3) or more candidates are nominated for any office, and no candidate receives a majority vote, a run-off election shall be conducted between the two candidates receiving the most ballots on the first round and the winner shall be declared elected.

Section 3. Members in good standing may give their proxy for election of officers only to any other member in good standing of THE DIVISION. All proxies shall be in writing and verified by the Divisional Secretary. The person designated in the proxy must be in attendance at the Annual Meeting in order to exercise it.

All By-Laws, rules, regulations and matters of policy concerning the conduct of competitions as set forth in the Fencing Rules and Operations Manual of the USFA are hereby incorporated as part as these By-Laws without action by the Executive Committee or members of THE DIVISION.

These South Texas Divisional By-Laws may be amended at any Annual Meeting of the membership. An amendment receiving a majority of all votes cast by the members voting in person shall be deemed as adopted, subject to approval of the USFA.