Constitution and By-Laws of the Club Swim Team

I. Statement of Purpose……………………………………........... 2
II. Membership Requirements……………………………………. 2
III. Officers and their Duties and Responsibilities………………… 2
i. Co-Presidents…………………………………… 2
ii. Advisor………………………………………….. 3
iii. Coach…………………………………………..... 3
IV. Procedure for Maintaining Continuity………………………… 4
i. Elections…………………………………………… 4
ii. Resignation………………………………………... 5
iii. Replacement of impeached or resigned officers… 5
iv. Impeachment of officers…………………………… 5
V. Finances………………………………………………………….. 5
VI. Constitution Amendments and Interpretations……………….. 5
i. Amendments to the Constitution………………… 5
ii. Precedents and Constitutional Vagueness……… 6
iii. Implied Powers…………………………………… 6
VII. Dissolution Clause…………………………...…………………. 6

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I. Statement of Purpose
This swim team was created in order to offer interested Yale students the
opportunity to meet to improve their swimming skills and to compete at an
intercollegiate, non-varsity, level. We are an inclusive group, welcoming male and female
swimmers of all levels. The Club Swim Team is committed to being a transparently run
organization.

II. Membership Requirements

o Members must be students of Yale University.
o Members are defined as persons who attend at least one practice a month.
o Competition is not mandatory but regular attendance and payment of dues
are required for eligibility to compete.
o Non-payment of dues will result in removal from the roster and inability to
compete in meets. It will also result in ineligibility to run for
administrative positions or to vote in any elections.

III. Officers and their Duties and Responsibilities

o Officers are held accountable to the members of the Club Swim Team and
are required to provide information on the status of the organization upon
request by any member of the organization.

i. Co-Presidents
o There will be two co-presidents who will share, as determined by
these two, all administrative duties involved in the efficient
running of this team. Their duties include, but are not limited to,
the following:
 To serve as liaisons between the club and the Club Sports
Office
 To ensure compliance with all regulations and guidelines
 To attend or assign someone to attend all club sports
meetings
 To ascertain that the club’s financial commitments are met
 To maintain a current budget balance
 To submit all forms, scores and reports on time
 To complete and submit accident reports
 To be responsible for rental vehicles and their legal and
safe use
 To keep the club advisor apprised of all club activities
 To conduct safe practice sessions during the coach’s
absence
 To check the club mailbox and email regularly
 To transact all financial matters with the Club Sports
Office, including reimbursements

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  To ensure that all drivers have taken Yale’s Driver
Awareness Course
 To ensure that all travel policies are adhered to
 To follow all guidelines set forth in the Club Sports
handbook
 To organize competitions
 To organize regular gatherings of team members outside of
practice to ensure development of a cohesive team
 To ensure that the team always has a coach and advisor

ii. Advisor
o There will be an advisor whose duties are as follows:
 To attend club meetings (not Club Sport Council meetings
unless student officers are unavailable)
 To assist the club in decisions, scheduling and budgets
 To attend and support home games and matches as personal
time allows
 To inform others at the University of the Club Sports
Program
 To work with the co-presidents
 To be aware of all club activities
 To be aware of the club’s traveling schedule and away
contacts
 To attend practices at least occasionally
 To serve as a source of information
 To accompany the team if traveling abroad
 To enforce all Club Sport and University policies
 To act in a mature and responsible manner
 To check all club travel plans and enforce all school
policies

iii. Coach
o There will also be a coach, who may or may not also serve as the
advisor. The duties of the coach are as follows:
 To offer instruction and training in fulfillment of the club’s
Statement of Purpose, in order to help members improve in
their swimming and to help prepare the club as a whole for
competitions.
 To attend and support home games and matches as personal
time allows
 To work with the co-presidents
 To be aware of all club activities

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  To be aware of the club’s traveling schedule and away
contacts
 To attend practices at least occasionally
 To accompany the team if traveling abroad, if personal time
allows
 To enforce all Club Sport and University policies
 To act in a mature and responsible manner

IV. Procedure for Maintaining Continuity

i. Elections
o Co-presidency positions will be assigned by democratic
election at the end of every academic year and newly
elected officers will assume their roles at the beginning of
the successive academic year. Only regular dues-paying
members are eligible to vote.
o Candidates must be regular attendees for at least one
semester immediately prior to the elections to run for these
positions and must not be in debt to the club team at the
time of running. Exceptions, for instance in the case of
study abroad, shall be considered under the discretion of
the co-presidents.
o Candidates are not nominated. They must choose to run
and must submit candidacy statements to co-presidents.
The deadline for submission of statements will be set by the
co-presidents.
o Officers must be currently enrolled undergraduates of Yale
University.
o All voting for Club Swim Team official positions shall be
conducted by a closed ballot simple plurality system. For
each position, members must submit exactly two names on
the same ballot sheet to prevent one person voting for the
same candidate twice.
o Elected officers must have a minimum of 33% of the votes
to hold office.
o In the event that there is a tie in the voting, there shall be a
run-off between the tied candidates. If there is still a tie, the
tie-breaking vote shall be cast by the presiding members.
o The co-presidents shall serve a term of one school year (fall
semester followed by spring semester). The co-presidents
shall be eligible to run for reelection at the end of their
term.

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 o The process shall include speeches, and voting for each
office. Speaking time shall be determined by the co-
presidents, who will preside over the entire process.
o In the event that both co-presidents run for reelection, the
election process will be presided over by the advisor or
coach.

ii. Resignation
o All Club Swim Team officers wishing to resign shall
present a formal letter of resignation to the other officers
stating their reason(s) for resigning. The letter shall be read
publicly at the next practice and a general email will be
sent out to the members.

iii. Replacement of impeached or resigned officers

o Upon vacancy of any officer positions, emergency elections
will be held within two weeks to fill the position.

iv. Impeachment of officers

o A Club Swim Team officer may be removed from office by
a democratic two-thirds majority vote of eligible members
at a meeting convened for this purpose.

V. Finances
o The Club Swim Team is a non-profit organization and cannot, under any
circumstances, function to make a profit.
o A record of all income and expenses and supporting documentation is to
be maintained at all times by the current co-presidents. This information is
to be passed onto newly elected officers before the end of the term of the
former co-presidents.
o Dues are to be determined by the co-presidents and must be paid by the
second swim practice of the month. Refunds for persons not wishing to
join will be available until the 4th swim practice of the month.
o Non-payment of dues will result in removal from the roster and inability to
compete in meets. It will also result in ineligibility to run for
administrative positions or to vote in any elections.
o Financial information should be accessible to any member of the Club
Swim Team on request.
o Only the co-presidents shall have access to Club Swim Team bank
accounts and have the right to sign checks in the name of the Club Swim
Team.
o The co-presidents shall make all decisions regarding disbursement of
funds so as to best achieve the organization's purpose.

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VI. Constitution Amendments and Interpretations
i. Amendments to the Constitution
o Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws may be
made only by democratic vote. A general meeting must be
called by the co-presidents and a minimum of a two-thirds
majority of regular dues-paying members present at the
meeting is required for amendments to be made.
Amendments shall serve as permanent changes to the
constitution.

ii. Precedents and Constitutional Vagueness

o The co-presidents shall serve as the primary interpreter of
the constitution.
iii. Implied Powers
o The co-presidents shall be empowered to perform all acts
deemed necessary and proper in order to fulfill the goals of
the Club Swim Team.

VII. Dissolution Clause

o In the event that the Club Swim Team should dissolve, any remaining
assets shall be distributed to Yale College.