The Ohio State University Running Club



The Running Club at The Ohio State University

CONSTITUTION

Last Revision Date: 10.2.141.216.17 By Zach DombiTom Krajnak

Approved: 1.26.17

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Article I

Section 1: Title: Running Club at The Ohio State University (hereinafter “Running Club”)

Section 2: Purpose: For those students who ran cross country or track in high school, or just enjoy the sport of running, the Running Club is an organization that will unite students on campus who enjoy the sport of running for the physical and social benefits. The Running Club meets during the week for group runs and will have the opportunity to register for races as a group.

Amendment II (In regards to Article I, Section 2)

The purpose of the Running Club at The Ohio State University is to gather students who enjoy running either recreationally or competitively. The Running Club will meet throughout the week for: group runs, participation in races, especially those sponsored by our national affiliates, and social events.

Section 3: Non-Discrimination Policy: This organization and its members shall not discriminate against any individual(s) for the reasons of race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, sex, age, or handicap.

Article II-Membership

The Running Club is open to all enrolled Ohio State students, faculty, alumni, and staff interested in joining. All abilities are welcome.

Amendment XIV: Membership Types (in regards to Article II)

2-Running Club will offer two distinct types of membership Social and Racing.

A social membership shall provide the basic benefits of running with a group as well as other opportunities to benefit socially within the club. This form of membership can last both the duration of a semester or a full academic year.

A racing membership shall consist of the benefits or a social benefit in addition to registration of ALL of Running Club’s competitive scheduled races. This form of membership can last both the duration of a semester or a full academic year.

Both forms of membership may be modified on a year to year basis and additional forms of membership can be added by the officers of Running Club. Pricing of membership shall be finalized by the Treasurer of the club with the approval of the President by the first meeting of Running Club in the current academic year.

3-Amendment XV: The Not for College Days Alone Clause (in regards to Article II)

Individuals who previously have held membership within Running Club may continue their participation within the membership type of a social member (either semester or full year) and receive the full benefits of social membership.

Amendment IX (In regards to Article II)

Members and officers are allowed to make complaints against members of the Running Club. Cases will be brought forth to any Officer, and a meeting between the Officers and parties concerned will be made. Members can be indefinitely suspended by a 3/4 majority vote by all active present officers.

Amendment XVI (In regards to Article II)

The default punishment for a complaint cannot be set forth by the complainee, and will be decided by a discussion and then a majority vote amongst all current officers (exincluding the accused).

This includes but is not limited to: impeachment, suspension from meets, written apologies, suspension from officer duties, removal from the club, and probation.

The terms of probation may also be set during this meeting by the President.

Article III- Organization Leadership

Amendment XXIII (In regards to Article III replacing previous amendments I,III,XI,XII,IX, and XXI)

The President will appoint all leaders Each office will be elected by dues paying members to help facilitate the group during runs and team functions. Those individuals are expected to assist the President in every aspect possible to make the Running Club function properly. Elected Ooffices that will always be in place:

• President,

• 2 Co-Vice Presidents (one of which must be the opposite gender of the President)of opposite gender,

• Treasurer,

• Secretary

The above five positions are considered the Executive Committee(Also referred to as the Executive Committee) Webmaster

• Webmaster,

• 3 elected Executive Social Committee Members to be appointed into the following positions by the VP of the Social Committee: Apparel Chair, Social Event Chair, and Service Chair.

o The purpose of not electing these positions directly is to ensure that the top leaders in the club are not excluded a leadership position due to crowding over one specific position. It should be expected that each of the three elected Social Committee members should be able to perform well in any of the three roles.

• Long Distance Captain, Middle Distance Captain, and two Sprint Captains (one male and one female)

• Two Race Logistics Managers

• and 3 Racing Committee members.

5-In addition to these elected positions, two opposite gender (Sprint OR Track) captains appointed by the President under the racing committee.

OR

Two Sprint captains (elected)

Sprint Captains: Both Sprint Captains will hold equal power in their roles. Responsibilities of Sprint Captains includes, but it is not limited to: recruitment of both social and racing track members, organizing fall workouts to prepare for the winter and spring season. Sprint captains will be appointed/elected by……

Amendment IX (In regards to Article III replacing previous amendments I,III,XI, and XII)

The following leadership positions will be instituted during the start of the 20152016-2016 2017 academic year:

President: The President main’s duties revolve around facilitating the daily runs, making announcements, and ensuring that the officers are coherent in their direction and vision for the club. They will facilitate the transition from the old administration to the new administration, and act as the secondary financial point of contact for the club after the treasurer. They will act as the face of the organization within OSU (registering for involvement fairs, registering for student org trainings, on campus events, etc) and during meets (coach’s meetings). They are responsible for generating an overall timeline, structure, and vision for the year ahead and executing it through actions and delegation. He or she will serve as the final decision maker for the club. He or she will also schedule officers meetings per the Constitution.

Co-Vice Presidents: 2 Vice presidents of opposite genderPresidents (1 of opposite gender of the President) are to aid the president in any aspect of organization. They are of opposite gender gender restricted in order to bring balance of gender and voice to the Running Club. The other function of the Co-Vice Presidents is to act as committee heads. One of the Co-Vice Presidents will head the Executive Social C committee while another will head the Racing committee. This is to be decided among the 2 Co-Vice Presidents once elected. If an impasse exists between the 2 Co-Vice Presidents over which committees to head the elected President is to assign which committee each Vice President shall lead under his/her discretion.

The VP of Racing will be responsible for creating an XC and track racing schedule as well as overseeing the travel and lodging arrangements made by the Race Logistics Managers. The VP of Racing will also oversee the training plans created by each Captain, so as to ensure the club is unified in training.

Treasurer: The Treasurer must maintain an updated list of all paid members. He/she will also collect the annual dues from members, and will be responsible for acquiring access to the bank account, following a change of leadership for the position. The Treasurer must provide mid- and end of semester updates to all officers on the financial status of the Running Club. He/she shall review internet statements, and complete any necessary programming or operating fund auditing practices by their due date. The treasurer is required to attend the treasurer training session through the Ohio Union.

Webmaster: The Webmaster will be required to update the Running Club Web site weekly, or at the discretion of the President or Vice President. Included on the site shall be race announcements, pictures, a listing of officers, and other items deemed necessary. The Webmaster may utilize Social media as a further means of communication. The President may require the Webmaster to attend the Basic Website site Development Program or Intermediate Web site Development Program. The Webmaster shall also be responsible for the social media accounts associated with Running Club and will share that responsibility with other officers as he/she sees fit.

Secretary: the secretary will serve as an administrative aid to the President and the rest of the Executive Committee. Their duties may include but are not limited to: taking meeting notes during Officer meetings, creating the weekly Newsletter, managing the club email account, handling room and space reservations for Running Club events, managing the Club Google Drive (or other document managing platform), assisting the Treasurer with the collection of membership forms/information, as well as assisting the President in whatever way the President deems necessary for the benefit of the Club.

Apparel Chair: The apparel chair will be in charge of ALL ordered apparel during the elected term. This includes spiritwear and jerseys. They will work directly with the President to organize and execute orders and delivery of all apparel and jerseys. They will also assist the social chair as needed.

Service Chair: The service chair will be in charge of planning and executing service events throughout the elected term. It is their discretion as to how many and which service events are undertaken. They will also assist the social chair as needed.

Social Events Chair: The social chair will be in charge of planning and executing all non-service social events through the year. They will work directly with the President to create an event schedule before each semester, and facilitate the event. They will also utilize the help of other officers, particularly the Apparel and Service Chairs.

Race Logistics Managers: The race logistics managers will be in charge of all team travel to and from events. This includes carpool sheets, lodging, and hotel room assignments for both track and cross country season. They will also register the team for meets via DirectAthletics or whatever platform is required by the meet director. In addition, they will work with the Vice President of Racing to ensure that all NIRCA membership requirements are met (roster, racer profiles, etc).

Executive Social Committee Members: are expected to handle the day-to-day activities of the Running Club. Headed by one of the Co-Vice Presidents, the Executive Social Committee shall deal with all things social and inter-club related such as but not limited to: Fundraising, Running Club Social Events, Community Service, and Advertising of the Running Club.

Long Distance Captain: The Captain of the Long Distance team will serve as the training organizer during the XC season and for the long distance squad during track season. They will write and facilitate a workout plan for each season including running, lifting, and cross training.

Middle Distance Captain: The Captain of the Middle Distance team will serve as the training organizer for the middle distance squads during the Track season. During the XC season he or she is expected to work with the Long Distance Captain in whatever matters are deemed necessary by the President.

Sprint Mens/Womens Captains: 2 Captains of the Sprint team of opposite genders will serve as the training organizers for the sprint squads during the fall and spring seasons. They will create a workout plan including lifting and cross-training in the fall as well as sprint training during the winter and spring seasons. They will also serve as the primary recruiters for the sprint and jump disciplines.

Racing Committee Members: are expected to handle the competitive race related activities of the Running Club. Headed by one of the Co-Vice Presidents the Racing Committee shall deal with all things related to races that the Running Club participates in such as but not limited to: Race registration, hotel arrangements, dining arrangements on race weekends, driving arrangements, creation of workouts.

Running Club at The Ohio State University Officer Hierarchy

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Amendment IIX XXII (replacing Amendment XIIX) (in regards to Article III)

Similar to the way in which members are indefinitely suspended, members and officers are allowed to make complaints against officers of the Running Club. Cases will be brought forth to any Officer, and a meeting between all officers willwith a quorum of officers will be made to decide the fate of the accused officer. The accused officer in this case does get a vote in theira chance to present their own case and with a ¾ majority vote by all active present officers (excluding the accused) can the accused officer be suspended indefinitely.

(affects Amendment XXIIX as well, see above)

In the event that an officer resigns from their position the remaining officers will elect a new officer to that position by a simple majority. All Running Club members may run for an open and resigned position and fill it for the rest of its tenure. All Officers will be voted on during the next voting cycle in normal fashion stated in Article X- Elections.

Article IV- Advisor(s)

The advisor of the Running Club is a full-time member of the University faculty. The role of the advisor is simply to watch over the club and help out in times of need. The advisor is not expected to run with the club, but is more than welcome to join group runs. Advisors are required to attend a training session every two years at the request of Student Activities and the Ohio Union.

Article VI- Meetings of the Organization

Amendment XVII (in regards to article VI) - The Running Club sets group runs or other group functions with the hope of making them available to the majority of students with regards to schedule. Each semester the times and locations of runs will be determined by the President, with help from the Vice Presidents. The running Club will attempt to meet 5 times a week during the weekdays at 5:30 pm on the West Ohio Union Patio. This time and location can be adjusted to due to normal circumstances such as daylight savings time and indoor track practices by the President. Pending bad weather conditions, officers will cancel runs at their best discretion and communicate this effectively to the rest of the Running Club.

Amendment XVIII (in regards to Amendment IIX in replacing Amendment X in regards to Article III- Meetings of the Officers of the Ohio State Running Club will be arranged by the President at his/her's discretion. A meeting must have a quorum of 75% elected officers in order for any business to be conducted.

Article VII-Method of Amending Constitution

The constitution will be amended by the President as changes and needs are presented to the club. Amendments can be proposed by any member of the Running Club.

Amendment XIII (replacing Amendment V) (In regards to Article VII)

Amendments to the Constitution must be approved by a 3/4 vote of all active officers to go into effect.

Article VIII-Method of Dissolution of Organization

If for some unforeseen reason the Running Club would disband, the assets and debts would be responsibility of the President.

Article IX- National Affiliation

As of Spring of 2006, The Running Club at The Ohio State University is a member of the National Intercollegiate Running Club Association. Annual dues must be paid by the Treasurer to this organization. Additional information can be found at for races and other participating member schools.

Amendment VII (In regards to Article IX)

As of Fall 2010, The Running Club at The Ohio State University will again maintain active membership to the National Intercollegiate Running Club Association (NIRCA).

Amendment VIII (In regards to Article IX)

As of Spring 2011, The Running Club at Ohio State University will begin active membership to the National Club Track and Field Association.

Article X- Elections

Amendment XVIV (in regards to Article X)

Elections of The Running Club will be held within the confines of the members of the Running Club. Voting members include all non-graduating Officers, Competitive racing members, and social members. All members can run for Officer Positions which include the positions listed in Article III: Amendment IX

Elections will be held each spring semester in regards to the next academic year’s officers (e.g. the elections of spring 2015 will decide the officers of the 2015-2016 academic years).

Elections will be facilitated by current GRADUATING elected officers. If no officers are graduating or only a very small number are (i.e. 1 or 2) then the help of other graduating members may be requested or of other officers of non-graduating status at the discretion of the President (graduating or non-graduating). A group of no less than 3 graduating seniors must be present in order to count votes.

Elections will be held in a democratic manner in which every non-graduating member of the Running Club (social, racing, competitive or officer) is allotted 1 vote per position. Voting and announcement of results will be done in a timely fashion.

Elections are cascading in a wave-like manner. Meaning that the President position is ran for first, then the two Vice Presidents of opposite gender, Treasurer, and Webmaster, and committee positions are ran for last *

1st wave (happens first): President

2nd wave (happens second): Co-Vice President (Female), Co-Vice President (Male), Treasurer, and Webmaster

3rd wave (happens third): The 3 Executive Social Committee members and the 3 Racing Committee members

*- This structure’s purpose is so that if a member runs for one position and loses they may run again up to 3 total times. For example if you were to run for president and didn’t win you could still run for the Vice President, Treasurer, or Webmaster position. If you didn’t win that, you then could run for a committee position.

Amendment XXIV (replacing Amendment XVIV, in regards to Article X)

Elections of the The Running Club at The Ohio State University will occur with the following procedure.

An in-person election event will be held on a Friday evening during the month of March and the chosen date and time will be made known to the club before Dec 31st. The event will consist of nominations for the various offices, speeches made by the candidates, a question and answer session, a period for discussion, and a call to vote. Each of the elected positions (see Article III, Amendment XXI) will be elected in this manner.

The Elections will be moderated and facilitated by a group of Election Marshals. Election Marshals consist of graduating-officers. If there are less than 2 Election Marshalls, the help of other graduating members or of officers of non-graduating status may be requested, providing the substitute is not running for any positions. These are chosen at the discretion of the President. Election Marshalls are not allowed to vote.

Voter Eligibility

A voter must be a non-graduating, active (dues-paying) member of Running Club at The Ohio State University and present at the time of vote collection in order to attend and vote. A voter must be present at the beginning of the speeches for a position in order to vote for that position. No voting outside of the election room may take place. No remote voting may take place. Voters must present some form of identification that confirms their name.

Candidate Eligibility

A candidate need not be present to run. If he or she cannot be present at the event, he or she may choose another member of the club to read his or her speech within the allotted speech time. This person speaking in place of the candidate may not answer questions (see my speech procedure idea). A candidate may not call in; this is due to the foreseen audio difficulties.. They must be a non-graduating, active (dues-paying) member of Running Club at The Ohio State University.

In the weeks before the election, candidates may be nominated by themselves or by others via a Google form. This will begin 3 weeks prior to the election. Nominations will also be accepted during election night, at the beginning of each wave. Nominated candidates will then be informed and can choose to accept or deny a nomination.

Order of Elections (can only run for one position in each wave)

Wave 1:

President

Wave 2:

Vice President

Vice President

Treasurer

Secretary

Wave 3:

Long Distance Captain

Middle Distance Captain

Male Sprint Captain

Female Sprint Captain

Social Committee Member

Social Committee Member

Social Committee Member

Webmaster

Wave 4:

Race Logistics Manager

Race Logistics Manager

Procedure of Elections

The President will choose a time and location for Election Night. It will occur on a Friday evening in March, and will be made public to the club before Dec 31st.

A nomination form will be sent to the club electronically for members to nominate both themselves and other members for officer positions. This will open three weeks before Election Night. Nominations can be accepted and denied, and are able to be made up until the speeches for a position begin on Election Night. (see Candidate Eligibility paragraph)

As voters enter the voting room, an Election Marshall will use a roster in order to check that each voter is eligible to vote. (see previous Voter Eligibility paragraph)

The election will run in waves, in that a candidate may run for no more than 1 position in each wave. In each wave, the positions will be voted on individually.

Before each position’s speeches begin, the Election Marshals will read out the position’s duties as spelled out by the Constitution.

Each position election will consist of the following:

• A final call for nominations will be held, and the final nominees will be listed and will exit the voting room.

• 1-3 Minute Speech –: The candidates will be brought into the voting room individually in alphabetical order. They may speak at maximum for 3 minutes. If a candidate cannot be present at the event, he or she may choose another member of the club to read his or her speech within the allotted speech time. Candidates may not call in.

•

o Candidates are not allowed to hear other candidate’s speeches.

• 3 Questions: One from Election Marshals, two from audience.

o The question from the Election Marshalls will be the same for each candidate running for a position.

o Questions are formulated by the Elections Marshals, officers who are running for re-election will not know the questions beforehand.

o The questions from the audience are selected by an Election Marshal by raised hands. Care should be taken to ensure the same audience members aren’t asking all of the questions.

o If a candidate is having a proxy read his or her speech in their place, no questions may be asked or answered..

• Following the questions, the candidate will exit the voting room.

• After all the candidates have submitted their speeches and answered questions, a discussion will begin. The candidates may not be in the room for this discussion.

• Moderated Discussion: a 10 minute speakers list will be maintained by the Election Marshalls.

•

o When a voter raises his or her hand, they will be added on to the end of the speakers list. The speakers are allowed to speak in descending order for no more than 30 seconds each.

o Election Marshalls are not allowed to participate in the discussion.

o At the end of 10 minutes, the speakers list is closed and only the remaining names on the list are allowed to speak.

• Voting: A paper vote count will be held after all speeches and questions have ended, which will be counted by no fewer than two Election Marshalls separately.

o The candidates running for that position may not vote.

o For the Social Committee vote, voters may write down no more than three names. Voters may not repeat names.

o For the VP and Race Logistics Manager, voters may write down no more than two names. Voters may not repeat names.

o Voters may abstain.

o A voter must be present at the beginning of the speeches for a position in order to vote for that position.

o Election Marshalls are not allowed to vote.

• Following the vote, the candidates will be allowed back into the room and the results will be announced. Then, the next position vote will be commenced in the same process. The Election Marshalls will announce to the club via Twitter and Facebook the results of each position election so that members who may only want to attend particular votes may know which elections are currently taking place.

• Ten minute breaks may be taken at the discretion of the Election Marshals.

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