VSAAC Constitution

Of the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é Varsity Student-Athlete Advisory Committee

Article I. Purpose

  1. The purpose of this Committee is to enhance the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é student-athlete experience through these means:
  2. Generate and promote school spirit and support from students, faculty and community residents.
  3. Encourage and facilitate the integration of inter-sport team relationships.
  4. Strengthen the relationship and efficient communication between the faculty and student athletes.
  5. Bring academic support concerns of student athletes to the attention of the university, and work with institutional representatives to develop appropriate strategies.
  6. Serve as the voice of student-athletes in student government and other campus affairs.
  7. Serve as advocates for student-athletes in student athletes regarding concerns and suggestions to the athletic department.

Article II. Structure

  1. Maintain a committee consisting of one member from each varsity team.
  2. The Committee will fill the vacancies as follows:
    1. The representative leaving the Committee (due to graduation or other reasons) will select a replacement to be nominated for the next year.
    2. In the event that a departing representative does not nominate a replacement, the varsity coach whose team is not represented on the Committee should send nominations for a new representative.
    3. Nominations shall be discussed by the Committee in order to maintain a diverse group and ensure that not more than half of the Committee for the following year will be seniors.
  3. Nominations for new Committee members will be made and discussed during the third to last meeting in the spring semester. Previous members maintain their membership for continuous years unless they express a desire not to in writing. Take Five students who have served on the Committee but are ineligible to play in their fifth year must nominate a replacement.
  4. The Committee shall meet on a day and time convenient for the majority of the members once every two weeks on a regular basis. All members are required to attend the bi-monthly meetings. The officers may cancel or add additional meetings when deemed necessary.
  5. All members of the Committee receive one vote while the advisor to the Committee does not vote. In the case of a tie, further discussion must follow and then there will be a re-vote. If there is a second tie, then each of the three officers will receive one more vote. Any issues voted on require a majority of votes and only the votes of those members present are counted. In issues of voting, the president brings the issue to the table and a show of hands makes the final decision. The secretary copies the result of each vote into the minutes.
  6. The Committee will be project oriented, meaning that each Committee member is required to participate in at least one project per year. The Committee members are free to use any resources available to help accomplish their projects and are obliged to inform the Committee of their progress. The Committee will choose projects and appoint the number of participants necessary to carry out the project.
  7. All meetings shall be formally called to order and convened by the president. These two pieces shall be the first and last pieces of information on each agenda respectively.

Article III. Membership

  1. Members must be full time students at the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é and must be participating members of an athletic varsity team and in good standing with the team and university.
  2. If for any reason the Committee member leaves his or her team at the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é or leaves the University, his or her spot on the Committee shall be filled using the procedure outlined in Article II.

Article IV. Officers

  1. Only members who served for a year are eligible to run for office.
  2. Elections are held during the second to last meeting of the spring semester.
  3. Nominations, including self-nominations, will be made at the third to the last meeting of the spring semester.
  4. Those wishing to run for office are asked to make a brief speech on why they would like to hold office. The speech for President is first followed by the speech for Vice-President/Treasurer, and finally the secretary. Voting takes place after each speech is made and any candidates not elected may fun for another office by self-nomination. A majority of votes by the Committee makes the decision final.
  5. Absentee Voting should be arranged with the secretary preferentially one week prior to the official vote.
  6. The President is responsible for writing the agenda for leading meetings. The President serves as a liaison between the Committee and the ÂÒÂ×Ç¿¼é Community.
  7. The Vice President/Treasurer serves as President when the President is not available. Otherwise, the Vice President serves as the official advisor to the President and is in charge of the Committee's budget. The Vice President/Treasurer handles all financial affairs related to the Committee at each meeting regarding the financial standing of the Committee's budget.
  8. The Secretary is in charge of absentee voting. The Secretary gives a copy of the Constitution to all new members, is in charge of taking clear minutes for each meeting, takes attendance at each meeting and passes out the minutes of the previous meetings at the beginning of each subsequent meeting, and keeps a file of all documents and previous minutes for record.

Article V. Advisor

  1. The advisor to the Committee is assigned by the Athletic Director and remains the advisor until he or she officially resigns, in which case a new advisor is assigned by the Athletic Director as soon as possible.
  2. The advisor may or may not attend meetings at his or her discretion or at the discretion of the Committee.
  3. The advisor may not vote, but simply serves as a liaison between the Committee and the Athletic Department.

Article VI. Budget

Article VII. Amendments

Any member from the Committee may introduce an amendment to this Constitution. The amendment must be voted on during the meeting following the meeting in which it was introduced and requires a unanimous decision to be ratified.

Amendments to the Constitution

Amendment 1. Officer Leaving His Position

In the event of an officer leaving his/her position, elections for the vacant position shall be voted on first, followed by subsequent open positions using the guidelines in Article IV.Existing officers do not forfeit their position by running for a vacancy.