SWVADA Constitution
Constitution, By- Laws, and Standing Rules
Revised 2002
Article I
Name
The name shall be the Southwest Virginia Dressage Association, Ltd. (SWVADA)
Article II
Purpose
The purposes of SWVADA are:
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To promote the art of dressage.
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To direct activities that increase understanding, education and enjoyment
of dressage.
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To recognize the achievements of the membership.
Article III
Membership
Membership is open to all persons interested in dressage immediately
upon payment of dues. Classes of membership are as follows:
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Individual: one person.
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Family: Two or more persons in the same home.
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Junior/Young rider: Members under 21 years of age.
Article IV
Board of Directors
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The Board of Directors shall be responsible for the general management and the affairs of the association.
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Directors shall be fifteen in number.
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The length of term for the Board of Directors will be one year.
Officers-elect will automatically serve on the Board of Directors for
the following year. Terms for the Board of Directors will coincide
with the membership year.
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Membership year is from December 1 to November 30.
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In the event of a vacancy, the Board of Directors may appoint a member in
good standing to fill the vacancy. A seat on the Board of
Directors will be considered vacant if that director misses three
consecutive board meetings.
Article V
Amending the Constitution and By-Laws
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The constitution and the by-laws may be added to, altered, or amended at
any general membership meeting by a vote of not less than two thirds of
those present. Written notice of the proposed amendment shall be
mailed to all members at least two weeks prior to the general
membership meeting.
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In lieu of a general meeting, the constitution and by-laws may be added to,
altered, or amended by a vote of the general membership, conducted by,
and upon the recommendation of, the Board of Directors. Written
notice of the recommended amendment shall be mailed at least four weeks
before the vote is to be counted. An affirmative vote of
two-thirds of those members responding by mail shall add to, alter, or
amend these by-laws as recommended by the Board of Directors.
BY-LAWS
Section I : Officers
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The officers of SWVADA shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
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The Board of Directors may remove from office any officer or board
member whose actions are judged to be detrimental to the best
interest of the association. Removal will be accomplished by a
two-thirds vote of the total Board membership.
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Officers shall serve one year terms. Their terms shall coincide
with the membership year. The President shall be limited to two
consecutive terms.
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The duties of the President
face="Arial"> shall be to review all major contracts and obligations of the association,
appoint committee chairpersons and at-large positions, call and
chair all meetings of the Board of Directors, and assume other duties as
voted by the Board.
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The duties of the Vice-President
face="Arial"> shall be to coordinate the selection and hiring of judges for horse shows, and to
assume other duties as voted by the Board.
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The duties of the Secretary
face="Arial"> shall be to take the minutes of the meetings, maintain the correspondence
of the association, and assume other duties as voted by the Board.
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The duties of the Treasurer
face="Arial"> shall include the collection, care, and custody of all monies involving the
association, the maintenance of proper books, documenting
all monetary transactions, including filing taxes and maintaining
insurance, proposing an annual budget, and assuming other duties
as voted by the Board.
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It shall be the duty of the current Board of Directors to elect from within
its membership the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer
for the upcoming year.
Section II
Standing Committees
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The Education Committee
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial"> is responsible for choosing and planning all educational programs.
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The Publications Committee,
face="Arial"> comprised of the newsletter editor and the omnibus editor, is responsible for
publishing the newsletter, the omnibus, and other materials the board
may request. The newsletter editor will stay informed of the
club’s activities and projected goals through phone, fax and email
communications to disseminate pertinent information to the
membership in the form of monthly newsletters. The omnibus editor
will work with other committee chairpersons to produce an annual omnibus
which serves as the SWVADA competition calendar, handbook and
membership directory.
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style="font-weight: bold">The Horse Show Committee is
responsible for sanctioning shows, coordinating show dates and
serving as a liason with other local horse organizations.
Section III
At-Large Positions
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The Awards Chairperson
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial"> is responsible for ordering ribbons and awards for the shows during the year and also for the year
end Awards Banquet. The chairperson is responsible for collecting
and engraving the perpetual trophies for year end awards. The
chairperson is also responsible for presenting the awards at the annual
banquet.
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The Equipment Chairperson
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial"> organizes, purchases and inventories the equipment.
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The Green Hill Equestrian Center Chairperson
size="2" face="Arial"> is the representative of
SWVADA at meetings of
Green Hill Park. This person will make announcements on upcoming
events and take back to SWVADA information concerning events and
meetings. This representative shall also support the committee’s
efforts in fund raising.
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The Hospitality Chairperson
face="Arial">organizes the annual banquet and coordinates concessions for SWVADA functions when
needed.
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The Junior/Young Riders Chairperson’s
face="Arial"> goal is to attract and encourage young riders to participate in the
sport of dressage. The chairman organizes educational and
promotional activities for juniors.
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The Membership Chairperson
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial"> maintains a membership database. As memberships are received, the chairman submits checks
to the Treasurer, provides a list of members to the
VADA membership representative, prepares labels monthly for
newsletter editor, provides labels for paid members to the omnibus
chairman and the newsletter editor. In March, notifies past
due members that membership fees have not been received. Mails the
omnibus to new members as they join the organization.
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The Points Chairperson
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial"> is responsible for maintaining and collecting a record of the member’s show results
for the purpose of determining the awards at the annual banquet.
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The Public Relations Chairperson
face="Arial"> promotes and advertises the activities of the organization and also assists
in recruiting new members.
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The Video Chairperson
face="Arial"> brings the videos to the SWVADA meetings for the members to check in and out,
purchases new videos for the membership, and keeps the card catalog.
Section IV
Relations with the Virginia Dressage Association
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This association agrees to be governed by the Constitution,
by-laws and standing rules of the Virginia Dressage Association.
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Three representatives shall be elected by a simple majority of the Board
of Directors to represent SWVADA on the State Board of Directors.
Representatives to the State Board are empowered to vote for the chapter
as prescribed in the VADA by-laws. The board shall remove from
office any representative to the State Board whose actions are judged to
be detrimental to the interests of the association or who fails to
fulfill the duties of the state representative. Removal shall be
accomplished by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors.
Section V
Dues
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The Board of Directors shall determine the annual dues rate, a portion
of which shall be set aside for Unite States Dressage Federation
and Virginia Dressage Association dues.
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Annual dues shall cover the fiscal year from December 1 through November
30.
Section VI
Meetings
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The Board of Directors may, at its discretion, call a meeting of the
general membership.
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The Board of Directors shall encourage attendance by the general
membership by publishing the dates and locations of its meetings in the
newsletter.
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At all meetings of the Board of Directors, seven members shall
constitute a quorum.
Section VII
Parliamentary Authority
Robert’s Rules of Order, revised, shall govern Executive Committee meetings, Board of Directors’ meetings and membership meetings
when not in conflict with their by-laws.
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