ABAC Equestrian Club Constitution

Last Revised: April 2, 2013

Article I. Name
The name of this organization shall be Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Equestrian Club.

Article II. Purpose

The purpose of this club shall be to: 1. Foster a general awareness throughout the ABAC community and the overall Tifton community and to provide opportunities for ABAC students to further their knowledge of the equine industry. 2. Make partnerships with various organizations in the Tifton community to further expand opportunities for students to become involved and to further expand their contacts within the equine industry. 3. Academically study the various equine species and disciplines of riding by working with the ABAC academic community in order to be able to better understand the animals, their environment, and what is entailed in their care and maintenance. 4. Be a unifying voice on campus for those who are interested in the equine industry.

Article III. Membership

Section 1: Requirements Membership of this organization shall be limited to students, faculty, and staff of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, who have an interest in the equine industry and who are in good standing with the college. Section 2: Responsibility of Active Members 1. 2. 3. 4. Properly represent the Equestrian Club at all functions attended. Promote the purposes of the club. Maintain an active status and participate in as many Equestrian Club events as possible. Help raise money to support the club.

5. Submit articles to a reporter from events participated in by members to be published in various media outlets.

Article IV. Officers

Section 1: List of Officers The officers shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, Historian, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, and Chaplin. Section 2: Requirements The officers of this organization shall be chosen from and by active members of the club, and must be in good standing with the college. Good standing is defined as: 1. 2. 3. 4. Clear of disciplinary probation. Clear of present suspension. Clear of academic integrity violation. Must have dues paid at the time of elections.

The officers of this organization must: Set up events, dates, and banquets for the club. Attend each officer meeting and regular club meetings, the only exception shall be an excuse by a written letter submitted to the officer team at least twenty four hours in advance, and must be reviewed and approved by the officer team. No officer can miss more than three meetings per year, or term.

Section 3: Elections 1. Elections of the officers shall be done at the last business meeting of the last semester for the year. 2. Nominations for the officers may be made from the floor during a meeting set by the officer team, usually the next to last business meeting of the last semester for the year and will remain open until the following meeting where they will be closed and voted upon. Nominees must be present to be elected unless extenuating circumstances exist. The officer team should review the situation and decide prior to elections if the candidate is eligible. After the elections, the new officer team should shadow the old officers through the remainder of their term. 3. No member shall hold more than one office per semester. An officer may hold the same office for more than two terms; a term shall be two semesters.

4. Any officer unbecoming of his or her officer position may be removed by two-thirds majority of active members of the club, present and voting at a regular meeting, but ONLY after specific charges have been filed and reviewed by the advisors. Section 4: Duties and Responsibilities A. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The President: Shall be an active Equestrian Club member for two semesters prior to election. Is bound by the constitution and is responsible for upholding the rules of this constitution. Presides over all regular club meetings. Keeps in close contact with all officers assuring that they carry out their duties. Is responsible for organizing all ABAC Equestrian Club activities and approving all plans for club activities along with the other officers. 6. Has the power to appoint a committee for the purpose of recommending bylaws for this organization. The bylaws will become effective when passed by two thirds vote the present club members and with the consent of advisors. 7. Shall keep a record of all club documents. 8. Appoints committees when needed. 9. Acts as liaison with other clubs, the college, faculty and advisors. 10. Will call officer meetings when needed and will preside over such meetings. 11. Must hold an office in the Equestrian Club for one consecutive semester before becoming president. 12. Shall email important dates to advisors at the beginning of each month. B. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. The Vice President: Shall be an active member of the Equestrian Club for one semester prior to being elected. Is bound by the provisions of this constitution. Is an ex-officio member of all standing committees and should keep in close contact with the committee chairpersons and attend the meetings when necessary. Must hold an office in the Equestrian Club for one consecutive semester before being elected. Presides over the meeting in the absence of the president. Shall assist the president. Is in charge of philanthropy activities.

C. The Secretary: 1. Takes minutes at all the regular club meetings. 2. Reads minutes from the previous meeting at all regular club meetings and allows for revisions. 3. Must manage and disperse upcoming dates to the members. 4. Receives all general club mail.

5. Will conduct correspondence for all club and thank you letters. 6. Will notify members of club functions. 7. Will keep up the webpage. 8. Supplies members with important forms such as a calendar of events and a club roster. 9. Turns over all materials to the newly elected secretary at the close of each term. 10. Shall create an agenda for each regular meeting using the listed order of business. 11. Shall give typed minutes to president at the end of each meeting for document up-keep. D. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. The Historian: Responsible for club publicity. Will assist in webpage upkeep. Provides a description of club activities for inclusion in various news and media outlets each month. Shall be in charge of display and display board up-keep. Shall be in charge of up-keep of member attendance and award points. Shall be responsible for taking pictures at all club events. Will be responsible for putting together a photo album and presenting it to the members at the last meeting of the semester. Shall be responsible for any and all advertisement for the club, including fundraisers and any other dates, at least one week prior to the event, and informing members at the beginning of each month of events on the club web page. The Treasurer: Will keep an accurate record of all accounts and will be responsible for collecting dues. Will be responsible for budget preparation with officer team and present it to the advisor. Submit a statement at each meeting. Submit a statement to the president for document up-keep including club transactions from that month. Provide books to advisor to be audited at the end of the semester. Receives all incoming money and keeps an accurate record of all receipts. Arranges to pay bills promptly. Approves all fundraisers in accordance with ABAC and advisors.

E. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

F. The Parliamentarian: 1. Attend ICC meetings representing the ABAC Equestrian Club and take relevant notes and information regarding ICC activities, throughout their time in office. 2. Shall inform the members of the parliamentary procedures for the club. 3. Shall help keep order at all of the meetings. 4. Shall help with fundraising for the club.

G. 1. 2. 3. 4.

The Chaplin: Plans and organizes any ceremonies for the ABAC Equestrian Club. Reads devotions for the club at every regular club meeting. Will close every regular club meeting in prayer. Will lead prayer and take prayer requests at every regular meeting.

H. The Faculty Advisor: 1. Must be a member of the faculty at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. 2. Must attend a minimum of three business meetings of the club, preferably the first meeting of both semesters, and the last meeting of the spring semester. 3. Must be the first to approve of club activities. 4. Will assist the members in their organization and planning of projects, and refining their programs to a point where they are effective and realistic. 5. Serves as an information source for providing guidance. 6. Will advise the members in the making of yearly budgets. 7. Will accompany the club on outings whenever possible.

Article V. Committees
Section 1: List of Committees The committees for the ABAC Equestrian Club shall be Educational, Philanthropy, Social, and Fundraising. Section 2: Elections The committee chairs shall be elected by the active members of the club by a two thirds vote; whoever in the club would like to join the various committees after the chairs are chosen may do so. Section 3: Duties and Responsibilities A. The Educational chair will gather their committee to be in charge of checking the GPAs of the members to check eligibility to be in the club, and will also be in charge of getting guest speakers for club meetings. B. The Philanthropy chair will gather their committees to plan community service opportunities and projects for the ABAC Equestrian Club. C. The Social chair and his or her committee will be in charge of planning what the club will do for/at social events in which the Equestrian Club is part of, or puts on.

D. The Fundraising chair and his or her committee will be in charge of planning fundraisers and events that will help raise money for the club, they will also decide how the Club will distribute the money, for example to charity.

Article VI. Meetings

Section 1: Regular Meetings The regular meetings of the club shall be held every second and fourth Tuesday of each month during the school year, except during regularly scheduled exam periods. Meeting dates may be adjusted to accommodate scheduling conflicts such as State Fair, spring beak, or other events. Section 2: Special Meetings Special meetings can be called anytime by the officer team. Section 3: Order of Business The following order of business shall be followed at any regular meeting when possible: a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j. k. l. m. Call to order Reading of the Secretarys minutes Presidents report Vice-Presidents report Historians report Treasurers report Parliamentarians report Chaplins report Old business New business Announcements Closing in prayer done by the Chaplin Adjournment

Section 4: Conducting meetings All meetings should be conducted according to Roberts Rules of Order

Article VII. Dues

-The amount for dues has been set for ten dollars per semester. - Dues will be collected/accepted until the third meeting of each semester. -The dues for our national affiliation, American Collegiate Horsemans Association, are five dollars per year.