Constitution of "UM Equestrian Club"

Click HERE for the Bylaws.

Preamble

We, the members of the "UM Equestrian Club" do hereby establish this Constitution in order that our purpose be realized to its fullest extent.

Article I - Name

1.1 The name of the organization shall be the "UM Equestrian Club," henceforth referred to as the UM Equestrian Club.

Article II - Purpose

2.1 The UM Equestrian Club is established for the purpose of bringing together horse lovers to learn about horses, horse care and horse management, and to oversee the care and use of horses that belong to the Animal and Avian Sciences Department at the University of Maryland.

2.2 The UM Equestrian Club understands and is committed to fulfilling its responsibilities of abiding by University of Maryland, College Park policies.

Article III - Membership

3.1 Active membership shall be limited to persons officially connected with the University of Maryland, College Park as faculty, staff or registered students. Students enrolled in the spring semester as well as students enrolled in summer school are eligible for summer membership. In addition, the following requirements are necessary to constitute active membership:

3.1.1 Status of currently registered undergraduate student.

3.1.2 Payment in full of financial obligations as determined by the UM Equestrian Club. Dues are not required for active participation in the club.

3.1.3 Attendance of at least 75% of all meetings during a given semester.

3.1.4 Active participation in all activities sponsored by the UM Equestrian Club unless the activity interferes with either scholastic or financial constraints.

3.1.5 Membership on at least one committee per semester.

3.2 The UM Equestrian Club openly admits students to its membership and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, personal appearance, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, or on the basis of rights secured by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Article IV - Officers

4.1 The UM Equestrian Club will be governed by the following means:

4.1.1 Club leadership will be carried out by an Executive Board, consisting of a President, Vice President, Parliamentarian, Secretary, and Treasurer. All Executive Board members must be currently registered undergraduate students.

4.1.2 The President will preside at all meetings of the UM Equestrian Club. The President's role is that of communication leader, being responsible for communications between committees, the Club, the faculty advisor, and club members. The President shall vote when her/his vote shall affect the results, or if the vote is by ballot. The President shall be designated as the official representative of the UM Equestrian Club whenever such representation shall be required. The President shall also serve as an SGA Liaison for the club.

The President shall also preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors. She/he is responsible for communications between directors, the faculty advisor, the ANSC Department, etc. The President cannot veto any horse care decision (anything which requires a minimum level in the Standard Operating Procedures) made by the Stable Directors (see Section 4.2) without the support of the faculty advisor.

4.1.3 The Vice President will serve as a Coordinator of Activities for the Club and chairs the Events Committee (see Section 5.1.1). The Vice President is in charge of establishing and maintaining a calendar of events for the Club, working with Directors and instructors in the riding program to organize clinics, and working with the Secretary to distribute the calendar and advertise Club events. The Vice President shall assume all duties of the President in the President's absence. In addition, the Vice President shall serve as the club's representative to the AGNR Student Council.

4.1.4 The Parliamentarian serves as the adductor of order at monthly meetings. The Parliamentarian also knows all Club rules, including the Standard Operating Procedures, and makes sure those rules are followed.

4.1.5 The Secretary shall record minutes of all meetings of the UM Equestrian Club. The Secretary shall inform the UM Equestrian Club of all Old and New Business by means of electronic mail and a posting in the barn with forty-eight (48) hours of the most recent Club meeting, and whenever information needs to be disseminated to Club members. The Secretary shall maintain a permanent record of members in the UM Equestrian Club, and construct a Roster for the club members each semester. The Secretary also serves as the Administrative Director.

4.1.6 The Treasurer shall control the receipts and disbursements of all monies of the UM Equestrian Club, and shall submit recommendations concerning the financial policies of the Club as may be required. The Treasurer shall sign check for monies disbursed and shall be responsible for housekeeping records of all UM Equestrian Club finances. The Treasurer shall give a monthly report of all financial activities. At the beginning of each Fall semester, the Treasurer must submit a budget for the Club including a budget for each committee. He/she shall make a motion to pass the budget for each committee, and the current committee chairperson or committee representative shall second the motion. The Treasurer also serves as the Finance Director. The Treasurer shall also serve as an SGA Liaison for the club.

4.2 A Historian is in charge of recording (visually or in writing) Club events, maintaining a Club web site, and preparing written material about the Club for outside distribution. The Historian will also maintain the UM Equestrian Club display in the Animal and Avian Sciences Building, and is in charge of all displays for ANSC, University, and outside events requiring a display. The Historian is a member of the Administrative Committee.

4.3 In addition to the Executive Board, the UM Equestrian Club will elect a Board of Directors that will oversee the management of horses at the University of Maryland Campus Farm. Each Director serves as the Chairperson of a committee consisting of Club members. The Board of Directors shall include a Finance, Administrative, Teaching, Herd Health, and Training Director.

4.3.1 The Board of Director duties will be as follows:

4.3.1.1 The Finance Director also serves as Treasurer (see Section 4.1.5), and is the Chair of the Ways and Means Committee.

4.3.1.2 The Administrative Director also serves as Secretary, and is the Chair of the Administrative Committee (see Section 4.1.6)

4.3.1.3 The Teaching Director develops and maintains the riding program overseen by the Club. Specific duties include overseeing the lesson schedule, creating a curriculum for each riding level, running an instructor training program, and organizing outside learning activities. The Teaching Director must be a SOP level V.

4.3.1.4 The Herd Heath Director plans and oversees herd management business, including horse feeding and medication, veterinary and farrier visits, and stable maintenance. The Herd Health Director must be a SOP level V.

4.3.1.5 The Training Director develops and maintains the training program overseen by the Club and advisors. Specific duties include overseeing the individual horse training schedules, creating a curriculum for each training exercise, running a Trainer education program, and organizing outside learning activities. All activities should be conducted in conjunction with the Teaching Director’s activities. The Training Director must be a SOP level V and must be an advanced rider.

4.4 The Club shall elect all committee chair positions not occupied by the Executive Board. The election process will follow procedures described in the 5.2 “Elections” section.

4.5 A faculty advisor with knowledge of horse care and stable management will be selected. The faculty advisor has final responsibility for the use of horses by the Club with regard to the Department of Animal and Avian Science and the Campus Animal Care and Use Committee.

Article V - Committees

5.1 Committees are chaired by the appropriate Executive Officer or Director. Duties of the committees are as follows:

5.1.1 The Events Committee shall organize all UM Equestrian Club sponsored social events including on and off campus events. The Events Committee shall also organize educational events, in conjunction with Directors. These events will be held during active meetings with prior approval from the Executive Board, or outside of the regular meeting times.

5.1.2 The Ways and Means Committee shall organize and execute all fundraising activities.

5.1.3 The Administrative Committee will advertise the Club and assist the Administrative Director as necessary.

5.1.4 The Teaching Committee will include all instructors and assistant instructors for the riding program overseen by the UM Equestrian Club. The Teaching Committee establishes a lesson schedule, runs a certification program for instructors, plans educational events in conjunction with the Events Committee, addresses horse behavior problems, and deals with all other matters related to the riding program.

5.1.5 The Training Committee will be chaired by the Training Director and will include all trainers and assistant trainers for the riding program overseen by the UM Equestrian Club. The Training Committee establishes and carries out a training schedule customized for each horse, plans educational events in conjunction with the Events Committee, addresses horse behavior problems and deals with all other matters relating to the training and riding program(s).

5.1.6 The Bylaws Committee, under the Chairmanship of the Administrative Director, shall be responsible for reviewing the Club Bylaws and outlining proposed changes to the UM Equestrian Club at an annual bylaws meeting held at the end of the Spring semester. The bylaws meeting should not be held on the same night as elections.

5.2 Each committee shall meet as necessary to perform duties. Each Director of the committee shall notify the committee members at least two (2) days prior to a meeting. Committee members shall notify their committee chairperson of any prearranged absences, and the regular attendance policy shall apply to committee meetings. Absences from committee meetings must be given to the Secretary. Committee reports shall be given during active UM Equestrian Club meetings as necessary.

5.3 All Chairpersons shall be required to write a Chairperson’s Report at the end of their term. This report shall include, but is not limited to, the committee’s budget for the year and a list of goals met during the term.

Article VI - Operations

6.1. Voting Eligibility

6.1.1 Those members meeting all requirements of active membership as set forth in Article III will be granted voting privileges.

6.2. Election Process

6.2.1 Executive Officers and Directors will be elected once per year (year being defined as from the end of the spring semester to the end of the spring semester the next year) at the end of spring semester, by whole club vote. The Historian is appointed yearly by the incoming Secretary.

6.2.3 The sitting Executive Board serves as the nominating committee, overseeing the drawing up of the ballot. In order to be nominated for any Director position, an individual must have served on the position’s respected committee for at least one semester and must be at or above the required SOP level. The nominated parties are allowed to vote.

6.2.4 All voting for Executive Officers and Directors shall be done by a heads-down hand count. The current President will count votes for each nominee and will announce the winner of each election immediately following the vote. The current Vice President will count votes for the position of President.

6.3. Removal

6.3.1 Any officer of the UM Equestrian Club in violation of the UM Equestrian Club’s purpose or Constitution may be removed from office by the following process:

6.3.1.1 Written request by at least three members of the UM Equestrian Club.

6.3.1.2 Written notification to the officer of the request, asking the officer to be present at the next meeting and prepared to speak.

6.3.1.3 A two–thirds (2/3) majority vote is necessary to remove the officer.

6.4. Meetings

6.4.1 All-club meetings will be held once a month during the academic year. Directors will meet twice a month; one meeting will be held during the third week of the month and the second meeting will be 1 hour prior to the monthly general meeting. Committees will meet independently at least once a month, before the next monthly’s general Club meeting. Directors must report to the President before all Club meetings and provide typed committee reports to the Secretary at each monthly meeting.

6.4.2 Additional committee meetings are the responsibility of the Committee Chair/Director.

6.4.3 Club meetings will follow Robert’s Rules of Order, and will follow the following procedure: reading of the minutes, Executive Officer and committee reports, old business, and new business.

Article VII - Finances

7.1 The UM Equestrian Club will finance the activities it engages in by the following means:

7.1.1. Fundraising activities.

7.1.2. The UM Equestrian Club will submit a budget to the Student Government Association Finance Committee on an annual basis to request sufficient funding for the effective operation of the Club for each year.

Article VIII - Amendments

8.1 The constitution is binding to all members of the UM Equestrian Club. But the constitution is not binding unto itself.

8.2 Amendments to the constitution may be proposed in writing by any voting member of the UM Equestrian Club at any meeting at which 2/3 of the voting members are present. These amendments will be placed on the agenda for the next regular meeting of the Club. Proposed amendments will become effective following approval of two-thirds (2/3)-majority vote of active members.

Article IX - Registration Renewal

9.1 The UM Equestrian Club will apply to the Office of Campus Programs for registration on an annual basis at the end of the spring semester.

Article X - Bylaws

10.1 Bylaws will be established, amended, or repealed through a 2/3 vote at full-body meetings. In addition, the change to the law in question must be put forth at the full-body meeting preceding the meeting where the change is voted on. Changes to bylaws made by the Bylaws Committee (see Section 5.1) need not be put forth at the meeting preceding the meeting where voting occurs, but should be distributed to all UM Equestrian Club members prior to the voting meeting.

---

IMPORTANT RULES

Following are several important rules that you should remember and never break. Questions about UMEC - and horse-related rules should be addressed to parliamentarian or any other director. If you are ever uncertain of something, ASK.

Waivers

Before working with the University’s horses, you must have two signed copies of waivers on file. Anybody that has not filed waivers is not allowed to work with the horses.

The Warm Body Rule

Whenever you are working with or around a horse, there must be someone on the Campus Farm property that knows what you are doing. This “warm body” need not know anything about horses, but must be able to dial 911 should the need arise.

The Logbook

Always read the daily feeding and health care log (the bound book in the Feed Room) before doing anything with the horses. You should read as far back as the last time you were at the barn.

Riding Supervision

An individual that has attained SOP Level 5 (see below) must be within eyesight whenever anybody is mounted on a horse. Nobody may ride without another individual in eyesight.

SOP Levels

You must be SOP Level 1 before you can work with the horses.

~ SOP Level 1 allows an individual to work with the horses when supervised by a SOP Level 4 or Level 5 individual.
~ SOP Level 2 allows an individual to be in the stall with, groom, or tack up a horse in the presence of a warm body.
~ SOP Level 3 allows an individual to feed and provide medical treatments for the horses in the presence of a warm body.
~ SOP Level 4 allows an individual to supervise others in unmounted activities.
~ SOP Level 5 allows an individual to supervise mounted activities.


Meetings

~ Only currently registered undergraduate students may vote at Club meetings.
~ The President (or the presiding officer if the President is absent) must acknowledge you before you speak at meetings.
~ No side conversations!

Some Barn Rules

~ Keep room doors locked and stall doors latched when nobody is in the horse barn.
~ Put things away where they belong (which may not be where you found them).
~ If you or your horse makes a mess, clean it up!


Horse Use

~ Approval for any non-lesson riding must be obtained at least 24 hours in advance from the Teaching Director.
~ Jumping may only occur during lessons being taught by an approved (by the Teaching Director AND the Faculty Advisor) jumping instructor, and during training sessions. If your instructor is not approved to teach jumping and asks you to go over a jump, do not do it.
~ If riding, always use tack assigned to your horse.
~ If you are schooling a horse, you must be a head trainer and have a warm body (assistant).


ATTENDANCE POLICIES

Meetings

~ You are required to attend 75% of all Club meetings, which means you can have a maximum of ONE unexcused absence per semester. You may be kicked out of the Club if you have more than one unexcused absence.
~ If you cannot attend a Club meeting, notify the Secretary (umequestrianclub@yahoo.com) several days in advance.
~ The same attendance policy applies to committee meetings.


Feeder and Stall Cleaner Attendance

~ If you know you will not be able to do your job on a given day, it is your responsibility to find a replacement at least THREE WEEKS in advance, or ASAP if you were not aware of the conflict that early. This includes Spring Break and possibly several weeks after final exams. Notify the Herd Health Director. [A good idea is to offer to swap days with someone at a time when you will be around].
~ One unexcused absence forfeits riding privileges for two weeks. After a second unexcused absence, the $75 check is deposited and riding privileges are revoked indefinitely.


Riding Lesson Attendance

~ If you know in advance that you cannot attend a lesson, contact your instructor well in advance. Should you find out at the last minute that you cannot make it to your lesson, contact him/her directly. It would also be a good idea to e-mail or call your instructor afterwards.
~ The punishments for unexcused absences are as follows. If you have one unexcused absence, you are okay. After your second unexcused absence in a session, you will be dismissed from riding lessons for that semester and your lesson fee will not be refunded. This does not mean you cannot participate in Equestrian Club events, ground clinics, etc.
~ Lessons are not cancelled due to inclement weather, cold, heat, etc. If you cannot ride, your instructor will hold a ground lesson. Failure to attend counts as an unexcused absence.