By-Laws
ARTICLE I. NAME OF THE ORGANIZATION The name of this public non-profit corporation with members shall be: Spin Cycle Squares ARTICLE II. PURPOSE
A. To provide a safe, supportive, and high-quality Western Square Dance experience to all members and guests. B. To act as a public non-profit organization. C. To help members become capable and flexible dancers. D. To teach new classes, and provide opportunity for skill improvement, on a regular basis.
E. To bar all prejudices related to sex, national origin, sexual preference, religion, race or any other known basis. ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP
A. Active Membership is open to any person who is in agreement with the stated purpose, policies and regulations of the organization. 1. Active members must have graduated from a Basic and Mainstream class or be able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of a majority of the members of the Board of Directors that he/she can dance at Mainstream level or above. 2. Active members shall consist of those members who pay regular dues. 3. Only active members may have their vote counted at general meetings. 4. Only active members are eligible for election to club office. B. Associate Membership is open to any person who is in agreement with the stated purpose, policies and regulations of the organization. 1. Associate members shall consist of those members who pay regular dues. 2. Associate membership is non-voting. 3. Associate members are not eligible for club office. 4. Associate members shall have all other privileges and responsibilities of Active members. C. The Executive Board with a ¾ affirmative vote of all members at a general meeting may suspend or expel a member for club related behavior contrary to the purpose or specific Article of these by-laws. D. Upon written request signed by a former member who was suspended or expelled the Executive Board may, by ¾ affirmative vote of all members, reinstate the former member. ARTICLE IV. EXECUTIVE BOARD
A. Structure 1. The governance of this organization shall be vested in the Executive Board. 2. The Board shall consist of the following officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Member(s)-at-Large. 3. Member(s)-at-Largeshallmay be elected one (1) for every Sixteen (16) active members. If there are fewer than Sixteen (16) active members at the time of election this position may be left vacant.
4. The offices of Secretary and Treasurershallmay be combined into one position if the total number of active members is sixteen (16) or fewer. The combined office shall have all responsibilities of the Secretary and Treasurer offices.
5. Board elections shall be held annually, or within six (6) weeks of a vacancy on the Board. 6. The term of office shall be one (1) year. 7. Any member of the organization that receives remuneration for services supplied to the organization shall be ineligible for Board office. B. Elections 1. Any active member who wishes to be a candidate shall have his/her name placed on the ballot for a specific office. Ballots will be distributed to all active members at a general meeting. Voting will be by secret ballot. Written proxies shall be permitted. Ballots shall be counted by a club member who is designated by the Board, and is not running for any office. 2. A vacancy shall exist when a letter of resignation has been submitted to the Board, a Board Member has been removed, or when a Board Member is no longer an active member of the club. 3. The Board may declare a position vacant when a member is absent for two (2) consecutive Board Meetings without due cause and/or is negligent in the performance of the duties of his/her office. 4. A Board Member may be removed from office by vote of 3/4 of the active members at a general meeting. C. Responsibilities of the Executive Board 1. President a. Shall conduct all Board and club meetings. b. Shall call special Board and club meetings as he/she deems necessary. c. Shall ensure the clubs business and activities are carried out in accordance with the By-Laws. d. Shall act as the official representative of the club when dealing with the public or other organizations. 2. Vice President a. Assume all the duties and responsibilities of the President in the absence of the President. b. Shall assist the President in his/her assigned duties and responsibilities. c. Shall act as liaison between the board and any callers or facilitators involved with the club. 3. Secretary a. Shall take minutes of
Board and Club Meetings. The final
version of the minutes shall be prepared by and read for approval at the
next Board or General Meeting.
b. Shall insure that an up-to-date club roster, including addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and birthdays is maintained. c. Shall handle all correspondence within the club, and with outside bodies. d. Shall be a moderator of the club email group. e. Shall maintain print documentation of all minutes and club documents and make these available to the membership. 4. Treasurer a. Shall keep financial records and be financially responsible. b. Shall prepare a Treasurers Report to be presented to the Board at each regularly scheduled meeting. c. Shall be responsible for the collection of dues, class fees and/or dance fees. d. Shall be responsible for the payment of callers, hall rent and other expenses. 5. Member(s)-at-Large a. Shall represent the view and concerns of any active classes to the Board. b. Shall assist with communication of club actions and activities to all members. 6. Binding contracts must be signed by the President and Vice President. ARTICLE V. COMMITTEES A. The Executive Board may at its convenience appoint or dissolve committees to accomplish specific functions of this organization. B. The Executive Board shall provide a clear, written mission statement to such committees, and will review the work of the committees and provide guidance to them on an on-going basis. ARTICLE VI. DUES AND FINANCES
A. Dues for active members shall be a predetermined fee established by the Board and agreed upon by a simple majority vote of active members at a general meeting. B. The organization shall maintain a checking account with any chartered bank, and all monies received will be deposited therein. Signatories shall includeallat least two Board Members.
C. The President or the Treasurer shall be authorized to disburse club funds by a simple majority vote of the Board present at any meeting. No funds shall be spent without prior Board approval. D. This is a public non-profit organization. Dues and other monies received will be spent entirely for the carrying out of our stated purposes. The club may compensate individuals for instruction, calling or other work of a specialized nature. Individuals who receive remuneration are not eligible to serve on the Board. E.The Board may expend funds up to $250.00 per expenditure without a pre-approval vote of the Active Members.
F. A spending cap may be set by vote of the membership per expenditure and/or per fiscal quarter. ARTICLE VII. MEETINGS AND QUORUMS
A. The Executive Board shall meet once each month a minimum of 6 times per calendar year. The time and place is to be determined by the Executive Board. Additional meetings may be called by an affirmative vote of three Executive Board members. 1. Executive Board meetings shall be open for all members to attend, but only Executive Board members may vote. 2. Robert's Rules of Order shall be the governing authority in instances of disputes. 3. A quorum for the conduct of Executive Board business shall be three board members, with a simple majority vote of those present being necessary to approve any actions. B. General Meetings shall be held at least one quarterly biannually and/or at the discretion of the Board. All Board Members and the general membership of the club are encouraged to present their views at these meetings. 1. Robert's Rules of Order shall be the governing authority in instances of disputes. 2. Those members present at a general membership meeting shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of general membership business, with a simple majority vote of those present necessary to approve any actions. C. The date, time and location of any club meeting, whether general or Board shall be announced to the membership at each class or dance for at least two (2) weeks prior said meeting. Such announcement shall also be made to the email group and posted to the group calendar. D. IAGSDC Convention Delegates shall be elected selected for each IAGSDC annual convention. 1. The club shall elect select two (2) delegates to represent the club at the IAGSDC annual delegates meeting. One of the members shall be a current Board Member. The alternate delegate shall be elected selected from the active members. Should no Board Member be able to attend the annual IAGSDC convention then both delegates shall be elected selected from the active membership. The elected selected delegates will represent the club at the IAGSDC delegate meeting. 2. The selection of the two (2) delegates will be by secret ballot prior to the annual convention by simple majority vote of the membership present at a general meeting. The selection of the two (2) delegates shall be by appointment of the board. E. All delegates attending meetings on behalf of the organization shall be appointed by the board.
ARTICLE VIII. COMMUNICATIONS
A. The club shall establish and maintain an email group for the purpose of communication with the members. 1. Moderators of the email group shall consist of the Secretary and at least one other active club member that does not reside with the Secretary. B. Communication regarding club matters shall be courteous and respectful. C. A print copy of all meeting minutes and club documents shall be produced and made available to all members. This document shall be available at all meetings. Article IX. CONDUCT A. Polite and courteous behavior shall be considered the norm. B. There shall be no dress code, however normally accepted grooming standards should be practiced by all members. C. Behavior that is disruptive will not be tolerated. D. The club badge may be worn by any member. When wearing the badge the member shall conduct their behavior in a manner compliant with these by-laws. ARTICLE X. INSTRUCTIONAL CLASSES A. The executive Board shall have complete responsibility for the choice and conduct of any caller or facilitator and provide material to support suggestions for class development. The caller/facilitator will be responsible to teach classes at the pace necessary to complete the programs in a timely manner. B. Class members shall become eligible to become active club members upon graduation from the Mainstream class level. C. Any class member who misses three (3) successive weeks of instruction may be dismissed from the class at the discretion of the caller/facilitator. ARTICLE XI. BY-LAWS
A. Amendments may be proposed in writing by any club member. The Executive Board will present the amendments to the club members. An amendment will become effective upon approval by a majority vote of the club members present at a designated general meeting.
Amended: 7/11/2004; 10/3/2004;
5/15/2005; 11/6/2005; 3/21/2010;