BYLAWS
Of
NEW ENGLAND WOMEN’S COLLEGIATE LACROSSE UMPIRES ASSOCIATION
Adopted February 3, 2019
ARTICLE 1: INTRODUCTION
Section 1: These are the bylaws of the New England Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse Umpires Association (hereafter “NEWCLUA”).
Section 2: The purpose of this unincorporated association shall be:
- To organize and represent women’s lacrosse umpires of Collegiate rating and above with the Collegiate Women’s Lacrosse Officials Association (hereafter CWLOA)
in New England;
- To improve the quality and quantity of umpires for college games in New England;
- To represent member umpires and to communicate with colleges, collegiate
organizations, and administrators;
- To schedule qualified umpires for women’s intercollegiate lacrosse games when
requested by participating institutions;
- To ensure the rights and responsibilities of members holding current CWLOA ratings.
ARTICLE 2: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Any women’s lacrosse umpire who holds at least a collegiate rating pays dues to NEWCLUA, otherwise abides by all standards of NEWCLUA, and is a member in good standing of U.S. Lacrosse, Inc. and may be a Full Member of NEWCLUA.
Section 2: Umpires who hold a collegiate rating or higher from CWLOA are eligible to become Full Members. A Full Member must be available to umpire as needed, is required to attend all mandatory meetings, and is eligible to hold office in NEWCLUA.
Section 3: Any women’s lacrosse umpire who holds a current and valid rating with CWLOA may become an affiliate member of NEWCLUA, at the discretion of the Assigning Authority, and if she/he pays a fee of 20% of the NEWCLUA dues plus an additional $5.00 per assigned game at the end of the season not to exceed the full membership fee for any game assigned, attends all mandatory meetings, and abides by all policies of NEWCLUA.
Section 4: An umpire may submit a request for a leave of absence to the Executive Board. Any umpire who is granted a leave of absence will pay 20% of the NEWCLUA dues, to keep registration within arbiter, and shall be excused from all other obligations of members.
Section 5: Only umpires who are members in good standing with the NEWCLUA may officiate intercollegiate women’s lacrosse games at participating institutions in New England, unless the Assigning Authority, in his/her discretion, determines that using an umpire who holds a Local Level 2 or higher rating with U.S. Lacrosse, Inc., or a collegiate or higher rating with CWLOA, but is not a NEWCLUA member, for a particular contest would be in the best interests of NEWCLUA.
Section 6: To be a member in good standing with the NEWCLUA, a member must meet the following criteria each year:
- Pay dues to U.S. Lacrosse, Inc., CWLOA, and the NEWCLUA;
- Read, be familiar with, and enforce the Rules of both USL/NFHS and NCAA Women’s Lacrosse;
- Read and be familiar with the Umpire’s Manual’s of U.S. Lacrosse, the NCAA, and all CWLOA publications
- Attend the annual business/rules interpretation meeting of the NEWCLUA (members may be excused from this requirement only upon written approval by the Executive
Board for good cause shown in writing at least seven days prior to the meeting);
- Umpire all games assigned;
- Maintain a current rating with
the CWLOA;
- Abide by the ethical standards for umpires established by NEWCLUA, CWLOA and US Lacrosse.
Section 7. A member who fails to attend the annual mandatory meeting will not be considered a member in good standing, and shall not be eligible for tournament play in the current season, and fined a half a game fee payable April 1 following the missed meeting unless s/he has been excused by the Executive Committee, as described above.
ARTICLE 3: DUES AND FINANCES
Section 1: Dues for members shall be recommended annually by the Executive Board, and presented for approval from the membership at the annual business meeting.
Section 2: The fiscal year, and membership year, for the NEWCLUA shall be the calendar year.
Section 3: Membership dues in the NEWCLUA shall be paid annually to the Treasurer at or before the mandatory meeting for that fiscal year.
ARTICLE 4: EXECUTIVE BOARD OFFICERS
Section 1: The NEWCLUA will be governed by an Executive Board, which will consist of nine individuals. Those individuals will include six officers, a President, Past President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Assigning Authority, and three (3) Members-at-Large. An individual may not hold more than one position on the Executive Board.
Section 2: The Executive Board shall conduct the affairs of the NEWCLUA between business meetings of the members and shall act according to the directives of the membership, when given.
Section 3: Each Executive Board member must be a member in good standing of the NEWCLUA and, except for the Past President, shall serve for a two (2) year term. The President, Treasurer, and 2 members at large shall be elected in odd calendar years. The Vice President, Secretary, Assigning Authority and 1 member at large shall be elected in even calendar years. The President shall then serve one year as Past President. Officers may be re- elected for no more than three (3) consecutive terms (six years) in the same office, except for the Assigning Authority who has no term limit.
Section 4: The Executive Board shall be elected at the annual rules and business meeting of the NEWCLUA. The Nominating Committee will prepare a ballot, and the Secretary will circulate it to all members present at the annual rules and business meeting. Additional nominations may be taken from the floor. The candidate who receives the greatest number of votes cast by a quorum of members present at that meeting should be elected. Each term of office shall commence of July 1 of the year of the election.
Section 5: Any Executive Board member may be removed from office, for any reason, by a two-thirds majority of a quorum of the members attending the meeting called for that particular purpose. Notice of the meeting and its purpose must have been sent by mail or other reasonable means to all members of the NEWCLUA, including the Executive Board member affected, at least fifteen days prior to the meeting, and the Executive Board member must be given an opportunity to speak at the meeting. Any vacancies in Executive Board positions between annual meetings shall be filled by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE 5: DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1: The President shall preside at the meetings of the NEWCLUA and otherwise shall conduct the business of the NEWCLUA. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees, except the Nominating Committee, and shall appoint, with the approval of the Executive Board, the chairperson of all committees and the rules interpreter. The President shall vote at meetings of the Executive Board only in the case of a tie vote, but may discuss all questions.
Section 2: The Past President acts as an advisor to the President and may serve on special projects for the President.
Section 3: The Vice President shall act in the absence of the President and may succeed the President if the Presidency becomes vacant.
Section 4: The Treasurer shall collect all dues for the NEWCLUA, prior to the annual business meeting, shall pay all debts and expenses of the NEWCLUA, and shall show a proper accounting of all monies collected and spent. The Treasurer shall present a written financial report at the annual membership meeting and at all Executive Board meetings.
Section 5: The Secretary shall ensure that notices of each annual meeting are properly sent to all members. The Secretary shall keep and circulate minutes of all meetings of the membership of the NEWCLUA and all meetings of the Executive Board. The Secretary shall conduct and preserve copies of all-important records of the organization, including correspondence and a list of all current members.
Section 6: The Assigning Authority shall correspond with all New England colleges that play intercollegiate women’s lacrosse and any other institutions interested in utilizing this service, establish a list of participating institutions, seek and obtain game schedules from these institutions, and collect an keep all assigning fees from those institutions. The Assigning Authority shall assign umpires to officiate all games for which s/he has received an assigning fee and shall distribute a master schedule of officials to all members in good standing of the NEWCLUA at the February January meeting. In conducting these duties, the Assigning Authority shall follow all policies and procedures that may, from time to time, be established by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE 6: MEETINGS
Section 1: The President shall call the annual meeting of the membership of the NEWCLUA for the last Sunday of January of each year. That meeting should include the election of officers in appropriate years, a mandatory rules interpretation, and any other business. Notice of the meeting and an agenda shall be sent to all members at least fourteen (14) days before the meeting.
Section 2: The President shall call at least two meetings of the Executive Board each year. Additional meetings may be called at the discretion of the President, or upon written request by any member of the Executive Board to the Secretary.
Section 3: The quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the membership of the NEWCLUA shall exist if a majority of the members then in good standing are present. A quorum of the Executive Board shall exist if a majority of the members of the Executive Board then in office are present.
Section 4: The Executive Board, upon ten (10) days written notice, may call other meetings of the members. A written petition of at least twenty-five (25) percent of the membership may also request a special meeting. The Executive Board shall then notice the special meeting within ten (10) days of receipt of the petition, giving members at least ten (10) days notice before the meeting is held.
Section 5: Each member in good standing shall have one (1) vote. No proxies are allowed.
ARTICLE 7: COMMITTEES
Section 1: The organization shall have two standing committees: the Nominating Committee and the Ethics Committee. The Executive Board may establish such other committees as it may from time to time determine appropriate.
Section 2: The Nominating Committee shall consist of the Members-at-Large and the Past President, (when active) and shall prepare ballots for the annual meeting to presented to the Secretary. When the Past President is not active, the NEWCLUA President shall appoint a chair to the nominating committee.
Section 3: The Ethics Committee shall be comprised of three Full Members appointed by the President. The chair shall be one of the Members-at-Large from the Executive Board.
ARTICLE 8: ETHICS AND DISCIPLINE OF MEMBERS
Section 1: The Ethics Committee may consider reports of unethical or unprofessional conduct by any member. Examples of unethical or unprofessional conduct include:
- Missing an assigned game;
- Arriving late for an assigned game;
- Failing to pay dues on time;
- Any other conduct that fails to meet the generally accepted ethical or professional conduct of an umpire before, during, or after a game.
Section 2: The Committee shall receive reports and determine the appropriate sanction, if any, to impose against any member it determines has engaged in unethical or unprofessional conduct. If the NEWCLUA has established specific sanctions for specific conduct, the Committee shall apply those sanctions.
Section 3: Personnel from any participating institutions, any NEWCLUA member, or the Assigning Authority may report ethics concerns to the Ethics Committee. Incidents must be reported in writing to the Ethics Committee Chair and should be filed within 5 business days after the incident.
Section 4: The Ethics Committee will convene within 7 business days of receiving a report to discuss the report, hear from the accused member and any other interested parties, receive any information presented, and consider the matter. Meetings of the Committee may be conducted in person or by any means that allows all members to hear and speak with each other. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Committee may request additional information or consult additional persons. As soon as practical after the meeting, but within at least 30 days, the Committee will make a determination about whether unprofessional or unethical conduct has occurred and will notify the reporter and the accused member of its decision.
Section 5: Any person who is aggrieved by a decision of the Ethics Committee may appeal it decision in writing to the Executive Board (minus the members of the Ethics Committee) within 5 business days of receiving the decision. The Executive Board will convene within 7 business days to discuss the appeal and may hear from the appellant or any other person affected by the decision. The Executive Board will then issue a decision as soon as practical, but within at least 30 days of receipt of the appeal. The decision of the Executive Board shall be final.
ARTICLE 9: AMENDMENTS TO BYLAWS
Section 1: These bylaws may be amended or repealed by two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the members of the NEWCLUA present at a meeting at which a quorum is present.
Section 2: Prior notice of any proposed amendment or repeal of any bylaw must be contained in a notice of the meeting at which it will be voted on, which should be published to the members at least fourteen (14) days before the meeting commences.
ARTICLE 10: TRANSACTION BY OTHER MEANS
Section 1: Whenever any action by the Executive Board is required, that action may be conducted by mail, telephone, email, or other means. Any action by mail shall be deposited in U.S. mail postage prepaid at least ten (10) days before the ballot is to be returned. Any action by telephone or other electronic means must be conducted in a manner in which all participants may communicate with each other simultaneously.
