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Bylaws of the Gulf Coast Division of the United States Fencing Association as they appeared before replacement July 31, 2005

Preamble

These Bylaws and amendments, upon adoption by the membership and acceptance by the USFA do hereby supersede, supplant and otherwise replace any previous bylaws, amendments or other rules whereby the Gulf Coast Division has been or may have been governed. However, this shall not construe a break in the continuity of the Gulf Coast Division; it is indeed a continuing viable body, responsible for the organization and supervision of the amateur fencing within its geographic area. All Divisional Officers and representatives previous to these Bylaws have been and are legitimate in election. All previous victories, awards, championships, etc. are also declared valid and legitimate.

Article I -- Name and Affiliation

The name of the division shall be THE GULF COAST DIVISION of the UNITED STATES FENCING ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED. THE GULF COAST DIVISION shall hereinafter be referred to as "THE DIVISION", and the UNITED STATES FENCING ASSOCIATION shall be referred to as "USFA, INC." THE DIVISION is a duly chartered subordinate, constituent body of the USFA, INC., exercising powers given by, performing duties directed under, and subject to, the Charter and Bylaws of the USFA, INC., with jurisdiction over the following geographic area:

Geographic Area

Beginning at the mouth of the Sabine River, at the Texas-Louisiana border. Extending west down the Texas Gulf Coast to the Mexican Border. Thence west following the Mexican-Texas border to the junction of US Highway 77. Thence northward following US Highway 77 to the point where it is intersected by the 31st parallel of latitude. Thence east following the 31st parallel to the Texas-Louisiana border. Thence southward following the Texas-Louisiana Border to the mouth of the Sabine River. The foregoing geographic area is the historic and approved area for THE DIVISION. It shall not exclude any offshore developments in the Gulf of Mexico nor waive any claim to jurisdiction thereto.

Article II -- Objectives

The objectives of the GULF COAST DIVISION of USFA, INC., shall be:

  1. The encouragement and development of the art of fencing.

  2. The holding of local competitions and tournaments.

  3. The promotion of participation in state, sectional and national competitions sponsored by USFA, INC.

  4. Such other purposes and objectives as have been promulgated in the Bylaws of USFA, INC.

Article III -- Membership

Section 1
Eligibility: any person residing in THE DIVISION, or belonging to a fencing club located within the area of THE DIVISION, and who is not a member of another division of USFA, INC., and who meets the requirements for membership in USFA, INC., shall be eligible for membership in THE DIVISION.

Section 2
Classes of Membership: The membership of the Division, being composed of members of USFA, INC, shall be divided into classes as established from time to time by the Board of Directors of USFA, INC. The requirements for membership in each class shall be subject to such regulations as the Board of Directors of USFA, INC may determine.

Section 3
Admission to Membership: applicants who qualify under Section I of this article shall be admitted to membership upon payment of the required dues.

Section 4
Discipline, Suspension and Expulsion of Members: all matters pertaining to the discipline, suspension and expulsion of members shall be referred to the Board of Directors of USFA, INC., for appropriate action.

Article IV -- Officers

The officers of THE DIVISION shall consist of a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. All officers shall take office the first of August next following their election, and shall hold office until the following July 31st, or until their successors are elected and have qualified. The duties of the officers shall be as followed:

Section 1
Chairman: the chairman shall preside at all meetings of THE DIVISION and its executive committee, and perform such other duties as usually pertain to that office and are not inconsistent with these Bylaws. The Chairman has the responsibility for filing with the Secretary and the Treasurer of the corporation the annual reports called for under the corporate bylaws and the standing votes of the Board of Directors. The preparation of these reports may be delegated to the Secretary or Treasurer of THE DIVISION.

Sub-Section A. Duties of the Chairman:

  1. The Chairman shall be responsible for coordinating and directing the duties of the Executive Committees.

  2. It shall also be the responsibility of the Chairman, with the Executive Committee, to prepare the yearly schedule to members of THE DIVISION by September First.

  3. The Chairman shall have the power to fill by appointment any of the offices of the executive committee which are vacated by abandonment or dereliction.

  4. If the position of Chairman of the Bout Committee, a standing committee of THE DIVISION, shall be vacant for any reason, then the Chairman shall perform the duties of the Chairman of the Bout Committee.

  5. It shall also be the responsibility of the Chairman or his appointee to purchase and deliver to all scheduled tournaments all trophies, awards, etc. This shall not apply to such tournaments as may be permitted to be conducted within the Division where the organizing committee is not provided directly by THE DIVISION, and expenses are not paid by The DIVISION. Such tournaments could include, but not be limited to, tournaments for USFA members hosted by clubs within the geographic area of THE DIVISION.

  6. It shall be the responsibility of the Chairman to annually inventory and record all divisional equipment and supplies and to make recommendations to the divisional membership for its repair and/or replacement. At the end of his term of office he shall immediately deliver all such equipment and inventory records to his successor.

  7. It shall be the responsibility of the Chairman to insure that all necessary and appropriate equipment and supplies are available at all
    scheduled tournaments at the proper place and the proper time. This shall not apply to such tournaments as may be permitted to be conducted within the Division where the organizing committee is not provided directly by THE DIVISION. Such tournaments could include, but not be limited to, tournaments for USFA members hosted by clubs within the geographic area of THE DIVISION. However, the Chairman should make available equipment owned by THE DIVISION and facilitate arrangements for other equipment as may be appropriate to further the objectives of THE DIVISION.

  8. The Chairman shall insure that a full and complete financial account of divisional funds and expenditures be published three times yearly.

  9. The Chairman shall insure that all scheduled divisional meetings are convened.

  10. It shall also be the responsibility of the Chairman to insure that any divisional bank accounts shall require at least two signatures. The two required signatures shall be the Chairman and the Treasurer.

Section 2
Vice Chairman: the Vice-Chairman in the absence of the Chairman, shall perform the duties of the Chairman.

Section 3
Secretary: the Secretary shall conduct all official correspondence; keep a record of the meetings of THE DIVISION; issue notices to all members of all meetings, and perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Chairman of THE DIVISION or other proper authority.

Sub-Section A. Duties of the Secretary:

  1. The secretary shall provide every divisional member with a current yearly schedule of fencing events by September 1.

  2. It shall also be the responsibility of the secretary to have current divisional schedules available at every event.

  3. The Secretary shall maintain a current membership list of the divisional members.

  4. The Secretary shall ascertain the rating of all divisional competitions and shall certify each fencer as to his or her classification(s). These ratings and classifications shall then be reported to the national secretary of the USFA.

  5. The Secretary shall provide on request and shall have on hand in printed form the minutes of all the Executive Committee meetings. These shall be available to the members at the divisional meetings and shall be mailed to the membership after each Executive Committee meeting. As an alternative to mailing minutes of a meeting of the Executive Committee, the Secretary may deliver the minutes to members by electronic means, or make the minutes generally available through electronic means in a fashion where the membership would reasonably be able to locate the minutes including but not limited to being made available on the World Wide Web in a manner where it can be easily found at an official Web site of THE DIVISION.

Section 4
Treasurer: the Treasurer shall keep the accounts of THE DIVISION; receive all moneys, fees, dues, etc.; pay all bills approved by the Executive Committee and preserve all vouchers for such disbursements. The Treasurer shall at the annual meeting of THE DIVISION submit a report of the financial transactions of the preceding year. The treasurer shall keep all funds of THE DIVISIONS in such account or accounts as the Executive Committees may prescribe. Nominal disbursements may be made from a petty cash fund under such regulation and control as may be established by the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall perform other such duties as may be assigned by the Chairman of THE DIVISION or other proper authority.

Sub-Section A. Duties of the Treasurer:

  1. The Treasurer shall compile, publish, and present in printed form to the membership a full financial account of divisional funds and expenditures as follows:

    1. on the same day as prior to the first divisional fencing tournament.

    2. following the mid season Executive meeting- to every divisional member by mail. As an alternative to mailing the financial report, the Treasurer may deliver the report to members by electronic means, or make the report generally available through electronic means in a fashion where the membership would reasonably be able to locate the report including but not limited to being made available on the World Wide Web in a manner where it can be easily found at an official Web site of THE DIVISION.

    3. on the same day as the prior to the beginning of the Divisional qualifiers for Summer Nationals.

Section 5
The office of Secretary and Treasurer may be combined for any year upon majority vote of the members of THE DIVISION voting, in person at the annual meeting. In the event of such vote, the candidates for the office of Secretary and the office of Treasurer, nominated pursuant to Article IX of these Bylaws, shall all be deemed candidates for the combined office.

Article V -- Management by the Executive Committee

Section 1
Composition: the management of THE DIVISION shall be vested in an Executive Committee consisting of the officers of THE DIVISION, such additional directors of the USFA, INC., as THE DIVISION may be entitled to elect and such additional members, not exceeding six (6) in number, as shall be elected by the members of THE DIVISION. The means by which such additional members are elected depends on the mechanism by which elections are conducted.

  1. If the election of members of the Executive Committee requires no information about what candidates exist for what office prior to the annual meeting, then the decision to elect any additional members and, if so, how many, shall be made at the annual meeting by those eligible to vote for the additional members.

  2. If the election of members of the Executive Committee requires information about what candidates exist for what office prior to the annual meeting, including but not limited to printing of ballots which can be cast prior to the meeting, then the additional members shall be elected by considering there to be six indistinguishable positions for which a nomination applies equally to all, except that ballots or votes with a vote for no candidate will be included in determining the number of votes required and if fewer than six candidates receive at least a majority of votes then offices will be left unfilled, with another vote or ballot only to resolve a tie for the lowest position when more than six candidates receive at least a majority.

Section 2
Quorum: a quorum shall consist of one third (1/3) of the members of the Executive Committee, or three (3) members, which ever is greater.

Section 3
Meetings: meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held at such time and place as shall be designated by the Chairman and shall be called upon the written request of three (3) or more members of the Committee. Any member of the Executive Committee may participate in a meeting by telephone or other electronic means unless another member of the Executive Committee participating in the meeting objects. All members shall be given not less than forty-eight (48) hours prior notice of all meetings. The Divisional Executive Committee shall schedule meetings at the following times:

  1. at some time prior to September 1 to prepare the Divisional Schedule.

  2. at the chairman's discretion, a midyear meeting between December 15 of the old year and January 15 of the new year.

  3. at the discretion of the Chairman, so long as it shall convene at least three calendar weeks prior to the Divisional qualifiers for Summer Nationals.

Section 4
Waiver of notice: any member of the Executive Committee may waive notice of any meeting of the Executive Committee. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any meeting of the Executive Committee need be specified in the waiver of notice of such meeting. Notice may be waived in either of the following ways: (a) an acknowledgment of wavier reflected in the minutes of the meeting for which such notice is waived; attendance of a member of the Executive Committee at any meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting except where the member attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. (b) a written acknowledgment signed by the member of the Executive Committee so waiving and received by the Secretary on or before the date of the meeting for which such notice is waived.

Article VI -- Division Board

Section 1
Powers: There shall exist a Division Board with the power to set policies for THE DIVISION. Except where in conflict with provisions of these Bylaws, or with USFA, Inc., policies established by the Division Board must be followed by the Executive Committee, the Officers and other members of the Executive Committee, standing committees of THE DIVISION and their members, any other positions or bodies described in these Bylaws, and any positions or bodies established under authority granted by these Bylaws. The Division Board shall not be responsible for the management of THE DIVISION beyond setting policies.

Section 2
Composition: the Division Board shall consist of one member of THE DIVISION who is not an officer of THE DIVISION serving as a representative of each club which belongs to USFA, INC in the geographic area of THE DIVISION. Such representatives will be selected by the clubs. Whenever a club selects a representative, or an alternate for a representative, it must notify the Officers of THE DIVISION of the selection and means for contacting the person. The Secretary shall then notify the other representatives and alternates of the newly selected representative or alternate and his contact information, and notify the newly selected person of the existing other representatives and alternates and their contact information.

Section 3
Continuity through membership lapses: if membership of a club in USFA, INC. lapses at the beginning of the membership year due to lapse in dues payment or other failure to take action, but not for a reason prohibiting the club from rejoining, a representative of that club shall continue to be considered to belong to the Division Board for one month if the club declares that it is remedying the lapse. If the membership in THE DIVISION of a representative lapses at the beginning of the membership year due to lapse in dues payment or other failure to take action, but not for a reason prohibiting the person from rejoining, that representative shall continue to be considered to belong to the Division Board for one month if he declares that he is remedying the lapse.

Section 4
Quorum: a quorum shall consist of representatives of over one-half (1/2) of the clubs, or four clubs, whichever is greater. Any club which does not select either a representative or an alternate during the first month of its membership in USFA, INC. during a membership year shall not be entitled to select representatives for the rest of the membership year and shall not be counted when determining the size of a quorum.

Section 5
Proxies: club representatives may not vote by proxy at meetings of the Division Board. However, a club may select a new representative at any time. Also, if the selected representative is not present, then an alternate for the representative shall automatically be entitled to serve as the representative in the absence of the representative. An alternate representative does not automatically assume any special significance which might have been granted by the Division Board to the usual representative.

Section 6
Minutes: The Secretary shall record the minutes of meetings of the Division Board, but shall not ex officio be a member of the Division Board. The Secretary shall provide on request and shall have on hand in printed form the minutes of all the Division Board meetings. These shall be available to the members at the divisional meetings and shall be communicated to the membership in an analogous fashion to minutes of Executive Committee meetings.

Section 7
Meetings: the Division Board is not required to meet. Meetings of the Division Board shall be called by agreement of four representatives, and held at such time and place as the four representatives designate. All representatives and the Secretary shall be given not less seven (7) days notice of all meetings. The Division Board may select a chairman and may select a vice chairman from among the representatives, who shall hold those positions until the Division Board specifies otherwise. If the representative from a club is replaced temporarily or permanently by the club, the new representative does not automatically assume any special significance which might have been granted by the Division Board to the previous representative.

Section 8
Representativeness: the clubs shall be free to select as representatives any members of THE DIVISION who they consider to be able to serve satisfactorily to represent the interests of their clubs, without regard to any other role the member may serve in the club or in THE DIVISION except officer of THE DIVISION. However, to such extent that the interests of owners and paid employees of clubs and the interests of the members of THE DIVISION within that club may differ, clubs are to avoid selecting owners and paid employees as representatives.

Section 9
Common Ownership: For purposes of representation on the Division Board, including the size of a quorum, any two or more clubs which individually are eligible for representation on the Division Board, but which have identical ownership, shall be treated as if they are a single club.

Article VII -- Committees


There shall be four (4) standing committees of THE DIVISION whose chairman shall be appointed by the Chairman of THE DIVISION. With the exception of the bout committee any other committee shall be optional at the discretion of the Executive Committee.


Section 1
Bout Committee: The Chairman of the Bout Committee or his appointee shall be the de facto Chairman of the bout committee at each tournament in THE DIVISION. The chairman of each individual bout committee shall have charge of and conduct that tournament. The Chairman of the Bout Committee shall also appoint (2) or more other members of THE DIVISION and possibly other members of USFA, INC. for each competition who, with the chairman of the bout committee of the competition, shall constitute the bout committee for such competition. The chairman of an individual bout committee shall decide all disputes arising during the course of that competition. An appeal may be taken from any decision of the chairman to the bout committee as a whole, in which event the decision of a majority of the members of the bout committee shall control.

Section 2
Publicity and Membership Committees: the Chairman of the publicity and membership committee shall have charge of all publicity and public relations relating to THE DIVISION and shall also be charged with the conducting of continuing efforts to promote membership in THE DIVISION.

Section 3
Arrangements Committee: the Chairman of the Arrangements Committee shall have charge of all administrative duties involved in the conduct of any competition, other than the duties of the Chairman of the Bout Committee. The Arrangements Committee shall be in addition to and shall supplement the activities of the Executive Committee in its capacity as organizing committee for all competitions.

Section 4
Historical Committee: the Chairman of the Historical Committee shall compile a record of the results of all individual competitions conducted by THE DIVISION and results of outstanding individual performances by members of THE DIVISION in all other competitions. He shall also maintain a record of all the fencing and officiating classification of all the members of THE DIVISION. The Chairman and members of this committee shall be under the direction of the Secretary of the Division. The activities of this committee shall in no way negate the record keeping and reporting responsibilities of the Divisional Secretary.

Article VIII -- Meetings of the Members

Section 1
Regular Meetings: the regular meetings of the members of THE DIVISION shall convene as follows:

  1. Annual meeting -- on any day or the evening preceding any day of the Divisional qualifiers for Summer Nationals at any time prior to the completion of the qualifiers when no qualifier is being fenced; to receive reports from the executive committee, financial report, inventory and condition report of Divisional equipment, recommendations by outgoing officers, and to elect and qualify new officers.

Section 2
Special Meetings: special meetings may be called any time and place by the Chairman, and shall be called by the Chairman upon the written request of not less than five (5) members of the Division. For a special meeting called because of a written request of members, the Chairman shall still specify the time and place, but the time shall be soon enough to accommodate the business intended for the meeting, and the time and place shall be of relative convenience for the membership of the Division.

Section 3
Notice: written notice of the date, time and place of regular meetings shall be given to all members not less than fifteen (15) days in advance of such meeting. The notice shall contain a statement of the officers to be filled at such meeting, a statement as to any proposed amendments to the Bylaws to be voted upon at such meeting, and a statement of other matters required a vote of the membership at such meeting. All members shall be given at least seven (7) days prior written notice of all special meetings, which shall set forth the business to be transacted at the meeting.

Section 4
Quorum: a quorum shall consist of not less than seven (7) members of THE DIVISION present in person and a majority vote of those present shall control, except as herein otherwise provided.

Section 5
Eligibility: A member of THE DIVISION is entitled to vote, and is counted toward a quorum, if he satisfies such requirements as USFA, INC. may establish.

  1. If USFA, INC. establishes requirements for eligibility to vote in division affairs, these requirements shall apply.

  2. In the absence of such requirements, such requirements as USFA, INC. has established for eligibility to vote in national affairs shall apply instead.

  3. If USFA, INC. requirements specify that a member must act to cause a condition to be satisfied before a specific calendar date during the membership year, and the vote occurs prior to that date, then it shall be sufficient if the member is known to have caused the condition to be satisfied by the time of the vote.

  4. If USFA, INC. requirements specify that a member must inherently satisfy a condition before a specific calendar date during the membership year, and the vote occurs prior to that date, then it shall be sufficient if the member is known to have satisfied the condition by the time of the vote.

  5. Unless specifically required by the USFA, INC., no member shall be eligible to vote or be counted toward a quorum if less than 18 years old.

Article IX -- Elections

Section 1
Nominations: candidates for all offices established under these Bylaws shall be nominated by notification of the Secretary prior to six weeks before the reporting date for divisional qualifiers for Summer Nationals, and prior to four weeks before the start of the Divisional qualifiers for Summer Nationals, and submission by the candidate of a brief biography and statement of goals, to be disseminated to the voting membership by written notice within two weeks of when no further nominations can be accepted by the Secretary, and dissemination of the information on an official Web site of THE DIVISION for the entire period between two weeks after when no further nominations can be accepted by the Secretary and the completion of the election.

Section 2
If no nominations are made for any office which is required to be filled, nominations for this office shall be made from the floor of the election meeting, with the election by written ballot, with the winner determined by receiving the majority of the cast in the balloting or any necessary repeated balloting. If not more than one (1) nomination is made for any office, the secretary of THE DIVISION shall cast a unanimous ballot at the annual meeting for the candidate nominated. If two (2) or more nominations are made for any office, voting for the candidate for such contested office shall be in person and the candidate receiving the majority of the votes cast shall be declared elected. Written ballots shall be used. In the event that three (3) or more candidates are nominated for any office, and no candidate receives a majority vote, a run-off election shall be conducted and the winner shall be declared elected.

Article X -- Traditional Tournaments of THE DIVISION

  1. THE DIVISION traditionally begins its fencing season with the Franks Memorial Invitational Sabre Tournament. The rotating trophy for this tournament is retained by the winner for one year. Other events are usually scheduled with the Franks.

  2. The Van Buskirk Sabre Tournament honors Harold Van Buskirk, former Olympic Team Captain, sabre fencer, US Epee champion and long time coach at Rice University. It is an invitational tournament, open to all, and held in March. It is held in conjunction with the Gulf Coast Invitational Tournament which includes all weapons and is also open to everyone.

  3. The Divisional qualifiers for Summer Nationals, which are closed to all but Gulf Coast Division members in good standing.

Article XI -- Classification of Divisional Fencers

Section 1
Beginners: a beginner is defined as a fencer who has fenced less than one calendar year in THE DIVISION or in any other competitions sanctioned by the USFA, FIE, NCAA, AAU or any other recognized institution in the US or abroad. The beginner's calendar year begins on the date of his first competition and expires on the same date of the following year. The Beginner's status shall not be jeopardized by winning or placing in any higher classified tournaments. (Except as in Art. 10, Sec. 3 below)

Section 2
Novice: a novice is defined as a fencer who has completed his beginner's year and who has fenced less than one additional calendar year. The Novice's calendar year begins immediately on the expiration of his beginner's year and expires as outlined below. No fencer shall remain a novice, in whatever weapon, for more than three consecutive years inclusive. The novice's status shall not be any fencing achievements during his novice calendar year (except as Art. 10, Sec. 3, below). Each fencer shall be insured one calendar year as a novice in each weapon he or she is qualified to compete. Novice status, after the first calendar year, shall cease immediately upon a fencer's winning first place in an Open Tournament or a Closed Tournament which is not a Restricted Tournament.

Section 3
Application of National Classification: No fencer holding a National or International classification or rating of any kind shall be a novice or Beginner in THE DIVISION. Also, beyond Novice class in THE DIVISION, USFA classification will apply.

Article XII -- Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern THE DIVISION in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with rules and policies of USFA, INC, these Bylaws, and any special rules of order THE DIVISION may adopt. This shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, meetings of the Executive Committee, meetings of other committees, and meetings of the members.

Article XIII -- Amendments

These Bylaws may be amended at any annual meeting of the members, or at any special meeting of the members called for that purpose. An amendment receiving a majority of all votes cast by the members voting in person shall be deemed adopted.