Bi-Laws and Constitution
Constitution
ARTICLE I - Name
The name of the organization shall be the Chess Association for Arkansas Schools (hereinafter CAAS).
ARTICLE II - Philosophy
The CAAS believes that chess can be an integral part of any program because it shows students the reward of study and practice, enhances the development of critical thinking skills, cultivates creative problem solving, fosters self-esteem in a fun and motivating manner, and promotes good sportsmanship in a time-honored fashion.
Through independent study and research, students learn principles that they can apply immediately, directly observing the link between their study and the results they achieve over the chessboard.
A chess player quickly discovers that learning how to solve a problem can be more important than learning the solution to any specific problem. Using all of their mental abilities to create strategies or devise plans, students learn to concentrate their attention on important factors while discarding any distractions.
Chess is inherently an egalitarian competition because a player can be sure that - win, lose or draw - success depends solely on their ability to apply what he or she has learned and not on any other factor, whether of background or of circumstance.
Like any other competitive activity, chess teaches students valuable lifelong lessons: how to think coolly under pressure; how to win gracefully; and how to accept defeat and learn from it.
Therefore, CAAS believes that encouraging and supporting competitive chess in our schools will contribute to the societal goal of raising literate and civilized citizens who will have the skills necessary to effectively participate in a democracy.
ARTICLE III - Purpose
The primary purpose of CAAS is to organize and conduct interscholastic chess tournaments at various levels to achieve the following objectives:
1. To provide another opportunity for all students to compete and benefit from participation in an activity according to their own level of interest and ability.
2. To motivate students to use their critical thinking and problem solving skills.
3. To demonstrate to students the value of improving their ability to concentrate on a problem at hand.
4. To reinforce the correlation between focused study and success at a specific endeavor
5. To encourage self-discipline among students and the heightened sense of self-esteem and empowerment that this ability can bring.
6. To promote good sportsmanship as an essential aspect of a civilized life.
ARTICLE IV - Membership
Section 1. Eligibility
All Chess Sponsors/Advisors/Coaches who meet the eligibility requirements of the Arkansas Activities Association shall be eligible for membership in CAAS.
Section 2. Individual Membership and Voting Privilege
Every Chess Sponsor/Advisor/Coach is eligible for membership in CAAS, but they must register. Each registered high school will have one vote.
ARTICLE V - Funding
Should funding be discontinued for mailing, regional and state tournaments, etc., CAAS will formulate a funding policy for the provision of such funds.
ARTICLE VI - Executive Board
Section 1. Executive Board Composition
The Organizational Board will consist of 24 members who are selected by region. Fifteen (15) members will come from the Arkansas Educational Service Cooperative Regions (1 per Cooperative) and nine (9) will be at-large members. The Organizational Board will remain in effect for two (2) years. At the end of this time, the Organizational Board will become the Executive Board. The Executive Board will consist of fifteen (15) members: one (1) from each of the fifteen (15) Arkansas Educational Service Cooperative Regions; eight (8) at-large members; and, one (1) from Pulaski County. The at-large members will be selected to balance out the school size representation so that there is a minimum of three (3) members per classification. Nominations must be submitted in writing to the Regional Coordinators by the date determined by the Executive Board. Executive Board members must be elected and assume duties by the date determined by the Executive Board.
Section 2. Terms
All Executive Board members will serve three (3) year terms staggered to accommodate the terms of positions held by any member of the Executive Board.
Section 3. Duties
The duty of the Executive Board members will be to act as liaisons between CAAS and member schools.
Section 4. Vacancies
In the case of vacancy, the president will nominate a person to fill the position and the nominee will be confirmed by the Executive Committee.
Section 5. Positions of the Executive Board
The following positions on the Executive Board, and/or any other positions that the Executive Committee deems necessary, will exist: Classification Coordinator; Regional Coordinator; Parliamentarian; Nominating Chairperson; and, Newsletter Editor. The position holders will be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE VII - Executive Committee
Section 1. Offices
The Executive Committee shall consist of a president, president-elect, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and finance chairperson. The immediate past president will also serve as an ex-officio member for one year.
Section 2. Elections
All people nominated to hold Executive Committee positions must be members of the Executive Board. Officers of the Executive Committee will be elected by the Executive Board and assume duties by July 15.
Section 3. Vacancies
In case of vacancy, the president shall nominate a member of the Executive Board to fill the unexpired term. The nominee must then be confirmed by the Executive Board.
ARTICLE VIII - Amendment Changes
Proposed amendments to the constitution must be submitted in writing to the Executive Board by either of the following methods:
1. they may be submitted to the Executive Board for consideration of placement on the ballot, or
2. they may be submitted with a petition containing the signatures of 10% of the eligible voting members. After verification of the petition, the proposed amendment will be placed on the ballot.
ARTICLE IX - Rule Changes
Proposed rule changes must be submitted in writing to the Executive Board by either of the following methods:
1. they may be submitted to the Executive Board for consideration of placement on the ballot, or
2. they may be submitted with a petition containing the signatures of 10% of the eligible voting members. After verification of the petition, the proposed rule changes will be placed on the ballot.
ARTICLE X - Meetings
Section 1. Executive Board Meetings
Meetings of the Executive Board will occur quarterly. Special meetings can be called at the request of the Executive Committee or a majority of the Executive Board.
Section 2. Executive Committee Meetings
Meetings of the Executive Committee will occur quarterly as well as any other time deemed necessary by the president or a majority of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE XI - Appeals
The Executive Committee will set up an appeals process that will be defined in the by-laws.
ARTICLE XII - Dissolution
Whenever, for any reason, this association is dissolved or is no longer able to accomplish and carry out the specific purposes for which the association was formed, the Executive Board shall terminate the affairs of the association, pay its debts, and after this has been done, shall dispose of any remaining assets in a manner that will promote competitive scholastic chess in the state of Arkansas.
ARTICLE XIII - Ratification
The constitution shall become effective when it has been ratified by a majority vote.
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Bi-Laws
ARTICLE I - Executive Board Duties and Responsibilities
The Executive Board of the CAAS shall have the authority to do the following:
¨ Make rules and assign responsibilities to all standing and special committees.
¨ Develop ways and means of cooperation between professional organizations whose aims are in accord with the purposes of this association.
¨ Make an annual report of the activities of the CAAS. This report will cover a fiscal year of July 1 through June 30.
¨ Collect membership dues.
¨ Expend funds of the CAAS.
¨ Make and revise the annual budget.
¨ Schedule meetings of the CAAS.
¨ Carry out and enforce the rules governing membership in the CAAS.
¨ Authorize an associational newsletter or magazine in order to keep all members informed.
¨ Provide services such as publications, conferences, research, individual counseling, and other services in accord with the purposes of the CAAS.
¨ Remove Board members who miss more than one-half of the regularly scheduled meetings in any twelve (12) month period or miss four (4) consecutive meetings. The Board advisor will send a letter of notification after the third absence. A written appeal may be made to the Board if there are extenuating circumstances.
¨ Use the newest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order as a guideline for parliamentary procedure.
¨ Define a majority vote as the majority of the Board members present.
¨ Discuss only any procedure or rule change proposed at a meeting when such procedure or rule change is not a part of the set Agenda. Voting on such procedure or rule change will occur at the next scheduled Board meeting.
ARTICLE II - Offices of the Executive Board
I. Classification Coordinators
A. Serve a one (1) year term
B. Be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Executive Board.
C. Number one (1) coordinator per classification
D. Perform all duties of classification coordinators:
¨ Oversee CAAS activities for their classification
¨ Keep classification records
¨ Report all records to the Executive Board
II. Regional (Geographic Area) Coordinators
A. Serve a one (1) year term
B. Be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Executive Board
C. Number sixteen (16) regional coordinators serving the fifteen (15) AR Educational Service Cooperative Regions and Pulaski County.
D. Perform all duties of regional coordinators:
¨ Serve as the primary link of communication between the Executive Board and the chess sponsors/advisors/coaches in the region for which they are responsible
¨ Hold pre-season meetings with the area chess sponsors/advisors/coaches to establish a schedule
¨ Confirm host sites for regional tournaments to be played in their area
III. Parliamentarian
A. Serve a one (1) year term
B. Be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Executive Board
C. Perform all duties of the parliamentarian:
¨ Advise the Executive Board on parliamentary matters
¨ Work with other members of the Executive Board to keep policies and handbook updated
IV. Nominating Chairperson
A. Serve a one (1) year term
B. Be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Executive Board
C. Present a slate of officers for approval by the president
V. Newsletter Editor/Web Master
A. Serve a one (1) year term
B. Be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Executive Board
C. Perform all duties of the newsletter editor:
¨ Develop a quarterly newsletter
VI. Publicity Chairperson
A. Attend functions for publicity purposes (i.e., acquire photographs, match information, etc.)
B. Act as liaison between CAAS and local and state news agencies
ARTICLE III - Offices of Executive Committee
I. President
A. Serve a two (2) year term
B. Must have been president-elect previous year
C. Perform all duties of president
¨ Preside over CAAS board meetings
¨ Be liaison with Arkansas Department of Education
¨ Be liaison with Arkansas Activities Association
¨ Be responsible for all CAAS activities
¨ Make appointments of all committee chairpersons
¨ Act as general coordinator of the state tournament
II. President-elect
A. Serve a two (2) year term
B. Must have been a member of the Executive Board for one year and have two (2) years left to serve as president
C. Must have coordinated at least one regional/invitational tournament
D. Perform all duties of the president-elect:
¨ Preside over CAAS board meetings when the president is absent
¨ Act as general coordinator of all regional tournaments
¨ Act as chairperson for rules and procedures committee
¨ Assume the position of president should that vacancy occur
III. Vice-President (Membership Chairperson)
A. Serve a two (2) year term
B. Must have been a member of the Executive Board for one (1) year
C. Perform all duties of vice-president:
¨ Develop and maintain a current mailing list of all member schools
¨ Be responsible for recruiting new member schools
¨ Coordinate all elections of Executive Board members
IV. Secretary
A. Serve a two (2) year term
B. Must have been a member of the Executive Board for one (1) year
C. Perform all duties of the secretary:
¨ Keep accurate minutes of all Executive Board meetings
¨ Maintain all Executive Board records
¨ Organize and maintain a state-wide mail out to all regional coordinators
¨ Organize news releases concerning all CAAS activities
¨ Maintain all information connected with the Arkansas Activities Association or other sanctioning agencies
V. Treasurer
A. Serve a two (2) year term
B. Must have been a member of the Executive Board for one year
C. Must be bonded
D. Perform all duties of the treasurer:
¨ Maintain records of all CAAS monies
¨ Report all financial records to the Executive Board
¨ Act as a fiscal agent for CAAS as directed by the Executive Board
¨ Run all monies through his/her school district, cooperative or other agency approved by the Executive Board
¨ File an annual financial statement by June 30th with the Executive Committee
VI. Finance Chairperson
A. Serve a two (2) year term
B. Must be a member of the Executive Board
C. Be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Executive Board
D. Perform all duties of the finance chairperson:
¨ Develop ideas for fund raising
¨ Maintain records of and contact with potential donors grants, etc.
¨ Maintain contact and share records with regional finance committee members
¨ Be the required second signature on all checks issued by the CAAS Executive Board
Section 1. Tournament/Match Appeals
The most recent issue of the United States Chess Federation (USCF) Official Rules of Chess will be applied for detailed playing rules not covered in the CAAS Handbook and will be used for all Regional and State tournaments. In case of a dispute, any decision of a tournament director may be appealed to the Tournament Appeals Committee. The Tournament Appeals Committee shall be made up of the general tournament coordinator and two (2) other sponsors/advisors/coaches chosen from those not involved in the dispute. If the conflict is not of a technical chess nature (i.e., eligibility, deportment, etc.) and cannot be resolved, the decision may be appealed according to the procedures set forth in Section 4 of the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) Handbook.
Section 2. CAAS Appeals
All appeals concerning rules, procedures, scheduling, dates of play, team composition, location of play, etc., shall be submitted to the Executive Board within two (2) weeks of the occurrence and will be ruled on by the Executive Committee of the CAAS. All decisions by the Executive Committee will be considered final and cannot be taken to any other organization or association.