The Constitution of the University of Connecticut
Women's Rugby-Football Club

 This organization, known as the University of Connecticut Women's Rugby-Football Club, exists with the purpose to
promote interest and participation in the game of rugby.

Article I: New England Rugby-Football Union Regulations
The UConn Women's Rugby-Football Club shall maintain membership within New England Rugby-Football Union, NERFU, and abide by all regulations, law, and standards.

Section 1: League Season
League matches will be played from September through November of the fall season with the schedule provided by the NERFU Board of Directors. League matches are approved at the January NERFU Board meeting.

Section 2: League Play Requirements
-club members must be Union compliant;
-a permanent club mailing address;
-an advisor from a college faculty or admiinistration;
-authorization to participate from college administration;
-dues paid in full;
-medical kit at the pitch, and a properly laid out pitch(field);
-proof of insurance;
-goal posts must be padded;
-access to medical help;
-a restraining barrier(or rope) between sppectators and the pitch;
-teams must have a Trainer or EMT at their field for all home games, for colleges this can be done through their Health Services, who can put them in touch with one.

Failure to comply may result in a referee refusing to oversee a match.

Section 3: Reporting Requirements
Each team shall report the game score to the League Director NO LATER THAN NOON ON THE SUNDAY IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE GAME.

Section 4: Cancellation Requirements
Teams may cancel or postpone league fixtures, subject to Union approval. Teams may postpone or cancel league fixtures no less than 72 hours prior to the scheduled fixture and must notify the visiting team and referee with that time as well. Should a team cancel or postpone a league fixture without following the aforementioned process, disciplinary action may follow as decided by the Disciplinary Committee.

Section 5: Other
Any other requirements can be found within the NERFU Handbook at www.nerfu.org

Article II: Eligibility

According to the New England Rugby- Football Union Handbook regarding team membership, individual participation is as follows:

"Only FULL-TIME UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN GOOD STANDING may compete in matches leading to The National Championship. the USARFU has a five-year eligibility rule, i.e.; students playing rugby in a competition leading to a national championship must be undergraduates working towards a bachelor's degree. The undergraduates are no longer eligible to play if they are registered at any college, university, and/or Junior/Community College for more than 5 years. The regulations relating to the eligibility or alien students is that there are no restrictions regarding their number. Any alien who is a full-time student may play for his/her college or university and is subject to the same regulations as any other student."

Additionally, only females are allowed to participate in the women's collegiate rugby-football division associated wit the team's school.

Regulations pertaining to non-undergraduate students allow for the applicant to participate in any game not leading to the national championship, i.e. any games that are not part of divisional league play, which include scrimmages and tournaments, although individual tournament eligibility rules must be referenced.

 Article III: Internal Operations

 Section 1: Decision Making
All business pertaining to the club shall first be discussion upon by the officers, after which issues are to be brought to the attention of the entire team and voted on via a consensus decision. All final decisions are to be conducted by officers.

Section 2: Terms of Office and Elections
Clause 1: Elections will take place at the end of each semester. All offices will be open for new candidates with the exception of delegates to the Club Sports Council which will be elected only at the end of the spring semester.
Clause 2: Elections for offices will take place with at least 2/3 of the existing club present.
Clause 3: Elections will start with the captains and proceed down the line of offices by power.
Clause 4: Any member who will not be participating during the next semester shall not have the right to vote. This includes graduating seniors, students studying abroad, etc.
Clause 5: For each office the member who held that position will be asked if they wish to be re-elected, after which other members will be allowed to nominate potential candidates. Nominations for a single member office shall be capped at 4 and 6 for double member offices. Each nominee has the right to decline. Clause 6: All nominees are to be absent during discussion and election for each office. Discussion will be presided over by the past President, with the exception of the office of President in which case nomination and discussion will be led by the presiding Vice President. The election is to be secret, either by count or ballot, and to be tallied by a non-member. (The coach is not considered a member, and therefore able to conduct the count.)
Clause 7: The winner is decided by consensus, a win by even one vote is considered a win. Actual count is not to be announced, only the one candidate who won. In the event of a tie, graduating seniors shall vote, choosing from ALL candidates, to decide. In the event that a tie still arises, a re-vote shall be conducted between the candidates in question.

Section 3: Member Dues
Dues are to be collected at the start of each semester, and the amount is to be decided upon by the officers. Dues are to be paid by vets (members) within the first two weeks after the first practice. Dues are to paid by the rookies (new members) by the start of the third game. If dues are not paid by the appropriate deadline, a member shall not be allowed to play or participate in any club activities. If any member has a problem playing dues, individual concerns are to be brought to the captains and/or president.

Section 4: Funds Dispersal
All checks need to be approved by, or made aware of to, the president, vice president, and treasurer. Only these members have authority to sign off on any financial business. In the case of social events where the social chair is to be purchasing supplies, the social chair has the authority to sign off on a check as long as the aforementioned officers are aware of the situation. All flow of money is to be routinely documented.

Section 5: Equipment
Clause 1: Uniforms (shirts) are provided by the team, all other necessary items to play must be supplied by the individual members.
Clause 2: All field equipment is to be kept in adequate condition and is to be checked on by the Vice President.

 Article IV: Officer Duties

 Clause 1: Captains - There are two captains, a back and a pack captain. The captain is to schedule and run practices, and responsible for team play, position distribution, motivation and behavior.
Clause 2: President - The president is to be the connection between the club and USG, thus in charge of requesting money and transportation. The president also must maintain an active officer list with Student Activities, check the mailbox, and keep all club business focused and up to date.
Clause 3: Vice President - The Vice President is second to the president, and is in charge of all things that the president cannot directly take care of if not otherwise given to another officer. The VP is in charge or maintaining an active roster with school and home information for contact purposes, and keeping team event attendance. Additionally, the vice president is in charge of prepping for a game which includes painting the field, setting up the equipment, getting water, ice, balls, jerseys, and the med kit.
Clause 4: Match Secretary - There are two match secretaries and between the two of them all the duties must get done. They must set up matches with other teams, find tournaments, obtain directions, request/reserve fields, get referees, organize alumni weekend (Columbus day), call in game scores to the appropriate league director and organize summer recreation events.
Clause 5: Treasurer - The treasurer is to regulate the check book, keep a list of members who have paid, and organize available money for socials, transportation, referees, tournament dues, NERFU dues, med kit, CIPP forms (A-side only), jerseys and all other needs.
Clause 6: Social Chair - There are two social chairs, one of which should be over 21 (though this is not necessary) in order to purchase necessary supplies for socials and drink-ups. The social chair is also in charge of ordering shorts, socks, team shirts, and organizing the selling of such items to the public for team profit, and the organizing of team social events (to include rides, location, set-up, clean-up and supplies).
Clause 7: Public Relations - The public relations officer is in charge of advertising games, increasing funds from athletics, alumni, and donations. The PR also is responsible for sending alumni newsletters and game results and coordinating trips, with addition to that being the maintenance and updating of the team website.
Clause 8: Fundraising Chair - There are two fundraising chairs and both are to work together to increase fundraising for the club. They are to find and organize different fundraising projects, and ALL MEMBERS ARE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ACTUAL EVENT.
Clause 9: Recruitment Chair - There are two recruitment chairs. They are to organize and hold recruitment meetings, set-up and distribute posters/ flyers, and set-up a booth at the Activities Fair in the fall.
Clause 10: USCS Delegates - There are two delegates to the club sports council. Both must already hold an office. They are not to be of the same graduation year. They are to regularly attend UCSC meetings, acting as the connection between the two organizations and report back to the club.
Clause 11: Officer duties are subject to change and my be shared by more than one officer according to season and the topics at hand. All duties and responsibilities are to be known by each officer and adhered to. If, in any case, an officer fails the job required of her, the entire official body has the power to remove and replace her by vote.

 Article V: Amendments

 Amendments to the Constitution are to be agreed up on by the officers by a consensus vote.