BY-LAWS Of the Harrisburg Division United States Fencing Association Passed by a vote of the Membership: August 2007 ARTICLES

1. The name of this division shall be the HARRISBURG DIVISION of the United States Fencing Association, Inc. The HARRISBURG DIVISION shall hereinafter be referred to as the “DIVISION,” of the UNITED STATES FENCING ASSOCIATION, INC shall hereinafter be referred to as “USFA”.

2. The DIVISION is a duly chartered subordinate, constituent body of the USFA, exercising powers granted by, and performing duties directed under, and subject to the Charter and By-Laws hereinafter referred to as the “Rules” of the USFA.

3. The jurisdiction of the DIVISION shall be the geographical area consisting of the Pennsylvania counties of Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Northumberland, Perry, Schuylkill, Union, Snyder and York, hereinafter referred to as “the Boundaries.”

4. The DIVISION is within the boundaries of the Mid-Atlantic Section of the USFA. All members of the DIVISION shall also be members of the Mid-Atlantic Section and will be entitled to compete in the Sectional Championships by being a member of the DIVISION according to Sectional Championship requirements.

1. The DIVISION shall regulate, supervise and conduct fencing competitions within the Boundaries of the DIVISION including, but not limited to, all required qualifying competitions for National Championships. All sanctioned fencing competitions shall be regulated under the Rules of the USFA.

2. The DIVISION shall promote and further the interest in the sport of fencing by such activities as the publication of fencing news, the planning of fencing exhibitions, and providing fencing related educational assistance to schools, colleges and organizations within its Boundaries.

3. The DIVISION shall establish standards of conduct in the best interest of fencing, as outlined in the Operations Manual.

5. The DIVISION shall further such other purposes and objectives of the USFA.

6. The DIVISION shall establish procedures for the collection of dues for the financial support of DIVISION activities.

1. Membership in the DIVISION shall be open to persons residing permanently or temporarily within the Boundaries who are not members of another division of the USFA.

2. Admission of members, classification of members, rights and duties of members and dues payable by members shall be governed by the Rules of the USFA.

3. Only those individual members who have paid their USFA dues on or before February 1^{st of each membership year and who have attained their 18th birthday as of that date and whose dues have been received by the DIVISION on or before that date shall have the right to vote on all matters that may be voted on by the DIVISION pursuant to these By-Laws and to hold any division office to which they may be elected or appointed.}

4. All matters pertaining to the involuntary termination of DIVISION membership shall be referred to the Board of Directors of the USFA for appropriate action.

5. Annual dues in the DIVISION shall be considered that portion of USFA dues returned to the DIVISION. The DIVISION may, upon majority vote of the membership, add an additional fee or increase dues for DIVISION expenses.

6. A fencing club of the DIVISION is defined as a club which has a stable organizational structure, a place to meet regularly for the purpose of promoting the sport of fencing through lessons and practice sessions and participates in DIVISION activities.

1) In accordance with the USFA Bylaws, the administrative authority of the DIVISION shall be vested in an Executive Committee, which shall possess such responsibilities, and authority as shall be vested in it by these By-Laws. The Executive Committee shall consist of:

a) The Chairperson, who shall be elected in accordance with these By-Laws, shall:

i) preside at all meetings of the DIVISION and the Executive Committee, and perform such other duties as usually pertain to that office and are not inconsistent with these By-Laws.

ii) be responsible for submitting required annual reports to the USFA.

iii) be a member of the USFA Congress and shall be designated as the First Representative of the DIVISION at all USFA Congress meetings. The Chairperson may appoint another representative for the DIVISION if the Chairperson is unable to attend a meeting. The Chairperson must notify the USFA of the alternate in advance of the meeting and provide the alternate a proxy, in accordance with the Rules.

iv) appoint the Vice-Chairperson as chairperson of the Nominating Committee (hereafter defined).

v) appoint the chairpersons of the four standing committees of the DIVISION.

b) The Vice-Chairperson , who shall be elected in accordance with these By-Laws, shall:

i) in the absence of the Chairperson perform the duties of the Chairperson.

ii) serve as the chairperson of the Nominating Committee.

iii) perform any other duties as assigned by the Chairperson.

c) The Secretary , who shall be elected in accordance with these By-Laws, shall:

i) conduct all official correspondence;

ii) keep a record of the meetings and minutes of the DIVISION;

iii) issue notices to members of all meetings of the DIVISION;

iv) perform such duties as assigned by the Chairperson or the sectional or national bodies of the USFA.

d) The Treasurer , who shall be elected in accordance with these By-Laws, shall::

i) keep the financial accounts of the DIVISION;

ii) receive all monies, fees, dues, etc.;

iii) pay all bills approved by the Executive Committee; and preserve all vouchers for such disbursements;

iv) maintain with a local bank a DIVISION checking account having dual signatory provisions;

v) follow deposit and disbursement practices as prescribed in the DIVISION Operations Manual and according to generally accepted accounting practices.

vi) at the annual meeting of the DIVISION submit a report of the financial transactions of the preceding year;

vii) upon receipt of written request provide a copy of the current financial records of the DIVISION;

viii) maintain a permanent archive for all DIVISION minutes, financial statements, correspondence;

ix) perform other duties as assigned by the Chairperson or other proper authority of the USFA.

e) In the event no nominee can be found for the offices of Secretary or Treasurer these offices may be combined for any one-year. In the event of such situation, the candidate for the office of Secretary or the office of Treasurer, nominated pursuant to Article VI of the By-Laws, shall be deemed the candidate for the combined office.

f) Members-at-Large: Three (3) Members-at-Large shall be elected annually. The nomination of Members-at-Large shall be in accordance with ARTICLE V of these bylaws.

i) Each Member at Large shall serve as the chairperson of a standing committee as appointed by the Chairperson of the DIVISION.

g) USFA Representative(s) to the USFA Congress shall be elected annually. The First Representative shall be the Chairman of the DIVISION. Additional nominations for Representative(s) or their Alternates shall be in accordance with the Rules of the USFA governing congressional representation and in accordance with ARTICLE V of these bylaws.

h) Consuls:

The DIVISION chairperson shall appoint three former division officers as consuls. These consuls may be called upon to give guidance when needed by the Executive Committee. Consuls do not have voting privileges for Executive Committee business.

2) All officers and members of the Executive Committee must be USFA members in good standing as of the dates of their nomination and election. Should USFA membership be terminated the office shall be considered vacant and the Chairperson will appoint a qualified interim replacement.

3) Each elected member of the Executive Committee shall have one vote to exercise for committee affairs, the exception being that of assigned proxies. Appointed, ad hoc or interim members shall have no vote.

4) Term of office shall be for one year beginning on August 1. If the election cannot be held by that date the incumbent officers shall continue to serve until an election is held.

5) No officer may be removed from office except upon cause.

6) Any officer of the DIVISION who fails to perform their duties, as required by these By-Laws, may be charged with cause by the Executive Committee under the following procedures:

a) upon presentation and seconding of a motion at an Executive Committee meeting OR by petition of twenty-five (25) voting members of the DIVISION, and;

b) within ten (10) days of the motion, or upon receipt of petition, the Chairperson shall provide, by certified letter, written notification of the cause(s) for removal to the entire Executive Committee and the member under consideration for removal and;

c) the member under consideration for removal has fourteen (14) calendar days from receipt of said letter to contest the proposed removal by providing written notice to the Chairperson of the Executive Committee, and;

d) the Chairperson shall schedule and agenda an emergency meeting of the Executive Committee (see Article VII.(5) not later than fourteen (14) calendar days of receipt of the charged officers response to address or vote upon motion, and;

e) the member so charged has the right to appear and present arguments against removal and;

f) at any meeting at which the removal of any member of the Executive Committee is contemplated, three quarters (3/4) of the members of the filled seats of the Executive Committee must be present, and;

g) the member under consideration for removal has NO voting rights at said meeting.

h) Three quarters (3/4) of the Executive Committee must vote, by presence or proxy, in favor of the motion for removal before the member may be removed from office. The Chairperson shall abstain from the initial vote and, in case of a tie, cast the deciding vote.

7) Replacement of Executive Committee vacancy

a) The Chairperson shall appoint a temporary replacement until a qualified candidate can be presented to the Executive Committee for vote.

i) At any Executive Committee meeting where a new member is to be voted upon, three quarters (3/4) of the filled seats of the Executive Committee must be present.

ii) Three quarters (3/4) of the Executive Committee at this meeting must cast votes in favor of the candidate.

1) The DIVISION shall hold elections annually for the purpose of electing officers and approving special referendums or for amending the By-Laws.

2) Any individual may be nominated for any DIVISION office provided they meet all voting membership requirements by August 1 of the fencing year in which they would serve if elected.

3) Nomination for office:

a) The Nominating Committee shall present a slate of candidates for elected officers and representatives of the USFA as established under these By-Laws and in accordance with the Rules of the USFA governing congressional representation.

b) Nominees not put forth by the Nominating Committee may present a nominating petition to the Secretary of the DIVISION no later than April 10 of the election year.

c) Every nominating petition shall be considered valid if it contains: the name of the nominee, the office for which the nomination is made, a statement of intent, and include the signatures of 10 (ten) current USFA members in-good-standing, aged 18 years or older.

4) If there is only one candidate for any office such candidature shall be deemed UNCONTESTED and the Secretary shall, at the next annual meeting cast a vote of acclimation for that candidate and who shall thereby be deemed elected to that office.

5) If the Nominating Committee is unable to submit a complete slate of candidates, the Executive Committee shall appoint candidates for each UN-nominated office.

6) In the event that there is more than one candidate for any office, that candidacy shall be deemed CONTESTED and an election shall be conducted according to the policies and procedures defined in the DIVISION Operations Manual.

a) Every member of the DIVISION and the USFA as of April 15 of the current fencing season who shall have attained the age of 18 years on or before February 1 of the current fencing season shall have one vote in the election of each officer.

b) Each vote must be cast personally by said member according to the election procedure described in the DIVISION Operations Manual.

c) All ballots must be received by the Secretary of the DIVISION on or before June 30 of the current fencing season.

7) The candidate receiving a simple majority of votes shall be deemed elected to said office.

1) There shall be at least four (4) standing committees of the DIVISION, each of which is chaired by a Member-at-Large and appointed by the Chairperson of the DIVISION.

a) The Nominating Committee shall be chaired by the Vice-Chairperson and shall additionally be comprised of one member representative from three (3) member clubs of the DIVISION.

i) The Nominating Committee shall:

(1) Solicit candidates to serve as officers of the DIVISION.

(2) Provide to the DIVISION Secretary the following:

(a) not later than March 15th, via USPS mail an announcement of the election for officers of the DIVISION including;

(i) a description of the office and officer requirements,

(ii) the due date for submission of nominating petitions,

(b) not later than April 15th submit a slate of officers.

b) The Tournament Committee shall consist of one representative from each USFA member club within the DIVISION and shall:

i) oversee all the competitions in the DIVISION to ensure compliance with DIVISION and USFA Rules,

ii) be responsible for submission, within ten (10) calendar days of the competition, of any required forms to the DIVISION Secretary,

iii) Tournament Committee members present at a competition at which they are not competing may be invited to head the event bout committee,

iv) be responsible for creating the DIVISION schedule of tournaments.

(1) Fall tournaments shall be submitted to the Executive Committee for approval no later than September 1st.

(2) Spring/Summer tournaments shall be submitted to the Executive Committee for approval no later than December 15th.

v) be responsible for coordinating with the USFA national, sectional, regional and neighboring divisions schedules,

vi) review all tournament requests for a USFA sanctioned event to insure compliance with the rules of the DIVISION and the USFA,

vii) Coordinate scheduling of club requests.

c) The Officials Committee is chaired by a Member-at-Large and shall be comprised of the three highest rated officials within the DIVISION, and shall:

i) coordinate officiating seminars and examinations in all three weapons and oversee the process of awarding officiating ratings,

ii) coordinate USFA Divisional written and practical exams as prescribed by the Fencing Officials Committee of the USFA,

iii) maintain and provide a report to the chairperson of the Tournament Committee of all certified officials within the DIVISION,

iv) assign officials, managers and technicians at DIVISION tournaments,

v) submit an annual report to the Executive Committee which shall include:

(1) the names, weapons rating and certification date of all DIVISION officials,

(2) the number of DIVISION events each official participated in,

(3) the number and type of instructional programs provided to DIVISION clubs or members..

d) The Technical Committee shall:

i) store, inventory, maintain and disburse the scoring equipment of the DIVISION,

ii) be responsible to insure all DIVISION equipment is functional and meets USFA standards and specifications,

iii) provide training in the repair and maintenance of scoring equipment and weapons,

iv) conduct minimally annual seminars in individual weapon repair,

v) provide an annual report to the Secretary on the type and status of all DIVISION equipment.

2) The Executive Committee or the Chairperson may create other additional committees as they deem necessary.

1) An Annual Meeting of the members of the DIVISION shall be conducted during the month of July, barring force majeur, not later than July 31 at a date, time and place designated by the Chairperson.

a) The purpose of the meeting is to hold elections and any other DIVISION business.

b) Items for the agenda considerations must be submitted to the Secretary not later than May 31.

c) Written notice to all DIVISION members shall be by mail to the last known address of the member.

d) Mailing shall be not less than thirty (30) days in advance of such meeting.

e) The notice shall contain but not limited to the following:

i) the date, time and place of the meeting

ii) officers, members or directors seeking election in an UNCONTESTED election,

iii) proposed amendments to the By-Laws requiring vote,

iv) other agenda items to be presented or requiring vote.

f) A quorum is required to conduct official DIVISION business and shall consist of not less than seven (7) members of the DIVISION present or by proxy. A majority vote shall rule, except as herein otherwise provided.

g) Floor nominations for office will not be recognized.

2) Special Membership Meetings , limited to specific action or business, may be called at any time and place by the Chairperson or upon the written request of not less than ten (10) members of the DIVISION.

a) All members shall be given at least seven (7) days prior written notice (USPS, email, FAX) of all special meetings.

b) Such notice shall set forth the business to be transacted.

c) A quorum of seven (7) voting members is necessary for any actions during these meetings.

d) No other additional agenda items will be recognized.

3) Executive Committee meetings shall be held minimally bimonthly at a date, place and time as determined by the Executive Committee.

a) All members of the Committee shall be given not less than seventy-two (72) hours’ notice in writing, by telephone or by e-mail of the meeting.

b) A quorum is necessary to conduct DIVISION business and shall consist of a minimum two thirds (2/3) of the members of the filled seats of the Executive Committee.

c) An action voted upon by the Executive shall be valid by simple majority vote of those present.

d) Each member of the Executive Committee is given one vote excepting proxy votes as previously referenced in Article VI.3).

e) The Chairperson may call an special meeting of the Executive Committee at any time during the fencing season with prior notice to the Executive Committee members.

4) Voting: Voting members of the DIVISION are entitled to one vote.

a) Votes may be exercised in person or by proxy.

i) The proxy shall be manifested in the form of a dated letter signed by the member and authorizing a named member to vote on their behalf on any matter on the agenda excepting election of officers.

ii) The person designated to execute the proxy must be in attendance at the meeting.

1) All meetings held within the DIVISION shall be conducted according to "Robert's Rules of Order" and with an established agenda solicited and distributed by the Secretary.

2) The Secretary act as parliamentarian at all meetings and make available a copy of the following:

a) "Robert's Rules of Order,"

b) the DIVISION By-Laws,

c) the DIVISION Operations Manual, and,

d) other official papers and sundry documents as required or requested.

1) These By-Laws may be amended at any Annual Membership Meeting of the DIVISION, or at any Special Membership Meeting of the DIVISION called for that purpose, by a vote of the majority of those present in person or by proxy. Voting at such meetings is subject to the policies and procedures of the DIVISION Operations Manual.

2) All amendment must be consistent with the rules of the USFA.

3) Any member can propose an amendment to the By-Laws.

4) Any proposal for amendment to the By-Laws shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary for record and presented to the Executive Committee for action.

5) The Executive Committee may choose to make recommendation for endorsement on any amendment.

6) The proposed Amendment will be sent for vote via first class mail to the general membership of record by the next mailing or before the end of the fencing year whichever comes first.

7) If passed by acclimation by the majority vote of the ballots returned by the deadline date the By-Law change will be effective the start of the next fencing season.

1) These By-Laws are consistent with the By-Laws of the USFA.

2) These By-Laws have been ratified by vote of the membership in compliance with Article IX.7) and are effective upon publication.

3) These By-Laws have been approved by the Mid-Atlantic Section and the USFA.