Ivy Rugby Conference Operating Rules

updated October 18, 2011

These Operating Rules will at all times be subordinate to any and all rules, regulations, guidelines or policies placed on the member Ivy Rugby Conference Teams by their respective Universities. In addition, to the extent that US Rugby’s Territorial Union and Local Area Unions’ have any rules, regulations, guidelines or policies that conflict with these Operating Rules that these Operating Rules shall be subordinate to such unless making them NOT subordinate would not be a violation of US Rugby’s rules, regulations, guidelines or policies.
 
ARTICLE 1: Name 

The organization shall be Ivy Rugby Conference, and hereinafter referred to as “IRC”, or “Ivy Rugby”.   
 
ARTICLE 2: Statement of Purpose 

The Purpose of IRC shall be to provide the governance for the annual competition among the eight Ivy League Universities.
 
ARTICLE 3: Objectives 

The objectives of IRC shall be:
1.     To encourage and promote the development, competition and growth of Rugby Football among the Ivy League Universities;
2.     To advocate adherence to the Laws of Rugby Football as promulgated by the International Rugby Board (IRB), The United States of America Rugby Football Union, (USARFU) and the Northeast Rugby Union (NRU);
3.     To coordinate and schedule referees for Ivy Rugby matches and maintain relations with the various Referees Societies;
4.     To coordinate Ivy Rugby sponsorship;
5.     To Administer the league and manage Ivy Rugby finances;
6.     To Coordinate with the Ivy League Universities;
7.     To Oversee conduct, discipline and safety;
8.     To Manage relationships with other Local Area Unions (LAUs), Territorial Unions and USA Rugby;
9.     To Develop leadership through student participation and community service.

ARTICLE 4: Membership

Membership shall be composed exclusively of the men’s and women's undergraduate rugby teams of the eight Ivy Rugby college and universities in conformance with the Operating Rules of Ivy Rugby.
 
ARTICLE 5: Board of Directors 

The Board of Directors shall be composed of:
Nine (17) Directors: Sixteen (16) Directors shall be appointed by the Member School Teams as required in Article 8 of these Operating Rules. The seventeenth (17th) Director shall be the President of the Board and be elected by a majority of the sixteen (16) Directors at the Annual Meeting. Designated Officers shall be:
      President
      Secretary
      Treasurer
      Match Secretary
      General Counsel
 
1. All Directors shall be members in good standing of an IRC member team.  IRC Elections of Officers shall be held at the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors.
 
2. The President may or may not be a Director before the election of the President. However, if the President is a Director, then upon election, the President’s Member School must provide a replacement to the Board of Directors. The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of IRC. The President shall preside at all meetings and shall execute any and all decisions enacted by the Board of Directors of IRC. In the President’s absence at an IRC meeting, a chair of the meeting shall be elected from those present. However, the President’s vote will only be required to break a tie vote of the Directors.
 
3. The Secretary must be a Director and shall be elected by majority vote of the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall have custody of all records of IRC, maintain minutes of all meetings, serve as official correspondent of IRC, maintain records, and perform any tasks as normal to this office and as directed by the Board of Directors.
 
4. The Treasurer must be a Director and shall be elected by majority vote of the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall perform any administrative duties as required by the President, or assigned by a vote of the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall preserve the financial records of IRC, collect the agreed annual dues, and perform any other tasks or disbursements of funds as directed by the Board of Directors.
 
5. The Match Secretary must be a Director and shall be elected by majority vote of the Board of Directors. The Match Secretary shall serve as a liaison between the Board and the Referees Society, and shall have responsibility for IRC’s coordination of referees. The Match Secretary shall maintain the master league schedule as annually created by the Competitions Committee and approved by the Board.
 
6. The General Counsel advises IRC and its Board about legal issues that may arise or have arisen in connection with official IRC functions. General Counsel is an unpaid pro bono position. IRC and Board members understand that there are limits to General Counsel’s duties and understanding of the laws impacting IRC and that IRC and its Board members may need to retain their own legal counsel and/or defer to counsel provided by USA Rugby or their respective institutions.  General Counsel shall not issue legal opinions and/or legally bind IRC or its Board members.
 
7. The Board (Officers and Directors) shall have the authority to remove an Officer or Director for cause, at any duly scheduled meeting of the Board at which a majority of all the Officers and Directors is present, upon approval by two-thirds of the Officers and Directors present. Said cause may include, but is not limited to: 1) failure to attend duly scheduled Board meetings; 2) failure to perform the duties of the Officer or Director position as defined and described in the IRC Bylaws; 3) failure to carry out directives of the Board relating to the performance of said position, or 4) any other reason the Board deems appropriate.
 
8. Other Officers may be appointed or removed by the Board of Directors or by the President with the consent of the Board of Directors to perform duties as determined by the Board of Directors.
 
9. Officers and Directors shall be elected for a one year term.
 
10. No number of term limitations shall apply to any Officer or Director position.
 
ARTICLE 6: Committees

The Ivy Rugby Board of Directors shall maintain committees to address particular facets of league play and administrative duties. These committees shall be comprised of three (3) persons in order to provide input from throughout the League. One member shall be elected by majority vote of the Board of Directors as the Committee Chair. A committee need not have a Board member, however, each Committee is responsible to and must report to the Board of Directors through the President. Committees shall meet as deemed necessary by the Committee Chair. Committees shall be voted on at the annual meeting of the Board of Directors.
The following committees shall be maintained:
1. Disciplinary Committee:
The Disciplinary Committee shall be responsible for enforcing disciplinary rules of IRC in conjunction with input from teams, coaches, players and referees. The Disciplinary Committee shall respond to all infractions within forty-eight (48) hours of reporting in order to provide all parties with timely responses. Disciplinary action shall be specifically for on-field actions of players in IRC matches, as well as actions at IRC games and events by teams, coaches and spectators.
2. Marketing, Sponsorship, and Promotions:
The Marketing, Sponsorship, and Promotions Committee (MSPC) shall work with the IRC Board to develop and oversee these functions for IRC as a whole, rather than for specific teams within the League. This committee shall report potential sponsorship concepts and offers to the Board of Directors, which shall have sole authority for approval. The MSPC chair shall develop an annual plan for sponsorship and marketing to be approved by the Board of Directors.
3. Competitions Committee:
The Competitions Committee shall develop the Regulations and Protocols for IRC which shall require the approval of the Board of Directors. The Regulations and Protocols shall be a written document which the Competitions Committee shall review on an annual basis and amend as needed. The Match Secretary shall oversee all schedules created by the Competitions Committee.
4. Select Side Committee:
The Select Side Committee shall be in charge of developing an all-star program for Ivy League rugby inclusive of selection, staffing, training, and event scheduling. The committee shall also develop budgets for select side play and events. The Select Side Committee chair will liaise with related committees to develop finance, sponsorship, and other plans. The annual plan and budget of the Select Side Committee will be subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.
5. Finance Committee:
The Finance Committee shall oversee League finances and expenditures. The Finance Committee shall develop an annual budget, set dues and fees, authorize and oversee expenditures by the IRC and maintain the bank accounts of IRC. The annual budget shall be subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.
 
ARTICLE 7: Meetings of the Board of Directors

1. There shall be a minimum of one annual meeting of the Board of Directors each year. The meeting must take place during the first quarter of the calendar year, at a time and place to be designated by the Board of Directors.
 
2. All Directors in good standing shall receive electronic mail notification prior to the meeting. The Director of each Member School is encouraged to bring interested and experienced officers and alumni of their respective team structures to assist the Director regarding Board discussions and votes. Also, there will be opportunities for interested and talented members in good standing of the rugby teams of the Member Schools to serve on Committees.
 
3. Meetings shall be held as designated by the President or appointed representative.
 
4. Special meetings can be called at any time upon a vote of a majority of the Directors.
 
5. The presence of a majority of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum.
 
6. Each member of the Board of Directors (Officers and Directors) shall have one vote, and all matters shall be decided by a majority vote of those present, unless otherwise noted in the Bylaws.
 
ARTICLE 8: Meetings of Member School Teams

The Member School Teams are the men’s and women's rugby teams of the eight (8) Ivy Rugby schools. Individual members may include student officers, student players, alumni, coaches and friends as designated by the Member School Teams. Any member in good standing of a Member School Team may be elected or designated by the Member School Team as it’s representative to the Board of Directors. Only members in good standing of a Member School Team may attend the Ivy Rugby Annual Meeting or any special meeting and may serve as a Director, or on a committee if so elected or designated.
 
The purpose of these meetings is for each Member School Team to elect or designate their representative to the Board of Directors of IRC.
 
1. At the conclusion of each fall Ivy Rugby season, the individual Member School Teams will hold a meeting of its members. These meetings must be held before the end of the Calendar year.
 
3. The Member School Teams are free to elect or appoint one representative to the Ivy Rugby Board of Directors.  
 
4. The Director so elected or appointed will serve as that Member School Team’s Director to Ivy Rugby for one year unless the Director resigns or is dismissed.
 
5. If a Director resigns or is dismissed, it will be the obligation of the Officers and members of the Member School Team to hold a special meeting to immediately appoint or elect a new Director to replace the Director that has resigned or been dismissed. Replacement Directors shall serve only the unfinished term, at which time the Member School Team must appoint or elect a Director for the subsequent year.
 
6. If a Director is elected as President, the Member School Team must immediately elect or appoint a replacement Director.
 
ARTICLE 9: Dues
 
Dues shall be on an annual basis and shall be determined by the Board of Directors. Dues shall be billed and payable in advance of the applicable fiscal year for which they represent.
 
ARTICLE 10: Fiscal Year
 
The Fiscal Year shall be from January 1st through December 31st. of each calendar year.
 
ARTICLE 11: Rules
The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order Revised shall govern IRC in all cases to which they are applicable in which they are not inconsistent with the Operating Rules of Ivy Rugby.
 
ARTICLE 12: Amendments
 
These Operating Rules may be amended only at the Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors or at a Special General Meeting called expressly for this purpose. Notice of the proposed amendment shall be given to the Secretary and distributed to all members at least four weeks before the meeting. A two-thirds vote of those members present shall be required for an amendment to the Operating Rules. Proxies are not admissible.