Evansville Chess Club, Incorporated
Evansville, Indiana


CONSTITUTION

Adopted   c. 1950
Amended   December 1987
Incorporated  June 10, 1992
Amended   October 1992

ARTICLE I. NAME
The name of the corporation shall be the Evansville Chess Club, Inc., hereinafter referred to as the corporation, or ECC. The corporation shall be a membership organization

ARTICLE II. PURPOSE
The purpose of the corporation shall be to assist in the development of chess as an educational tool for those enrolled ion public, private and home schools. To promote chess as a form of art and social recreation, and to that end will:
(a). enable its members to play the game of chess;
(b). conduct tournaments, matches and other forms of chess competition;
(c). provide instruction, entertainment and social life for its members, and;
(d). promote the popularity of the game of chess.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP
Any person interested in supporting the purposes of the corporation may become a member of the corporation upon approval of the policy board and payment of the annual dues.

1. Rights and Responsibilities. All members shall be entitled to participate and vote in all meetings of the membership. However, only those who have been members for at least six (6) months shall be eligible to vote for the removal from office any member of the policy board. Each member shall be entitled to receive all publications of the ECC. Each member shall have the right to know the financial state of the corporation. However, this right will be afforded the member through financial statements printed in its publications, and at the annual membership meetings.

2. Conduct. All members agree to conduct themselves in a sociable, non-threatening manner with one another. Members agree to avoid conduct which might bring into disrepute either the corporation or the game of chess itself. In the event any member is found guilty of misconduct, that person's membership may be revoked by the policy board.

3. Meetings. A meeting of the membership shall take place the first week of each December for the purposes of the election of the officers to the policy board, to hear reports concerning the state of the corporation, and to implement policy. Policy enacted between membership meetings by the policy board may be struck down by a 3/4 majority of the attending membership. To ensure that a meeting takes place, the membership present shall be considered a quorum. The meeting shall be announced by notice to all members through mail. This notice to be sent at least one (1) month in advance by the secretary.

4. Procedure. The membership meting shall be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order.

5. Proxy. Voting by proxy is not permitted.

ARTICLE IV. ORGANIZATION
1. Policy Board/Functions. The corporation shall be governed by a policy board consisting of officers listed in (2) below. The policy board shall, by majority vote, establish the policy of the corporation. The board shall have the sole authority to establish, increase or decrease the annual membership dues. The policy board shall have the right to appoint all administrative staff as they may deem appropriate. The staff shall not be eligible to vote at board meetings. All members of the policy board shall be certified tournament directors, at least at the club level of certification.

2. Composition. The officers of the corporation shall include the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Director, Tournament Coordinator, Scholastic Coordinator, a Member-at-Large and a Youth Member-at-Large

3. Meetings. The board shall meet monthly at a time and place as determined by the president. The secretary shall make notifications by mail, or by telephone of the time and location of the meetings. In case of a tie vote, the president shall decide. He may, at his discretion, delay his decision on any matter pertaining to a tie vote for seven (7) days. If, after seven days, he has not acted, then the matter subject to the tie vote shall be tabled. If the president is not voting on the matter subject to the tie vote, then the vice-president shall cast an additional vote.

4. Election. All officers shall be nominated and elected at the annual meeting of the membership.

5. Term. Term of office shall be from January 1 to December 31.

6. Duties.
(a). The President shall preside at all meetings of the membership and the policy board, appoint committees as needed, and carry out the requirements of this constitution. The president shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the corporation, and has the sole authority to bind the corporation to contracts.

(b). The Vice-President shall assist the president in the stated purposes of the corporation, and shall act as president when the latter is unable to serve. The V.P. shall serve in any official capacity as directed by the president.

(c). The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the corporation and of the membership. He/she shall keep the records of all ECC business; shall provide the corporation of it's registered address, which shall be that of the secretary, and shall register this address with the USCF, and with the Indiana Secretary of State, and all other organizations as determined by the policy board; shall maintain a file of all documents, including this constitution, and shall carry on the correspondence of the corporation.

(d). The Treasurer shall collect all authorized dues; deposit all funds with a bank designated by the board; make payments as authorized by the board, with all payments in excess of $10 being made by check; shall furnish a financial report to the policy board at each meeting.

(e) The Membership Director shall maintain a list of all current members of the corporation, along with addresses, payment amounts and type of membership. The director shall communicate with the membership in determining the membership's opinions concerning the way the corporation is operated, and shall make reports to the policy board at each meeting.

(f). The Tournament Coordinator shall plan, schedule and formulate all ECC events open to adults; shall select a chief tournament director whose certification is appropriate for the event; shall act as chief organizer of the events and shall advise the chief TD of all policy enacted by the board regarding the event; shall have the right to approve or deny expenditures for TD staff.

(g). The Scholastic Coordinator shall have the same duties as the Tournament Coordinator of all tournaments open to scholastic players. The two coordinators shall cooperate when an open, adult event also allows youth participation.

(h). The Member-at-Large shall assist the other members in the performance of their duties, as required.

(i). The Youth Member-at-Large shall assist the other officers in the performance of their duties as pertaining to youth events; shall be the corporation's ambassador for youth matters.

(j). The requirement set forth in ART IV. 1, regarding USCF TD certification, does not apply to the Members-at-Large.

7. Vacancies. Vacancies to be filled by the vote of the remaining members of the policy board.

ARTICLE V. AMENDMENTS
Amendments to this constitution requires a two-thirds vote of the membership present at the annual meeting, or at any special meeting called by the policy board. Notice of the amendment(s), along with the purport of the amendment(s) shall be sent to each registered member no later than two (2) months before the meeting. No amendment may be approved at any membership meeting unless and until the above notices are mailed.