CONSTITUTION OF THE
COMMUNITY COLLEGE CROSS COUNTRY
AND
TRACK AND FIELD COACHES ASSOCIATION
STATEMENT OF
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND CONDUCT
Coaches of the State of California are ethically governed by a code of conduct expected of all within the education profession Those, because of their training, have become specialists in the field of physical education, have in fact taken additional ethical and moral responsibilities beyond those who are involved in general education.
As a part of this education pertaining to the physical, many have chosen to concentrate even further as teachers of cross country and track and field. Historically, teachers of these sports have felt a dedication as well as an obligation to keep their ancient sports pure and untainted by influences and criticisms so characteristic of many others.
To lend credibility to the fraternity of educators, who have committed themselves to the technical, moral, and ethical responsibilities involved in this specific phase of education, a professional association has been formed. It has been named the California Community College Cross Country and Track & Field Coaches Association (5CTCA). Its active membership is limited to those professionals of California Community Colleges.
By its very existence and by individual membership, a commitment is automatically made to work within our profession with moral and ethical standards that would encompass the highest possible virtues in amateur athletics. As members of this professional organization, California track & field and cross country coaches commit themselves to the “spirit” of the organization and rules that govern track and field and cross country in the State of California, knowing to do otherwise would lead to suspicion or question.
For members to take advantage of situations or circumstances involving fellow members would be considered unethical in every sense of the word. For members to intentionally circumvent the written and unwritten moral rules of our profession would likewise be considered unethical in every sense of the word. Fair, honest and honorable relations among Association members are the true test of our profession. Above all else, a respect built on hard work, fair and honest efforts and unquestionable moral and ethical approach to coaching is the standard of membership.
ARTICLE I
NAME OF THE
ORGANIZATION
The name of this organization shall be the California Community College Cross Country and Track and Field Coaches Association (5CTCA)
ARTICLE II
PURPOSE OF THE
ORGANIZATION
The purpose of this Association is to support the highest possible standards in Community College Cross County and Track and Field in the Community College Cross Country and Track and Field coaching profession. It shall be the purpose to promote, encourage, and direct activities which will aid the local, regional and state Community College Cross Country and Track and Field coaches to join together in a common effort for the improvement of our programs for athletes, to develop solidarity in communicating our special needs, to develop a working relationship with other coaching associations on the state, regional, and national level, enhance the comradeship aspect of our profession, and to direct efforts toward the solutions of problems affecting our coaches and our sport.
ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP OF THE
ASSOCIATION
There shall be three types of membership:
A.
Active - Any
member of a cross country or track & field coaching staff of any accredited
B. Association - Any individual may become an Associate member. Such Associate membership requires the payment of the annual dues, but does not give the right to vote. Associate members will receive a Coaches Directory and be invited to attend Association socials.
C. Corporate - Any company may become a corporate member. A corporate membership requires annual dues as specified in the by-laws. Corporate members will be given a Coaches Directory and they will be invited to attend the Association socials.
Membership shall extend from December 1 until November 30.
ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS OF THE
ASSOCIATION
The officers of the Association shall be selected from the active membership between the Northern section of the state and the Southern section of the state. The secretary does not have to be an active member but shall be an associate member.
A. The PRESIDENT of Cross Country shall alternate between the Northern section of the state and the Southern section of the state.
B. The PRESIDENT of Track & Field shall alternate between the Northern section of the state and the Southern section of the state and be from the opposite section of the state as the Cross Country President. The President of Track & Field is the President-elect for Cross Country.
C. The VICE-PRESIDENT shall be from the opposite section as the Track & Field President. The Vice-President is the President-elect for Track & Field. The Track & Field President shall nominate to the Executive Board an incoming Vice-President at least two months before the end of the term. A 50% vote by the Executive Board will confirm a nomination.
D. The SECRETARY shall be selected by the incoming Track & Field President.
E. The TREASURER shall be selected by the incoming Track & Field President.
Term of Office: The term of office shall be two years for all officers. Any officer can be removed from office at any time by a 75% vote of the Executive Board.
Duties of the Officers:
A. Specific duties for each officer are listed in the Association by-laws.
B. The President of Cross Country: The Cross Country President shall be the chief executive officer (CEO) of the 5CTCA. The term of office shall begin at the conclusion of the Track & Field State Championships.
C. The Track and Field President: The Track & Field President shall be the chief operating officer (COO) of the organization. The term of office shall begin at the conclusion of the Track & Field State Championships.
D. Vice-President: The Vice-President shall serve as assistant to both Presidents.
E. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall keep all records or transactions, collect money from the membership dues, collect other monies of the Association, disburse funds of the Association, and keep an account of all funds of the Association.
F. Secretary: The Secretary shall keep accurate minutes of all Board of Directors and Membership Meetings.
ARTICLE V
EXECUTIVE BOARD OF
THE ASSOCIATION
Composition: The Executive Board shall consist of the Cross Country President, Track & Field President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and the Chairs of the Northern and Southern Rules Committee.
Responsibilities: The responsibility of the Executive Board is to take action on any matter of concern to the Association as deemed necessary by either President.
Funding: Attendance at the August meeting shall be secured from the colleges if available or from the 5CTCA upon approval of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE VI
BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF
THE ASSOCIATION
Composition: The Board of Directors shall consist of the members of the Executive Board and one conference representative from each of the athletic conferences in the State. A quorum for each meeting of the Board of Directors shall be one-half the voting members.
Voting: All members of the Board of Directors shall receive one vote.
Meetings: The Board of Directors shall meet as directed by the Cross Country or Track & Field President, either independent of or in conjunction with the meetings of the general membership.
There will be one additional Board of Directors meeting on the third Saturday in August each year.
Duties: The Board of Directors shall receive, review, and take action on matters pertaining to Association business.
Funding: Attendance at the August meeting shall be secured from the colleges if available or regional committees.
ARTICLE VII
CONFERENCE
REPRESENTATIVES
The Conference Representatives shall be the liaison persons between individual coaches and the State Association. Specific duties are outlined in the by-laws.
ARTICLE VIII
MEETINGS OF THE
ASSOCIATION
General Meetings: There shall be two general informational meetings of the General Membership: one in the Fall at the State Cross Country Championships and one in the Spring at the State Track and Field Championships. There will be a business meeting scheduled in December for all action items that need to be voted upon by the general membership. The meetings shall be held at a place and time determined by the Executive Board of the Association. Notice of these meetings shall be provided in ample time to allow all members to attend.
Voting: When voting on post-conference competition issues, each college will have two votes, providing at least two members from that college are current active members of the Association. When voting on all other non-post-conference competition issues, every member of the Association present will receive one vote.
ARTICLE IX
DUES OF THE
ASSOCIATION
The Board of Directors shall establish the amount of the Annual Dues. Membership shall extend from December 1 until November 30. Membership dues are $25 per program per gender. Men’s and women’s cross country and track & field would be $100 payable to the 5CTCA.
ARTICLE X
AMENDMENTS TO THE
CONSITIUTION AND BY-LAWS OF THE ASSOCIATION
Constitution:
A. Proposed constitutional amendments shall be presented to the Cross Country or Track & Field Presidents at least four weeks prior to the December Business Meeting.
B. This constitution may be amended by a vote of two-thirds of the members present at general membership meeting. Each program shall have one vote if their dues are paid.
By-Laws:
A. One means of amending the By-laws is by a simple majority vote of the members present at the December Business Meeting. The proposal may originate as a motion from the floor or as an agenda item.
B. The Board of Directors may also amend the by-laws by a two-thirds vote at a Board of Directors meeting.
BY-LAWS OF THE
AND
TRACK AND FIELD COACHES ASSOCIATION
ARTICLE XI
DUTIES OF THE
OFFICERS
Duties of the Cross
Country President:
1. Co-Chair all Executive Board/Board of Directors Meetings, General and Business Membership Meetings
2. Call and co-chair any special meetings of the Executive Board/Board of Directors and Membership.
3. Make all necessary arrangements (dates, times, locations, rooms) for all meetings during the terms of office.
4. Contact all members of the Executive Board/Board of Directors at least four weeks in advance of all meetings and inform them of the dates, times, and locations of all such meetings.
5. Make requests to all members of the Association through the members of the Board of Directors for items of discussion at all meetings of the Association.
6. Be responsible for the agenda (typewritten copies available for all members) of all meetings of the Association; the agenda draft should be distributed with the announcement of all meetings’ time and place.
7. Work through the North and South Rules Committee Chairs to have the Conference Representatives informed of their responsibilities to the Association.
8. Work closely with the Commission on Athletics and their cross country representative. Communicate with the cross country representative to inform him/her of the meetings of the Association.
9. Represent the Association in any reasonable capacity for which this representation is requested.
10. Will attend all state and national meetings as directed by the executive committee.
ARTICLE XII
Duties of the Track
& Field President:
1. Co-Chair all Executive Board/Board of Directors Meetings, General and Business Membership Meetings
2. Call and co-chair any special meetings of the Executive Board/Board of Directors and Membership.
3. Assist in making all necessary arrangements (dates, times, locations, rooms) for all meetings during the terms of office.
4. Assist in contacting all members of the Board of Directors at least four weeks in advance of all meetings and inform them of the dates, times, and locations of all such meetings.
5. Assist in making requests to all members of the Association through the members of the Board of Directors for items of discussion at all meetings of the Association.
6. Work through the North and South Rules Committee Chairs to have the Conference Representatives informed of their responsibilities to the Association.
7. Work closely with the Commission on Athletics and their track and field representative. Communicate with the track & field representative to inform him/her of the meetings of the Association.
8. Represent the Association in any reasonable capacity for which this representation is requested.
9. Will attend all state and national meetings as directed by the executive committee.
ARTICLE XIII
Duties of the VICE
PRESIDENT:
1. Assist the Presidents in any manner of the Presidents requests.
2. Attend his/her section’s rules committee meetings.
3. Report to the Presidents after every rules committee of his/her section.
4. To attend COA meetings held in his/her region during the first year in office and to attend all COA meetings during the second year in office.
ARTICLE XIV
Duties of the SECRETARY:
1. Tape-record all meetings of the Executive Board/Board of Directors and of the Association Meetings.
2. Take notes of Membership meetings and record all motions. Be responsible for keeping all minutes of the Executive Board/Board of Directors and Association Meetings in permanent record form.
3. Write and post the minutes, with both President’s assistance.
4. Distribute minutes to all coaches; including encouragement to join the 5CTCA.
5. Be ready to read the minutes from the previous meeting.
ARTICLE XV
Duties of the TREASURER:
1. Be responsible for a written treasurer’s report at the Fall and Spring Meetings of the Association; submit the written report to both Presidents prior to these meetings.
2. Take the responsibility of the total money of the Association when assuming office. Be responsible for the security of the money of the Association. Work with both Presidents regarding the signing of checks and the payment of the Association bills during this term of office.
3. Establish a checking account for the Association. This should be a joint checking account so the Treasurer and/or the President can sign the checks.
4. Send out updated membership lists prior to the Fall and Spring Meetings.
5. Send out membership lists to conference representatives and encourage them to give a list of coaches that do not belong to the Association. Encourage the Conference reps to help with the membership drive.
6. Work with the Vice-President and the Secretary in encouraging membership.
7. Keep all records in a ledger book and bring the ledger to all meetings.
8. Maintain the coaches directory.
ARTICLE XVI
Rules Committee Chairs and Conference Representatives
Association related duties of the North and South Rules Committee Chairs:
A. Attend all COA meetings in their region and help the president when needed.
B. Inform both Presidents as to policies and procedures followed within your section of the state.
1. The Presidents should know the established method of qualifying through each of the regional meets.
2. The Presidents should be informed of the mechanics of decision-making and the procedures utilized within the section.
3. The Presidents should be aware of current problems and discussion areas within the section.
Association related duties of the Conference Representative(s):
A. Representatives should encourage all coaches in their conference to join the association.
B. All Conference Representatives should prepare a list of all coaches in their conference (include school, address, school phone, home phone, cell phone, email and coaching responsibilities).
C. They shall attend all Board of Directors Meetings.
D. They shall be responsible for representing the views of their respective conferences regarding items that the Association discusses and acts upon.
E. They shall coordinate their individual efforts regarding their duties so each conference is best represented by both conference representatives. Responsibilities of each conference representative should be worked out by the individual representatives or by the individual conference.
ARTICLE XVII
ASSOCIATION INPUT TO THE CAIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
COMMISSION ON ATHLETICS
The COA is responsible for competition guidelines as set in the Cross Country Supplement, the Track and Field Supplement and the State Code. Relative to the sport supplements and code changes, the COA may ask the coaches association for input. At times, the Coaches association may wish to instigate changes in the supplements or code.
When the coaches association wishes to propose changes to existing state code or supplement items the following procedures are used: the proposed changes may originate as a motion from the floor or as an agenda item at the Business Meeting (or as an emergency item brought forth from the Board of Directors); if passed, code and supplement changes should be referred to COA handbook for current procedure.
ARTICLE XVIII
ASSOCIATION
REPRESENTATON AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL AND COA LEVEL
Financial Assistance: As the budget allows, the Board of Directors shall allocate funds to assist in financing the 5CTCA’s representatives’ trips to the COA Convention, National USATF Convention and/or USTCA Convention. Funding shall be made with the following priority: Cross Country President, Track & Field President, third representative, and Active or Associate Member. These representatives shall be encouraged to actively seek college or outside funding for their trip. The maximum funds allocated for the COA spring and fall convention shall be the cost at the host hotel for the length of the convention and registration fees.
ARTICLE XIXA
COACHES HONORS
Coach of the Year
Awards
1. Within 48 hours after the Regional Championships, a maximum of four (4) names must be submitted by each Regional Chair to the 5CTCA Executive Committee.
2. Immediately after the end of competition at the State Championships, the Executive Committee of the 5CTCA will meet at the finish line and select the Coach of the Year award recipients. The awards will be presented at the following December 5CTCA meeting.
a. In terms of cross country, one award will be presented for the men’s division and one award will be presented for the women’s division.
b. Regarding track and field, an additional award will be presented for the Assistant Coach of the Year. One award will be presented for the women’s division and one award will be presented for the men’s division.
3. Qualifications for a Coach of the Year nomination must include:
c. Member in good standing in the 5CTCA.
d. Present and/or past positive contributions to the sport.
e. Well-respected by one’s peers and athletes.
f. A role model for ethical behavior and outstanding sportsmanship.
g. Displayed the ability to develop a competitive program.
4. Award recipients will receive an appropriate plaque at the Fall General Meeting.
ARTICLE XIXB
Hall of Fame Awards
1. The 5CTCA Hall of Fame honors outstanding contributions of community college persons in the following three areas:
1. coaching
2. athletic achievement
3. alumni/non-coaching contributions
2. Recipients will be announced and honored during the December Annual Meeting. Honorees will be honored on a Regional basis.
ARTICLE XIXC
Retiring Coach
1. Their
colleagues upon retirement will honor coaches who have contributed at least 10
years service to the
2. Regional rules chairpersons shall make all efforts to collect names of retiring coaches within their region.
3. Coaches who retire after the cross country season shall be honored at the Fall General Meeting. Coaches who retire after the track and field season shall be honored at the Spring General Meeting.
ARTICLE XIXD
Coaches Memorial
1. Upon the unfortunate circumstance of death of a long-time contributing colleague, the coaches association will initiate recognition for that coach.
Revised 11/28/2007