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Old Dominion Officials Association

 

Constitution

 

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of this organization shall be “Old Dominion Officials Association”, hereafter known as ODOA.

 

ARTICLE II: SERVICE TERRITORY

       The Board of Directors will authorize the territory serviced by this association.

 

ARTICLE III: OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this association shall be to unite in membership those fully qualified and aspiring officials to (1) establish and maintain the highest ideals of enforcement of the rules of play, both in letter and in spirit and (2) to study, improve, and make uniform the skills and interpretations necessary for the highest caliber of officiating.

 

ARTICLE IV: DEFINITIONS

ASSOCIATION shall mean the Old Dominion Officials Association

BOARD of DIRECTORS shall mean the group of elected officers in each Division of the Association

CHAIRMAN shall mean the elected head of the Executive Committee

COMMISSIONER shall mean the person responsible for assignment scheduling and billing

DIVISION shall mean any of the specific VHSL Sport branches of the Association

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE shall mean the group of members elected to administer the affairs of the Association

MEMBERS shall mean persons who belong to the Association

OFFICERS shall mean the elected officials of each Division of the Association

PRESIDENT shall mean the elected head of each Division of the Association

TRUSTEES shall mean members of the Executive Committee of the Association

VHSL or V.H.S.L. shall mean the Virginia High School League

 

ARTICLE V: STRUCTURE

The Organizational Structure of this Association shall consist of the Executive Committee at the highest level, then the Board of Directors of the separate Divisions, followed by the general Membership.

 

ARTICLE VI: MEMBERSHIP

1.     Membership in this Association shall be open to all qualified and aspiring officials residing or employed in the Central Virginia area regardless of sex, race, creed, or national origin, provided their purposes are the same as those of the Association.

2.        Seven levels of membership shall be recognized within the Association:

a. ACTIVE MEMBERS are those persons who have met the requirements in accordance with the Bylaws and have been voted into the membership by the Active Membership in Good Standing.  Only Active Members have full voting and office-holding privileges.

b.     INACTIVE MEMBERS are those persons who declare themselves inactive by notifying the Secretary of the appropriate Division(s) in writing. They are not required to pay dues nor are required to attend meetings and clinics.  Inactive members do not officiate during their year(s) of inactivity and do not having voting and office-holding privileges.  The maximum period of inactivity is two consecutive years.

c.     TRAINEE MEMBERS are those members who have successfully completed all ODOA and VHSL training requirements and have applied for Provisional Membership. Trainee Members must attend all meetings and clinics, but may not vote nor hold office.

d.     PROVISIONAL MEMBERS are those members who have applied for active membership and who have served at least one year as Trainee Members and have been voted this status by the Active Membership in Good Standing. Provisional Members must attend all meetings and clinics, but may not vote and may not hold office.

e.     TRANSFER MEMBERS are those members who have applied for Active Membership and who are transferring directly into this Association from another High School officiating organization where National Federation Rules and Mechanics are used.  To be classified as a Transfer Member, the official must provide a Letter of Recommendation from his/her previous Commissioner. Transfer members shall be accorded temporary status as per Virginia High School League guidelines and must be voted into the Association by the Active Membership prior to having voting and office-holding privileges. Those Transfer Members not voted into the Association as Active Members after one year will be re-classified as Provisional Members.

f.     ASSOCIATE MEMBERS are those members holding primary (active) membership in another High School Officiating organization who wish to associate with ODOA for the sole purpose of officiating National Federation contests in the service territory of this Association. Associate Members must pay yearly Association dues, but may not vote or hold office.

g.     HONORARY MEMBERS are those persons who have been awarded life membership by the Division Officers as having contributed outstanding service to the Association or to the sports officiated by the Association.  Honorary members do not pay dues, cannot hold office, and may not vote.  Honorary Members may attend and participate in Association functions and act as an official observer or an ambassador for the Association.

3.     Members ‘in good standing’ are those members who fulfill the following:

Have paid all dues, fines, and any other ODOA or VHSL fees;

Are continually acting in a professional manner both on and off the playing field;

Are constantly avoiding any actions or activities that are in direct conflict with the Association and this Constitution.

Any Member, prior to being declared ‘not in good standing’, shall be investigated by an Investigative Committee appointed by the President of his/her respective Division.

 

ARTICLE VII: THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Executive Committee shall consist of two Officers from each Division of the Association, one of whom shall be the Divisional President. The Divisional Board of Directors will elect the other committee member.  The Executive Committee shall conduct the managerial, legislative, and judicial duties of the Association that do not fall under the direct duties of the Divisional Boards.  The Executive Committee shall meet as necessary to fulfill their obligation to the Association.  One member of the Executive Committee shall be appointed Chairman by vote from all Executive Committee members. The Chairman shall be the official spokesperson of the Association and shall act as the official representative of the Association when necessary.  The Chairman shall only vote in Executive Committee Meetings to break a tie vote. The division from which the Chairman is elected shall be authorized to provide an additional member of the Executive Committee so that all divisions can have an equal voting representation on the Executive Committee.

 

Meetings:  Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held at any time on the call of the Chairman or at the request in writing of a majority of the Executive Committee members.  Meetings of the Executive Committee may be held at such place and such time as shall be specified in the call for such a meeting.  Notice of each meeting shall be given by the Secretary to each member of the Executive Committee at least seven days before the day on which the meeting is to be held.

 

Quorum:  Following the election of the Executive Committee, a minimum of one-half of the total number of the Committee Members as at the time specified by the By‑Laws shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Executive Committee.  In the absence of a quorum, a majority of the Trustees present may adjourn the meeting to a day certain, and the Chairman shall give all absent Trustees seven days notice of such adjourned date; then the Trustees present, on such adjourned date, shall constitute a quorum for the purposes of conducting business, provided that in no event shall a quorum consist of less than one‑quarter of the whole Executive Committee.

 

ARTICLE VIII: RULES OF PROCEDURE

1.                 The rules contained in “Robert's Rules of Order” shall govern the Association as the Parliamentary Guide in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with this Constitution and By-laws.

2.                 The Parliamentarian, if one has been appointed, shall be the designated authority on interpretation of the Constitution and By-Laws.

 

ARTICLE IX: DUES

The Board of Directors of each Division shall determine the annual dues for Members.  A Member may belong to more than one division and thus may be liable for multiple dues.  For VHSL Members, all dues and fees must be paid prior to registration with VHSL.  All other members will have their dues deducted from their first paycheck. When applicable, VHSL and/or Association dues will be withheld from final paychecks for the following season.

 

ARTICLE X: ASSIGNMENTS

1.                 Once a game assignment has been accepted, it shall not be turned in to accept another assignment through any other association, organization, or school, except in the case of a college or professional level ball game.

2.                 A Member shall not accept games at two separate sites on the same day without the approval of the Commissioner(s).

3.                 Any Member of this Association who is directly affiliated with a particular school, team, or league should not accept games involving that school, team, or league with which he/she is affiliated. This may be done only in emergency cases.

4.                 The President may, at any time, require a Member to furnish a medical fitness report from a licensed physician to verify that the Member is physically and emotionally qualified to officiate.

 

ARTICLE XI: DISCIPLINE

1.                 Any member, who fails to fulfill an accepted assignment, including pre-season scrimmages, may be fined and/or suspended.

2.                 Any member convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude (which is defined to mean an offense involving lying, cheating, or stealing) shall be subject to suspension.

3.                 Any member who directly or indirectly solicits refereeing assignments from a coach, school or district currently being served by the ODOA shall be subject to suspension.

4.                 Any member who fails to comply with these Bylaws or any other established Association authority, or who is delinquent in the payment of authorized charges, fees, dues, fines, penalties, or assessments, or who conducts himself in a manner conclusively established to be contrary to the best interests of the Association may be fined, placed on probation, suspended, or expelled from the Association.

5.                 The Board of Directors of the respective divisions shall establish fines, forfeitures, and terms and conditions of probation, suspension, and expulsion.

6.                 Notification of charges and penalties shall be made by certified mail, return receipt requested, and such penalties shall take effect fourteen (14) days after receipt of notification unless a hearing is requested in writing by the member charged.  If a hearing is requested within fourteen (14) days of notification, the member will be provided with details of the charges against him with specific reference to the Bylaws provision, rule, or regulation that he is charged with violating, as well as all documents related to the charges.  A hearing date will be set not more than fourteen (14) days from the date of request for the hearing.  Legal counsel may be present and participate for the charged member if at least seven (7) days notice was given to the Association so that the Association could also be represented by counsel.

7.                 The appropriate division’s Judicial Committee shall conduct hearings.  Both parties must be present and may present any information or documents desired.  Each party may question the other party and the other party’s witnesses.  The hearing shall be audio recorded and the records retained.  Legal counsel may participate if the proper notification was received.  A written copy of the Judicial Committee’s majority verdict shall be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, to both parties within thirty (30) days of the conclusion of the hearing.

8.                 Any member not paying dues, fines, penalties, or assessments by their respective due dates will not be permitted to work any assignments until such amounts are paid in full and shall not be eligible to vote.

9.                 Any suspended member is prohibited from voting, serving as an officer or committee member, or working any Association assignments.  Such member must attend meetings as required by their division.

 

ARTICLE XII: APPEALS

Any Member who has been fined or suspended has the right to appeal.  The Member must appeal in writing within fourteen days of the date the Member was notified of the fine or suspension.  The appeal shall be first given or mailed to any member of the Judicial Committee of the respective Division. The Judicial Committee shall consist of three non-Board Members who are nominated by the President and approved by the Board. The Judicial Committee has fourteen days to rule on the appeal. If the Judicial Committee does not overturn the fine or suspension, the Member may appeal to the Executive Committee.  The Executive Committee then has fourteen days to rule on the appeal. The decision of the Executive Committee is final. Should the Association consist of more than two Divisions at the time of the appeal, then the two Trustees from the Division that originated the appeal shall exclude themselves from the final appeal procedure.

 

ARTICLE XIII: AUDITING OF ASSOCIATION RECORDS

At the end of each fiscal year (December 31st), each Division President shall appoint a three-person Audit Committee whose responsibility will be to audit Association records and procedures.  The committee shall review all records of the Treasurer and Commissioner and report their findings initially to the Board of Directors, and then to the Division membership by the time of the second general membership meeting of the following year.

 

ARTICLE XIV: IRS QUALIFICATIONS

1.                 The Old Dominion Officials Association is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes, within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or corresponding sections of any future Federal Code).

2.                 No part of the net earnings of the ODOA shall inure to the benefit of or be distributed to its members, trustees, directors, officers, or other private persons, except that the ODOA shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of section 501(c)(3) purposes.  No substantial part of the activities of the ODOA shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the ODOA shall not participate in, or intervene (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.

3.                 Notwithstanding any other provisions of these articles, the ODOA shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by a corporation/organization exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or corresponding sections of any future Federal Code) or (b) by a corporation/organization, contributions to which are deductible under section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code (or corresponding sections of any future Federal Code).

4.                 Upon dissolution of the ODOA, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, i.e. charitable, educational, religious, or scientific, or corresponding section of any future Federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the Federal government, or to a state or local government for a public purpose.

ARTICLE XVI: AMENDMENTS

1.                 This Constitution may be amended only on approval by two-thirds (2/3) of the voting membership present at any joint regular or special meeting of the Association.

2.                 Proposed amendments may be made either in writing or by motion from the floor.

3.                 The quorum needed to amend this Constitution shall consist of at least 50% of the Active membership present.

 

ARTICLE XVII: RULES FOR CONSTRUCTION

1.                 In any conflict or potential conflict this Constitution, the Association's Bylaws, the Association's general practices, or rules generally applicable to deliberative bodies, this Constitution shall prevail.  When not in conflict with this Constitution, the Division’s Rules and Regulations shall take precedence over all other authorities.

2.                 Any reference or use herein or in the Association's Bylaws to the male gender or a male pronoun, shall be construed to include and refer to the female gender as well.

 

ARTICLE XVIII: POWER OF SEPARATION

This Constitution allows for the separation of Divisions within the Association and each Division may maintain its own set of Bylaws, Rules, and Regulations as described herein.  No Division has the authority to regulate any other, except for the conditions set forth in this Constitution.

 

New divisions may be added to the Association only by unanimous vote of the existing Divisions of the Association. For a Division to vote in favor of a new Division, two-thirds (2/3) of the Division Members present at the regular or special business meeting where the vote takes place must vote in favor of the addition.

 

Any Division may terminate their association with ODOA at any time, provided that two-thirds (2/3) of the general membership of that Division vote to do so at any regular or special Division business meeting.

 

ARTICLE XIX: POWER OF EXPULSION

This Constitution allows for the expulsion of any Division from the Association when it is in the best interest of the Association. In order to have a Division expelled, all other Divisions must unanimously vote for expulsion. For a Division to vote for another Division’s expulsion, two-thirds (2/3) of the Division Members present at the regular or special business meeting where the vote takes place must vote in favor of the expulsion.

 

 

 

Approved by the Baseball Membership at the General Meeting held on February 16, 2003.

 

Approved by the Softball Membership at the General Meeting held on March 9, 2003.

 

Approved by the Volleyball Membership at the General Meeting held on March 16, 2003.