Bylaws
of the
Last Modified
ARTICLE
I: NAME
The name of the organization
shall be the Oklahoma Chess Association, commonly known as the OCA.
ARTICLE
II: PURPOSE
The purpose of the OCA shall be to educate, instruct,
encourage its members, and to promote and extend the social benefits of chess
in
ARTICLE
III: MEMBERSHIP
III.1 Membership:
· Regular
Membership: Any person may become a Regular Member of the OCA upon payment of $10.00
dues for one year.
· Patron
Membership: Any person may become a Patron Member of the OCA upon payment of
$25.00 dues for one year.
· Youth
Membership: Any youth under 20 years of age may become a Youth Member of the
OCA upon payment of $5.00 dues for one year.
III.2 Rights and Privileges:
Each Member of the OCA shall be entitled to the official
state publication, to participate in the Annual Meeting, to hold office, and to
enjoy all other rights and privileges of membership, with the following
exceptions:
a) any OCA member shall be entitled to vote in the Annual
Meeting only if he/she is also a current and verifiable USCF member; and
b) any new or renewing OCA member shall be entitled to vote in the Annual
Meeting only if either
(i) he/she has registered for and played in at least one
round on the first day of the current Oklahoma State Championship tournament;
or
(ii) his/her OCA membership dues are received by the OCA
Secretary, Treasurer or State Championship contact person at least ten (10)
business days prior to the first day of the current State Championship
tournament.
c) No Member of the OCA under age 18 may hold office.
New memberships and renewals shall extend the term of
membership from the date of payment or prior membership expiration, whichever
is latest.
Each Member of the OCA, if their email is kept current with
the Secretary or Webmaster, shall be included in an email distribution list for
III.3 Removal from Office:
The Policy Board may suspend or remove from office any OCA
officer or official for good cause, if approved by three fourths of all the
Policy Board Members eligible to vote as provided for in these Bylaws. The
Policy Board shall, prior to taking such action, give to the individual 30 days
written notice of the proposed action. Within said time, that individual may
submit in writing to the Policy Board reasons why such action should not be
taken. The Board may thereafter, if it sees fit, act upon written suggestions
or set a date for a hearing to be held concerning the proposed action. The
actions taken shall be final and without recourse.
III.4 Annual Membership Meeting:
The President shall call and preside at an annual meeting
of the membership, held in conjunction with the Oklahoma Open, for the purpose
of hearing reports, making suggestions to the Policy Board, and conducting the Annual
Election. Twelve members present in person shall constitute a quorum. The
Secretary shall publish at least 30 days advance notice of the annual
membership meeting in the "Oklahoma Chess Bulletin". The membership
meeting will have a minimum of 90 minutes allowed to conduct business. The agenda
will be posted on the OCA website at least 10 days prior to the meeting.
III.5 Annual Election:
The Annual Election shall be used to amend the Bylaws and
fill Policy Board positions that are vacant. The call for Policy Board nominations
and bylaws amendment proposals shall be published and available to all members
no less than 30 days prior to the Annual Members Meeting. The ballots will only
be provided to all voting members per section III.2 at the Annual Election. Proxy
voting is not allowed. The ballots will be tallied by the Secretary or other
person(s) assigned by the Policy Board, and results tallied for reporting of
results at the Annual Members Meeting. The original ballots shall be kept as
backup for recount and auditing purposes.
ARTICLE IV: POLICY BOARD
IV.1 Responsibility:
Ultimate authority in the Association shall rest in the
membership; such authority is exercised at the Annual Membership Meeting. Between
Annual Membership Meetings the business and activities of the OCA shall be
governed by the Policy Board, in accordance with these Bylaws.
IV.2 Composition:
The Policy Board shall be composed of the President, Vice
President, Secretary, Treasurer, and three Members at Large elected by the
membership of the OCA, and the Immediate Past President.
IV.3 Meetings:
The Policy Board shall meet at least twice annually at
reasonable intervals to conduct the business of the OCA. These meetings shall
be open to all interested observers. Meetings may be held at the request of the
President or a majority of the members of the Policy Board provided that all Policy
Board Members have been given 7 days advance notice of the meeting. The minutes
of the Policy Board Meetings shall be published in the "Oklahoma Chess
Bulletin". A quorum shall consist of four members of the Board being
present in person or through electronic conference means,
wherein all participants can be heard by, and speak to, all other
participants at all times.
IV.4 Nomination and Bylaws
Amendment Proposals:
a)
Any voting OCA member age 18 or over shall be
eligible for any elected OCA office upon nomination by a fellow member at the
Annual Meeting. If there are no nominations for a Policy Board position to be
filled, then the person currently in that position will appear on the ballot.
b)
Proposed bylaws amendments must be submitted
in writing to the Secretary or President by the Nominating Committee, or voting
members per section III.2, no less than 30 days prior to the Annual Membership
Meeting. Amendments by voting members not on the Policy Board must be submitted
in writing by at least three voting members.
IV.5 Elections:
OCA elections
shall occur at the Annual Election. Positions to be filled shall be included in
the annual membership meeting notice. A plurality of the ballots shall elect
the nominee and any tie will be decided by a vote at the Annual Members Meeting.
No individual on the Policy Board shall hold more than one office nor be
entitled to more than one vote on the Policy Board. If a vacancy occurs in any
elected office, a successor to serve until the next annual election shall be
nominated and elected by the Policy Board, except that a vacancy in the office
of President shall be filled by the Vice President.
IV.6 Terms:
The terms of
the elected Policy Board shall begin upon completion of the annual membership meeting . The Members at Large shall have terms of
approximately one year. The President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer
shall have terms of approximately two years. The Immediate Past President shall
remain a member of the Policy Board so long as he/she remains Immediate Past
President.
IV.7 Duties:
· Policy Board:
a) The Policy Board shall appoint the Editor of the Oklahoma
Chess Bulletin.
b) The Policy Board shall be responsible for choosing the
organizer of the “Oklahoma Open” and any other state championship deemed
necessary.
c) The Policy Board shall appoint the Webmaster to maintain
the official OCA web site, www.ochess.org, which is the property of the OCA.
The Policy Board may approve changes or deletions of any content at any time,
which must be immediately adhered to by the Webmaster. OCA meeting minutes and
bylaws revisions or proposals must be approved in advance by the policy board
before being published.
d) The Policy Board may appoint committees that are deemed
necessary to advance OCA’s purpose. In particular, the
Policy Board may appoint a Nominating Committee to find candidates for open
Policy Board positions to be filled by the Annual Election. The term of office
of each committee shall terminate at the next election, or before as is
provided at the time of appointment.
e) The Policy Board is responsible for ensuring
f) The Policy Board shall appoint the Oklahoma
Clearinghouse Designate to maintain a calendar of tournaments and attempt to
resolve potential schedule conflicts.
· President:
The President shall preside at all meetings of the membership and the Policy
Board, carry out all requirements of these Bylaws, represent the OCA on
occasion, be the official spokesman for all business and correspondence, and
report to the membership at the Annual Meeting.
· Vice
President: The Vice President shall be responsible for encouraging, promoting,
and advising OCA Tournament Directors. He/she shall execute the duties of the
President when the President is unable to serve.
· Secretary:
This officer shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the membership and the
Policy Board; carry out all duties prescribed by these Bylaws; distribute
to all Policy Board Members and publish in the "Oklahoma Chess
Bulletin" the minutes of all meetings; keep mailing lists of current OCA
members; and conduct correspondence under the direction of the Policy Board.
· Treasurer:
This officer shall carry out all duties prescribed by these Bylaws; keep
records of the property and financial affairs and manage the funds of the
OCA; provide a financial report at Policy Board and Membership meetings;
promote, encourage, and coordinate additional sources of income; and ensure
that OCA memberships are checked and dues collected at all OCA tournaments.
· Immediate
Past President: This officer shall be an advisor to the President and the rest
of Policy Board.
· Members
at Large: These officers will report to the Secretary and Treasurer the
successful checking of OCA memberships and collection of dues at all events
requiring OCA membership.
IV.8 Resignations:
Policy Board resignations shall be
submitted in writing to the President or Secretary, who shall then immediately
notify the other Policy Board members. Any member of the Policy Board shall be
regarded as having resigned as an officer or member-at-large upon missing three
consecutive duly scheduled meetings of the Policy Board during the same twelve
months, with exception to be made by the Policy Board. Resignations will become
effective upon passing of an associated motion by the Policy Board at a Policy
Board meeting. Resignations may only be published in their entirety and after
becoming effective. If the President resigns, succession to the Immediate Past
President position is forfeited.
IV.9 Motions Conducted by
Correspondence:
The Policy Board may raise and vote on motions using
correspondence under the following conditions:
a) All Policy Board Members have confirmed receipt of the
motion or have been notified by a phone call about the proposed motion.
b) Approvals requiring a majority of a Policy Board Meeting
quorum will require a majority of all Policy Board Members for correspondence
approval.
c) Policy Board motions conducted using correspondence
shall be published in the official state publication.
IV.10 OCA Records:
All OCA
financial, membership, tournament and publication records are the property of
the OCA. Any such records in the possession of an officer, policy board
member, or regular member at the conclusion of their term, expiration of their
membership, or resignation from same, shall be turned over to the current
President or Secretary within 10 days of such event. No records shall be
shared with, or used by, individuals or organizations other than the current
OCA Policy Board. Some excerpts of those records may appear in the official
publication and official web site, as authorized by the Policy Board. Member
information shall only be used for official business of the OCA, and any other
use is expressly prohibited.
ARTICLE
V: STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
The format and location of the
state championships shall be approved by the Policy Board. Only OCA members
residing in the State of
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VI: SUNDRY BYLAWS
VI.1. Office: The registered
office of the OCA shall be the mailing address of the Secretary.
VI.2. Publications: The
“Oklahoma Chess Bulletin” is designated as the official state publication of
the OCA. All material submitted or created for the official state publication
and/or the official web site immediately becomes the copyrighted property of
the OCA and the author, and will require approval of the Policy Board for any
other publication, aside from that of the author. OCA copyright statements
shall appear in the official state publication and web site to protect the
interests of the OCA. The Policy Board will have access to a draft of the
official state publication one week before publishing and may edit or remove
material by a majority vote.
VI.3. Fiscal Period: The fiscal
period shall end on December 31.
VI.4. National Affairs: The OCA
is the official Oklahoma State Affiliate Chapter of the USCF.The
OCA Policy Board shall fulfill all functions designated by Article VIII,
Section 2 of the USCF Bylaws.
VI.5. Procedure: “Robert’s Rules
of Order Newly Revised” shall be used at all meetings whenever they are not in
conflict with these Bylaws.
VI.6. Authority: These Bylaws
have been adopted by the membership under the authority of the United States
Chess Federation (USCF), subject to all State and Federal laws.
VI.7. Amendment: The Bylaws may
be amended by a 2/3 majority vote of ballots
containing a vote for that item in the Annual Election per section III.5. The
Bylaws may also be amended by a 3/4 vote of the entire Policy Board, with
ratification of the amendment at the next Annual Election by a 2/3 majority
vote to remain in effect.
VI.8. Review: These Bylaws
should be reviewed by 2006 or earlier.
VI.9. Scholastics: The Oklahoma
Scholastic Chess Organization is the official State scholastic chess
organization responsible for the oversight of scholastic chess issues and State
scholastic chess championship tournaments.
VI.10 Funds: All general funds
shall be designated in one or more federally insured depositories in the OCA's name, disbursable only by check signed by the
Treasurer or by others designated by the Policy Board.
VI.11 Interpretation: At Policy
Board or General Membership Meetings a majority vote shall determine the
interpretation of these Bylaws with the understanding that the ambiguous expression
be amended as soon as practicable.
VI.12 Reimbursement: No member
shall receive compensation from the Association except for reimbursement of
reasonable approved expenses.
VI.13 Dissolution: In the event
of the dissolution of this corporation, all assets remaining after all
liabilities and obligations of the corporation have been paid, satisfied, and
discharged, or adequate provisions made therefore, shall be distributed to
United States Chess Trust, a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization.