CLUB CONSITIUTION AND BYLAWS
Revised August 27, 2015
CONSTITUTION OF
Clarion Equestrian Team
ARTICLE I
NAME
Section 1. The name of this organization shall be Clarion Equestrian Team.
ARTICLE II
PURPOSE
Section 1. The purpose(s) of this organization shall be to give the Venango College and the Clarion
University collegiate riders the opportunity to compete individually and as a team in the Intercollegiate
Horse Show Association (IHSA). The team travels off campus in Zone 2 Region 5 in English and Western
competitions. The team has two certified instructors as current coaches: in English, Lauren HolmesPrisuta and in Western, Tammy Braham. If a student is not interested in competing, the Clarion Equestrian
Club also offers students the opportunity to learn about horses, take riding lessons and go on trail rides.
ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Club membership is restricted to all currently enrolled students of Venango College or Clarion
University in good standing. Team membership is restricted to qualified riders evaluated by the coach of their
discipline.

Section 2. A person is a member in good standing when he or she are maintaining at least twelve credits
and have a minimum overall 2.0 GPA (exception being new students without any academic history). To be
eligible for the Clarion Equestrian Team, a student must meet the requirements set by the Intercollegiate
Horse Show Association eligibility checks. Both coaches and the advisor have the right to remove a
member of the team due to disciplinary reasons.
Section 3. The rights of voting and holding an office are reserved for club members only.
ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS
Section 1. The officers shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Recruiting Officer, Honor
Officer, and Fundraising Committee.
Section 2. The officers shall be elected with simple majority serving as means of election by the
membership.
Section 3. The Executive Committee shall select a member to represent the club on the Student Senate
once a month on each campus.
Section 4. To be eligible for office, candidate shall maintain at least twelve credits at the Venango College
or Clarion University with an overall GPA of 2.00. (Exception being new students without any academic
history).
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Section 5. Club members will be nominated (or may self-nominate) for officer positions during the first
meeting of the spring semester and shall be elected by simple majority at the first meeting of the spring
semester for the following academic year. Elected officers must receive simple majority.
Section 6. Should an officer not be able to fulfill his/her duties, the resulting vacancy shall be filled through
an appointment by the remaining officers. In the rare event that the remaining officers cannot agree on a
replacement, any member(s) can express interest in the vacancy and a decision by simple majority of the
club membership will prevail. Each term will end at the conclusion of the spring semester.
Section 7. Should an officer not fulfill his/her duties properly, they can be impeached by a simple majority
vote by club members and the advisor.
ARTICLE V
CAPTAINS
Section 1. Captains may be selected for each riding term for the year. There will be captains for both the
English Team and the Western Team.
Section 2. Captains shall be selected by receiving the simple majority vote from the members, advisor, and
coach of the corresponding discipline.
Section 3. The advisor and the coaches have the authority to overturn a majority vote if they feel that the
selected individual will inadequately fill the position of captain.
ARTICLE VI
ADVISOR(S) AND COACHES
Section 1. The advisor is responsible for appeals regarding decisions, determining eligibility for competition,
coaching the officers, and disciplinary actions regarding violations of the Constitution and/or Bylaws.
Section 2. Coaches are responsible for conducting lessons, selecting riders for shows, setting policies
regarding dress and showmanship, and making sure riders follow IHSA Rules. The coach is also in charge
of deciding when and where Clarion Equestrian Team is hosting a show.
ARTICLE VII
SOURCE OF POWER
Section 1. The source of power of this club is the President of Clarion University of Pennsylvania, the legal
representative of the Board of Trustees, who delegates powers as are appropriate to the Student Senate,
which recognizes each club to conduct its power business. In accepting this constitution, the Clarion
University Equestrian Team agrees to abide by the University’s policies and regulations, which apply to
students and student clubs.
ARTICLE VIII
DUES
Section 1. Membership dues shall be $150.00 ($75.00 per semester) per member for one discipline or
$225.00 ($112.00 per semester) per member for both disciplines before given access to all the benefits of
the team, such as equipment, usage of the riding facility and instruction of the coaches as allowed by the
coach. Club members (non-competitors) dues shall be $50.00 per member and must be paid before given
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access to all the benefits of the opportunity to learn about horses, take riding lessons and go on trail rides. Every
member (club and team) will volunteer hours at the barn as requested by the coach of their discipline.
Section 2. Team members are responsible for the cost of procuring any attire required for participation in a
show as determined by the team’s coach.
BYLAWS OF
Clarion Equestrian Team
ARTICLE I
OFFICIAL MEETINGS
Section 1. Regular meetings shall be held monthly to address the club’s business at a day and time
convenient for the majority to attend.
Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the president or a quorum, defined as half the membership
plus one, with at least one week notice required.
Section 3. Other activities, such as parties, team meetings, teambuilding activities, charity events, and
trade shows are mandatory unless otherwise determined through the advisor. The number of exemptions
from mandatory activities is at the discretion of the advisor.
Section 4. The quorum requires a simple majority (one half plus one) of members to be present or have
prearranged means of communication to conduct official business of the club.
ARTICLE II
ELECTION/OFFICERS SELECTION
Section 1. Club members may self-nominate or be nominated as candidates for officer positions during the
first meeting of the spring semester. Elections will be held during the first meeting of the spring semester.
Section 2. Election for new officers shall be conducted by those recognized members in attendance via
written ballot or simple nomination, or have prearranged means of communication for voting if not present
at the meeting. All voting will be supervised by the advisor.
Section 3. Written ballots will be counted by the advisor.
Section 4. New officers shall take office the following semester or at most convenient date after the
election.
ARTICLE III
DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1. The President shall be considered the presiding officer at all functions and conduct the meetings
under Bylaws Article 1. Any and all events under the club’s authority will be approved via this office to
assure it is dispersed properly to its members. This office will also be responsible for coordination of any
campus and/or community oriented events but isn’t required to be the chair of those events. For this
reason, the club president decides who will serve as the Student Senate representative at each meeting.
Any meetings requiring attendance at Student Senate functions will be the responsibility of this officer to be
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present at the event or select a team representative. If this elected member cannot fulfill any particular
duty, it may be assigned to another officer.
Section 2. The Vice President will fulfill the duties of the president on an interim basis in the event the
president is absent or cannot be present for any functions normally under that specific office. This officer is
responsible for welcoming new members and insuring that they have copies of the club’s Constitution and
Bylaws, and are introduced to officers, coaches, captains, advisor(s), and fellow club members. The club
vice president is also responsible for publishing the results of all team shows.
Section 3. The Secretary will record all meetings and disperse the previous minutes for approval. This
office will also be accountable for dispersing information on upcoming events via postal or electronic mail
and/or in person dependent on the immediate need of that concern. This officer is also responsible for
electronic group communication and informing others without that means of communication. The club
advisor must be included in all such correspondence.
Section 4. The Treasurer will be accountable for tracking, recording and depositing all club funds to an
account in the club’s name and provide a copy of those transactions at any official meetings to the
membership. Any financial concerns will be immediately reported to the officers and membership so the
matter can be rectified in the most expedient manner. This officer is also responsible for keeping records of
all fundraising done by club members and seeking sponsorships for the club.
Section 5. The Recruiting Officer will be the beacon for recruitment and is responsible to inform and provide
perspective members with information about joining the Clarion Equestrian Team. This officer is
responsible for securing a table at Discovery Day (Venango Campus) and Activity Day (Clarion Campus),
talking to campus recruiters in the admissions offices of both campuses about our program, and distributing
brochures to both campuses’ admissions office. The recruiting officer will also get a schedule for campus
admission visitation dates for local high school and coordinate with team members to have them attend
high school visits. This officer will be given support from the remaining officers and club members.
Section 6. The Honor Officer is in charge of monitoring all social media for any inappropriate posts,
comments, or pictures that do not represent the Clarion Equestrian Team or the University during each
semester. This officer will “warn” the member and send the advisor a copy of the inappropriate actions.
The Honor Officer must follow the following procedure: if a picture, post, or comment is “warned” and there
is a 24 hour opportunity for the member to remove the picture, post, or comment, or the member must
provide the Honor Officer and the Advisor with a statement on why they believe the picture, post, or
comment is not inappropriate. If a statement is provided, it will be reviewed by the advisor and honor
officer to decide whether or not to further actions will be taken. If the inappropriate picture, post, or
comment is not removed and a statement is not sent to the honor officer and advisor within 24 hours, it will
be considered a minor infraction and the member will be required to pay for their next lesson. If the
problem persists, the situation will turn into a major infraction resulting in the member not being allowed to
show in the next competition.
Section 7. The Fundraising Committee will be accountable for tracking and recording all fundraising
activities including but not limited to product sold, amount of products given to each individual, amount of
products returned, amount of money turned in for each individual, and participation in fundraising activities.
The Fundraising Committee must record all data and report to club members the status of fundraising
activities at meetings or by electronic mail.
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Section 8. The President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Recruiting Officer, Honor Officer, and
Fundraising Committee will constitute the “Executive Committee.”

ARTICLE IV
DUTIES OF CAPTAINS
Section 1. The Captain of both the English Team and the Western Team are responsible for receiving the
prize list, filling it out, and returning the entries to the team hosting each show in a timely manner. They
also must inform the advisor as soon as possible as to who is showing so that the advisor can ask for
money in the UPR. The captain must also be responsible for picking up the checks at CSA the week of the
show and collecting all of the eligibility forms.
Section 2. The Captain is responsible for organizing the pick-up and return of the van to CSA, as well as
informing all team members of the time and place of departure before each show.
Section 3. The Captain must complete paper work with the coach at the show and attend the coaches and
captains meetings. They are also responsible for making sure each rider is in the correct class and telling
the riders which horse they drew and when they are showing.
Section 4. The Captain is in charge of making sure that everyone has a lesson scheduled with their coach
and that they are attending those lessons.
Section 5. The Captain is responsible for all their teammates and making sure that they are alright. They
are a person that a member can go to if they are having any trouble with coaches, teammates, advisors,
family, classes, etc. Captains are also responsible for being the first one to events and the last ones to
leave.
ARTICLE V
GOOD STANDING AND COMPETING
Section 1. Team members in good standing may be selected by the team coach to compete in IHSA and
other approved competitive events. The coach will determine which riders shall be placed in a given show
and in which classes.
Section 2. To be in good standing requires the following: regular attendance at meetings, regular lessons,
attendance at assigned shows even when not schedules to ride, eligible in accordance with IHSA rules,
shows good sportsmanship as evaluated by coach or advisor, and has no disciplinary actions against
themselves.
Section 3. Each team member must submit all their social media sites to the Honor officer at the beginning
of each semester. If a rider refuses to adhere to the regulations they will be suspended until the
information is submitted.
Section 4. It is the responsibility of the advisor to determine if team members selected to compete in an
upcoming show are in good standing. Team members deemed to be ineligible to compete must be
informed by the captain immediately upon determination. Team members may appeal a decision by
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contacting the club advisor via email and asking for a review of circumstances. An appeal board consisting
of the Executive Committee, the captain, and the club advisor will be called to hear the appeal if the club
advisor determines it necessary.
Section 5. Every member is required to attend a lesson the week before a show otherwise it will result in
not being able to compete at the upcoming show.
Section 6. A coach can override a captain’s decision about if a team member is eligible to participate.
ARTICLE VI
FUNDRAISING
Section 1. Club members will be asked to participate in fundraising events. These events are mandatory.
Fundraising activities will be proposed and chosen by vote at a regularly scheduled meeting through the
Fundraising Committee. If a member chooses to not participate without a valid excuse accepted by
President, Advisor, and Fundraising Committee, it will be considered a minor infraction and the member will
be required to pay for their next lesson. If the problem persists, the situation will turn into a major infraction
resulting in the member not being allowed to show in the next competition.
ARTICLE VII
AMENDMENTS
Section 1. This constitution and bylaws can be amended. Members wishing to make a motion to amend
the constitution and/or bylaws must do so at an official club meeting. The motion will be decided by a
simple majority vote cast by the members and advisor.

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