1. Speech and Debate Club at Upland High School:

Constitution and By-Laws

ARTICLE I: NAME & PURPOSE

Section 1: The name of this club shall be the Speech and Debate Club (of Upland High School), also known as Debate (of Upland High School).

Section 2: Due to the variability of this activity, national affiliation shall change at the discretion of the leadership committee detailed in Article VI.

Section 3: The purpose of this club shall be:

1. To represent Upland High School in Public Debate Program and debate circuits to spread the noble, scholarly reputation of the high school as well as the Speech and Debate club therein.

2. To develop participants into charismatic speakers and debaters, but also to develop them into functioning members of society who tote with them the beautiful essences of logic, reason, and love for community, country, and mankind.

3. To spread the message of the importance of the spoken word, as well as the importance of healthy debate.

ARTICLE III: COMPLIANCE STATEMENT

Section 1: Upon approval by the Associated Student Body of Upland High School, the Speech and Debate Team shall be a registered student organization at Upland High School. The Speech and Debate Team shall comply with all local, state and federal laws, as well as all Upland High School’s regulations, policies, and procedures. Such compliance includes but is not limited to the High School’s regulations related to Non-Discrimination, Sexual Harassment (including sexual misconduct, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking), Hazing, Commercial Activity, and Student Leader Eligibility.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP & DUES

Section 1: Involvement within this club shall be allowed to all faculty, staff, and students of Upland High School, regardless of grade/experience. This does not discriminate based on any other factor besides one’s affiliation with the high school, in terms of being a student or faculty/staff members.

1. Students who have a history of infringement with UHS code of conduct, school safety rules, and/or UHS faculty will be barred from participation in the UHS Speech and Debate club.

Section 2: As of this constitution’s establishment, dues for this club shall be nonexistent.

ARTICLE VI: OFFICERS

Section 1: The club shall possess three Captains at all times.

Section 2: The Captains must be seen as qualified, by rule of the leadership committee (prior captains).

Section 3: The Captains shall be elected by appointment of the Captains before him/her.

1. During elections, prior captains may reference popular opinion of eligible members.

Section 4: The Captains shall serve either until they graduate, resign their position, or they are forcibly removed from office by the class representatives.

Section 5: If a vacancy occurs in the office of the Captains, the class representatives shall immediately elect new captains either from amongst their ranks or of the general membership of the club. If the captains are selected from amongst the membership of the leadership committee, a replacement member of that committee shall immediately be selected by the newly implemented captains.

ARTICLE V: DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1: Captain – it shall be the duty of the Captain to: Collaborate with faculty advisors as well as the leadership committee and general membership to; Appoint leadership committee members; Make final decisions on motion made by the leadership committee; Make decisions as to when and where meetings will take place; Represent the entire club at tournaments; Speak on behalf of the club at club showcases; Act as active ambassador in recruiting new members as well as in public and university related outreach; Sign members up for tournaments.

ARTICLE VI: MEETINGS

Section 1: Meetings shall occur at the discretion of the captains and/or Faculty advisor.

1. By traditional standards, meetings shall be held on Mondays and Wednesdays 20 minutes after school is dismissed.

a. Monday: 3:00 p.m.

b. Wednesday: 2:00 p.m.

Section 2: To overrule decisions made by the president or the leadership committee, a 2/3 majority vote must be taken to overrule said decision, where the leadership committee does not receive a vote count.

ARTICLE VII: CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

Section 1: Responsibilities of the Class Representatives have been entailed in preceding constitutional articles and their coordinating sections.

1. Class Representatives of Sophomore, Junior, and Senior classes will, with just cause, have the ability to assemble a motion to eject a captain from his or her position for conduct infringing the constitution and its bylaws.

2. Class representatives shall represent the majority opinion of who their class and will reflect their sentiment in a vote amongst class representatives.

3. Among class representatives, a two-thirds vote is mandated to call a motion of ejection to the faculty advisor, who will ultimately qualify the motion.

Section 2: Members are elected based on appointment by the Captains and are confirmed by a majority vote of any kind.

Section 3: This committee may meet in person at its discretion, but electronic interaction is much preferred so that members are not overwhelmed by time commitments.

ARTICLE VIII: ADVISOR

Section 1: Upland High School faculty member (1 or more) shall preside over the club at all times.

Section 2: The club advisors serve the purpose of:

1. Representing the club as a faculty representative;
2. Advising the club as to the possible outcomes of its decisions;
3. Occasionally, coaching the team in principles of forensics (speech and debate);
4. Handling matters that students are unable to take care of due to some sort of inhibiting factor.

ARTICLE IX: AMENDMENTS

Section 1: Amendments to this constitution may occur by a 2/3 vote of captains.

Section 2: Every member of the club shall receive the opportunity to vote, whether they are in physical attendance of the hearing or not. If they cannot be contacted within 48 hours of the hearing, their vote is forfeited and the motion will pass (or not pass), by calculating the votes that were properly collected, either at the hearing or electronically.

BYLAWS

Bylaw No. 1

1. Application
   1. No application for membership shall be accepted by the Club unless it is complete and accurate
      1. All applications are expected to be completed in but not limited to:
         1. Standard Conventional English
         2. Legible handwriting
         3. Led, blue ink, or black ink

Bylaw No. 2

1. Non-Discrimination
   1. The Speech and Debate Team agrees that it will not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, and/or political opinions or affiliations.
      1. Hate to specific groups (including but not limited to: Jews, LGBTQ, etc.) will not be tolerated and will be considered in an effort to forward offender’s expulsion from the team.

Bylaw No. 3

1. Internal Conflict
   1. Should there be conflict amongst members in a team, conflict of interest shall be presented to the captains for further jurisdiction
      1. Action may include: expulsion, suspension, and transfer.
      2. Conflict may include: work ethic, attendance, harassment, etc.
   2. Attendance or lack thereof is a punishable offense that may infringe on the interest of one's team.
      1. Repeated offenses may result in consequences outlined in 1.a.ii.

Bylaw No. 4

1. Tournament Attendance
   1. Teams are required to update captains on attendance of team members no later than five days before the day of the tournament.
      1. Should there be an unexpected conflict that bars a member from attending, no later than two days before the day of the tournament should there be an effort to bring attention to and justify the absence.
         1. Failure to comply, may affect the ability to apply for leadership positions in the future.

Bylaw No. 5

1. Apparel
   1. Tournament apparel
      1. Members are encouraged to wear business casual to tournaments as an effort to look professional and organized.
      2. Members that have questions about tournament appropriate apparel should bring their concerns to the captains and/or faculty advisor(s).
   2. Practice apparel
      1. Members are required to comply with Upland High School regulations regarding proper attire on school grounds.

Bylaw No. 6

1. Sports/other extra curricular activities
   1. If sports/other activities take away too much attention from a members assumed dedication to debate, the legitimacy of their membership will be evaluated by the captains.
      1. Members can and will be mandated to provide ample information on existing and future activities.
         1. Information may include but is not limited to: signatures from advisor/coach, calendar scheduled, etc.
         2. Failure to do so may result in suspension and/or ineligibility to apply for leadership positions.
         3. Continued offenses may result in expulsion from the team.
   2. If members see misconduct of this bylaw, they are more than justified to report such action to launch an investigation of the accused member.
      1. All those accused will be assumed innocent till verdict be decided by the investigational committee.

Bylaw No. 7

1. Tryouts
   1. Tryouts will be held during the month of September. Dates may be assigned by current captains.
   2. Tryouts should review speakers ability in (but not limited to): presentation, linguistics, availability, etc.

Bylaw No. 8

1. Character
   1. Members are subject to review of their character and whether their infringements obstruct the moral code of the team.
   2. Ethics board headed by leadership council will investigate character of any member as they see fit in the best interest of the team and moral standing.

Bylaw No. 9

1. Ethics
   1. An ethics board shall be established and headed by the presiding captains who will uphold the ethics of the team and keep integrity amongst members.
   2. Board of Ethics will make decisions on cases brought to their attention and/or internal investigation on groups or individuals who offend the ethics of the UHS Speech and Debate team.

Bylaw No. 10

1. Judging
   1. During practices captains of the UHS debate team and/or four year members are permitted to judge during tournament practices.
      1. Those not in this group of individuals will be under jurisdiction of UHS team captains where they may be delegated as they are needed.