Club By-laws

Marist Outing Club By-laws

Edited April, 2023

Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

The following is the order of Articles:

Article I NAME Marist Outing Club

This organization shall be known as the Marist Outing Club. Within this document, reference to ‘club,’ ‘the club,’ or ‘MOC’ is a reference to the Marist Outing Club.

Article II PURPOSE

The purpose of the Marist Outing Club is to provide opportunities for participants to enjoy the outdoors with classmates. We provide our members with the planning, access, and equipment needed to enjoy an array of outdoor activities. The club will also provide the proper education and safety training prior to outing trips. The MOC shall not discriminate against any member of the Marist community, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni, who wants to become a member of the MOC.

Article III MEMBERS

Section 1. Types of membership: Executive, active, and passive

1. The executive board consists of the president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, webmaster, gear director, and any new positions that may be created as the club evolves. 

2. Active membership will include trip leaders who are trained club members that help plan and lead outing trips.

3. Passive members are all Marist College students or anyone who has expressed interest in the club. Joining the email list and becoming a passive member will allow you to access trip sign ups and apply for trip leader training. 

Section 2. Qualification of Membership

Priority Point Break Down:

1 point – 50% meetings, 1 outing trip 

2 points – TRIP LEADERS ONLY: 50% meetings, Lead 1 trip, 75% all-club events (including community service)

3 points – EXECUTIVE ONLY: 100% meetings, 100% all-club events (including community service event)

Section 3. Any required fees or dues

The club is free to join although fees may be assessed on a trip by trip basis that includes a portion of gas and food. Gear will require a deposit to check out that will be refunded once the provided gear is returned to the club in adequate condition.

Section 4. Provisions of resignation

Board members must provide at least a one semester notice if they plan to step down from their leadership position. In the case a board member decides to leave before their term is up, an election will be scheduled for their replacement as soon as notice is provided. In the case that the president needs to step down, it is the responsibility of the Vice President to assume the role and the Vice President role will then be filled. If there is an unexpected opening on the executive board without time to hold an election, an interim member will be designated by the president and vice president to fulfill that role until an election can take place. 

Article IV FACULTY ADVISOR

Section 1. Duties of Faculty Advisor

The role of the faculty advisor is to advise and assist the executive board on the running and management of the club. The advisor will help ensure all activities are being run in a safe manner and leaders are properly trained in safety practices. 

Section 2. Current Faculty Advisor

The current faculty advisor is Dr. Zion Klos. Zion has an extensive background with outdoor education through his environmental science courses and was also heavily involved with his own college outing club at Colorado College. We have been provided with many leadership pathway and education materials from Zion. Zion will provide leader training for the first batch of new trip leaders and the executive board. 

Section 3. Change in Faculty Advisor

In the circumstance for the need of a new faculty advisor, the new advisor must be approved by all members of the executive board. The old faculty advisor should provide at least one semester notice of their leave.

Article V OFFICERS

Section 1. Duties of Officers

Officers may be added, modified, or removed as the club grows and changes. Executive officers must be present at all meetings. The term for each executive board member is one year. 

1. President

   1. Directs executive board.

   2. Runs meetings, puts together a list of topics that need to be discussed with the group, delegates different activities, and checks in with the other board members to see that they are on track and on top of their separate tasks. 

   3. Chief spokesperson for MOC. Acts as a representative for the club working with faculty in activities and programs, and our advisor in a way that reflects well on the club.

   4. Drafts and manage agendas for Board meetings as well as all-club general membership meetings.

   5. Oversees all trip leaders in their planning.

   6. Provides trip leader training along with one other member of the executive board.

2. Vice President

   1. Assist the president.

   2. Assume the powers and duties of the President in the event they are absent.

   3. Schedule rooms for general (open) meetings.

   4. In charge of any club merchandise. 

   5. Count votes and announce the results of elections. 

   6. Manages trip calendar for the year and for each semester. 

3. Secretary

   1. Take notes during meetings and send out a recap to board members afterwards.

   2. Make sure liability forms are filled out for all members participating in a trip. 

   3. Keeps track of member attendance and priority point allocation. 

   4. Keep track of trip leaders, their qualifications/certifications and the expiration dates for those certifications. 

4. Treasurer

   1. Communicate with SGA about club and trip budgets. 

   2. Manage purchases and provide money (if needed) to trip leaders. 

   3. Prepare a tentative budget for the approval of the executive board.

   4. Handle gear deposit money once received from the gear director. 

5. Webmaster/Social Media

   1. Keep the membership and the Marist community informed about the club through official social media accounts. 

   2. Posts at least once a week by story or post. 

   3. Manage email list and email account.

   4. Direct publicity such as notifying the Marist Circle or other Marist College media about club happenings. 

6. Gear Director

   1. Research and recommend the purchase of new gear based on continuing monitoring of current gear and the condition of gear. 

   2. Supervise the renting of club gear by members; ensure deposit money safely gets to the treasurer and back to the member upon the safe and timely return of the gear. 

   3. Assign gear deposit amounts. 

   4. Ensure all trip members have the correct gear for the upcoming trip. 

   5. Regularly maintain first aid kits.

Article VI Trip Leaders

Section 1. Duties of trip leaders

Trip leaders are in charge of all aspects of the trip being held and report back to the executive board. Leaders will play a large role in the planning of the trip as well communicating with members who are going on the trip. Trip leaders are also in charge of all members and their safety during the trip. Communication that must be provided prior and after the trip include emails detailing the necessary gear and packing list for each member, an itinerary including important aspects of the trip as well as time and meeting place for the beginning of the trip. After the trip concludes, a report must be submitted to the executive board within one week that includes information on what went well and what can be improved about the trip. If an incident such as a medical accident occurs, an incident report must be submitted to the executive board about said incident, what happened, and how it can be prevented in the future. 

Section 2. Application

New trip leader applications will be available beginning the first week of each semester and will be open for one week. Members must be a part of the club for one semester prior to applying to be a trip leader. Application should include information about their outdoors background, experience, and any safety certifications already obtained. 

Section 3. Safety requirements

Trip leaders must obtain a certification such as the NOLS Wilderness First Aid, or equivalent. Other accepted safety certifications also accepted include but are not limited to: Wilderness First Responder, and Outdoor Emergency Care Technician. If budget allows, the club can assist trip leaders in paying for these certifications. Other certifications may be required based on the trip such as top rope/belay certification for climbing trips and avalanche training for backcountry ski trips.The qualification to lead any trip is at the ultimate discretion of the President. The President may deny a trip leader the right to lead a trip at any time on the basis of safety and/or experience. Trip leaders also must be qualified to drive participants to and from the location of the trip in a 12-passenger van. 

Section 4. Orientation & Training

Once accepted as a trip leader, new leaders will be contacted about mandatory training. Trainings will be led at first, by Dr. Zion Klos. Once all executive board members have been officially trained by Zion, the club president and 1 other board member will teach the trip leader training. Leaders will only be approved for certain types of trips that they qualify for based on their skills and certifications. Skills that all leaders must be approved on include both hard and soft outdoors skills. Hard skills include basic outdoor gear and skills while soft skills include leadership and decision making training.

Article VII GEAR 

Section 1. Gear and packing lists will be sent out to trip attendees prior to each outing trip. If a trip member does not own some of the proper gear, they can check out gear from the MOC gear supply. Each piece of equipment has a deposit value that the gear director will establish. Deposit can only be paid in cash and will be returned upon timely return of the gear in adequate condition. 

Article VII TRIPS

Section 1. A “Front-Country” trip is defined as any trip that takes place within the jurisdiction of professional emergency medical services. 

Section 2. A “Back-country” trip is defined as any trip that takes place beyond the range of conventional emergency medical services, and where wilderness medical protocols may be necessary.

Section 3. All trips, regardless of type, must have a properly stocked first aid kit with the trip leader. Back-country trips must also bring a GPS beacon along with the group. 

Section 4. A “Regular Trip” is defined as an event or trip sponsored by the Club that is under 2-nights/3-days in length. 

Section 5. A “Special Trip” is one that falls outside of the activities normally conducted by the club, including but not limited to extended trips such as over academic breaks. Trip attendees may need to pay a fee for special trips.

Section 6. All transportation to and from regular and special trips will be done in vans driven by the trip leader(s). There is no exception to this rule and trip participants are not allowed to drive themselves to and from outing trips. 

Article VII ELECTIONS

Section 1. All elected positions must be up for reelection by the general membership in a well-publicized meeting during the spring semester. This meeting will occur at least one month prior to the end of the semester and notice of the meeting must be given at least 2 weeks before the meeting to allow for prospective candidates to prepare. During the election meeting, candidates for each position will be provided with five minutes to speak if they choose to. At the conclusion of the meeting, a google form will be sent out to all members of the club and members will have 48 hours to vote. At the conclusion of voting, the vice president will announce the results of the election immediately. 

Section 2. Elections will be held yearly, but executives are able to hold the roles as long as possible so long as they are voted fairly into the position.

Section 3. President and Vice President roles may only be filled by people who have participated in the club for four semesters either in an active or passive way.

Article VIII MEETINGS

Section 1. Time and place of regular meetings

1. Officer Meetings

   1. Officer meetings will be weekly with the official board 

2. Open Meetings

   1. Monthly meetings run by executives in a common space for members to hear about upcoming trips and events. Members also have the space and opportunity to give feedback about trips and/or officers. 

Section 2. Special meetings and Trip Meetings procedures

1. Special meetings may be called by the president or trip leaders

2. Trip Leaders shall be responsible for contacting people for their trip meetings and provide all of the necessary information for that trip.

Section 3. Number constituting a quorum

Minimum of one executive member and at least five general members must be present to properly conduct business at a meeting and business can be conducted through online interface if in person meetings are not suited for. 

Article IX COMMITTEES

Special committees may be formed with the approval and at the dictation of both the president and vice president. 

Article X - Unless suspended, all meetings will be run according to Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised. 

Article XI – These by-laws may be amended by a majority vote of the members provided that a quorum is present. If such amendments pass by the majority, it then must be presented to the Student Government Association for final approval.

Article XII – The club and any individual associated with said club, shall abide and conform to all Federal Laws, New York State Laws, all rules and regulations of Marist College, and all directives of the Student Government Association. Any violation of the aforementioned criteria may result in the disciplinary action taken on the club charter. 

Article XIII - The Marist College Division of Judicial Affairs holds this policy for the college: Any action, which endangers the mental, emotional, or physical health or safety of a student, or which destroys or removes public or private property, for the purpose of initiation, admission into, affiliation with, or as a condition for continued membership in an organization or team whose members are, or include, students at Marist.