Bylaws

Our latest bylaws reflect the rebrand to Racquets Sports Professional Association

BYLAWS OF THE

SOUTHERN DIVISION

OF

RACQUET SPORTS PROESSIONAL ASSOCIATION, INC.

_____________________________

ARTICLE I - NAME AND PURPOSES

         Section 1.  NAME OF THIS DIVISION.  The name shall be the RSPA, Southern Division (hereinafter the “Division”).

         Section 2.  PURPOSE.  The purpose of the Division shall be to administer the funds entrusted to it and the programs left in its charge by the United States Professional Tennis Association, Inc. (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the “RSPA”) in accordance with the Bylaws of the RSPA, and to do any further acts in accordance with the Bylaws of the RSPA.

ARTICLE II - MEMBERS

         Section 1.  ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP.  Application for membership, admission procedure and testing and classification as member of the RSPA, Southern Division shall be in accordance with the provision of the Bylaws of the RSPA. 

         Section 2.  HONORARY MEMBERSHIP.  These persons who have made an outstanding contribution to the sport of tennis or to the RSPA, shall be eligible to become honorary members of the Division.  Honorary membership shall be proposed and voted on by the Board of Officers of the Division. Honorary Members shall not be deemed Members of the RSPA and have no voting power, nor be eligible to be an officer of the Division.

ARTICLE III - BOARD OF OFFICERS

Section 1.  POWERS OF BOARD OFFICERS.  The Division shall be managed by its Board of Officers.  The Division shall be directed by the Division Management Committee that will consist of the President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, and Immediate Past President of the Division.  The Management   Committee shall manage the affairs of the Division between meetings of the entire Board.  It shall also have the power to interpret the Bylaws and to give direction in cases not provided for herein. 

         Section 2.  MEETINGS OF BOARD OF OFFICERS.  The Board of Officers shall meet annually as such time as it deems convenient/necessary.  It shall also meet at the call of the President upon fourteen (14) days notice or upon the call of a majority of the Board of Officers who may call a meeting of the Board of Officers upon fourteen (14) days notice.

         Section 3.  MAKEUP OF BOARD OF OFFICERS.  The Board of Officers will consist of the President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, Immediate Past President (who is also the Regional Vice President) the 9 Southern Division State Chapter Presidents, and such other officers as the Board of Officers deem necessary or desirable.  All officers must be active members of the RSPA, Southern Division at the time of their election.

            Section 4.  POWER OF SOUTHERN DIVISION AND STATES. Whenever any conflict exists between the directives of the Division or the Board of Officers and the States, the directives of the Management Committee and Board of Officers shall prevail. The States are administrative units of the Southern Division and are not separate entities. No State shall be incorporated or shall otherwise act in regard to any state or governmental agency without the express permission of the Southern Division and the World Headquarters.

         Section 5.  NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS OF BOARD OF OFFICERS.  The Board of Officers will be elected every two years by the Division membership for a two-year term starting in election year 2015. The election will be held as follows:  The Nominating Committee will propose a complete slate of officers and forward this slate to a person (or persons) designated by the Executive Board of Officers as the “Nomination Monitor(s).”  All persons who are members of the Nominating Committee agree not to be a candidate for election to the Board of Directors in the term immediately following. At least seven (7) weeks before the election, the Nomination Monitor(s) will mail to the membership the Nominating Committee's slate of officers and call for further nominations. In order to challenge for a Board position, the member must have applied for the current Board of Directors. At least five (5) weeks before the election the nominations from the membership must be received by the Nomination Monitor(s), who will thereupon add to the ballot the names of those persons who receive the greatest number of nominations from the membership. Except as provided below, only one (1) nominee per office will be added to those persons nominated by the Nominating Committee and the names added will have received the most number of nominations from the membership. A nominee added to the ballot must receive nominations from at least twenty (20) members. Nominees for the positions of President and the First Vice President may not be challenged.  In the event two proposed nominees receive the same number of votes, the proposed nominee that has the highest number of continuing education points shall be added to the ballot.  In the event, the proposed nominees remain tied after consideration of the continuing education points, both names will be added to the ballot. Thereafter, at least four (4) weeks before the election, the Nominating Monitor(s) will send out the ballots to the members. The ballots will then be returned to a Counting Committee, which will be appointed by the Board of Officers. In the event the nominees remain tied after counting the number of continuing education points and the number of votes received for each nominee, the nominee presented by the Nominating Committee shall be declared the winner. 

         Section 6.  NOMINATING COMMITTEE.  The Nominating Committee will be composed of three (3) members. If the Division presently has no Nominating committee, the initial Nominating Committee for the Division will be appointed by the President of the RSPA.  All members of the Division Nominating Committee must be members in good standing with the RSPA and must reside within the geographical boundaries of the division. In the event that a member of the Nominating Committee resigns or must resign because of a relocation, the Division President may appoint a replacement. After the Nominating Committee has nominated a slate of officers, it will appoint a new Nominating Committee, which will nominate candidates in the following election year.  The immediate Past President will fill one position.  One member of the prior Nominating Committee will always be appointed to the new Nominating Committee. The reappointed individual may not serve more than two successive terms on the Nominating Committee. The presence of majority of the members of the Nominating Committee shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of selecting a slate of officers. The Nominating Committee shall act by majority vote. In the event that a member of the Nominating Committee for any reason cannot serve or is not present, provided a quorum is established, until such time as his/her replacement shall be made by the Board of Officers upon majority vote, or by the President as provided above, the remaining members of the Nominating Committee may act by majority vote of the members present. A member of the Nominating Committee can be removed for cause upon majority vote of the Board of Officers of the Division or the RSPA Board of Directors. In the event, that a Division protects any nominated officer position(s) from challenge (“Protected Positions”), members of the Nominating Committee may not be nominated to serve in a Protected Position.

         Section 7.  RSPA BOARD SUPERVISION.  The entire election procedure of the Division, as set forth in preceding paragraphs sections 3, 4, and 5, is under the supervision of the Board of Officers of the RSPA, which may at its discretion, ensure, in whatever manner necessary, the fairness of the Division’s election of its Board of Officers.  The supervision of the RSPA Board may be invoked upon the petition of at least ten percent (10%) of the Division’s membership, or at its own discretion.

         Section 8.  VOTING PROCEDURE AT BOARD OF OFFICERS MEETINGS.  At meetings of the Board of Officers a quorum shall be a majority of the Board.  Proxy voting will be allowed; however, only another State Chapter officer from that State will be allowed to vote the proxy. The written proxy must be presented prior to the Board meeting. The meeting will be chaired by the President.  Roberts’ Rules of Order will govern proceedings of the Board of Officers meetings if the Chair is challenged.  The President may poll the Board of Officers by telephone but only in cases where time is of the essence and the majority of the Board does not object to the procedure.

         Section 9.  OFFICERS.  

(a) President.   The President will be the Chief Executive Officer of the RSPA, Southern Division.  He/she shall preside at all meetings, preserve order, appoint all committees, with the approval of the Board of Officers, not otherwise provided for, and see that the Officers and Committees perform their respective duties.  He/she shall be ex-officio member of all committees appointed by him/her.  In the event of resignation or death of a member of the Board of Officers the President is empowered to appoint an interim officer, with a majority vote of approval by the board.

(b) 1st Vice President.  The 1st Vice President assist the President in the performance of his/her duties and shall exercise the powers of the president in his absence or in case of his death shall succeed to the position of President.

(c)  2nd Vice President.  The 2nd Vice President shall assist the President in the performance of his/her duties.  He shall succeed to the position of 1st Vice President in the event of his/her resignation, death, or succession.

(d) Secretary/Treasurer.  The Secretary shall send out notices and perform other duties usual to the office of secretary, and in assistance to the President.  The Treasurer shall keep all the financial records in a safe place, shall pay all authorized bills promptly on consultation with the president, and shall report on the Division financial affairs periodically.  He or she shall also invest the funds of the Division as directed by the Board of Officers.

(e) Immediate Past President.  The Immediate Past President shall be a member of the Board of Officers and will also be the Regional Vice President.  He/she, along with the President, will represent the Division on the Executive Committee of the RSPA in accordance with the RSPA Bylaws.  In the event the Immediate Past President does not or cannot assume the office, the nominating committee will add a nomination for Regional Vice President to the nominating list.

(f)  State Presidents.  State Presidents shall number nine (9).  They shall be the Presidents of the State Chapters in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Kentucky.  They shall be members of the Board of Officers and shall represent their States on the Board of Officers.  Starting in election year 2015, State Presidents shall be elected every two years by members of their state only.

Section 10. ONE OFFICE PER PERSON.  In no event shall any two (2) of the offices comprising the Board of Officers be filled by the same person except in the case of the Immediate Past President who shall also be the Regional Vice President.

ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP MEETING

         The members of the Division, shall meet annually, or more often, at the time or times set forth by the Board of Officers.  At the membership meeting, which shall be chaired by the President of the Division, the members may discuss the affairs of the Division and make recommendations to the Board.  They may also vote in person or by proxy on proposed amendments to the Bylaws to the RSPA, as set forth therein.

ARTICLE V - AMENDMENTS TO THE BY LAWS

         Amendments to the Bylaws may be adopted by the RSPA Board of Directors, by the majority vote of the Board of Officers of the Division or proposed by a member of the Division to the Board of Officers and approved by a vote thereafter of the members at a meeting called upon due notice or by a mail ballot. In the event an amendment is adopted by mail in ballot, a member must have at least twenty-one (21) days to return their ballot. The proposed amendment will be adopted if at least two-thirds of those voting vote to adopt the amendment. The effective date of any amendment will be when the amendment is adopted or at a time specified in the amendment resolution. Any amendment to the Bylaws may be revoked by the RSPA Board of Directors at its discretion, and the Divisional amendment process is under the supervision of the RSPA Board of Officers, which may be invoked or modified at its discretion.

ARTICLE VI - INCORPORATION IN THESE BY LAWS

OF THE RSPA BY LAWS

         All pertinent provisions of the RSPA Bylaws, such as, but not limited to, membership, eligibility requirements, the Code of Ethics, and disciplinary proceedings, are incorporated by reference in these Bylaws.  In the event of a conflict between these Bylaws and the RSPA Bylaws, or in the absence of a provision in these Bylaws covering an issue, the relevant provision of the RSPA Bylaws shall control. The RSPA Board of Directors shall have the exclusive authority to interpret and resolve any conflicts arising under these Bylaws.