MID-AMERICA UMPIRES Constitution & By-Laws

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MID-AMERICA UMPIRES

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................... PAGE 1

ART. I – NAME ...................................................................................................... PAGE 2 ART. II – MISSION STATEMENT ........................................................................... PAGE 2

ART. III – DISSOLUTION CLAUSE ......................................................................... PAGE 2

ART. IV – MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATIONS AND CRITERIA .................................. PAGE 3

ART. V – MAINTAINING MEMBERSHIP ................................................................. PAGE 3

ART. VI – RECRUITING NEW MEMBERS .............................................................. PAGE 3

ART. VII – EXECUTIVE BOARD ............................................................................. PAGE 4

ART. VIII – OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS ............................................................... PAGE 4

ART. IX – DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ............ PAGE 5 ART. X – ASSOCIATION DUES ............................................................................. PAGE 6

ART. XI – MEETINGS ............................................................................................ PAGE 6

ART. XII – OFFICIALS LEVELS OF ABILITY .......................................................... PAGE 7

ART. XIII – POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ............................................................ PAGE 7

ART. XIV – AMENDMENTS ................................................................................. PAGE 12

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MID-AMERICA UMPIRES

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

Edited and Revised June 3, 2019

ART. I – NAME

This organization shall be known as the Mid-America Umpires and shall be referred to in these by-laws as the “Association.”

ART. II – MISSION STATEMENT

The purpose of the Association shall be to provide quality baseball umpiring services to youth, high school and summer baseball programs available to the Association through an objective and nonpartisan assigning process. The Association shall strive to improve the service through an education and training program, providing the membership with the opportunities to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to umpire baseball games at any level.

The Association is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes within the meaning of section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

ART. III – DISSOLUTION CLAUSE

Upon dissolution of the Association, the Association shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all the liabilities of the Association, dispose of all the assets of the Association in such manner, or to such organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes as shall, at the time, qualify as an exempt organization under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 2002 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Laws, as the Executive Board shall determine). Any such assets not disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the county in which the principle office the Association is then located, exclusively for such purposes or such organizations, as said Court shall determine which are organized and operated for such purposes.

ART. IV – MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATIONS AND CRITERIA

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1. ELIGIBILITY: Membership shall be available to any person who is interested in becoming a baseball umpire. Umpires seeking to umpire at the high school level must be currently certified with the Missouri State High School Activities Association (or displays intentions of becoming certified) provided they fulfill the requirements of membership and comply with the ethical standards of the Association.

2. MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS: A new member must apply for membership within the Association. Upon review, the applicant will be contacted by the Recruiting Coordinator with information regarding payment of dues and joining the Association. Once dues are paid, the new member will be added to the membership roster. If membership is denied, the Executive Board will provide the applicant with a written explanation of reasons for denial in order for the applicant to correct those areas.

ART. V – MAINTAINING MEMBERSHIP

The following areas are of importance for members to maintain membership in good standing within the Association:

1. Attend all mandatory meetings, unless excused by the Executive Board.

2. Attend or assist in conducting in-service training sessions.

3. Keep current with membership dues.

4. Abide by the by-laws of the Association.

5. Work all games assigned to him/her.

6. Give adequate notice to members of the Executive Directors if an emergency arises that will prevent him/her from umpiring an assigned game.

7. Conduct himself/herself professionally both on and off the field.

ART. VI – RECRUITING NEW MEMBERS

It is vital to the betterment of the Association that every member encourage umpires to attend Association meetings and training in order to better themselves. It is the responsibility of every member to give back to fellow umpires to help them improve so the Association can continue to provide a quality service to schools in the future. Members should seek ways to promote the Association and present those suggestions to the Executive Board.

ART. VII – EXECUTIVE BOARD

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The Executive Board is made up of nine members in good standing within the Association who have been elected to a three-year term by the membership. Elections will take place prior to the first membership meeting of the appointed year.

The Executive Board shall:

A. Review all game assignments the Executive Directors have made.

B. Serve as mentors for the Association.

C. Oversee the duties and responsibilities of the Senior Executive Director and Executive Directors of the Association.

D. Set membership dues and assessments.

E. Determine requirements of membership.

F. Work with committees to initiate education and training programs.

G. Have the authority to interpret and execute the various provisions of these by-laws and other matters not specifically provided for in these by-laws.

H. Announce all Executive Board decisions at the first general meeting following each decision.

I. Regarding any substantial matters before the Executive Board, the Executive Board may recommend action to the membership, but may not act without a voting mandate from the membership.

J. Determine mechanics of election process prior to balloting.

Any member may attend an Executive Board meeting unless the meeting is specifically closed. He/she must be silent unless asked to speak by the Senior Executive Director; he/she must not be present if he/she is the subject of discussion; he/she may not vote on Executive Board issues.

ART. VIII – OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS

1. The officers of the Association shall be the Senior Executive Director, Executive Directors and the Executive Board.

2. The Senior Executive Director, Executive Directors and the Executive Board shall perform the duties set forth by these by-laws and beyond that by Parliamentary Authority as described in Robert's Rules of Order (Revised).

3. Newly elected Executive Board Members shall take office at the first general meeting following the election.

4. These Executive Board Members shall be nominated by email notification to the election committee chairperson (Senior Executive Director) up to one week prior to election. The Senior Executive Director will confirm with all nominees that they

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agree to serve on the Board for a term of three years. Upon confirmation, the Senior Executive Director will create a secure online ballot with all nominees listed in alphabetical order.

5. The Executive Board shall establish the date for the online election when adopting the meeting schedule for that year. The election chairperson shall be the Senior Executive Director. The membership shall be notified by email of the election date and provided with a link to the ballot.

6. The ballot will list all persons, in alphabetical order, who have been previously nominated by the membership for the Executive Board. The membership will then cast an online ballot. The ballot will be available online for 72-hours. The Senior Executive Director will announce the results to the membership. The persons receiving the most votes for each office will hold that office for a three-year term.

7. Executive Board Members shall serve a term of three years and may be eligible for re-election. In the event of an Executive Board Member vacancy, the Senior Executive Director will seek nominations and create an online ballot to elect a new Executive Board Member who will fill the unexpired term.

ART IX – DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

SENIOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Serves at the pleasure of the Executive Board. The position of Senior Executive Director is a non-voting position on the Executive Board. He/she shall:

A. Preside at all meetings and shall direct discussions at each meeting.

B. Have the power to act for the Association on all administrative matters affecting the Association not reserved or delegated to the Executive Board.

C. Shall appoint committees he/she deems necessary to assist him/her in his/her duties and to promote the Association.

D. Shall comment and make recommendations on all matters coming before the Association but shall not vote on these matters.

E. Control and be responsible for all property and funds of the Association.

F. Notify all members by e-mail of all meetings.

G. Distribute Association policies for each new officiating season at the first general meeting each year.

H. Prepare the official mailing list of all members in good standing stating their names, addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses and provide one copy to each member in good standing.

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I. Obtain an availability list from each member in good standing and provide copies of these lists to the Executive Board.

J. Be in charge of Public Affairs and responsible for the delivery to appropriate and effective media all announcements concerning events of interest to members of the Association.

K. Maintain a record for each member of the Association and cause all matters commendatory or derogatory to be recorded therein. Included shall be evaluations by competent authority acceptable to the Association and attendance records useful to the conduct of business.

L. Assign all games the Association has received.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS: Serve at the pleasure of the Executive Board. The position of Executive Director is a non-voting position on the Executive Board. They shall:

A. Have the power to act for the Association on all administrative matters affecting the Association not reserved or delegated to the Executive Board.

B. Comment and make recommendations on all matters coming before the Association but shall not vote on these matters.

C. Assign all games the Association has received.

ART. X – ASSOCIATION DUES Annual dues for all members will be set by the Executive Board and announced at the first membership meeting each year.

ART. XI – MEETINGS

The Executive Board of the Association will set meeting dates for each year and the Senior Executive Director will provide each member with a copy of the dates, times, and locations.

1. REGULAR MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS: Regular meetings will be held when necessary. These meetings are mandatory, unless excused by a majority vote of the Executive Board.

2. SPECIAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS: Special meetings shall be at the call of the Executive Director or any three members in good standing provided the Executive Director or any Executive Board Member is notified and at least seven days notice is provided. These meetings are mandatory, unless excused by a majority vote of the Executive Board.

3. QUORUM: A quorum shall be constituted at any membership meeting of the Association when one-half of all members are in attendance.

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4. RULES DISCUSSION MEETINGS: At least one rules discussion meeting will be held prior to the start of each season to inform all members of new rules, interpretations, points of emphasis, and mechanics. These meetings are mandatory, unless excused by a majority vote of the Executive Board. The Executive Board will take into consideration those members who are in attendance when assigning games for the remainder of the year.

5. IN-SERVICE TRAINING MEETINGS: In-Service training meetings will be held during the off-season each year to provide members with the opportunity to improve in various areas of umpiring. These meetings are mandatory for all members. Assignments will be denied to any members who fail to attend these meetings without being excused by majority vote of the Executive Board.

ART. XII – OFFICIALS LEVELS OF ABILITY

The Executive Board will be responsible for placing each member into categories based on evaluations by association evaluators. The categories are as follows:

1. LEVEL 1: Members are eligible to umpire at any level the Association assigns.

2. LEVEL 2: Members are eligible to umpire lower level Varsity, Junior Varsity and Freshman High School, Junior High and Youth baseball.

3. LEVEL 3: Members are eligible to umpire Junior Varsity, Freshman High School, Junior High School, and Youth baseball.

4. LEVEL 4: Members are eligible to umpire Youth baseball. This level of membership is for members who are not currently MSHSAA certified.

The Executive Board reserves the right to temporarily promote a member to a higher level status if member availability is limited on a certain date. Members may also be allowed to umpire games at a higher level based on game difficulty ratings.

Members will be evaluated during training and exhibition games by Association members appointed by the Executive Board or by qualified outside evaluators who have been brought in by the Association to assist with the evaluation process. Copies of the evaluations will be presented to the member and the Executive Board to be used as one area of consideration in promoting members.

ART. XIII – POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

1. UMPIRE DUES: All members must be current with yearly dues before game assignments are received.

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2. DRESS CODE: Members of the Association are expected to dress in a like manner for games assigned to them by the Executive Board. Members will wear the approved Association hat (MAU) for all Association assigned games. The following uniforms are approved for Association use:

Warm Weather

A. Black jersey with Gray side panels, black undershirt (crew members dressed alike), charcoal gray pants.

B. Polo Blue jersey with Black side panels, black undershirt (crew members dressed alike), charcoal gray pants.

C. Any other jersey color as long as crew members are dressed alike.

Inclement Weather

A. Plate umpires should wear a plate coat (if available), long sleeved black jersey, or a black jacket. Base umpires should wear a black jacket.

Travel to High School Games

A. Members should wear an Association collared shirt with dress pants, blue jeans or khaki or black dress shorts. No jogging or athletic pants or athletic shorts are permitted.

B. Concerning Youth and summer game assignments, members are permitted to wear any article of clothing within the standards of good taste.

Members are expected to maintain a professional appearance while in uniform and keep in mind that they are representing the Association both on and off the field.

3. GAME ASSIGNMENTS: The Association uses the Arbiter (www.arbitersports.com) for game assignments. The Executive Directors will input all games received into the Arbiter and will rate each game on a difficulty scale of 1 (toughest) to 4 (easiest). The Executive Directors will meet to assign games based on member’s availability on the Arbiter. Following the meeting the Senior Executive Director of the Association will publish all games on the Arbiter. Members will not have the option to accept/decline games. Once games are viewed they are automatically accepted. Members are expected to maintain an updated availability calendar on the Arbiter at all times.

A. UMPIRE AVAILABILITY: Each member of the Association will update their availability on the Arbiter before any games are assigned. Members are also responsible for keeping the Arbiter up-to-date on his/her availability so that

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needless time may be avoided in the event of rescheduled games. Members are not allowed to decline game assignments.

B. TURNING BACK GAMES: Members are allowed to turn back one date per year without penalty. Additional turned back games will result in a $5.00 assigning fee. Exceptions will be made for unforeseen emergencies.

C. UNFORESEEN EMERGENCIES: Members should contact the Executive Directors IMMEDIATELY if an emergency has come up that will prevent them from working a game. Faith, Family, Work and Health related issues are considered unforeseen emergencies. All turnbacks due to unforeseen emergencies will be reviewed by the Executive Board for acceptance.

D. ADVANCEMENT: Members are allowed to turn back games without penalty in the event they have an opportunity to umpire a game at a higher level.

4. MISCONDUCT REPORTS: Members must notify the Executive Directors by e-mail or phone immediately following their game if there was an ejection, dugout restriction or team warnings issued in accordance with NFHS or MSHSAA rules. The umpires will then complete the appropriate reports describing the incident(s) within 24 hours and submit it to the appropriate governing bodies.

5. UMPIRE EVALUATIONS: Members must complete an online evaluation form on their partner for each game they are assigned. Evaluations must be submitted within one week of the game. Evaluations should be completed honestly and fairly. Evaluation comments and concerns will be kept confidential.

6. RAINOUTS AND CANCELLATIONS: It is the responsibility of the coaches, Athletic Directors, and Association members to use the following procedures with reference to rained out games causing postponement or cancellations:

A. The athletic department of the host institution is responsible for notifying umpires of any game postponement, cancellation, and/or rain out in sufficient time to preclude the umpire’s departure to the game site. Failure to give timely notification to the umpire, the umpire’s business office, or the umpire’s home, places the responsibility on the home institution to compensate the umpire by paying a single game fee.

B. It is the responsibility of the UMPIRE to contact the school prior to leaving for the game when weather is doubtful or questionable and the school has not contacted the umpire. If the school requests the umpire to travel to the game site and the game is subsequently canceled or postponed before the start, the umpire will receive a game fee and mileage (if mileage is applicable).

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C. The school is responsible for notifying the Association of any changes and advise if the game has been rescheduled. The coaches are not to re-assign umpires on their own.

D. If a game is rescheduled, the Executive Board will contact the original umpires first, giving them the opportunity to take the game.

7. GAME FEES: The Senior Executive Director will publish game fees for all levels assigned by the Association once a year and will provide each member with a copy.

8. GAME FEES POLICY: The following policies are in effect with respect to the payment of umpire’s fees when games are postponed, canceled, and/or rained out:

A. If an umpire is notified of the game's postponement, cancellation, or rain out before he/she begins the trip to the game site, he/she receives NO PAYMENT.

B. If an umpire is enroute to a game site and is notified that the game is postponed, canceled, or rained out, he/she receives MILEAGE (if mileage is applicable).

C. If an umpire reports to the game site, but the game is postponed, canceled, or rained out, he/she receives a SINGLE GAME FEE AND MILEAGE (if mileage is applicable).

D. If the game has started but is not officially completed for any reason, an umpire will receive a SINGLE GAME FEE AND MILEAGE (if mileage is applicable).

E. If only one game of a scheduled double-header is partially or completely played, due to any reason is called, the umpire receives a SINGLE GAME FEE AND MILEAGE (if mileage is applicable).

F. In the event it becomes necessary for an Association member to work alone, he/she shall receive ONE AND ONE HALF THE NORMAL GAME FEE AND MILEAGE (if mileage is applicable).

G. If an umpire reports to a game as a result of an error by the host institution, he/she shall receive a SINGLE GAME FEE AND MILEAGE (if mileage is applicable).

H. If an official fails to notify the Executive Board that he/she is unable to fulfill an assignment, the official shall be charged a SINGLE GAME FEE, payable to the Executive Board within 48 hours. The official may face further disciplinary action by the Executive Board.

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9. DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES AND HEARINGS: Members of the Association promise to abide by the by-laws of this Association now in force or hereafter adopted, to do everything in his/her power to further the interests of the Association, to assist its' officers and Executive Board in any way, and to support the Association and its’ members, officers, and Executive Board at all times. Members are also expected to honor all game assignments, and if unable to fulfill that honor, follow the procedures described in Article XIII, Section 3, Items B and C of these by-laws when turning back games. Any reports to the contrary can result in a disciplinary hearing before the Executive Board. At said hearing the Executive Board will read the list of accusations against the accused. Then the accused will be allowed to explain himself/herself. The Executive Board will then adjourn to a closed-door meeting to discuss what disciplinary action, if any, will be taken against the accused. The Executive Board may choose any of the following actions they deem appropriate:

A. Verbal reprimand.

B. Written reprimand.

C. Required training sessions.

D. Monetary fine.

E. Demotion in level.

F. Suspension.

G. Termination of membership.

10. APPEAL PROCEDURES: Any member who has been disciplined by the Association may, within ten days of the disciplinary hearing, file an appeal by notifying the Senior Executive Director in writing of his/her desire to appeal the position of the Association. Appeal will be presented at the next regular membership meeting if such meeting is scheduled within one month of delivery of notice; otherwise, the member may request a special meeting be called on his/her behalf, the date and time to be fixed by the Senior Executive Director.

A. That if such notice of intent to appeal is not mailed/delivered to the Senior Executive Director within ten days of the disciplinary hearing, it will be assumed that he/she has accepted the penalty(s) imposed and will forfeit any further right to appeal.

B. If the member makes proper notice of intent to appeal, the following steps shall be taken:

i. The Senior Executive Director shall notify the membership and the appealing member of the date, time and location of the meeting (if it is not

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a regular membership meeting) at which time the member’s appeal will be heard.

ii. At this meeting, where a quorum shall be assembled, after hearing the member and all persons who wish to be heard, a secret ballot shall be taken and by a ¾ vote of the members present who have voting privileges, the decision to impose or deny the penalty(s) assessed by the Executive Board shall be made. The results of the vote are final.

iii. If a member has been terminated from the Association, he/she may apply for membership as a new member by following the steps required of any other applicant for membership. If he/she was disqualified for non payment of dues, all delinquent dues must be paid before being accepted as a member.

ART. XIV – AMMENDMENTS

1. These by-laws shall be ratified and may be amended by a two-thirds vote of members at a meeting during which a quorum exists.

2. Proposed amendments shall be read in final form and voted on at the next regular meeting.

3. Amendments shall take immediate effect unless otherwise stated.