RRAC Constitution

The Constitution of the Red River Athletic Conference

ARTICLE I

NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC).

ARTICLE II

ORGANIZATION AND MEMBERSHIP

The object of this Conference shall be to promote education and the development of students through intercollegiate athletics in the universities or colleges represented by this Conference.

The following institutions are current members of the Red River Athletic Conference.

University of Houston-Victoria (Texas)	Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas)
Huston-Tillotson University (Texas)	Paul Quinn College (Texas)
Jarvis Christian University (Texas)	University of the Southwest (N.M.)
Louisiana Christian University	Texas A&M University-San Antonio
Louisiana State University-Alexandria	Texas A&M University-Texarkana
Louisiana State University-Shreveport	Texas College
North American University (Texas)	Xavier University (La.)

ARTICLE III

MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. A college or university may apply for Red River Athletic Conference regular membership provided the applicant reflects the RRAC member institution profile. The RRAC member institution profile addresses geographic location, the champions of character initiative, and a minimum number and seasonal distribution of inter-collegiate athletic programs for men and women. New members, when applying, need to compete in at least one RRAC-sanctioned sport in the fall, winter and spring which includes both men's and women's teams in each season. New members must also have accreditation approval from a recognized national organization. RRAC membership requires approval by at least three-fourths of the RRAC Council of Presidents.

An institution that lacks the minimum number and seasonal distribution of inter-collegiate athletic programs for men and women may be considered a provisional member if a plan for full compliance within two years is presented to the Council of Presidents at the time of application. Institutions accepted on provisional status are not eligible for participation in RRAC championships or post-season competition. A provisional member will become a regular member when full compliance with the RRAC member institution profile is achieved. If full compliance with the RRAC member institution profile is not achieved at the end of three years, RRAC membership will be revoked.

All active RRAC member institutions are committed to maintaining compliance with all membership requirements. An institutional member school experiencing institutional challenges that result in a failure to comply fully with all RRAC membership requirements can request to be placed in a probationary status for a period that shall not exceed two years. During this probationary period, the affected institution will develop and implement a plan to correct all deficiencies. Institutions that are on probation are not eligible for participation in RRAC championships or post-season competition. If full compliance with all RRAC member institution requirements is not achieved at the end of the probation, RRAC membership will be revoked.

Section 2. Annual dues shall be determined by the Council of Presidents. Dues are payable immediately after July 1, the beginning of the fiscal year. Membership dues become delinquent after September 1. All institutions delinquent in the payment of dues could be placed on probation or have their membership terminated upon the decision of the presidents.

Section 3. A member wishing to withdraw from this Conference may do so by submitting a resignation in writing to the Conference Council of Presidents' Chair at the fall or spring meeting one year prior to departure. Resignations become effective at the end of that academic year.

Section 4. This Conference is affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and subscribes to the purposes and rules of eligibility of the association as a minimum standard.

ARTICLE IV

MEETINGS

Section 1. There will be at least two meetings of the Council of Presidents annually. These may be a video conference call or face-to-face meeting. The format will be determined by the Chair of the Council of Presidents.

Section 2. Special meetings shall be called by the Commissioner or upon request of one-half of the members of the Conference, and these special meetings shall be at the place designated by the petitioners, or named by the Commissioner.

Section 3. There shall be yearly meetings of the Conference coaches to discuss matters related to their sport and to make recommendations for consideration by the Conference. The chairman of each coaching group shall be determined by a majority vote of the coaches in that sport.

Section 4. There will be at least two regular meetings of the RRAC Athletic Directors, Faculty Athletic Representatives, Registrars, and Coaches at least ten days prior to the Presidents' meetings. Athletic Directors will meet either through video conference or face-to-face as determined by the Chair of the Athletic Committee. Monthly video conference calls will be held throughout the year.

ARTICLE V

GOVERNANCE

Section 1. The Conference shall have the following committees:

Council of Presidents composed of the President from each member institution.
Executive Committee shall be composed of the Commissioner, AD Chair (ad hoc), Eligibility Chair and three FAR's selected by the Eligibility Chair.
Eligibility Committee shall be composed of the Eligibility Chair and the Faculty Athletic Representative from each member institution. The Commissioner is an ex-officio member of the Eligibility Committee.
Athletic Committee shall be composed of the Athletic Director from each member institution. The Commissioner is an ex-officio member of the Athletic Committee.
The Sports Information Director Committee shall be composed of Sports Information Directors from each member institution. The RRAC Sports Information Director is an ex-officio member of the SID Committee.
The Athletic Trainer Committee shall be composed of Athletic Trainers from each member institution.
The Association of Student-Athletes committee will be composed of two student-athletes selected by each member institution to represent the conference.
Champions of Character Committee shall be composed of the Champions of Character representative from each member institution. The Commissioner is an ex-officio member of this committee.
Crowd Control Committee shall be composed of crowd control representatives from each member institution. The Commissioner is an ex-officio member of this committee.
Sports Committees shall be composed of the coaches in each sport.

Section 2. A quorum shall consist of 50% of membership vote for any committee approval. Voting by proxy will be accepted if approved by the President of the institution and the Commissioner of the Conference.

Section 3. This constitution may be amended at a regular meeting by a simple majority vote of the membership, provided that such an amendment is presented in writing at the immediate preceding regular meeting. Emergency action may be taken by the unanimous consent of the members of the Eligibility Committee, subject to the approval of the Council of Presidents.

Section 4. Under this constitution, bylaws are authorized. There shall be a set of bylaws to govern and control the activities of the Conference. Bylaws must be passed by the Eligibility Committee of the conference, subject to the approval of the Council of Presidents.

Section 5. The appeal of any decision can be made in writing to the Council of Presidents.

Section 6. The Eligibility Committee shall be responsible for all academic and eligibility issues. Decisions of this Committee shall be reported to the Council of Presidents. The Eligibility Committee must assume full responsibility for enforcing the eligibility rules of the Conference.

Section 7. The intercollegiate athletic activities in the institutions of this conference shall be under the control of the chief executive officer of each institution.

ARTICLE VI

COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTS

Section 1. Membership on the Council of Presidents requires concurrent service as a chief executive officer of a member institution.

Section 2. The officers of the Council of Presidents shall be composed of the Chair and the Vice-Chair. Officers shall rotate on a two-year cycle among the presidents of the member institutions based on the alphabetical order of the names of the institutions. The Vice-Chair shall be the succeeding officer. In the event a President feels he/she cannot accept this responsibility when his/her turn arrives, the leadership may pass to the president of the next school listed in alphabetical order.

Section 3. The Council of Presidents shall have primary responsibility for conference membership and shall review and approve all policy recommendations.

Section 4. The Council of Presidents may meet more often as deemed necessary, at such time and place as may be determined by the chairperson.

Section 5. The Vice-Chair shall assume all duties of the Chair in his/her absence for any reason or disqualification.

Section 6. The Council of Presidents will vote to select one of their members to serve on the NAIA Council of Presidents.

ARTICLE VII

ADMINISTRATION

Section 1. There shall be one commissioner of the RRAC. The commissioner shall be appointed by the Council of Presidents and the commissioner shall be responsible directly to the Council of Presidents. The duties of the commissioner shall include the following:

Shall act on all game protests.
Shall keep a copy of all Conference athletic records.
Shall maintain Conference correspondence and the property of the Conference.
Shall be responsible for all awards and trophies in all sports.
Shall be in charge of all post season men's and women's sporting events when four or more institutions are involved.
Shall appoint the Eligibility Chair, who in turn, shall be responsible directly to the Commissioner.
Shall appoint the Conference Registrar, who in turn, shall be responsible directly to the Commissioner.
Shall appoint the Sports Information Director, who in turn, shall be responsible directly to the Commissioner.
Shall secure and have on file minutes of all conference committee meetings
Shall report any inappropriate behavior of coaches to the Eligibility Committee.
Shall maintain statistical records for each conference sport and provide the compiled information weekly to coaches, news media, and the national organizations with which the conference is affiliated. In addition, weekly summary stories and conference standings should be released to the Associated Press. This will be coordinated with the Conference Sports Information Director.
Shall bill each basketball participating institution one time for the total amount due for the assigned basketball officials. Each institution is responsible for assigning officials for the other sports in which the institution participates.
Shall see that each basketball official is paid for services rendered as well as supply applicable W-2 tax forms. All regularly authorized expenditures shall be paid by the secretary when presented by itemized accounts and signed by the individuals authorized to make expenditures.
Shall send notices and collect all Conference dues.
Shall submit records annually for audit from a reputable CPA firm.
The Commissioner's work performance shall be evaluated every two years.

Section 2. The Athletic Committee Chair will be appointed through a vote of all RRAC athletic directors every two years. The role of the Chair will be to oversee athletic director communication.

Section 3. The Conference Eligibility Chair shall be appointed by the Conference Commissioner with the approval of the Council of Presidents and shall:

Serve as the Conference Representative to the NAIA National Convention.
Serve as chair of the Eligibility Committee
Coordinate conference business in accordance with the NAIA Handbook.

Section 4. The Conference Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) shall be appointed by the Conference Commissioner with the approval of the Council of Presidents, coordinate the duties between the conference and the requirements as listed in the NAIA Handbook and shall:

represent the conference in the development of sound educational policies for athletics;
be a regular member of the faculty of a member school of the conference, but not assigned as a coach or athletics administrator;
meet with the conference's Presidents to review NAIA and conference issues regarding academics and athletics;
participate (either in person or via conference call) in any conference-wide meeting which is set for the purpose of rules education;
be encouraged to attend the first NAIA Convention occurring after being appointed FAR and
work with the athletics directors of the conference to provide a rules education program in a manner consistent with the best practices approved and published by the Council of Faculty Athletics Representatives (CFAR). Such a program shall include educating the conference institutions':

1. administrators who participate in eligibility certification (e.g., registrar, newly appointed FAR or athletics director);
2. sports coaches;
3. student-athletes; and
4. appropriate faculty (including advising centers).

Section 5. The conference Registrar shall be appointed by the Commissioner with the Council of Presidents' approval and shall:

Assist the eligibility chair in the coordination, evaluation and certification of all student athletes.
Assist the eligibility chair in developing policies for collecting, recording and the maintaining of student records within FERPA guidelines e.g., grades, registration data, transcripts and athletic eligibility.
Collaborate with athletic administrations, FARs, and registrars tofacilitate and improve services to students, including catalog and registration/records policy questions.
Participate in conference activities and serve on conference committees that support the goals and objectives of the conference.
Attend NAIA Conventions on regular basis.
Qualifications for the Conference Registrar:

1. Three years of direct NAIA eligibility experience
2. Proven record of successful supervisory experience in a people-oriented environment
3. Demonstrated understanding of the application of technology to deliver Records and Registration services.
4. A proven record in working successfully with diverse populations
5. A positive attitude and ability to plan and adapt to change
6. Ability to collaborate effectively with college departments and cross-functional teams
7. Strong interpersonal, oral and written communication skills

Section 6. The conference secretary shall be appointed by the conference commissioner and shall be responsible for maintaining minutes of all meetings and up to date records of all conference members.

Section 7. The conference sports information director shall be appointed by the conference commissioner with the approval of the Council of Presidents. The SID shall:

Keep the conference website up-to-date with current news items of interest in athletics from all members of the conference with the commissioner's approval
Maintain the archives of all conference intercollegiate games
Verify that all results in each sport have been web synced after each competition and entered correctly in DakStats
Coordinate the business of the conference within the guidelines of the NAIA Handbook for statistical reporting
Continue education of conference SIDs

ARTICLE VIII

ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE

Section 1. The Eligibility Committee shall have responsibility for all academic and eligibility issues. A majority vote of all members present and voting shall be required on all matters brought for consideration.

Section 2. Each member of the conference shall be represented at all meetings by one voting delegate who shall be a regular member of the faculty of that institution and who is not directly connected with any of the fields of intercollegiate athletics. These delegates shall be called the Faculty Athletics Representatives (FARs) and shall be the Eligibility Committee of the conference.

Section 3. The Eligibility Committee shall have a chair appointed by the Commissioner with the approval of the Council of Presidents. The Secretary of the Eligibility Committee shall be elected at the spring meeting, and shall be responsible for taking and dispersing the minutes of the meetings. The secretary shall be responsible for taking the minutes of regular meetings and submitting them to the conference secretary.

Section 4. The Committee shall act as counselor and arbitrator for all of the members of the conference in the interest of good sportsmanship.

Section 5. The Committee shall publish and distribute updates of the constitution and bylaws as changes are made by the conference.

Section 6. The Conference Eligibility Chair shall serve as the chair of the Eligibility Committee. The FAR from each member school is a member of the Eligibility Committee.A majority votes on all violations and appeals is required in determining a recommendation to accompany all cases sent to the national office. Three FARs shall be randomly selected from the conference FARs to serve on each eligibility case. The conference registrar and the conference FAR are ex-officio members of the Eligibility Committee.

The committee's members shall pursue, investigate all matters pertaining to the eligibility of conference athletes and institutions.
This committee shall follow procedures as outlined in the Official Handbook of the NAIA.
There will be no proxy votes.

ARTICLE IX

CHAMPIONS OF CHARACTER COMMITTEE

Section 1. The chair of this committee shall be elected from the representatives of each member institution.

Section 2. Each member institution shall appoint a representative as campus liaison between their institution and the conference.

Section 3. Each member institution will develop and implement a Champions of Character program, which will address the following:

Ongoing character education and professional development for coaches, athletics administrative staff and student-athletes;
Hospitality and game management of athletics events;
Conduct in competition;
At least one annual servant leadership activity which will be characterized by student's leadership and engage the athletic community;
Ongoing oversight and assessment of progress in the plan's implementation;
The coaching staff at each member institution, including, but not limited to all paid and voluntary head, associate, assistant and graduate assistant coaches, shall complete the character-driven coach's online training.

ARTICLE X

ATHLETIC COMMITTEE

Section 1. The Athletic Committee shall be composed of the Director of Athletics from each member institution, and chaired by the Conference Commissioner.

Section 2. The Athletic Committee shall consist of a chair appointed by the Athletic Directors, the Conference Commissioner, and, an Athletic Director from each member school. The conference secretary shall be responsible for taking minutes and dispersing them to the membership. The Conference Eligibility Chair and the Conference Registrar shall be ex-officio members without votes.

Section 3. The Athletic Committee shall be responsible for games, meets, tournaments, and other similar intercollegiate activities.

Section 4. The chairman of the individual sports committees will meet in the fall and spring and make recommendations to the Athletic Committee at their regular conference meeting.

ARTICLE XI

CROWD CONTROL COMMITTEE

The Crowd Control Committee will be composed of representatives from each member school to serve in this capacity. The conference commissioner will serve as an ex-officio member without a vote. A chair of this committee will be selected from its membership, and this committee will be responsible for coordinating the conference activities within the guidelines of the NAIA Handbook.

ARTICLE XII

SPORTS COMMITTEES

Conference sports committees shall be composed of a head coach of the individual sport. The committee will meet in the fall and spring and make recommendations to the Athletic Directors at their regular conference meeting. The head coach of the individual sport will facilitate the meetings with the Commissioner's approval. The final approval will come from the Athletic Directors.

ARTICLE XIII

NON-PROFIT STATUS

Section 1. This organization is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes within the meaning of section 501, c, 3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the organization shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by an organization exempt from Federal Income tax under section 501, c, 3 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law).

Upon the winding up and dissolution of this corporation, after paying or adequately providing for the debts and obligations of the corporation, the remaining assets shall be distributed to a nonprofit fund, foundation, or corporation which is organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, religious and/or scientific purposes and which has established its tax-exempt status under section 501, c, 3 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Section 2. The Commissioner shall communicate with and confirm annual taxes, the conference budget and conference financial reports with the accounting office hired by the RRAC and the Internal Revenue Service.