Constitution of the UNC Marathon Team
Date of Adoption: May 2, 2020
Article I – Name
UNC Marathon Team
Article II – Affiliations
The only organization the UNC Marathon Team is affiliated with is The UNC-CH Sport Clubs Council.
Article III – Purpose and Objectives
The purpose of the UNC Marathon Team is to unite runners across campus with the goal of training for a full or half marathon. The team is designed to serve first time as well as experienced marathoners, pooling together runners from a variety of backgrounds. We strive to run at least one half or full marathon during each semester.
Article IV – Membership and Participation
Section 1: Active membership is open to all currently enrolled UNC-CH students with the right to vote and hold office.
Section 2: The UNC Marathon Team does not have multiple levels of membership, only one. All runners are welcome to join, whether they intend to run a marathon with us or not. All members training with the team are welcome to travel with the team to marathons. A runner not training with the team for a marathon is welcome to travel and run the marathon with the team, under the provision that limited space will put training team members in priority.
Section 3: The UNC Marathon Team abides by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Non-Discrimination Policy for Student Organizations, which states the following: Membership and participation in the organization must be open to all students without regard to age, race, color, national origin, disability, religious status or historic religious affiliation, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Membership and participation in the organization must also be open without regard to gender, unless exempt under Title IX. Student organizations that select their members on the basis of commitment to a set of beliefs (e.g., religious or political beliefs) may limit membership and participation in the organization to students who, upon individual inquiry, affirm that they support the organization’s goals and agree with its beliefs, so long as no student is excluded from membership or participation on the basis of his or her age, race, color, national origin, disability, religious status or historic religious affiliation, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or, unless exempt under Title IX, gender.*
Section 4: To remove a member or officer, adequate written notice to that person (7 days minimum) is required before officially removing them from the UNC Marathon Team.**
Section 5: All members of the UNC Marathon Team must fulfill requirements set forth by the UNC-CH Sport Clubs Council including:
1. Club members must fill out the Sport Clubs Participation Waiver.
2. Club members must fill out the Medical and Emergency Contact Information Form.
3. More than 50% of a club’s membership base must be currently enrolled students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
4. Club members must have paid the Campus Recreation Membership in order to participate. Note that all currently enrolled full-time students automatically hold a valid membership.
Section 6: Members of the UNC Marathon Team have the following rights and privileges:
1. Each member of the team has the privilege of using the team equipment.
2. Each member of the team may travel to competitions and compete with the team.
3. While the team emphasizes and encourages attendance to practices, games, and tournaments, each member of the team has the right to choose to attend the events.
*Single Gender Organization Statement: Social fraternities and sororities are RSOs whose primary purpose is the personal development of their members, as distinguished from honorary, professional, departmental, and service fraternities. Some social fraternities and sororities are culturally- and/or community-based. Social fraternities and sororities may select members according to subjective criteria consistent with the University’s non-discrimination policies. Social fraternities and sororities are entitled to single-gender membership, provided they qualify under the provision of Section 86.14 of the regulations promulgated under Title IX of the U.S. Education Act of 1972, which require the organizations be exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. To be recognized as a fraternal organization through the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life, the organization must meet the definition outlined by Title IX and be affiliated with at least one of the currently recognized councils.
**Due process must be allowed, as in the right to speak on one’s behalf, and right to an appeal.
Article V – Advisor
Section 1: The advisor must be a full-time faculty or staff member of UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC Hospitals, or an affiliated department; an emeritus UNC-Chapel Hill faculty or staff member; a UNC-CH retiree with affiliate status; or a campus minister. The advisor does not have the right to vote.
Section 2: For as long as the UNC Marathon Team is a member of the UNC-CH Sport Clubs Council, the advisor will be the full-time staff member(s) in the Campus Recreation program that advises the UNC-CH Sport Clubs Council.
Section 3: The minimum expectations of advisors are as follows:
1. Maintaining regular contact with the organization
2. Assisting the organization in abiding by UNC-Chapel Hill policies
3. Assisting the organization in abiding by UNC-CH Sport Clubs Council policies and expectations
4. Helping the organization to seek out and utilize available resources
5. Being familiar with the goals and activities of the organization
6. Providing support and guidance as needed
7. Marathon or running experience is preferred, but certainly not required
Section 4: The minimum expectations of the organization include:
1. Abiding by UNC-Chapel Hill’s policies and guidelines and seeking out counsel when there is a question about the organization’s programs or activities.
2. Abiding by UNC-CH Sport Clubs Council policies and guidelines and seeking out counsel when there is a question about the organization’s programs or activities.
3. Consulting with the advisor as needed.
4. Updating the advisor regarding organizational activities.
5. Inviting the advisor to organizational functions.
Article VI – Coaches
The UNC Marathon Team has no coach. Team leadership plans and facilitates all practices and races, and team members are responsible for their own training and safety.
Article VII – Meetings
Section 1: There will be no required meetings for team members outside of leadership. Daily practices will serve as times to distribute information and make team decisions. Dates and times for daily practices are decided by team leadership. Practices are non-mandatory, but a quorum of at least two team members (excluding leadership) is necessary for a practice to be official. Practices held without leadership are also non-official.
Section 2: Team leadership will meet bi-weekly to make major decisions and review team activities. All leadership must be present, either physically or by electronic device. Any team member may request to be present at these meetings, but may not necessarily be permitted to join or observe.
Article VIII – Executive Board
Section 1: All major officers of the organization are full-time, registered students of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a minimum of a 2.5 cumulative GPA.
Section 2: The officers of the UNC Marathon Team include:
1. President
○One team member will be chosen by the team to attend the UNC-CH Sport Clubs Council meetings and relay any important information to the team. The President must also handle any paperwork and event logistics as well as ensure fulfillment of all policies and expectations of the UNC-CH Sport Clubs Council and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, unless these responsibilities are delegated to another officer.
○The President must be a returning member of the previous leadership. If none of the returning members are interested in running for President, then the current rising juniors and seniors of the team will be open to running.
2. Vice President
○ One team member will be chosen by the team to serve alongside the President in attendance to Sports Clubs Council meetings. The vice-president will assist the President in club duties, primarily inter- and intra- club communication and race planning.
3. Treasurer
○ One team member will be chosen to handle all financial transactions and recordkeeping, including expenditures and deposits. Membership fees will be handled by the treasurer and will be
deposited to the team’s bank account.
4. Social Chair/Outreach
○One team member will be chosen to plan one or more semester social events, unite social events, and maintain a consistent social media presence on the team’s Instagram.
5. Branding/Fundraising
○One team member will be chosen to design and purchase team t-shirts and other merchandise. The development chair will also plan fundraising efforts.
Section 3: A member may only serve in their designated leadership role for two semester maximum. For instance, a member may serve as an Auxiliary Officer for two semesters and then be chosen to serve as the President or Treasurer for an additional two semesters.
Section 4: Changes in team leadership go into effect in the spring of each year at the official closing of the Tar Heel 10 Miler.
Section 5: Once a member of leadership’s term ends or they step down, either formally or by no longer paying dues and so becoming ineligible, they no longer have the responsibilities or power of their position. They may attend all leadership meetings, however, as non-participants.
Article IX – Elections
Section 1: The UNC Marathon Team holds no elections unless leadership changes or transitions cannot be decided unanimously by current team leadership.
Section 2: In this case, the entire team must be allowed a voluntary anonymous electronic vote. Team members in leadership represent 2/3rds of this vote, split evenly between positions, while all remaining votes represent 1/3rd.
Section 3: This procedure applies to all decisions to be made by team leadership.
Article X – Funds
Section 1: All members are required to pay a membership fee of $40 any time during either the fall or spring semester. All revenue taken in by the team will be deposited to the team’s bank account. Expenses for games, tournaments, and team equipment not covered by the team’s allocated funds from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill through the UNC-CH Sport Clubs Council will be paid using the funds from the team’s bank account.
Section 2: The allocation of University provided funds will be at the discretion of the current president and treasurer. The funds should be evenly spread out and budgeted among all running events.
Section 3: Race entry fees are the responsibility of individuals, unless the budget allocation is substantial enough to cover entry fees. This is a decision to be made by leadership on a strictly case-by-case basis. Travel costs will be offset with club funds. Accounting records and receipts will be kept by the Team’s Treasurer and it is the right of any UNC Marathon Team member to view these records.
Article XI – Refunds
The UNC Marathon Team refund policy is as follows: Members have the right to a two week grace period following the deadline for payment of a particular item, during which the team will process a full refund of the item to the member, no questions asked. This includes, but is not limited to, dues, t-shirt/jersey orders, or any other costs that current leadership determines to be necessary for the operation of the Team. After this two week period, the club is under no obligation to process a refund to the member in question.
Article XII – Ratification
Section 1: The constitution will be available for inspection by all members. Any objections will be taken into consideration by the president.
Section 2: Only a unanimous vote (excluding the president’s vote) can change any provision in the constitution.
Article XIII – New Issues
Any issue arising for the club that is not covered in this constitution may be resolved by leadership or vote as described in Article IX.
ARTICLE XIV – Amendments
The constitution may be amended at any regular business meeting of the organization by a two-thirds vote of active membership, provided the amendment has been submitted to members in writing at least one week prior to the business meeting. To sponsor an amendment an officer or member must first bring it up during an officer meeting, call for a vote, then prepare a vote by electronic ballot for the club at large if a unanimous decision cannot be made among the current leadership. Further voting procedures are described in Article IX.
This constitution was originally written by Nicolás Merritt in 2013 and updated by Jacob Larson in June, 2016. It was revised and updated again in May, 2020 in accordance with new UNC-CH Sports Clubs policies by Sam Scheipers.
The UNC Marathon Team President Signature:
Anicia Tellefsen
