Constitution page 2 Section 1.3 Responsibilities of Membership: Regular Members shall be responsible for the conduct of all business not specifically assigned to the Board. They shall be responsible for the promotion and operation of shows and trials. They shall elect the Officers and Directors from among themselves. Section 1.4.0 Dues: Changes to membership dues shall be determined annually by the Board and approved by a written majority vote of the Regular Members voting. The Board may annually change the cost of membership dues without approval of the membership to cover any change in postal and/or printing costs, but no more than the actual next-dollar amount of such change. Section 1.4.1 Same Household Dues: The Board may offer reduced total dues to people who: reside in the same household, all receive mail at the same address, and share one copy of the Beacon and other information. Section 1.4.2 Junior Member Dues: Dues for Junior Members shall be set at one-half (1/2) that of Regular Members. Section 1.4.3 Payment of Dues: Dues are payable before the first day of January of each year. No member may vote, either by mail or at meetings if their dues are not paid for the current year. Applicants to membership paying their first annual dues after October 1 in any calendar year will be credited with having paid their dues to December 31st of the following calendar year. Applicant Members not approved by the Board shall have any dues paid refunded to them. Section 1.4.4 Notice of Payment: During the month of October, the Corresponding Secretary shall send a dues notice to each member for the following year. Any member whose dues are unpaid by January 1, shall be sent a second notice by the Secretary, and shall be assessed a penalty of five dollars ($5.00) for late payment of dues. Section 1.5.0 Application for membership: Each applicant for membership in the UBSDA shall apply on a Board- approved Application for Membership. The application shall state that the applicant agrees to abide by the Constitution and By-Laws of the UBSDA, the rules and regulations of the United Kennel Club, and that the applicant understands that full membership is contingent upon approval by the Board. The prospective member shall submit the completed application together with their dues payment for the current year to the Corresponding Secretary. Junior Members must have the written consent of at least one parent or legal guardian submitted with their application. Section 1.5.1 Sponsors: Each application shall require two sponsors, not in the same household, nor in the same household as the applicant, who have already been Regular Members of UBSDA for a period of at least twelve (12) months and are willing to attest to the applicant’s suitability for membership. Section 1.5.2 Publication of Applicants' Names in Beacon: After preliminary review of each application by the Board, the name and address of each applicant, the names of each applicant's sponsors, and a deadline for submitting comments shall be published in the first UBSDA Beacon published after the application is submitted. Comments regarding the applicant must be submitted to the Corresponding Secretary in writing by a member of the UBSDA in good standing. The deadline for comments shall be sixty (60) days after the scheduled publication date of the Beacon in which the names are published. The due date for comments shall be included with the name of applicant. The Corresponding Secretary shall provide all comments to the Board at the first Board meeting after the deadline for comments has passed. Section 1.5.3 Election to Membership: The Board shall vote by secret ballot on whether or not to accept the applicant into membership. No vote may be initiated until and unless all Board Members have received a copy of all the comments on the application from the Corresponding Secretary. A member shall be approved by either a majority vote of the Board at the next meeting, or by a majority vote of the Board voting by mail. Section 1.5.4 Rejection of Applicants: Any sponsor of an applicant whose membership application is rejected by the Board may personally present the application at the next annual meeting of the UBSDA. The UBSDA membership may elect such an applicant by a secret ballot resulting in a favorable vote of seventy-five (75) percent of the members present, in good standing, and voting. Section 1.5.5.0 Termination Of Membership: Memberships may be terminated for any of the following four reasons: Section 1.5.5.1 Resignation: Any member in good standing may resign from the UBSDA upon written notice to the Corresponding Secretary. Resignation shall not discharge or eliminate any debt owed to the UBSDA Section 1.5.5.2 Lapsing: A membership will be considered as lapsed and automatically terminated if such member's dues remain unpaid after January 31st and the member has not applied for an extension. The Board may grant an extension or grace period of an additional thirty (30) days for payment to any member who applies for an extension, provided that the extension is applied for before January 31st. In no case may a person be entitled to vote on any UBSDA vote whose dues are unpaid as of the date of the vote. A member whose membership has lapsed must reapply for membership in the same manner as someone who has never been a member. Section 1.5.5.3. Automatic Suspension: Any member who is suspended or barred from the privileges of the UKC is automatically suspended or barred from the privileges of membership in the UBSDA for the same period of time. Section 1.5.5.4 Expulsion: A membership may be terminated by expulsion as provided in Article VIII of these bylaws. To Constitution page 3 Back to the UBSDA Homepage