Western Massachusetts Soccer Officials AssociationCONSTITUTION and BY-LAWS Article I: The Western Massachusetts Soccer Officials Association shall be denoted hereafter as theWMSOA. Article II: The purposes of the WMSOA are to:A. register, train, and certify referees to officiate scholastic soccer matches in Hampshireand Franklin counties,B. enroll a sufficient number of certified referees to supervise properly all scholasticmatches in Hampshire and Franklin counties,C. improve methods of officiating scholastic soccer matches in this area,D. encourage the development and maintenance of a standard interpretation andadministration of soccer rules during scholastic matches in this area, andE. collaborate with coaches, administrators, and other officials’ associations to enableproper supervision of all scholastic soccer games, including those of the MIAA tournament. Article III: The membership of the WMSOA shall include all officials who have passed the RulesExamination, attended any Field Instructional Class of the association, paid dues for the currentyear, and fulfilled all other requirements for membership. The members of the WMSOA shall be oneof five classes:A. An Active Member shall:1. have passed the Instructional Class of the association or a similarclass administered by another MISOA association,2. be registered currently with the MIAA,3. have submitted a current Concussion Certificate to the Secretary,4. have passed any WMSOA Rules Examination,5. have attended any Field Instructional class of the WMSOA,6. have paid the annual dues, and7. have fulfilled all other standards of association membershipby September 1 of the current year.B. A U18 member is one who is younger than 18 years old as of September 1. U18 members shallhave fulfilled the requirements of an Active Member. If a U18 member becomes 18 over the courseof the season and they wish to be considered a full member, they will pay the same dues as the restof the membership.C. An Inactive Member shall have fulfilled all Active membership requirements, but willnot officiate during the current season.D. An Honorary Member shall have devoted distinguished efforts to the interests ofscholastic soccer in Hampshire and Franklin counties and shall have been selected to thatstatus by a majority vote of the membership. An Honorary Member will have no obligation topay Association dues.E. A Probationary member is a member who has failed to fulfill all of the standard of Activemembership or has been suspended from officiating activity by a majority vote of the ExecutiveCommittee.1. A Probationary Member shall not be certified to referee scholastic games, may not holdWMSOA office, may not attend WMSOA meetings, and may not vote on associationmatters.2. The WMSOA shall retain any dues paid by a Probationary Member before theirsuspension. Article IV: The WMSOA shall be governed by an Executive Committee.A. The Committee shall determine collectively the policies and plans of the association,including:1. the annual standards of membership,2. the location of membership meetings,3. the agendas of each membership meeting, and4. the instructional course plan and fee for the current season.B. Also, the Executive Committee shall determine the annual dues of the members. The annual duesof U18 members shall be 50% of the dues of the members. Article V: The officers of the WMSOA shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, andRules Interpreter.A. The President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Rules Interpreter shall be elected for athree year term by a majority vote of the members, except Probationary Members, at the AnnualBanquet Meeting of the Association.B. The Elected Officers of the WMSOA shall be chosen from among the Active members.C. Any vacancy of an elected office shall be filled by appointment of the President.D. The officers of the WMSOA shall constitute the Executive Committee of the Association. TheExecutive Committee shall convene before all meetings of the membership and at other timesdetermined by the President. Article VI: The Officers of the Association shall perform specified duties.A. The President shall perform five primary tasks.1. This officer shall reserve places for membership meetings.2. The President shall recruit, instruct, and certify candidates for membership.3. The President shall preside over all membership and Executive Committee meetings ofthe association.4. This officer shall serve as the Chairman of the Awards Committee.5. The President shall represent the WMSOA in routine relations with the MISOA and MIAAor designate another officer to do so.B. The Vice President shall assist the President in the performance of Presidential tasks and shallproceed always at the direction of the President.C. The Secretary shall:1. notify the members of all meetings and membership obligations,2. create, maintain, and distribute to the members records of the meetings of the WMSOA,3. maintain the WMSOA website,4. distribute to members all rule examinations,5. conduct routine correspondence with the MIAA and MISOA, among other groups andpersons,6. report to the Executive Committee and the Commissioner those members who:a. have completed concussion training, andb. have attended a rules interpretation meeting, passed any rules examination, attended anyfield instructional training.D. The Treasurer shall perform three principal tasks:1. receive and deposit in a WMSOA account all dues payments and other receipts and payall WMSOA obligations.2. At each meeting, report the balance of the association account(s). During the firstmembership meeting of each year, the Treasurer shall report the amounts of total andspecific receipts and expenditures during the preceding fiscal year and the planned budgetfor the forthcoming year.3. order and arrange payment for rule books and badges, among other WMSOA needs.E. The Rules Interpreter shall:1. report to the members all rule changes and changes in rules interpretations of the NFHSand NCAA during the past year,2. preside over the Rules Interpretations meetings of the WMSOA,3. administer any rules test given to the membership, and4. direct any field instruction offered to the membership. Article VII: The Executive Committee shall appoint other Committees of the WMSOA or designate thePresident to appoint such Committees. Specifically, the WMSOA shall have an Awards Committee toselect the annual recipients of the Ames and McGrath Awards and a Banquet Committee todetermine the location, date, and menu for the Banquet. Article VIII: The Secretary and the Treasurer shall be paid annual stipends of $250. No other officer shall bepaid a stipend. Article IX: WMSOA members shall have four meetings during each season.A. The Active Membership of the WMSOA shall convene during August for a RulesInterpretation and Budget meeting. Two such Rules Interpretation and Budget meetings shallbe organized annually.1. Active Members must attend the Interpretation and Budget meeting.2. Also, the failure to attend this meeting or to complete a Refresher exam administered bythe President or Vice President by September 1 will cause the denigration of a member’sstatus from Active to Probationary.B. The members shall gather during the final week of September to review developmentsduring the first month of scholastic play.C. Active Members who are likely to receive MIAA Tournament assignments shall meet oneweek before that tournament is to begin in order to review special tournament rules andprocedures.D. The members of the WMSOA shall have an Annual Banquet Meeting to review theseason’s activities and, every third year, to elect officers for the following term. Article X: The business of each meeting of the WMSOA may include the following:A. The President shall convene the Meeting and make opening remarks,B. The Secretary shall read the minutes of the most recent meeting and the membership shallapprove those minutes,C. The Treasurer shall report the financial status of the Association,D. The Assignor shall report issues relevant to assignments,E. The Rules Interpreter shall report important rules developments,F. The Chairmen of Committees shall report their business,G. New business shall be considered at the request of the President,H. The membership roll shall be called, andI. The meeting shall be adjourned. Article XI: All WMSOA meetings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order. Article XII: During the Rules Interpretation and Budget meeting, the Active Members of the WMSOA shallapprove by a majority vote the annual budget of the association. Also, the members shall approve bya majority vote the reports of the Secretary and the Treasurer presented at each meeting. Article XIII: Members of the WMSOA may be suspended by the Executive Committee for inappropriateconduct.A. A member who fails to pay their dues shall become a Probationary Member until they arrangewith the Executive Committee to pay Late Dues.B. Similarly, an Active Member who neither attends the Rules Interpretation Meeting nor passes aRefresher Exam administered by the President or Vice President shall become a ProbationaryMember until the requirements of Active Membership are fulfilled.C. A member who fails to honor game assignments or is determined to have behaved inunprofessional fashion may be suspended or removed permanently from the Association by amajority vote of the Executive Committee after a hearing before that committee. Article XIV: Members shall forfeit membership privileges, if they are accused formally or found guilty ofillegal conduct.A. A member who has been charged with a crime by a District Attorney shall become aProbationary Member, until the charge is dropped or their case is adjudicated favorably.B. A member who is the subject of a restraining order shall be a Probationary Memberduring the duration of the order.C. A member who is guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol shall be aProbationary member during the time of their legal punishment.D. A member who has forfeited membership rights may be barred permanently frommembership in the WMSOA by a majority vote of the Executive Committee. Article XV: Members shall be expelled from the association after some illegal conduct.A. A member who has pled guilty to a felony or been convicted of a felony may not be a member.B. A member who has been convicted of or pled guilty to sexual or physical assault of any sort shallcease to be a member.C. A member who has been found guilty of alcohol or drug abuse on three occasions shall no longerbe a member.D. A member who has forfeited all membership privileges may apply for membership at theconclusion of his sentence and/or term of probation and may join the WMSOA, again, if they obtainthe approval of a majority of the Executive Committee, participates in the Instructional course of theWMSOA, and passes both the rules and field tests for new members. Article XVI: Applicants for membership and members are obligated to inform the Secretary of any criminalcharges against them and the status of any such legal proceedings. Article XVII: Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws may be made with the approval of two-thirds ofthe Active Members.A. An amendment must be moved successfully by a majority of Active Members present at aMembership Meeting other than the Annual Banquet meeting.B. All members must be provided by the Secretary with both a written description and notification ofany proposed amendment.C. All amendments must be the subject of a vote at an annual meeting.