THE PENN HOCKEY CLUB BYLAWS
Established November 9, 1995, Revised July 1998, June 2003, November 2011, January 2019
PREAMBLE
The Penn Hockey Club (PHC) is composed of Penn High School students, their parents and other interested members for the perpetuation of and participation in the sport of hockey associated indirectly as a club sport with Penn High School. Students from other high schools, their parents, or interested persons may become members of this club through the Michiana High School Hockey League (MHSHL) by way of player draft conducted by the MHSHL.
The Penn Hockey Club is affiliated with the MHSHL, Indiana High School Hockey Association
(ISHSHA) and USA Hockey. PHC will abide by the rules and regulations as stipulated by the MHSHL, ISHSHA and USA Hockey.
The PHC is governed by the PHC Board, which consists of the elected officers of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Team Representative(s).
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the PHC is to provide student athletes with an opportunity to develop their ice hockey skills in an environment that promotes personal growth and excellence. To accomplish these goals, we strive to provide an environment that fosters commitment, sportsmanship, scholarship, respect for others and self, personal integrity, leadership, loyalty and teamwork. The goal is to be competitive. The PHC shall consist of one or more teams, depending on the number of interested players in a given year. The PHC Board, in consultation with the Head Coach of the PHC primary team (hereafter referred to as “Penn Gold”), may determine that there are sufficient players to field an additional team (or teams). All PHC players shall abide by the same bylaws under the authority of the PHC Board and Head Coach of the Penn Gold team. All PHC players and a legal parent or guardian shall agree to and sign the same Players’ Code of Conduct before the season starts.
The purpose of the PHC teams shall be to develop the players’ skills in a competitive environment that prepares then to compete and contribute to the PHC to the best of their abilities during their years of playing for PHC. Each team shall compete to win at an appropriate level to their skills and capabilities as determined by the PHC Board, Head Coach of the Penn Gold team and the respective Head Coach of each team.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE FOR THE BYLAWS
These bylaws are a binding agreement of all parents and players upon joining the PHC and remain as the guideline of responsibilities, method of acting within the PHC and rules of conduct. When parents or players join the PHC, they have accepted the rules and guidelines set forth. If changes are desired for the betterment of the PHC, they must follow the procedure described within this document.
The purpose of the bylaws is to document the rules and regulations of the PHC so that each member of the PHC understands their responsibilities and rights.
VOTING
Those eligible to vote are all legal parents or guardians of a current eligible player. Only one vote per player. Eligibility is defined as 1) in good standing with PHC and its affiliates, 2) free of disciplinary action, 3) academic eligibility, and 4) current with PHC Standard or Individual Payment Plan.
All binding votes will consist of a simple majority of eligible voters present, providing there is a quorum. A quorum shall be defined as one half of the current eligible players in PHC or on the team, whichever is holding the meeting.
The President is not allowed to vote on any motion, but has the deciding vote in a tie. A parent vote approving membership of the PHC into the MHSHL must be approved by two-thirds of the present voting parent membership of the PHC at the end of each season. This vote will take place at the PHC Spring Elections meeting.
MEETINGS
PHC Board shall schedule PHC Parent Meetings a minimum of two (2) times during the regular season (September through February) in addition to the two (2) PHC Parent Meetings held for Fall registration and Spring elections. All team meetings are scheduled by a PHC Board member.
Notice of special PHC meetings or special Team Parent Meetings deemed necessary by the PHC Board will be given at least seven (7) days written notice, including where, when and why with no other business transacted.
A quorum (one half of the current eligible players in the PHC or on the team with one vote each) is required to have binding votes at meetings.
The PHC Board meetings shall be held monthly during the season (August through April) at the location and time deemed most appropriate by the sitting board. In general, these monthly meetings shall follow after the monthly MHSHL meetings (which is usually the first Wednesday of the month). Parents in the PHC are welcome to attend.
Notice of special Board Meetings will be given five (5) days in advance and may be called by any member of the board. If this is a closed meeting due to a sensitive nature of the business at hand (i.e., disciplinary action), this must be stated in a written notice.
A quorum of three (3) of the elected officers is required to conduct any PHC Board meeting. The president is not allowed to vote on any motion, but has the deciding vote in a tie.
All team meetings (PHC, PHC Board, Team Parent) will be conducted using simple rules of parliamentary procedure with Roberts Rules of Order, latest edition, being the final word on procedure. The usual order of business should be as follows:
The reading and approval of the minutes of the last meetings.
The reading of the Treasurer’s report.
Reports of the regular committees.
Reports of the special committees.
Old Business.
New Business.
Discussion takes place after a motion is made and seconded. Discussions are limited to five (5) minutes per person after recognition by the chair, followed by up to a three-minute rebuttal. After a call to vote on the motion, a raised hand vote is taken (one vote per eligible player). It is the President’s responsibility to control the meeting so that only one topic at a time is being discussed.
PENN HOCKEY CLUB BOARD
An election of officers will be held at the Spring elections meeting.
The officers to be elected are President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Team Representative(s). The term of office shall be for one (1) year. One person may hold only one of the officer positions of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer or Team Representative. The PHC Board consists of the elected officers – a minimum of 5 officers.
Those wishing to seek an office shall submit their name to the nominations committee, chaired by the Vice President two (2) weeks prior to the spring elections meeting for voting by all parents of eligible players. Nominations from the floor can also be made at the meeting.
Only parents of eligible players for the coming season, as of the date of the election, may run for office.
If more than one nomination for an office is made, a vote shall be taken by secret ballot at the spring elections meeting. Each nominee will have five minutes to speak to the body about why they think they should be considered for the office. Also, other members of the body shall have three minutes to speak in favor of a nominee.
Once a motion to close the nominations has been seconded and approved with a simple majority vote, the nominations are closed.
All elections will be held by secret ballot with the counting of the ballots made by the current secretary and treasurer.
OFFICERS’ DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES PRESIDENT
The President shall chair all parent PHC and Team, special and PHC Board meetings when called. The President is empowered with the sanction of the PHC Board to call a special parents meeting with at least seven (7) days’ notice, stipulating in writing a brief agenda.
The President is responsible for having on file, for member’s review, the bylaws of the MHSHL, a current financial statement from the MHSHL and all MHSHL rules that pertain to the team, players and coaches.
The President shall responsibly coordinate all activities of the club.
The President shall, in accordance and agreement with the other members of the PHC Board, call meetings of the PHC Board for pertinent topics for the successful operation of the PHC.
The President shall make sure that the Team Representative(s) has all current rosters, medical forms and USA Hockey and other registrations, and that the Team Representative(s) has them along when the team is traveling. The President is also responsible for the initiation and proper compiling of the roster books (copies of official game score sheets), by the due dates, as directed by MHSHL and submission of the forms, as required, is done on time by the Team Representative(s).
VICE PRESIDENT
The Vice President shall be responsible for delegation of all committee chairs to a parent member. All committees shall have one chairperson and report all committee work to the body as a whole at the PHC Board meetings.
The Vice President is empowered to call a special meeting of any committee or to check on the progress of committees to make sure that proper and timely action is being taken.
The Vice President is responsible for overseeing the Coaches Committee, which will evaluate coaches at the end of the season and will seek applications for coaches and make recommendations for future coaches to the PHC Board. The Vice President is responsible for keeping coaching evaluations on file.
If the President is unable to chair any meeting, it becomes the responsibility of the Vice President. If the President resigns or is permanently unable to serve, the Vice President shall act as President Pro Tem until the next election. An election shall be held at the next scheduled PHC parents meeting to elect a new club President.
SECRETARY
The Secretary shall take minutes of each PHC Board and PHC parents meetings and have typed copies of the previous meeting available for review.
The Secretary shall have all minutes available from all meetings held during his/her term typed and in a booklet to be passed in succession to the next secretary.
The Secretary shall notify all players, coaches and parents in a timely manner of changes and other pertinent information of PHC information. When there is more than one team in a given year, notification of each team changes and information will fall under the respective Team Representative’s duties. The Secretary shall be responsible for all out-of-town hotel reservations while the team is traveling in the years when PHC has only one team. When there is more than one team, hotel reservations will fall under the respective Team Representative’s duties.
The Secretary may empower another parent to assist with the duties if he/she is unable to attend any meeting.
The Secretary may assist the Treasurer in preparing the budget.
The Secretary will count the ballots at the Spring elections meeting.
TREASURER
The Treasurer shall have fiscal responsibilities for all PHC finances. The Treasurer shall pay all bills approved by the required due date.
The Treasurer shall prepare and propose a budget for the club’s approval. The budget is then submitted to the PHC Board prior to submission to the body at a PHC Parents’ meeting.
The Treasurer shall report in writing on the club financial status. This report must include the following: balance on hand as of the date of the last report, income received during the period, expenses paid out during the period (all paid expenses must be itemized) and the new balance on hand.
The Treasurer shall act in a responsible manner with the club’s finances and shall not disperse any funds without the proper invoices to substantiate the expenditure. Formal invoices from creditors, with proper references as to whom the payment is made and what the invoice is for, is needed before any payment can be made. All payments will be made by check or account transfer.
The Treasurer is responsible for the collection of all player assessments as described under the parent’s responsibility.
The Treasurer will count ballots at the Spring elections meeting.
TEAM REPRESENTATIVE (S)
Each team registered through the PHC will have an elected Team Representative for that season. Each team representative will focus on their specific team and will represent their team at PHC Board meetings and MHSHL meetings.
Each Team Representative is responsible for making sure all rosters, medical forms, birth certificate copies, and USA Hockey registrations are current and in his/her possession when their respective team is traveling.
Each Team Representative is also responsible for the initiation and compilation of the roster book (copies of the official game score sheets) by the due dates as directed by the MHSHL and ISHSHA, and submission of forms required.
Each Team Representative is to make sure all proper insurance forms are on file for all players at the start of the season.
Each Team Representative will attend all MHSHL board meetings as PHC’s official team spokesperson for their team.
Each Team Representative is a designated representative of the PHC and will be the only representative to cast a vote on behalf of their team at all MHSHL board meetings. If a Team
Representative cannot make a MHSHL board meeting, it will become the responsibility of an appointed board member to attend the MHSHL board meeting and cast the PHC Team’s vote at that meeting. Each Team Representative will also be responsible for scheduling practices, games and tournaments and providing up-to-date schedules to all the members. Any changes after the schedule has been passed out must be made through the PHC Board. If the game or tournament is outside the immediate area, it will be voted on by parents at a Team Meeting.
When there is more than one team, each Team Representative shall be responsible to notify all players, coaches and parents in a timely manner of changes and other pertinent information. When there is more than one team, each Team Representative shall be responsible for all out-of-town hotel reservations while the team is traveling.
OFFICER RESIGNATIONS
In the event of the loss or resignation of an officer, the Vice President (or President if the VP is to be replaced) is in charge of the nomination committee and will submit names of interested individuals at the next parent meeting for an election at that meeting. The new officer will fill the office until the next general election at the Spring election meeting.
PENN HOCKEY CLUB BOARD RESPONSIBILITIES
The PHC Board shall assume the responsibility of the fiscal and administrative powers of the organization and report to the body of parents at regular meetings. The PHC Board may have to act in certain matters on a very timely basis and shall report to the body of parents of any actions taken.
COMMITTEES
Committees are the foundation of the club and elected officials along with involved parents assist in the harmonious operation of the club’s business. Each parent should make themselves available for committee involvement.
Some of the committees are: Fund Raising, Equipment, Special Events, Advertising, Program, Press Relations, Game Result Reporting, Video Taping and Statistics, Parent Relations, Communications, and others to be determined as deemed fit.
The Vice President shall determine the committees and appoint a parent to chair the committee. Minutes shall be taken at each committee meeting. The head of the committee shall determine the time and place for these meetings. Each committee shall report the results of their work to the body and then be voted on based on the recommendation of the committee.
No Committee meeting shall be closed.
PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Parents are expected to attend all regular meetings. It is anticipated that each parent becomes involved in at least one committee.
Each year each player shall be assessed a fee to cover their involvement with the PHC. This assessment is based on the budget approved by the PHC Board. The total budget cost for each team will be divided by the number of players, and each player will be assessed as an equal share of the costs. Each player’s share of their team costs will be assessed and due by a Standard Payment Plan of five (5) payments; 1) at a time when the roster is finalized, 2) September 1st, 3) October 1st, 4) November 1st, 5) January 1st. The total assessment is due in full by January 1st unless arrangements are made in advance for a payment plan.
If a parent is having financial difficulties and was unable to gather enough advertising funding to meet their compliance, a payment plan can be initiated. Requests for a payment plan must be made in writing to the PHC Board by December 15th. Payment plans to cover the assessment can be made by signing a promissory note covering the assessment.
If a player’s Standard Payment Plan is not current, or a player’s assessment has not been paid in full by January 1st or an Individual Payment Plan has not been worked out with the PHC Board prior to January 1st (or if an Individual Payment Plan is not been followed), the player will be suspended from stepping onto the ice until the balance of the Standard Payment Plan or full assessment has been paid in full.
If there is an unpaid balance from the previous season’s assessment, the player is ineligible to play in the next season unless paid up in full prior to the start of the new season’s practice.
If there is a shortfall in funds for any reason, a special assessment is required. It will be prorated based upon the number of players. The final determination of the share will be calculated by the Treasurer. All Fund Raising monies shall remain in a player’s account until graduation or until they are no longer playing for PHC at which time it rolls over the PHC account. Personal funds will be credited to a player’s account or refunded in cases of graduating seniors.
It is up to the parents as to where to stay at all out-of-town games. The team will book a block of rooms at an approved hotel. However, it is the parent’s responsibility to guarantee their own room with their own credit card. If they do not wish to stay at the hotel where the team has booked rooms, the parent must notify their Team Representative (or PHC Secretary if only one team) of their decision not to use the team’s reservation. It is the responsibility of the parent to have the player at the ice rink for out-of-town games at least one (1) hour prior to the scheduled game’s starting time.
BOARD/PARENT/PLAYER LIAISON
An appointed position can be created by a simple majority vote for naming a player liaison. This position is a sounding board for parent/player concerns on a confidential basis.
If a problem is severe, the liaison may ask for the situation to be made in writing to be presented to the proper officials. This may not be only the PHC, but may also be the MHSHL.
This position is not to interfere with the interaction of the club as a whole, but to assist relationships that may be strained and seek an equitable solution.
COACHING RESPONSIBILITIES
The Head Coach and the Team Representative for each team shall meet to firm up the final schedule and practice times. The Team Representative is to distribute a schedule, at the beginning of the season, listing the teams to be played, tournaments to attend, and scrimmages to take place. Any changes after the schedule have been passed out must be made through the PHC Board. If the game or tournament is outside the immediate area, it will be voted on by the parents at a Team meeting.
In the event that the PHC has enough players to field two teams, one Varsity and one JV, the players will be notified at the beginning of the season what their PRIMARY placement will be. The Varsity will be the GOLD team and the JV will be the BLACK team. It is the coaches’ decision to pull a player up from JV to play Varsity on a game by game basis.
Coaches for each team have the responsibility to be prudent with ice time and if this ice time is not to be used, the team’s head coach must contact the Team Representative, in a timely manner (more than one month) in advance so that the Club is not assessed for the unused ice time. The Team Representative shall make known the rules of the unused ice to the coaches.
Coaches for each team shall act in a responsible manner and remember that this sport is treated as a Varsity sport, but it is funded strictly through the efforts of the parents and players for financial support.
All players must be given equal and fair treatment – not necessarily equal ice time.
If supplies are required, such as pucks or other equipment, a requisition shall be made to the Team Representative (or Equipment Manager, if the team has one) and the Treasurer for approval of purchase, in writing, prior to ordering or purchasing.
The practice time and game times will be at the discretion of the PHC Board, Head Coach of the Gold Team, and Coaches of other PHC teams for the year.
Coaches serve as a role model for an athlete and must refrain from smoking and/or drinking around the players or at official team activities during the season. The coaches are to set a high standard by example for the players. Coaches will be held accountable for their conduct by the PHC Board. Coaches must follow the rules of the MHSHL, ISHSHA, and USA Hockey.
CODE OF CONDUCT CONTRACT
Each player and parent (to show support of their child by the Code of Conduct principles) shall agree to sign the Code of Conduct Contract at the start of each new season. Each player shall also receive a copy of the Player Introduction.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENTS
It is expected of the host parents to either sell enough advertising or pay the assessment.
TEAM MANAGERS
Anyone interested in being a team manager does so strictly as a volunteer. He/she may be awarded a plaque or a gift at the end of the season. No other purchases for the team managers such as jackets will be given unless approved at a Team parent meeting.
USA HOCKEY CERTIFICATION AND REGISTRATION
All registration and medical forms and rosters will be completed and sent to USA Hockey no later than December 23rd, and sooner if possible. The President will be responsible for compliance and getting registration and payments in on time.
AMENDMENTS OR CHANGES TO THE BYLAWS
Changes or amendments to bylaws may be made at any schedule PHC meeting with a quorum present. The changes or amendments will be binding at the time of a two-thirds majority vote.
The following addition to the bylaws was added and approved by majority vote of all PHC families and players on January 6, 2019. (JV and Varsity parent/player meeting was held and vote taken with 100% agreement) The following jersey numbers have been retired and will not longer be available for use by any Penn Hockey team players from this day forward.
Permanently retiring Jersey Numbers #5 #25 and #7.