CATA Policy and Procedures

1. The Colorado Athletic Trainers' Association may be referred to as the CATA, the Association, or the Corporation within these policies and procedures.

2. The Executive Board of the Association may be referred to as the Board within these policies and procedures.

3. The National Athletic Trainers' Association, Inc. may be referred to as the NATA within these policies and procedures.

4. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers Association, Inc. may be referred to as the RMATA within these policies and procedures.

B. GEOGRAPHIC AREA

1. The area represented by this Association is the State of Colorado.

SECTION II - PRINCIPAL OFFICE

A. CHANGE OF THE PRINCIPAL OFFICE

1. The principal office may be changed by a majority vote of the Board.

B. LOCATION OF THE PRINCIPAL OFFICE

1. The location of the principal office shall be address of the president.

2. The address of the statutory agent of the Association shall be listed as the principal office of the Association.

3. The president shall serve as the statutory agent for the Association.

4. The Association may conduct business from the addresses of the President, Secretary, or Treasurer.

5. Members authorized by the Board to conduct the business of the Association may use their own address.

6. The use of any address of, or any stationary from, this Association for mailings or any other communication shall be in strict conformity with the acts of the Board.

SECTION III - LOGO

A. DESCRIPTION OF THE LOGO

1. The logo shall be as drawn below.

2. If the logo of the Association is in color, the following color pattern should be used:

a. All writing and lines shall be black.

b. The left triangle shall be blue.

c. The middle triangle shall be yellow.

d. The right triangle shall be orange.

e. To the right of the triangles shall be the block letters of CATA

f. Below the logo is a thick black line.

g. Below the black line are the words: COLORADO ATHLETIC TRAINERS ASSOC.

B. USE OF THE LOGO

1. The logo of the Association, or any part thereof, shall be used only with the permission of the Board.

2. All Board members, committees, and the newsletter editor / web master are granted permission to use

the logo of the Association for Association related activities.

SECTION IV - MEMBERSHIP

A. MEMBERSHIP CLASSIFICATIONS

1. The membership classifications and qualifications of the Association shall be the same as those for the NATA

2. Certified members shall be those athletic trainers who are certified members of the NATA, in good standing and who reside or are employed in the area of the Association.

3. Retired Certified members shall be those athletic trainers who are retired members of the NATA and reside in the area of the Association.

4. Associate members shall be those persons who are Associate members of the NATA who reside within the area of the Association.

5. Student members shall be non-certified student members of the NATA enrolled in a junior college, college, or university within the area of the Association.

6. Honorary Members shall be selected by the Board in keeping with these policies and procedures.

7. Any member granted inactive status in the NATA shall retain similar membership rights in the CATA.

B. APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

1. Application for membership shall consist of either application to the NATA with dues paid for CATA membership or an application, with dues submitted, sent to the Secretary of the Association.

2. The Board retains the right to deny any person membership.

C. GENERAL MEMBERSHIP POLICIES

1. The Colorado Athletic Trainers’ Association admits all qualified persons regardless of race, religion, sex, national origin, or disability to all rights and privileges of membership and to any programs and activities of the Association.

2. Members shall have access to the mailing list of, and mailing labels for, the Association for purposes related to issues affecting the Association. No member shall release a list of names of members, their addresses, or places of employment to any outside organization without specific consent of the Board. The Board may charge a fee for providing mailing labels. The mailing list, and mailing labels, shall be made available to non-profit organizations and researchers as long as the activity will be to the benefit of the athletic training profession. In the case of research, the study must have been approved by the institutions review board. Labels requested for private research must meet Association criteria.

3. The following actions are deemed unacceptable for any member who may be acting in the name of the Association. Violations of these limitations will subject the violator to disciplinary action.

a. Any illegal activity that may affect the Association or bring disrepute upon the profession of athletic training.

b. Spending of Association funds for purposes other than the benefit of the Association, or in a manner which deviates from the Board approved budget or fiscal policies.

c. Any conduct that would place the Association in fiscal jeopardy.

d. Practices that constitute, or may cause or allow, unethical or imprudent behavior.

e. Failure to follow the By-Laws and policies and procedures of the Association.

f. Actions in the name of the Association when there is no authority to take such actions.

4. A member may be disciplined by majority vote of the Board for any violation of these policies and procedures. The discipline may consist of reprimand, censure, suspension or termination of membership.

SECTION V - IMPOSITION OF DISCIPLINARY MEASURES

A. REPRIMAND

1. A reprimand shall be a written statement from the Board outlining the member's actions justifying the reprimand and the reasons the Board felt the reprimand was necessary.

2. The reprimand shall be entered into the minutes of the Association at the annual business meeting, but shall not affect the member's rights or privileges.

B. CENSURE

1. Censure shall be a written statement from the Board outlining the member's actions justifying the censure and the reasons the Board felt the censure was necessary.

2. The censure shall be entered into the minutes of the Association at the annual business meeting, and shall result in suspension of the voting privileges of the censured member for a fixed period of time not to exceed one year.

C. SUSPENSION AND TERMINATION

1. Suspension shall result in suspension of all of the member's rights and privileges for a fixed period of time to be determined by the Board or until the circumstances leading to suspension are eliminated.

2. Termination shall result in a revocation of all rights and privileges of membership, reinstatement of which shall require reapplication for membership.

3. Suspension or termination due to nonpayment of dues or due to suspension or termination of membership by the NATA shall occur automatically. Written notice thereof shall be given to the member.

D. PROCEDURES FOR IMPOSITION OF DISCIPLINE

1. Any member of the Association, upon becoming aware of conduct by a member which is in violation of these policies and procedures, shall submit a written report to the Board setting forth in specific detail the offensive conduct, including the time(s) and place(s) of such conduct and the names, addresses and telephone numbers of any other person with knowledge of the conduct.

2. Upon receipt of such a report, the Board shall appoint a committee of three certified members of the Association to investigate the allegations. Within 30 days, this investigative committee shall submit to the Board a written report of its findings together with a recommendation as to whether disciplinary proceedings should be initiated and, if so, what the discipline should be. If the circumstances warrant, the Board may authorize an extension of the investigation period beyond 30 days.

3. At the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board, or at a special meeting called for that purpose, the Board shall review the report of the investigative committee and determine whether to initiate disciplinary proceedings and, if so, what the discipline should be.

4. If the Board decides to initiate disciplinary proceedings the Secretary shall, within seven days of that decision, give written notice of the decision to the accused member with the advice of legal counsel.

This notice shall include:

a. A complete copy of the investigative report.

b. The Board's determination of what the discipline should be.

c. A copy of Sections V, VI, IX(E) & XIV(C) of these policies and procedures.

d. The date of the Board meeting during which the disciplinary hearing will be conducted.

E. DISCIPLINARY HEARINGS

1. Disciplinary hearings shall be conducted during regularly scheduled meetings of the Board, or during special meetings called for that purpose.

2. In the scheduling and conduct of disciplinary hearings the Board shall undertake all reasonable means to protect the rights of the accused member. This shall include a balancing of the right to a speedy resolution of the disciplinary matter and the right to adequate notice of the hearing and the right to an opportunity to prepare an adequate defense. The Board shall also consider the timing of the hearing in relationship to the next meeting of the membership so that, in the event of a Board decision adverse to the accused member, there will not be an unreasonably short or lengthy period between the time of the Board's decision and the accused member's next opportunity to appeal the decision to the membership.

3. Disciplinary hearings shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of Section IX(E) of these policies and procedures.

4. In the event of a decision of the Board to impose the discipline of censure, suspension or termination, the Board shall also rule whether the disciplinary measures shall be effective immediately or shall be suspended pending the outcome of any appeal.

F. APPEALS OF DISCIPLINARY RULINGS

1. In the event of a disciplinary ruling by the Board, which is adverse to the accused member, the member shall have a right to appeal the ruling to the membership of the Association.

2. Notice of appeal shall be given in writing to the Secretary within 30 days following the Board's disciplinary ruling.

3. The appeal hearing shall be conducted at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Association and in accordance with the provisions of Section XIV(C) of these policies and procedures. In the event the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Association is less than 30 days following the Board's disciplinary ruling, the accused member shall be entitled to choose whether the appeal hearing will be conducted at that meeting or shall be delayed until the following regularly scheduled meeting.

4. In the event that the membership of the Association votes to uphold a disciplinary ruling of termination of membership, it may also rule that the accused member be barred from future membership in the Association.

G. SUSPENSION OR TERMINATION OF BOARD MEMBERS

1. The suspension or termination of the Association membership of a member of the Executive Board shall also result in suspension or termination from the Executive Board.

SECTION VI - DUES

A. AMOUNT OF DUES

1. Dues shall be set by a majority vote of the Board.

2. Retired Certified and Honorary members shall pay no dues.

B. PAYMENT OF DUES

1. CATA dues will be collected in conjunction with RMATA dues.

2. The Board may, by majority vote, waive any dues or fees for any member.

SECTION VII - VOTING PRIVILEGES

A. VOTING MEMBERS

1. Certified and Retired Certified members shall each be entitled to one vote in matters before the membership.

2. Only voting members may make motions before the membership.

3. Only voting members may propose amendments to the By-Laws of the Association.

4. Voting members shall have the right, by majority vote, to decide issues involving a merger, consolidation, or voluntary dissolution of the Corporation upon recommendation of the Board.

5. Voting members may request to examine and make copies of the records of the Association. Such a request shall be in writing to the Secretary and shall clearly specify the records to be examined. The Secretary shall make arrangements for the examination of the records within fifteen (15) days of the request. Copies shall be made at the member's expense.

B. NON-VOTING MEMBERS

1. No member other than Certified or Certified Retired shall be entitled to vote in matters before the membership.

2. Non-voting members may participate in debate in matters before the membership.

C. NON-MEMBERS

1. Persons who do not hold membership who are in attendance at meetings shall have no vote.

2. Non-members may participate in debate in matters before the membership with the permission of the President.

SECTION VIII - EXECUTIVE BOARD

A. QUALIFICATIONS OF EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS

1. The qualifications for President, Vice-President, Secretary, and At-Large members shall be as stated in the By-Laws of the Association.

B. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS

1. Board members shall uphold the By-Laws, and policies and procedures of the Association. Board members are expected to make every effort to fulfill their duties to the Association.

2. The mission of the Executive Board of the Colorado Athletic Trainers Association is the

advancement of the profession of athletic training in the State of Colorado. In pursuit of this mission, the Board shall:

a. Provide a vision for the future of athletic training in the State of Colorado.

b. Provide for the enhancement of the image of athletic training in the State of Colorado.

c. Provide for the growth of the members of the athletic training profession, both present and future.

d. Provide for the diversity of the Association while building unity as a profession.

e. Provide for the establishment of high quality programs to benefit the members of the Association.

f. Provide for proactive governance of the Association.

3. The job of the Board is to make certain contributions that are unique to its role and are necessary for the proper governance of the Association. With this given, the Board shall:

a. Write policies and procedures that concern:

1. Program results.

2. Administrative constraints.

3. Governance processes.

b. Assure the quality performance of the various structures of the Association.

c. Provide the various structures of the Association with the support needed to complete their assigned tasks.

d. Inform the membership of the actions of the Board and Association

e. Assure the Association is operated in a fiscally responsible manner.

f. Assure that the Board and members abide by the By-Laws, and policies and procedures of the Association.

4. The Board shall develop a comprehensive long range plan for the Association. This plan shall include, at a minimum, the following areas:

a. Growth of the Association.

b. Financial status.

c. Long range goals for:

1. Continuing Education

2. Governmental Action

3. Promotion of the Profession

5. Time lines shall be established for each portion of the plan. Actions of the Board and the various structures of the Association shall reflect the contents of the long range plan. The long range plan shall be evaluated annually for progress toward fulfillment of the goals of the plan.

6. Board members have a responsibility to attend all Board meetings.

C. ESTABLISHMENT OF POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

1. All policies and procedures for the Association shall be established by the Executive Board.

2. A majority vote of the Board is required to adopt, amend, or delete policies and procedures.

3. The Board may adopt position statements, with the advice of legal counsel, that relate to the athletic training profession or the business of the Association. Research regarding the topic of the position statement shall be presented to the Board before the position statement is considered for a vote by the Board. All such position statements must be made known to the general membership. Members acting for the Association shall adhere to the principles of those position statements while conducting the business of the Association.

4. The Board shall, at times determined by the President, review the By-Laws, and policies and procedures to assure that the Association is in compliance.

5. The Secretary shall update these policies and procedures as approved by the Board. If not

specifically stated in the approved motion, the Secretary shall place the item in the policy and procedures in the area that appears to be best suited for the item and make editorial changes to numbering to fit the new item. The Board shall be provided with updates to the policies and procedures whenever made and Board members should review the placement of items.

6. New members of the Board shall receive a governance manual, to include the By-Laws, policies and procedures of the Association, and other items as deemed appropriate by the President. The governance manual will be reviewed in accordance with directives from the President.

D. MEETINGS OF THE BOARD

1. Meetings of the Board shall be called in a manner consistent with the By-Laws of the Association.

2. The requirement of notification of meetings of the Board may be fulfilled by publication in the Association newsletter.

3. The President of the Association shall submit an agenda to all members of the Board seven (7) days prior to all regularly scheduled meetings of the Board.

4. Meetings of the Board shall be conducted in a manner consistent with "Robert's Rules of Order."

5. Meetings of the Board shall be open to the public except as provided in these policies and procedures. If there is not enough space to reasonably accommodate the number of people wishing to attend the President shall determine who will be allowed to attend, with precedence given to certified members and those with an interest in the matters before the Board.

6. Persons wishing to propose items for Board action shall submit their proposal(s), in motion form with justification for the action, to the President of the Association no later than three (3) weeks prior the annual or semi-annual meeting of the Board. The President shall provide any of these items included on the agenda to the Board with the meeting agenda. This in no way should be interpreted as to preclude a Board member from making proper motions at the Board meeting.

7. The Secretary shall keep the official minutes of Board meetings. A copy of the minutes shall be distributed to all members of the Board and such other persons as the President may direct. A summary of the actions taken by the Board shall be distributed to the membership of the Association. Upon request of any member the Association the Secretary shall transmit to such member a copy of the official minutes of any Board meeting.

8. Publication in the Association newsletter shall meet the requirement of distributing the summary of Board action to the membership.

E. HEARINGS BEFORE THE BOARD

1. Disciplinary hearings before the Board shall be conducted in a fair and impartial manner.

2. Judicial rules of evidence and procedure shall not apply in hearings conducted before the Board.

3. Hearings before the Board shall be conducted in an orderly but informal manner. Board members shall be free to ask pertinent questions of any of the parties involved or of any witness.

4. The parties shall provide the Secretary, or another member chosen by the Board, and the opposing party a list of evidence and witnesses to be presented at the hearing at least thirty (30) days prior to the hearing.

5. The President shall preside over the hearing unless the President is a party in the hearing, whereupon the Board shall appoint one of its members to preside.

6. No member on the Board shall sit on the Board at the hearing if there is a conflict of interest involving the topic of the hearing. The Board may, by majority vote, exclude a member or members of the Board from the hearing. It is the responsibility of a Board member to inform the President and Secretary of a possible conflict of interest.

7. The Board, by majority vote, may appoint an individual or individuals to represent the interests of the Association.

8. The accused member may, at no cost to the Association, have an individual or individuals represent the interests of the member.

9. The procedural order for the hearing shall be as follows:

a. Each party shall present a brief opening statement indicating its position in the matter, with the statement of the Association presented first.

b. The Association shall then present evidence in support of the allegations of misconduct.

c. The accused member shall then present evidence in defense against the allegations of misconduct.

d. The Association shall be given an opportunity to rebut evidence presented by the accused member, so long as it is not a repetition of the original evidence presented by the Association.

e. During the presentation of evidence, each party shall have an opportunity to cross examine witnesses presented by the opposing party as to any matter which is relevant to the proceeding. Following cross examination the party that initially presented the witness shall be entitled to redirect examination, but only as to matters raised during cross examination which were not addressed during direct examination.

f. Any exhibits presented during the hearing shall be numbered in chronological order and made a part of the permanent record of the hearing.

g. Upon completion of the presentation evidence, each the parties shall be entitled to present a brief closing argument in support of their position, with the Association presenting first.

h. The hearing shall be recorded on audio tape and the tape shall become a part of the permanent record of the hearing. In addition, the Secretary, or other person designated by the person presiding over the hearing, shall maintain a written summary of the testimony and exhibits presented which shall also become a part of the permanent record of the hearing.

i. Either party may request a typed transcript of the audio tape recording of the hearing, which shall be prepared by a qualified stenographer at the expense of the requesting party. A copy shall be provided to the opposing party for the cost of photocopying at a commercial provider of photocopy services.

j. In addition to the audio recording, either party may, at its own expense, arrange for the attendance at the hearing of a qualified court stenographer to prepare a verbatim stenographic record of the proceedings. A written transcript of this record shall be prepared at the request of either party, the cost to be borne by the requesting party. In that event, the opposing party shall, at its own expense, be entitled to obtain a copy of the transcript from the court stenographer at such cost as is imposed by the stenographer.

10. After the hearing is completed, the Board shall adjourn into Executive Session to deliberate and decide the issue.

11. A majority vote of the Board is necessary to render a decision.

12. Upon reaching a decision the Board shall immediately reconvene the hearing to announce the decision. In the event the accused member is not present or represented at that time, the Secretary shall immediately attempt to contact the accused member in person or by telephone to advise the member of the decision. Additionally, the Secretary shall inform the accused member of the decision in writing no later than ten (10) days after the hearing is concluded. The Secretary shall also enter the written notice of the decision into the permanent record of the hearing, and into the minutes of the Board meeting during which the hearing is conducted.

13. The Board shall retain legal counsel to assure that these procedures for a hearing are complied with.

F. EXECUTIVE SESSIONS

1. The Board may, at any time during a meeting, adjourn into executive session.

2. A majority vote of the Board is required to convene an executive session.

3. No decisions shall be made, nor motions presented, during an executive session except as provided by these policies and procedures.

4. Any person, except voting members of the Board, may be excluded from the executive session

5. The minutes of an executive session shall not be published, except by majority vote of the Board.

6. A summary of the proceedings shall be placed into the minutes with any confidential items excluded as determined by a majority vote of the Board.

G. VACANCIES ON THE BOARD

1. If at any time the President cannot continue the duties of the President, the Vice President shall succeed the President.

2. If for any reason a vacancy shall occur on the Executive Board (other than the President), the Board shall appoint a qualified replacement to fill the vacated position until such time as a replacement is selected by the membership through the designated electoral process.

2. The Board shall review the performance of paid consultants every three (3) years. After such a review the Board shall vote on the issue of reapproval of the paid consultant.

3. The Board shall, when deemed prudent, employ a consultant on business matters. This consultant shall advise the Board as requested on general business matters pertaining to the operation of the Association. Specific duties of the Business Consultant shall include, but not be limited to:

4. The Board shall, when deemed prudent, employ a consultant on financial matters. This consultant shall advise the Board as requested on general financial matters related to the operation of the Association. Specific duties of the Financial Consultant shall include, but not be limited to:

5. The Board shall, when deemed prudent, employ legal counsel to advise and represent the Association in legal matters.

1. The Board shall, when deemed prudent, appoint liaisons to other professional organizations. These liaisons shall represent the position of the Association to the specified professional association in matters concerning the Association.

2. The Board may accept liaisons from other professional associations. The Board may issue position statements, following the guidelines in these policies and procedures, to the liaison.

2. The purpose and objectives of the committee shall be placed in these policies and procedures.

1. All committee chairs shall submit a written report of committee activities to the President no later than thirty (30) days before a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board.