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Friday, June 12, 2009
The EPRU Needs You ! Our new governance structure means we need YOU - see how you can get involved! At the February 2009 General Meeting, the EPRU membership voted overwhelmingly in favor of approval of a new set of ByLaws. These ByLaws significantly change the form of governance in the EPRU. In addition, full voting rights are now provided to High School/U19 and U15 clubs and "mandatory" attendance at EPRU General Meetings was eliminated. The By-Laws are posted via a link at http://www.epru.org/about/index.php. Please take the time to read them.
The new governance is essentially as follows:
- All Members will elect a Board of Directors of between five and 15 members from a slate of nominees presented by a Nominating Committee designated by the Board. The Directors do not need to come from within EPRU Members but will have the responsibility of representing the interests of all EPRU Members.
- The Board will elect the Officers (President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer) of the EPRU who shall also become Board Members.
- The Board will appoint an Executive Committee comprised of the Officers, the EPRU Disciplinary Chairperson and such other persons (either from the Board or from outside the Board) as the Board deems necessary.
- The Executive Committee will have the responsibility to carry out the day to day operations of the EPRU.
- The Board will have the responsibility to oversee the activities of the Executive Committee. The Board may remove Officers and members of the Executive Committee at its discretion.
On Wednesday, Sepember 16, 2009, the EPRU will hold its Annual General Meeting including elections of the new Board of Directors. While attendance is not mandatory for the member clubs, all clubs are urged to attend and take part in discussions about rugby in the EPRU as well as directly elect the new Board of Directors after hearing their ideas for bettering the EPRU. Your attendance will let your voice be clearly heard. For clubs who do not attend, an on-line voting system will be in place.
The EPRU NEEDS YOU. We really do. In order for our Union to continue to grow and prosper, we need people who love rugby to STEP UP and get involved as either a Director or an Officer. If you did not know, the EPRU is the 2nd largest Union in the country with over 150 clubs and nearly 6000 players. We are very fortunate to currently have many tireless and dedicated volunteers working for you and now need a few more folks to get involved.
The new Board of Directors will shape the direction, establish policy, etc. for the EPRU while the Officers (President, VP, Treasurer and Secretary) will focus on carrying out the "day to day" operation of the Union. This is a great opportunity for those who want to give back to rugby or just get involved in a way that will have a positive impact on its present and future. Becoming a Director is not a big time or energy commitment but a very important one. We need fresh ideas and energies to further development of rugby in this area. Remember..."we" doesn't mean me or a few volunteers, it means YOU and anyone else who is involved with rugby as a player, coach, administrator, referee, etc. or those just interested in rugby (such as a former player, parent, school official, etc.) and wants to contribute to this great sport.
Please think about it yourself and also let your teammates, family members (such as parents) and others know about this opportunity and encourage their involvement.
For more info and/or place your name in nomination for a Director or Officer position, please contact Steve Cohen at president@epru.org and the Nominating Committee Chair, John Dyduck at jbdyduck@hotmail.com ASAP.
Note** After nearly 25 years of service to the EPRU (and 40 consecutive years of rugby "work"), including the last 4 years as President and previous 5 years as VP, I have decided to lessen my day-to-day rugby duties and NOT run for re-election as President. I am very proud of my impact on the sport in many ways and appreciate the support and acknowledgement many of you have provided me. I plan to stay involved with the EPRU, as well as provide support for the new President, as needed, as he or she takes over. I am looking to focus more of my personal time and energies on other aspects of life. I still plan to referee, stay involved with small college rugby (www.nscro.org) and organize the MARS Golden Oldies Rugby team. **
Please realize that without "mandatory" attendance at general meetings, it becomes more important than ever before that clubs carefully understand their responsibilities to the EPRU and the East Penn Rugby Referees Society as found on the websites. Questions regarding the EPRU should be directed to your Division Coordinator or EPRU Secretary as appropriate, while referee-related questions should be sent to EPRRS President, Dave McHugh at David.McHugh@thomsonreuters.com.
The list of current Officers, Coordinators, etc. can be found on line at http://www.epru.org/contact/admin.php. The Refs Society website is http://www.eastpennrugby.org.
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