NISCA Proposes Five New Organizational Rule Changes In 2020

NISCA – the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association – has announced five constitutional change proposals for 2020.

NISCA is the national coaches association for high school swimming & diving coaches. The bylaw changes are largely procedural, and don’t have any direct in-pool impacts. A brief summary of the five:

1. Allowing the Executive Board to determine stipend amounts, rather than requiring a general meeting vote.
2. Alternating the NISCA annual general meeting between men’s and women’s NCAAs, rather than just men’s.
3. Increasing the yearly stipend for the NISCA Journal Editor from $1500 to $3000.
4. Adding a new class of NISCA member: International Associate Members, who coach at the high school level, but outside of the United States.
5. Officially changing the organization objectives to not just focus on high school swimming in the United States, but “locally, statewide, nationally, and internationally.”

Here is the full NISCA release:

2020 Constitutional Change Proposals

The following 5 items are being proposed as changes to the NISCA Constitution and By-Laws. These items will be voted on at the Annual General Meeting in Indianaoplis IN March 25-28, 2020 by members present at the meeting.

Those wishing to comment on the proposals can send their comments to
[email protected]. Comments must be received by March 24th, 2020 to be included for discussion. A downloadable PDF copy of the proposals can be found on the website under Conference/NISCA Conference, scroll down to NISCA Business 2020.

Proposed Bylaw Changes 2020

Proposal #1 – Proposed and 1st vote March 2019, 2^nd vote for ratification at the Annual General Meeting March 2020

ARTICLE IV Finances
SECTION 3 Stipends:
a. Any stipend must be voted by the membership present at the Annual General Meeting. Once approved, a stipend will be provided as noted until such time as it is either altered or revoked by similar vote. All stipend amounts shall be noted in the Constitution or By-laws.
b. The Journal Editor shall receive a stipend of $1500.00 per annum.
c. The Webmaster shall receive a stipend of $1500.00 per annum.

Proposed change:
a. Positions to receive stipends shall be voted on and approved by the membership present at the Annual General Meeting. Approved positions shall be recorded and published in the By-laws of the organization.
b. The amount of the stipends shall be determined by the Executive Board. Stipends shall be reasonable and appropriate and in accordance with the current financial status of the organization.
c. The Audit Committee will review stipend amounts annually.
d. The Journal Editor and Webmaster shall receive stipends.

Rationale:
Due to the changing needs of both the organization and the specialized expertise required for the Webmaster and Journal Editor positions, allowing the executive board to set the stipend amount to reflect the current job will permit the flexibility needed to match compensation with needs.

Proposal #2 – Proposed September 2019. To be voted on at Annual General Meeting March, 2020 Proposed by Dave Barney

ARTICLE III MEETINGS
SECTION 1 Annual General Meeting:
a. The time and site of the Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be established at least one year in advance, and unless voted otherwise by virtue of a quorum of the voting membership present at the Annual General Meeting, shall be held at the time and site of the Men’s NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships.

Proposed Change:
a. The time and site of the Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be established at least one year in advance, and unless voted otherwise by virtue of a quorum of the voting membership present at the Annual General Meeting, shall be held at the time and site of the Men’s NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships in odd numbered years and the Women’s NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships in even numbered years.

Rationale: For a few years now, NISCA has seemingly been toying with the idea of subscribing to this proposal but only in an exploratory way, i.e. Greensboro, North Carolina in 2016 and Austin, Texas in 2019. The time has come, I think, for NISCA to fully recognize the distaff side of our constituency by voting to alter their traditional annual meeting format to include regular attendance at the NCAA Division I Women’s national meet beginning in 2022 and continuing to alternate between Women’s and Men’s meets yearly after that date.
Proposal #3: Proposed February 2020. To be voted on at the Annual General Meeting March, 2020. Proposed by Eve Julian
ARTICLE IV Finances
SECTION 3 Stipends:
a. Any stipend must be voted by the membership present at the Annual General Meeting. Once approved, a stipend will be provided as noted until such time as it is either altered or revoked by similar vote. All stipend amounts shall be noted in the Constitution or By-laws.
b. The Journal Editor shall receive a stipend of $1500.00 per annum.
c. The Web Master shall receive a stipend of $1500.00 per annum.

Proposed change:

ARTICLE IV Finances
SECTION 3 Stipends:
a. Any stipend must be voted by the membership present at the Annual General Meeting. Once approved, a stipend will be provided as noted until such time as it is either altered or revoked by similar vote. All stipend amounts shall be noted in the Constitution or By-laws.
b. The Journal Editor shall receive a stipend of up to $3000.00 per annum.
c. The Webmaster shall receive a stipend of $1500.00 per annum.

Rationale:
The journal editor is a very labor intensive, year round position that requires special skills. The stipend of $1500 is not currently enough and should be raised.

Proposal #4 “Article III – Membership” – Proposed February 16, 2020. To be voted on at Annual General Meeting March, 2020. Proposed by Dana Abbott, Chair, Ad Hoc Committee for NISCA-ASIA Initiative.

Currently:

Article III Membership
SECTION 1 Membership types and eligibility for Membership:

1. Regular Members are those who are or who have been actively engaged in coaching swimming, diving, or water polo in a public or independent intermediate/secondary school and who meet the financial obligations of the Association.
2. Associate Members are those who do not qualify for regular membership but who meet the financial obligations of the Association.
3. Life Members are those regular members who have performed such distinguished service for the Association so as to be elected to this honor. Life Members are not obligated to meet the financial obligations of the Association.
4. Honorary Members are those who do not meet the requirements for regular membership but who have performed such distinguished service for aquatic sport so as to be elected to this honor. Honorary Members are not required to meet the financial obligations of the Association.
5. Association Members are complimentary memberships provided to state high school activities or athletic associations, state high school swimming, diving or water polo coaches associations, state high school coaches associations and all other national swimming, diving or water polo associations and governing bodies.
6. Honorary and Life Membership nominees shall be elected to such membership by a majority of the General Membership present at the Annual General Meeting. Nominations for such memberships may be made by any member in good standing and shall be submitted to the Awards Committee Chair at least six (6) weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting. Awards representative of these memberships shall be presented at the Annual General Meeting the following year.

Proposed changes:

1. Add Section 1c (proposal for an additional class of NISCA Membership). Reorder current 1c-1f to 1d-1g; amend Section 2b to include “International Associate Members”.

2. Add “International Associate Members” to Section 2b as indicated.

SECTION 1 Membership types and eligibility for Membership:

1. Regular Members are those who are or who have been actively engaged in coaching swimming, diving, or water polo in a public or independent intermediate/secondary school and who meet the financial obligations of the Association.
2. Associate Members are those who do not qualify for regular membership but who meet the financial obligations of the Association.
3. International Associate Members are those who are actively engaged in coaching swimming in accredited public or independent international intermediate/secondary schools or accredited USA-type public or independent intermediate/secondary schools outside of the 50 United States and Territories and who meet the financial obligations of the Association.
4. [previous 1c]
5. [previous 1d]
6. [previous 1e]
7. [previous 1f]

SECTION 2 Privileges of membership:

1. Regular Members and Life Members shall have the privilege to hold office, to attend all meetings of the Association, and to speak and vote on all business presented to the Association.
2. Associate Members, International Associate Members, Honorary Members and Association Members shall have the privilege of attending all general meetings and to speak, but shall not have voting rights nor the privilege of holding office.

Rationale: According Regular Membership to the potential projected membership of coaches in foreign/overseas schools, which would allow them to hold office and vote on Association business matters, would fall outside the original founding intent of servicing member schools and coaches in the United States which are the greatest majority of our members. (The option to accord International Associate Members the rights to hold office and vote in the future remains open.)

Proposal #5 “Article II – Objectives” – Proposed February 16, 2020. To be voted on at Annual General Meeting March, 2020. Proposed by Dana Abbott, Chair, Ad Hoc Committee for NISCA-ASIA Initiative.

Currently: Article II Objectives
SECTION 1 The objectives of this Association shall be:

1. To educate coaches of swimming, diving, and water polo and advancing a program of aquatics for the intermediate and secondary schools of the United States.
2. To solicit or conduct research needed to resolve relevant issues in aquatics.
3. To serve as advisors and consultants to other organizations and persons.
4. To promote cooperation with all aquatic agencies and services to provide for the sharing of ideas, teaching methods, and programs.
5. To promote interscholastic swimming nationally and locally:

1. Through the encouragement of high ethical standards in the coaching and teaching of aquatic sports.
2. Through regular and annual appraisals of the rules governing these sports.
3. Through recognition of athletic and academic achievement, including but not limited to, the annual selection of All-America teams.
4. Through recognition of tenure, merit, and outstanding service of members through an Association-sponsored award program.

Proposed changes (2):

Delete wording in II-1-a as indicated by strike-through, and (2) add/re-order wording in II-1-e in bold:

II-1-a. To educate coaches of swimming, diving, and water polo and advancing a program of aquatics for the intermediate and secondary schools of the United States.

II-1-e. To promote interscholastic swimming locally, statewide, nationally, and internationally.

Rationale: NISCA has expanded its role in interscholastic aquatics over the years, and as part of reaching out and including more aspects and groups (from private schools up to and including the new category of para athletes), it seems to be incumbent on us to continue to do so. The new overseas initiative would be an additional act of inclusion and opportunity, but requires editing/amendment of the Constitutional objectives to do so within its bounds.