Village Card Club Standing Rules

General

1. Standing Rules changes may be made by Board approval at any time.
   
   
2. Only members of the Village Card Club are eligible to play in the Swiss Team League.
   
   
3. The Treasurer has blanket approval to purchase Certificates of Deposit whenever funds are available.
   
   
4. Each Custodian and the Secretary of the Ouachita Center shall be given a check for $25.00 at Christmas in appreciation of services rendered.
   
   
5. A person called in to play may play free. (This is up to the director’s discretion)
   
   
6. The Sally Blevins Memorial Trophy, instituted in February, 1995, shall be presented yearly to the non-Life Master (having no more than 400 masterpoints as of January 1 of the year the trophy is to be awarded) who has earned the most Club points in the previous calendar year. Only members of the Village Card Club are eligible to receive this trophy.
   
   
7. All players are required to have a convention card on the table that matches that of his/her partner.
   
   
8. The 'ACBL Alert Procedure' and the 'ACBL Code of Active Ethics and Principle of Full Disclosure' represent the policy of the Village Card Club regarding the issues covered.
   
   
9. A Psychic bid or "Psych" is a bid that deliberately and grossly misstates the bidder's high-card values or suit length. Psychs are done primarily to make it more difficult for the opponents to find their optimum contract. Psych bids are legal. The VCC Policy is that Psych bids may be made but once in a calendar day. In the VCC, Psychic calls against less experienced players (those of a strata lower than the person psyching) are prohibited.
   
   
10. Concern and/or dissatisfaction with the behavior or conduct of a Game Director must be communicated to the Club Manager as soon as possible following the game in question.
    
    
11. The Village Card Club Appeals Policy, amended and restated February 17, 2006, is incorporated into the Standing Rules of the club and defines the process to be followed for all appeals of a Game Director’s rulings.
    
    
12. The VCC Zero Tolerance Policy, dated March 19, 2004 and modified July 14, 2006, is incorporated into the Standing Rules of the club. It describes behavior at the table and in the playing area that is encouraged, behavior that will not be tolerated, the disciplinary authority of the Game Director, and the conduct and ethics complaint and appeals process.
    
    
13. The Conduct and Ethics Committee shall receive all written and oral allegations of ethics and/or conduct violations from a Game Director or any player. The Committee shall review all allegations and decide if further investigation is necessary. If so, the Committee will hear oral and written input from all affected parties and decide on the proper disciplinary penalty. Any disciplinary action recommending suspension must be referred to the VCC Board of Directors for review and approval.
    
    
14. The Game Director shall approve all announcements to be made and ensure that they be kept brief and to the point.
    
    
15. As a general rule, only items relating to the VCC shall be posted on the bulletin boards. However if any member wishing to post bridge club, non related items or a petition soliciting signatures must submit it to the Club Manager or Club President who will decide if it is appropriate for posting at the club. If it is deemed appropriate, the Club Manager or President will post it in a designated place on the bulletin board and if warranted ask the Game Directors to make the following announcement: “There is a member sponsored petition on the bulletin board. You are encouraged to read it and, if you wish, to sign it. No politicking in support of, or against, the petition is to take place in this building.”
    
    
16. If 5 or more members of the Village Card Club attain Life Master status during the year, they will be honored at the Life Master Party. Life Master Parties shall be subsidized by the Village Card Club. The cost of gifts to Life Masters so honored shall be paid by the Village Card Club. Members attending the party shall pay their own bridge fees. To encourage Rubber Bridge and Bridge Plus players to take a more active part in the Club, the event shall be opened to all VCC members. The Social Committee will coordinate plans with the Board regarding cost restrictions. If fewer than 5 attain Life Master status during the year, they will be recognized at the Semi-Annual General Meeting in December.
    
    
17. The Semi-Annual Meeting and Christmas party shall be subsidized by the Village Card Club which will provide the room and beverages. Members attending the parties shall pay their own bridge fees.
    
    
18. The Club Manager is in charge of lending any club equipment to any individual or groups who request to borrow equipment. A deposit, at the Club Manager's discretion, may be secured.
    
    
19. Each retiring officer shall deliver to his/her successor such information necessary for the continuity of programs and activities.
    
    
20. The Club Manager may suspend a player from participation in all club-sponsored events for up to three days pending charges of a serious violation of the Zero Tolerance Policy or ACBL Conduct and Ethics Guidelines.
    
    
21. Free play certificates will be given to those obtaining 5 points and 20 points, the Mentoring program, and all those graduating from the Club and Diamond Series. The certificates will have the name and expiration date on them. Free play certificates have a value of the regular entry fee and may be used for the regular entry or for an entry for Bridge Plus.
    
    
22. In general travelers are used in games for the enjoyment of the players and are not a means of keeping score. Travelers for enjoyment will not be used in any ACBL, District, or Unit sponsored event; however, when the sponsor of a Special Event provides travelers for a specific reason, as with World Wide Pairs, those travelers will be used. Travelers for enjoyment will be used at all Club Masterpoint and Club Championship games.
    
    
23. It shall be the practice of the VCC Board to treat the needs of each club employee in a fair and understanding manner and to maintain relationships based upon the highest ethical practices. It is also the obligation of the employee to make full use of his/her knowledge and skill in performing his/her job to contribute to the general well being of the club. The Board also will grant equal opportunity to all qualified persons in all aspects of employment.
    
    If any employee feels he/she has a job related problem or has the perception of being treated unfairly or being abused which is outside the employee's control he/she may submit these issues to the Club Manager in writing. If satisfactory resolution does not occur, they may appeal to the Board President in writing to be heard by the entire Board. The decision by the board is final.

    All VCC employment opportunities are classified as part- time salaried positions and are subject to Arkansas minimum wage statutes. The Treasurer will distribute payroll checks semi-monthly, using payroll advances at mid-month. Each employee will be paid semi-monthly unless he/she specifically requests that he/she be paid monthly.

    The following job titles are classified as employees of the VCC.

    Club Manager

    Members of the Game Director Staff
        Game Directors with regular assignments
        Game Directors listed on the “Extra Board”

    Bridge Group Leaders:
        Rubber Bridge/Better Bridgers Group Leaders with regular assignments
        Men’s Duplicate Bridge Group Leader (not currently paid)

    Game Clerks:
        Game Clerks with regular assignments

    Members of the VCC Teaching Staff
        Teachers of the Bridge-Plus program
        Teachers engaged to teach multiple-session classes
        Teachers engaged to conduct Learn and Play sessions
        Teachers Assistants (Helpers)

    A person engaged as an emergency backup Game Director or Group Leader is classified as an employee if there is reasonable probability that he/she will be re-engaged for a similar activity in the same calendar year. Otherwise, he/she will be paid an honorarium in the same manner as a locally-supplied Assistant Director at a Sectional Tournament.

    A teacher engaged to conduct a single-session class is classified as an employee if there is reasonable probability that he/she will be re-engaged for a similar activity in the same calendar year. Otherwise, he /she will be paid an honorarium in the same manner as a guest speaker at a Sectional Tournament.

    If a member becomes classified as an employee as a result of any assignment (above), he/she is classified as an employee for all subsequent salaried assignments during that calendar year.

    The following job titles are not salaried and are not classified as employees:

       Members of the Board of Directors
       Directors, Group Leaders, Teachers, Clerks or Assistants who decline payment or who
       are engaged by an employee and not paid by the VCC.

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25. A written performance evaluation will be completed on the Club Manager and the Game Directors on an annual basis using the organizational chart to determine responsibility for the evaluations. The club form will be used for all evaluations. Observation, feedback and performance results will be components of the evaluation process. This evaluation is to be shared with the employee and signed by both the employee and the reviewer. At the time of this evaluation the job description will be reviewed for accuracy and understanding by the one being reviewed and the reviewer. Periodic notations regarding problems or exemplary conduct should be made by the reviewer and all these documents are to be kept in a locked file maintained by the Secretary.
    
    
26. The President shall be able to obtain opinions by phone or email so that action can be taken in between board meetings, at any time it is necessary, provided that the content is routine administrative in nature such as an emergency expenditure under $1000, change of a special game the board has approved necessitating the board be involved to change it, changing the date of a board meeting or some other club function, etc. Generally speaking, items that the President feels require debate should not be handled by this forum, and should be handled by the regular board meeting or in special cases by an emergency board meeting, so that board members can benefit by interacting with each other. At the next board meeting, said item would be on the agenda for the purpose of a formal vote to confirm that action, and record that action in the minutes.
    

Revised: September 2007