CoSIDA Code of Ethics

ETHICS (eth'iks) noun, plural. 1. (construed as singular or plural) A system of moral principles: the ethics of a culture. 2. The rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc.; Medical ethics; Christian ethics. 3. Moral principles, as of an individual; his ethics forbade betrayal of a confidence. 4. (usually construed as singular). That branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions.
Random House Dictionary of English Language

FORWARD
In order for members of College Sports Information Directors of America to enjoy professional status, it is imperative that a viable Code of Ethics be observed. This Code of Ethics must embrace and reflect the high ideals and moral fiber of the educational institution which the Sports Information Director serves.

It is essential that the Sports Information Director conduct and discharge his/her duties and responsibilities with dedication, integrity, sincerity, and respect of his/her constituency (peers) as a representative of an academic institution.

Members who do not wish to meet these basic responsibilities have no place in CoSIDA and such detractors should be referred to the Committee on Ethics for appropriate disciplinary action.

Membership in CoSIDA is a privilege, not a right.

CODE OF ETHICS
In order for the Sports Information Director to serve his/her institution and the College Sports Information Directors of America most effectively, he/she should observe these basic tenets:

* Always be mindful of the fact that he/she represents an institution of higher learning and that exemplary conduct is of paramount importance.
* Intercollegiate athletics is an integral part of the total university program, not the dominating force. Promote them accordingly and not at the expense of other areas.
* Policies of the institution, its governing board, administration, and athletic hierarchy must be acknowledged and supported whether or not the Sports Information Director agrees with them.
* A challenge of controversial policies should be resolved within the appeals framework of the institution. No public forum should be encouraged or developed. Internal problems, such as disagreement over policy, should not be "leaked" or in any other way exploited.
* Loyalty to the athletic administrator, his/her aides, and the coaching staff is imperative. No confidence should ever be violated, regardless of how apparent or insignificant it might appear. Above all, avoid criticism of staff members. Administrators and coaches should be encouraged to answer questions from the media honestly and accurately. In the event they choose to avoid a sensitive question or area for any reason, it is incumbent upon the Sports Information Director to honor the "no comment" by refraining from any subsequent "briefing" session with the media, particularly in an informal atmosphere where misuse of the information could be most damaging to all concerned.
* Respect for athletes and their values should be encouraged. The confidence of an athlete must not be violated, particularly as it pertains to information regarding academic, disciplinary, and health information. To release this type of information without the athlete's permission is a violation of the Family Privacy Act of 1974. Also it is highly unethical to falsify weights, heights, and other personal data.
* Relations with the media must be established and maintained at a high professional level. Fairness in the distribution of information is paramount, regardless of the size or importance of the publications or stations. Student media must be accorded the same privileges and rights of the commercial or non-campus media.
* Operation of all facilities in which members of the media may be in attendance should be professional in all aspects. Cheerleading in the pressbox, for example, is gross and undesirable. Other distractions, such as extraneous describe and unrelated announcements should be discouraged.
* Criticism of officials is totally unethical, either before, during, or after a contest.
* It is essential that the Sports Information Director be cognizant and observant of all institutional, conference, and national governing body regulations as they pertain to his/her functions within the framework of his/her institution.
* It is incumbent upon a Sports Information Director to take immediate and appropriate action when he/she has knowledge of a fellow/sister Information Director who has violated the CoSIDA Code of Ethics, institutional, conference, or national regulations.
* Association with professional gamblers should be discouraged.
* Endorsement of products or commodities which reflect a conflict with regular duties is not in the best interests of the institution or the profession.
* Lack of cooperation by members of CoSIDA in not responding promptly and accurately to requests is deemed irresponsible, hence unethical.

CoSIDA Constitution
Article 1 - Name
The name of this organization shall be the College Sports Information Directors of America, hereinafter referred to as the Association or CoSIDA.

Article 2 - Mission Statement
The purpose of this organization is to empower its members in their roles as sports information
professionals.

The objectives include:
* Provide a collective voice for sports informationprofessionals in promoting the image of their
institutions and their profession both internally and externally;

* Encourage discussions of issues and exchange of ideas that impact and enhance the image of their institutions and the role of sports information professionals;

* Provide helpful information to sports information professionals via various workshops, newsletters, directories, surveys, studies, websites, etc.;

* Provide and encourage an emphasis on diversity in the areas of gender, race and divisional representation;

* Provide ideas and resources to enhance current and develop new recognition programs for collegiate student-athletes and athletic professionals;

* Align ourselves with other organizations whose missions are compatible with CoSIDA.

Article 3 - Membership
Section 1: The membership of the Association shall consist of persons whose qualifications, in the judgement of the Board of Directors hereinafter constituted, shall warrant their election to one of the following classifications:

A. Active member: Any person actively engaged in the administration of a sports information program at an accredited institution of higher learning, an intercollegiate athletic conference, a national athletics governing body, or of similar organizations devoted to the administration of
collegiate athletics.

B. Associate member: Any person whose duties are related to, but not a part of, the administration of a sports information program at an accredited institution of higher learning, an intercollegiate athletic conference, a national athletics governing body, or of similar organizations devoted to the administration of collegiate athletics.

C. Student member: Any person enrolled at an accredited institution of higher learning and
employed in the sports information program at that institution, at an intercollegiate athletic
conference, a national athletics governing body, or of similar organizations devoted to the
administration of collegiate athletics.

Section 2: Associate, student and honorary members of CoSIDA shall enjoy the same rights and privileges as active members, except that they may not hold office or serve on the Board of Directors of the Association.

Section 3: Any qualified person who has been approved by the Board of Directors may become a
member of the Association upon payment of the annual membership fee.

Section 4: Applications for membership in the Association, the form and content which will be
determined by the Board of Directors, shall be referred to the Treasurer, who shall examine the
qualifications of the applicant, make a determination regarding the eligibility of the
applicant for membership, and notify said applicant of his or her provisional acceptance or rejection for membership pending the approval of the Board of Directors.

Article 4 - Officers and Elections of Officers
Section 1: The officers of the Association shall be a President, Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Third Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer.

Section 2: All officers of the Association shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Association.
The candidate for an office who shall receive the highest number of votes shall be declared elected to that office.

The Associations Nominating Committee shall solicit nominations from the membership for the open officer positions each year. The Nominating Committee shall meet prior to the annual workshop and vote on a new slate of officers for nomination. The officer rotation shall include a representative from four regions: Northeast, Southeast, Central and West.

The breakdown of states and provinces is: Northeast: Connecticut, Delaware, District of
Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia; Southeast: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia; Central: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Manitoba, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Ontario, Wisconsin West: Alaska, Alberta, Arizona, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Saskatchewan, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, Yukon Territory

Section 3: In the case of a vacancy in the office of President, the First Vice-President shall succeed the office of President and shall serve until the expiration of the current term. In case of a vacancy in any other office, the Board of Directors shall have the power to fill the position and the
appointee shall serve until the next regular election.

Section 4: The Secretary and Treasurer of the Association shall each be paid an annual stipend as determined by the Board of Directors.

Article 5 - Duties of Officers
Section 1: The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association and of the Board of
Directors and shall assume all other duties of that office as prescribed in Roberts Rules of Order.

Section 2: The First Vice-President, in the absence of the President, shall assume all the duties of the President. He/she shall also serve as chair of the Program Committee for the annual meeting.

Section 3: The Second and Third Vice-Presidents shall carry out such duties as assigned to them by the President. The Second Vice-President shall chair the Social Committee for the annual meeting. The Third Vice-President shall chair the Special Awards
Committee.

Section 4: The Secretary shall handle all correspondence, edit the Digest and coordinate all
non-financial areas of the annual workshop, serve as historian for the Association and direct all
publications work for the Association. The Secretary will serve as an ex-officio member of the Site
Selection Committee.

Section 5: The Treasurer shall handle all financial matters for the Association, including the
processing of all memberships, the mailing of dues notices and all financial responsibilities dealing with the annual workshop. The Treasurer will also be responsible for filing an annual report with the United States government concerning CoSIDAs financial affairs, and presenting an annual financial report to the Board of Directors and the membership (in person or via the mails). The Treasurer will serve as an ex-officio member of the Site Selection Committee.

Article 6 - Terms of Office
Section 1: With the exception of the Secretary and Treasurer, no officer of the Association shall be
eligible for election to an office he/she has been elected to previously.

Section 2: The Secretary or Treasurer, elected for a six-year term, may be eligible for re-election upon completion of said term.

Section 3: A member-at-large of the Board of Directors who shall have served in that capacity for
three successive years shall not be eligible for re-election as a member-at-large of the Board of
Directors.

Article 7 - Directors and Election of Directors
Section 1: There shall be a Board of Directors consisting of all officers of the Association, six
college division members, four members at-large and the three immediate past presidents who continue to be active members of the Association.

Section 2: The Board of Directors shall have the power to act in the name of the Association when the Association is not meeting.

Section 3: College division members of the Board of Directors shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Association and shall represent institutions which are not classified as Division I in either football or basketball. College division members of the Board may be elected to three-year terms.

Section 4: At-large members shall come from the membership as a whole, and must be fully qualified members of the Association. At-large members may be elected to a three-year term.

Section 5: In case of a vacancy on the Board of Directors, the Board shall have the power to fill
the position and the appointee shall serve until the next regular election.

Article 8 - Committees
Section 1: The standing committees of the Association shall be:

* the Nominating Committee, consisting of all past presidents who continue to hold active or associate membership in the Association and are still active in the field of college athletics; the College Division members of the Board of Directors whose terms expire at the close of the annual meeting; and at-large members of the Board of Directors whose terms expire at the close of the annual meeting. The Nominating Committee shall be chaired by the third-year Past President;

* the Special Awards Committee, whose members shall be appointed by the president of the Association. The Special Awards Committee shall be chaired by the Third Vice-President;

* the Workshop Site Selection committee, chaired by the first-year Past President;

* the Workshop Program committee, chaired by the First Vice-President;

* the Workshop Social committee, chaired by the Second Vice-President; and

* the Committee on Committees, which will assign members to committee service.

The Board of Directors may establish other committees as warranted, including those to provide
recognition for outstanding achievements in specific areas of the profession.

Section 2: Any member of CoSIDA may hold committee membership. Committee chairs must be active members of the Association. The Committee on Committees shall survey members annually to determine their willingness and/or preference for committee service.

Article 9 - Meetings
Section 1: There shall be an annual meeting of the Association, to be held at a site and time to be
determined by the Board of Directors with the advice and counsel of the Site Committee which will be named by the president.

Section 2: The Board of Directors of the Association shall meet during the annual workshop. The agenda shall be set by the president.

Section 3: For the purpose of transacting business at the annual meeting, a quorum shall consist of a majority of the active members attending the business meeting.

Article 10 - Voting
Each active member of the Association shall be permitted to cast one vote on any motion requiring a vote by the membership.

Article 11 - Dues, Fees, Financial Policies
Section 1: The annual dues for the membership will be established by the Board of Directors.

Section 2: Registration fees for meetings of the Association shall be determined by the Board of
Directors and announced in advance by the treasurer.

Section 3: The fiscal year of the Association shall begin on July 1 and continue through June 30 of the next year.

Article 12 - Order of Business
The order of business of the Associations annual business meeting shall be:

A. Call to order
B. Reading of minutes of previous meeting
C. Committee reports
D. Report of the treasurer
E. Correspondence
F. Unfinished business
G. New business
H. Election of officers
I. Adjournment

Article 13 - Awards and Citations
Section 1: The Association may, at its annual meeting, present the following awards, voted upon by the Special Awards Committee:

*Arch Ward Award: member who has made an outstanding contribution bringing dignity and prestige to the profession;

*Warren Berg Award: college division member who has made an outstanding contribution bringing dignity and prestige to the profession;

*Jake Wade Award: an outstanding contributor in the media to intercollegiate athletics;

*Keith Jackson Eternal Flame Award: individual or organization making a lasting contribution to
intercollegiate athletics, demonstrating a long and consistent commitment to excellence and support to CoSIDA and its mission;

*Bob Kenworthy Good Person Award: member demonstrating outstanding civic involvement outside sports information;

*Bill Esposito Backbone Award: member displaying sound judgement and unusual courage in taking a stand in intercollegiate athletics contrary to public opinion and sentiment;

*Trailblazer Award: an individual who has been a pioneer in the profession, helping improve the level of ethnic and gender diversity within CoSIDA.

Section 2: The Association may, at its annual meeting, present up to three members with the Hall
of Fame Award. Each year, one college division and one university division member may be inducted, along with the next highest vote-getter from any division from among those nominated.

These awards will be selected by previous Hall of Fame recipients and the Special Awards committee members; the Third Vice-President will chair the Hall of Fame selection as a non-voting member.

Section 3: The Association may, at its annual meeting, present the following awards to all members who have provided documentation of appropriate achievements to the Third Vice-President:

* 25-Year Award: given to active members who have served 25 years as a full-time employee in the profession;

* Lifetime Achievement Award: given to members who have served a minimum of 25 years as a full-time employee in the profession and who have subsequently retired.

Section 4: Nominees for any awards will remain on the ballot for three years if not previously
selected. After that period, the nominee must be resubmitted as a new candidate.

Section 5: The Association may, at its annual meeting present special commendation to members whose work has been meritorious. These recipients shall be determined by the Board of Directors.

Article 14 - Publications
Section 1: The Association shall publish a periodical - CoSIDA Digest - for distribution to its
members during the year, including one issue announcing the time, site and program of the
forthcoming annual meeting. Information in the Digest shall also be posted on the CoSIDA website in a timely manner.

Section 2: The Association may print and distribute, or have distributed to its members, other
publications deemed to be of value to members in their performance of their duties.

Section 3: The Association shall maintain a website for distributing information to the membership and those interested in learning more about the Association. The Director of Online Services will work with the Secretary in posting content. The Association shall retain rights to the domain name CoSIDA.com.

Article 15 - Affiliations
The Association shall maintain a close alliance with organizations which have as their purpose the achievement or aims and objectives related to those of CoSIDA, including the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, national organizations of community and junior colleges, U.S. and Canadian Olympic committees, Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, Track and Field Writers of America, regional and conference-based sports information groups, and similar organizations of public relations professionals, writers and broadcasters in the U.S. and Canada.

Article 16 - Use of Name
The name and registered marks of the Association may not be used for commercial purposes or in any manner which may imply Association endorsement of a product or project for which endorsement has not been granted by the Association.

Article 17 - Parliamentary
Authority
Roberts Rules of Order shall govern all proceedings of any regularly constituted meeting in the absence of any other rule to the contrary which shall have been adopted by the Association.

Article 18 - Amendments
The Bylaws of the Association may be amended at any annual meeting by the vote of two-thirds of the members present and voting, provided that the proposed amendment is submitted to the Secretary of CoSIDA at least 45 days prior to the meeting at which the proposed amendment is to be acted upon, and that written notice of the proposed amendment has been provided to each member of the Association by the Secretary of CoSIDA at least 21 days prior to
that meeting.

Article 19 - Additional
Positions
Section 1: The Director of Marketing and Promotions shall be selected by the CoSIDA Board of Directors. The appointment will be for a minimum of three years, renewable each year thereafter upon discretion of the CoSIDA Board. The Director of Online Services shall be selected by the CoSIDA Board of Directors. The appointment is renewable annually upon discretion of the CoSIDA Board. Each shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors.

Section 2: The Director of Marketing and Promotions and the Director of Online Services shall each be paid an annual stipend as determined by the Board of Directors.

Section 3: The Director of Marketing and Promotions shall have the following responsibilities:
* Marketing and promoting CoSIDA throughout the year;

* Serve as a permanent contact for CoSIDA with all the sponsors, corporate partners and advertisers who desire exposure or participation in the annual CoSIDA workshop and other possible CoSIDA events;

* Serve as an ex-officio member of the CoSIDA Site Selection Committee;

* Work on long-range projects and ideas to develop new revenues through sponsorships and corporate partnerships;

* Communicate to the membership via the CoSIDA Digest and website details about marketing and promotions opportunities for CoSIDA and individual institutions.

Section 4: The Director of Online Services shall have the following responsibilities:
* Maintaining and enhancing CoSIDAs website, including managing and soliciting content;

* Work with the CoSIDA Secretary to distribute pertinent information to the membership;

* Develop useful material for the Association in an electronic format;

* Archive historic information about the Association on the website;

* Serve as a member of the CoSIDA Computer Committee.