To: Directors of Athletics at all Intercollegiate Rowing Association Membership Eligible Institutions, Rowing Sports Administrators - IRA Member Eligible Institutions
From: Gary R. Caldwell, Commissioner Intercollegiate Rowing Association
Re:
(1) Member Benefits & Payment of Annual IRA Association Dues (below)
(2) IRA Annual Declaration of Adherence
(3) 2012-2013 Legislative Calendar
(4) Initial Notice for the 2013 Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships, including selection criteria, 2013 Ten Eyck Team Point Allocation, and 2013 IRA Regatta Team Travel Squad Limits
This is an important note for all renewing, new or re-applying members of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association. To current members, thank you on behalf of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA), for your membership. If you are a potential new member, or a former member re-applying, thanks for your interest in the IRA. The purpose of this correspondence is to share some important information about renewing or initiating your IRA membership, payment of annual dues, and the new IRA legislative calendar.
Member Benefits & Payment of Annual Dues: Some of the benefits of IRA membership include the following:
-Automatic entry into the Varsity Four, Lightweight Men's Four and Lightweight Women's Four events at the IRA Championships.
-The opportunity to qualify for and compete in the IRA national championship events.
-The right to propose legislation and cast an institutional vote on legislative and other association-wide issues.
-The opportunity for an institutional administrator to serve on the IRA Board of Stewards and various other IRA committees.
-The ability of coaches to have a voice and a vote as part of the IRA Coaches Association.
In accordance with Article Two, Section X of the IRA Constitution, the current annual dues for IRA member institutions were set by the Association at $500.00. Dues have remained at that amount for the past four years. After a thorough review of the Association's finances at several meetings during the past summer, the IRA Board of Stewards has unanimously concluded that it is not necessary to recommend a change in the dues structure at this time, so the Association dues will remain at $500.00 per member institution for 2011-12.
Action Required: The deadline for payment of annual dues is October 31, 2012. To keep your institution's IRA membership current or to activate membership, please remit payment by that date per the instructions at the end of this correspondence.
If an institution chooses not to renew its IRA membership at this time, the institution will need to re-apply for admission to the IRA (per Article Two, Section VI of the IRA Constitution) at a future date and will then be subject to the application and initiation fees. Any application for re-admission will not be considered by the IRA membership until the 2013 annual IRA Meeting, and the institution seeking re-admission shall not be eligible to compete in the 2013 IRA Championship Regatta.
Please note that institutions that were not active, dues-paying IRA members during 2010-11 normally would be required to apply for IRA membership and pay both a $500.00 application fee and a $1,000.00 initiation fee (i.e., in addition to the $500 annual dues payment). However, the Board of Stewards has approved a one-time waiver of the application and initiation fees for those institutions wishing to join the IRA in 2012-2013.
IRA Annual Declaration of Adherence: As required by Article Four, Section VIII of the IRA Constitution, the Athletic Director of each IRA member institution is required to certify annually that the institution is and will remain in full compliance with the IRA Constitution, IRA Operating Bylaws and IRA Eligibility Regulations. In addition, each institution must designate the institution's rowing program(s) to which it will apply these regulations.
For these purposes, I have enclosed "The IRA Annual Declaration of Adherence (2012-13)." This form must be completed each year in order for an IRA member institution to be eligible to enter a team or teams in the IRA Championships Regatta.
Action Required: Please return the completed form to me (per the instructions in the document) no later than October 31, 2012.
IRA Legislative Calendar: Also enclosed with this correspondence is the 2012-2013 IRA Legislative Calendar This document contains important dates and deadlines for the new IRA legislative process and sets forth the procedures that must be followed by IRA members wishing to submit legislative proposals to amend the IRA Constitution, IRA Operating Bylaws and IRA Eligibility Regulations. All legislative proposals must be submitted using the template attached to the Calendar, which includes an intent statement, a proposed effective date, a statement of rationale, estimated budget impact, estimated impact on student-athletes' time and primary contact information for the sponsor.
Important Note: The deadline for submission of legislative proposals is Monday, November 12, 2012. If your institution wishes to submit a proposal for consideration by the IRA membership during the 2012-2013 legislative cycle, the proposal must be submitted to the IRA Commissioner by that deadline.
Thank you for your attention to these matters. If you have any questions about the information contained in this correspondence, please do not hesitate to contact me via email at [email protected].
2012-2013 IRA Membership Dues Payment Instructions
Click on this link to the www.regattacentral.com ECAC Affiliates Page: https://www.regattacentral.com/cart/index.jsp?job_id=1379&sid_18=1
If you are not already logged on you will be prompted to Log On To RegattaCentral.com
Click "Participant" and select your name as the person submitting this information. If you are not on your institution roster add yourself to the list.
Click "Team/Club Affiliation" and select the appropriate team. (Note for those schools sponsoring multiple teams (i.e. Heavyweight Men, Lightweight Women, Lightweight Women) you only need to do this once for your institution.
Click "Proceed to Checkout"
On the next screen make sure the account holder information is correct. Edit as necessary. Proceed to next page (Invoice).
Select Payment Method and follow the prompts
NOTE: If your Sport Administrator and/or Business Manager prefer to pay the membership renewal by check, please complete #1 - #6 above and then contact IRA Commissioner Gary Caldwell directly no later than October 21, 2012 for alternative invoicing arrangements.
Please also note that IRA trailers will not be allowed entry on site in Sacramento until after 9:00 AM on Wednesday, May 29, 2013. The course will open for practice at 12:00 PM that afternoon.