Canine Companions for Independence at UD We, the students at the University of Delaware, do hereby form the organization known as CCI at UD for the purpose of forming a Canine Companions for Independence puppy raising team on campus and the surrounding community. Our goal is to provide a place for puppy raisers, sitters, and club supporters to foster the goals of CCI while ensuring that all University requirements are met and our members adhere to all regulations. I. Name of the Group CCI at UD II. Objective of the organization This group will meet at least twice monthly to provide information about how to become a puppy raiser or sitter on campus, while keeping members updated on university and CCI regulations. We will also educate the UD community about CCI and service dogs in general to foster a greater understanding and respect for service animals. III. Outside Affiliation CCI at UD is affiliated with Canine Companions for Independence, a national organization headquartered in California with its nearest regional center in Medford, Long Island. This organization provides highly trained service dogs to people with disabilities with the exception of blindness. IV. Criteria for Membership Full membership will be granted to full-time, undergraduate, matriculated students at the University of Delaware who have attended two meetings and have not missed three meetings or more in a semester (excluding meetings during breaks if the individual is not living local). All other individuals who do not meet these criteria are welcome in our club, but will not acquire full voting rights and cannot hold office. V. Puppy Sitting Requirements 1. Attend one meeting a month 2. Learn all 30 commands over the course of three training circles and demonstrate them during a handling test and written commands test 3. Must read and understand the Basic Sitter Guidelines document provided to you or found on our websites 4. Have approved housing, whether on-campus or off. 5. Have approval from the professors of any classes the puppy will be attending. It may not be appropriate for the puppy to attend labs.
*Once all these requirements are met, the student is eligible to puppy sit. However, puppy sitting is a privilege, not a right, and the puppy raiser makes the final determination of whether to give their dog to a sitter. VI. Puppy Raising Requirements 1. Have fulfilled all puppy sitter requirements in the above section. 2. Sit CCI puppies for a total of 30 hours. 3. Have a puppy for one overnight stay during that time. 4. Keep a log of hours and puppies sat. 5. Be an active club member, i.e. attend one meeting a month during the semester. 6. Agree to pay all expenses for a puppy for a 16-18 month period: food, medical bills including spay/neuter, monthly heartworm and flea and tick preventatives, toys, crates, other equipment, etc. 7. Be able to commit to having the puppy in a stable environment for 16-18 months. If going abroad, vacation, full-time job or internship, or not being able to take the puppy home on breaks because of allergic family members or aggressive animal, puppy raising may not be appropriate for that person, or a co-raiser must be found for those periods. These arrangements must be made prior to obtaining a puppy. 8. Be able to bring the puppy to CCI training classes (ask the regional coordinator for contact information for these) during breaks from school. The puppy must attend two training classes per month. CCI at UD club meetings satisfy that requirement. 9. Attend a meeting with the president of the club who will outline the requirements to raise for the national organization of CCI. 10. Attend a question and answer session with current and past raisers. 11. Submit the CCI Puppy Raising application provided to you by the club president to the CCI regional puppy raiser coordinator. 12. Have a phone interview scheduled by the coordinator to determine your final eligibility to raise. 13. Be able to devote an entire weekday, as scheduled with the coordinator, to travel to the regional center in Medford, NY to pick up a puppy. *The regional coordinator will not respond to any puppy raising requests from University of Delaware students unless this process is completed. *Like puppy sitting, puppy raising is a privilege, not a right, and it is the president and regional coordinator who will decide whether someone is appropriate to become a raiser. VII. Officer Positions President: Shall call and run meetings and handle day-to-day affairs. They are responsible for the registration of the RSO and all required paperwork for the continuation of the organization. The President will receive all information from the Activities and Programs Office from an undisclosed email database. They will help appoint all standing and special committees. The President serves as the liaison between CCI at UD and the regional coordinator for CCI. The President must have completed freshman year.
Vice President: Shall assist the President and fulfill their duties in any event of the President s absence. The VP will check the organization s mailbox and disseminate information about other activities offered by the RSOs and business promotions. Treasurer: Shall be responsible for all group expenditures and revenues. They shall write all checks and have all checks signed by the Activities and Programs staff for the purpose of the organization. The treasurer will maintain group ledgers and request funds from the allocation board. Secretary: Shall record events and maintain minutes of this organization. They will maintain membership lists and email databases and provide monthly reports to the on-campus club advisor. Public Relations Chair: Shall maintain all social media sites including Facebook, Instagram, websites, etc. The PR chair shall keep all sites up to date and provide bi-weekly updates of activities, puppies, or any general information. VIII. Removal of an Officer Steps for removal from office are as follows: A warning will be issued to the officer by the President. IF the situation does not improve there will be a probation period set at the discretion of the President. At the end of this period, the officer may be removed from office by a simple majority of the executive board. Any officer shall be removed from office in the event that they are for any reason no longer able to meet the qualifications for office as specified above. Written notice shall be given to such removed officers. Any officer can submit a written resignation to the club leader at any time if they feel that they can no longer actively perform the duties of their respective officer. If there is an office vacancy, there will be nominations and an election at the soonest possible club meeting, using the specification above in the elections section. IX. Meetings Group meetings will be held twice a month on days specified at the beginning of the semester by the executive board. Each month they should be on two different days, so as to allow students with class or other conflicts to have more flexibility to attend. Executive board meetings are scheduled as needed. Meetings for only the raisers and puppies must be held at least once a month on days separate from the group meetings to allow specific training to be held for the puppies. It is recommended they are held twice a month and if not, training specifically geared towards furthering the puppies training as service dogs must be incorporated into the other meetings. The academic advisor will receive written monthly update on the club s goals and plans via email. All CCI puppies must attend all meetings. If a raiser is unable to attend, they must arrange for a puppy sitter to bring their dog. Meetings will consist of puppy trainings,
demonstrations, information about training and questions by raisers about problems they are experiencing, events, fundraising, and any other topics that need to be discussed. X. Club Advisor There will be a full-time faculty member in the position of club advisor. They are invited to attend meetings and events but not required. They will review monthly reports and monitor the organization and goals of the club. XI. Non-Discrimination The organization agrees to adhere to all policies and procedures of the University and all local, state, and federal laws. Members will become acquainted with policies and procedures found on the University Student Centers website (http://www.udel.edu/usc/policy.html) and the Student Guide to Policies (http://www.udel.edu/stuguide/). This organization is viable, functioning, composed of at least six full time undergraduate students, and adheres to the University of Delaware's Non-Discrimination/Title IX policies (http://www.udel.edu/aboutus/legalnotices.html). XII. Disbursal of Organization Assets The University of Delaware shall inherit the assets of the organization should the group become defunct. XIII. Define a Quorum In order to have a proper meeting, 30% of club members must be present. For executive board meetings, at least three members must be present. XIV. Ratification This constitution will become effective upon a 2/3 vote of the organization and approval by the Activities and Programs Office. XV. Amendments This constitution may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the entire voting membership and advance notice to all members of the proposed change. Signatures: Date: President: Vice President:
Secretary: Treasurer: Public Relations Chair: Advisor: Activities and Program Staff: