Past Motions

Members,

The voting results for this motion have been finalized. Please find them included in this email.

BD.23.91 Adjustment to Aussie Times Ad Rates

Motion carried (7-1) – Approved: Busquets, Creelman, Gann, McCabe, McLellan, Sims, Wesen. Disapproved: Gerken. Abstained: None. Non-voting: Bryne.

Dissent from Director Gerken: I have not been able to get costs associated with producing AT online. Also I believe the difference in cost is being applied toward the pay off of the loan. Achieving pay off faster will allow going back to the printed sooner rather than later.

Motion by McCabe to reduce the Aussie Times ad rates by 10% for as long as the Aussie Times is online only. Second by Creelman.

Comments/Rationale: Now that we have transitioned to an online-only Aussie Times publication, we propose reducing advertising rates, reflecting both the market standard for digital publications and the cost savings from eliminating print expenses.

Affected: ASCA members and Aussie Times advertisers.

Effective Date: Immediately upon Board approval.

Members,

The voting results for this motion have been finalized. Please find them included in this email.

BD.23.95 Allowance for Membership Lapses

Motion carried (7-1) – Approved: Busquets, Creelman, Gerken, McCabe, McLellan, Sims, Wesen. Disapproved: Gann. Abstained: None. Non-voting: Byrne.

Dissent from Director Gann: The board must remain consistent, in the past we had an ASCA member whose membership lapsed and this individual was wanting to run for a board position and was told NO and had to start over on his membership.  We already have a 3 month grace period and I feel this is sufficient.  We cannot continue to pick and choose which rules we want to follow.

Motion by Busquets that lapses in membership between November 1st, 2022, and July 31st, 2023, not adversely affect the membership status as long as renewals were sent to the Business Office by August 1st, 2023. Such lapses will not make the member ineligible for any position, kennel application, etc. Second by Creelman.

Comments/Rationale: ASCA system problems and lack of automatic renewal reminders greatly affected the ability of members to renew in a timely manner.

Affected: ASCA membership, ASCA Business Office.

Effective Date: Immediately upon Board approval.

Members,

The voting results for this motion have been finalized. Please find them included in this email.

NA.23.05 Revise Eligibility to Serve as Nationals Chairperson

Motion failed (4-4) – Approved: Creelman, Gerken, Sims, Wesen. Disapproved: Busquets, Gann, McCabe, McLellan. Abstained: None. Non-voting: Byrne.

Comment from Director Busquets: This motion starts with the faulty premise that only the President and the Treasurer have a supervisory role over the specialty. While people in these positions may interact more with that year’s committee, any action/decision is ultimately made by the whole Board. It’s a conflict of interest to have one person be a director and also be chairperson. Decisions about the budget and finances are made by the Board. Complaints and conflicts at the specialty are reviewed and resolved by the Board. A director who is also a chairperson may have undue influence over and undue access to Board discussions. ASCA needs to steer away from having the same people have such power and control. Instead, ASCA should be encouraging the membership to become more involved in the planning and management of the specialty.

Comment from Director McLellan: Conflict of interest.

Dissent from Director Creelman: A board member may have to vote on something that would affect the  Chair. This would be a conflict of interest. I would only utilize this, as a last resort, if no other qualified person applied for the position of Chair.

Dissent from Director Gerken: I support the wisdom of the NAC, and believe this may allow for the best leadership, especially if there are limited applicants.

Dissent from Director Sims: I believe employees and board members should be a last resort. We don’t have many qualified people who are willing to take on such a huge job so we shouldn’t limit our options.

Motion by Liaison Busquets to approve the following recommendation from the Nationals Advisory Committee.

Committee Recommendation: Motion to Revise 1.7.2 of the National Specialty Rule Book.

Motion by Laura Gibson to revise section 1.7.2 of the National Specialty Rule Book, according to the proposed wording below. Seconded by Rachel Vest.

Results of Committee Vote: Approved: 5. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-Voting: None.

·       Comment from Creelman: I believe the Board and employees should only be considered as a last resort.

Current Wording:

1.7.2 INELIGIBLE TO SERVE AS NATIONALS CHAIR

ASCA employees (regular, part-time, contract, or temp) and Board members cannot serve as the Nationals Chair unless they have committed to that position prior to their employment or election.

Proposed Wording:

1.7.2 INELIGIBLE TO SERVE AS NATIONALS CHAIR

ASCA employees (regular, part-time, contract, or temp) and Board members The ASCA President and the ASCA Treasurer cannot serve as the Nationals Chair unless they have committed to that position prior to their employment or election as they have a supervisory role over the Nationals Chair.

Comments/Rationale: There is no reason that employees or Board members who feel they have time to devote to chairing a Nationals should not be able to serve in this capacity. Our pool of persons willing to do this complicated and time-consuming task is not so large that we should limit it. We have left the stipulation that the President and the Treasurer should not be able to serve as the Nationals Chairperson because they do have oversight duties with regards to the Nationals Chairperson and the financial and contractual aspects of Nationals.

Affected: Employees and ASCA Directors who might want to serve as the Nationals Chairperson.

Effective Date: Immediately upon Board approval.

Members,

The voting results for this motion have been finalized. Please find them included in this email.

NA.23.06 Revise Nationals Premium Due Dates

Motion carried (8-0) – Approved: Busquets, Creelman, Gann, Gerken, McCabe, McLellan, Sims, Wesen. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-voting: Byrne.

Comment from Director Gerken: Having later due dates will allow for more accurate budget projections.

Motion by Liaison Busquets to approve the following recommendation from the Nationals Advisory Committee.

Committee Recommendation: Motion to Revise Section 7.3 and 7.4 of the National Specialty Rule Book: Premium List Due Dates and First Draft of Premium List.

Motion by Laura Gibson to revise the National Specialty Rule Book, Section 7.3 and 7.4, as worded below. Seconded by Rachel Vest.

Results of Committee Vote: Approved: 5. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-Voting: None.

Current Wording:

7.3 Premium List Due Dates

A. September 1 (of the year prior to the event) – Judge slate and the first draft of the Premium List due to the Executive Secretary.

B. October 1 (of the year prior to the event) or thirty days after the draft was received by the Executive Secretary – Board comments and approval of the Judge slate due to the Nationals Committee.

C. November 15 (of the year prior to the event) – Final draft of the Premium List due to the Executive Secretary.

D. December 15 (of the year prior to the event) or thirty days after the final draft was received by the Executive Secretary – Final approval due to the Nationals Committee.

E. January 1 (of the year of the event) for September/October Nationals – Camera-ready copy due to the Executive Secretary.

F. January 15 (of the year of the event) for September/October Nationals – Deadline for Executive Secretary to have a camera-ready copy to the Aussie Times Editor for March/April issue.

G. March 1 (of the year of the event) for November Nationals – Camera-ready copy due to the Executive Secretary.

H. March 15 (of the year of the event) for November Nationals – Deadline for Executive Secretary to have a camera-ready copy to the Aussie Times Editor for May/June issue.

Without exception these deadlines must be met by the Nationals Committee.

7.4 First Draft of Premium List

The first draft of the Premium List must be received by the Executive Secretary on or before September 1 of the year prior to the event. This information will be forwarded to the Board for review. Board approval of the Judge slate along with comments and recommendations are due to the Nationals Committee no later than thirty days after receipt by the Executive Secretary. The Nationals Committee will contact Judges regarding their availability to judge only. The Board heavily considers prior judging experience of large entries. Please be certain that selected Judges are qualified in this respect. Official confirmation of judging assignments must not be given until the Board’s approval is granted.

Proposed Wording:

7.3 Premium List Due Dates

A. September November 1 (of the year prior to the event) – Judge slate and the first draft of the Premium List due to the Executive Secretary.

B. October December 1 (of the year prior to the event) or thirty days after the draft was received by the Executive Secretary – Board comments and approval of the Judge slate due to the Nationals Committee.

C. November January 15 (of the Nationals year prior to the event) – Final draft of the Premium List due to the Executive Secretary.

D. December February 15 (of the Nationals year prior to the event) or thirty days after the final draft was received by the Executive Secretary – Final approval due to the Nationals Committee.

E. January March 1 (of the year of the event) for September/October Nationals – Camera-ready copy due to the Executive Secretary for publication on all ASCA media outlets.

F. January 15 (of the year of the event) for September/October Nationals – Deadline for Executive Secretary to have a camera-ready copy to the Aussie Times Editor for March/April issue.

G. March 1 (of the year of the event) for November Nationals – Camera-ready copy due to the Executive Secretary.

H. March 15 (of the year of the event) for November Nationals – Deadline for Executive Secretary to have a camera-ready copy to the Aussie Times Editor for May/June issue.

Without exception these deadlines must be met by the Nationals Committee.

7.4 First Draft of Premium List

The first draft of the Premium List must be received by the Executive Secretary on or before September November 1 of the year prior to the event. This information will be forwarded to the Board for review. Board approval of the Judge slate along with comments and recommendations are due to the Nationals Committee no later than thirty days after receipt by the Executive Secretary. The Nationals Committee will contact Judges regarding their availability to judge only. The Board heavily considers prior judging experience of large entries. Please be certain that selected Judges are qualified in this respect. Official confirmation of judging assignments must not be given until the Board’s approval is granted.

Comments/Rationale: In March when the NAC sent the motion changing the publishing of the premium to the Board, we neglected to revise the correlating sections 7.3 and 7.4. This was an oversight which this motion corrects.

Affected: This affects the Nationals Chairperson, all members of the Nationals Committee and the Board by changing the deadlines and the requirements for the Nationals premium.

Effective Date: Immediately upon Board approval.

Members,

The voting results for this motion have been finalized. Please find them included in this email.

OB.23.04 Allowable Clothing in the Ring

Motion carried (8-0) – Approved: Busquets, Creelman, Gann, Gerken, McCabe, McLellan, Sims, Wesen. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-voting: Byrne.

Motion by Liaison Busquets to approve the following recommendation from the Obedience Committee.

Committee Recommendation: Motion by Hilary Hines to change the types of allowable clothing that can be worn in the obedience ring. Seconded by Juliet Gentile.

Results of Committee Vote: Approved: 10. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-Voting: None.

Current Wording:

1.5 Identification

No badges, coats with kennel names, dogs’ names or any dog related advertisements, shall be worn or displayed, nor any other visible means of identification used, by an individual when exhibiting a dog in the ring, except in the case of the Obedience Team Class, where exhibitors may wear coordinated clothing, with art as desired, and giving the name of their team if desired. However, kennel names and names of dog related businesses will still not be allowed.

Proposed Wording:

1.5 Identification

No badges, coats with kennel names, dogs’ names or any dog related advertisements, shall be worn or displayed, nor any other visible means of identification used, by an individual when exhibiting a dog in the ring, except in the case of the Club clothing, event clothing, or breed clothing may be worn by anyone exhibiting a dog. Clothing may display the dog’s call name and/or the dog’s picture but cannot include any titles earned.  Kennel names and handler names are not permitted. Wording and/or graphics on the clothing of anyone in the ring must not contain profanity. In the Obedience Team Class, where exhibitors may wear coordinated clothing, with art and the name of the team as desired, and giving the name of their team if desired. However, kennel names and handler names of dog related businesses will still are not be allowed.

Comments/Rationale: The current rules for allowable clothing in the obedience ring are very restrictive. Having the dog’s call name, club name or any breed specific graphics or wording on clothing is not revealing any information the judge would not already know.

Affected: Exhibitors will be allowed to wear a broader range of clothing in the obedience ring. Judges, stewards, and the trial committee will still need to remind exhibitors of the appropriate clothing in the obedience ring if issues arise.

Affiliate Clubs, the Webmaster, and the Business Office are not affected.

Effective Date: June 1, 2024.

Members,

The voting results for this motion have been finalized. Please find them included in this email.

SC.23.03 New Scent Detection Rule Book

Motion carried (8-0) – Approved: Busquets, Creelman, Gann, Gerken, McCabe, McLellan, Sims, Wesen. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-voting: Byrne.

Motion by Liaison McCabe to approve the following recommendation from the Scent Detection Committee.

Committee Recommendation: Revision of Scent Detection Rulebook.

Motion by Deborah Divich that the old Scent Search now Scent Detection rule book be replaced with the current newly revised ASCA Scent Detection program rulebook dated 7/9/23 and is currently available on the ASCA website. Seconded by Sandy Thompson.

Results of Committee Vote: Approved: 9. Disapproved: None. Abstained: None. Non-Voting: 1.

Current Rule Book: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wbsW9eZldB8WOqe4PfWGAU47A67UmyiW/view?usp=drive_link

Proposed Rule Book: https://drive.google.com/file/d/102kMau6qFaL9h73wp3VSAqGfwuZWVJhe/view?usp=drive_link

Comments/Rationale: Due to the Scent Detection Committee’s new direction, the rules were revised to provide more clarity, remove redundancy, and provide a better understanding of the program for competitors and judges.

Affected: This motion will affect all potential interested parties moving forward as the information within the program has been updated. No further changes may be made until the next change cycle in 2024.

Effective Date: Immediately upon Board approval.