The Collegiate Water Polo Association is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization. As such it operates according to a set of Bylaws. In addition, the CWPA follows a set of rules and policies that are determined by its membership through a legislative process. Duly appointed representatives of league members (coaches, athletic directors, or club supervisors of member institutions) may propose changes to any league policy or Bylaw. All proposals must be submitted by May 5th to be considered for the next calendar year.

How to Submit a Proposal

All proposals should include the following and be submitted through the League Proposal Form located on the Forms Header:

• Proposal (write a paragraph exactly as you want it distributed)
• Statement of intent (one sentence)
• Author
• Names of the two institutions that sponsor the proposal
• Current policy that the proposal seeks to change
• Rationale for proposal (no more than 300 words)
• Statement of financial impact expected on member teams

Proposal Example

Proposal: All collegiate clubs are required to submit a participation contract that outlines their commitment to field a team for each of their scheduled contests during the season, including championships. An administrator from the university must sign the form. Violation of the contract will result in expulsion of the team involved. The team expelled may appeal to the Board of Directors, given extenuating circumstances.

Statement of Intent: To prevent “no contests” in the future

Author: Villanova University and West Chester State College

Current policy: none

Financial Impact: Contract will reduce the chance that teams will incur expenses related to travel and housing for games not played, thereby saving the membership money.

Rationale: This is a serious problem for the conference, even if it occurs only once or twice. Any team involved in one can attest to the difficulties it creates. Specifically, No-contests cause the following problems:

• Teams pay for hotel when they could have driven the next day.
• Teams often fail to receive the number of games they originally expected.
• Schedules change at the last minute, causing confusion among the participating teams.
• Schedule changes make the program inaccurate for fans, players, and coaches, wasting everyone’s money.
• Hosts spend money for pool costs that end up unused due to the reduction in games.
• Officials are paid for Friday night lodging that could have been avoided, making league fees higher.
• The CWPA Office wastes a tremendous amount of time revising schedules with little time for input from teams.
• The CWPA Office staff loses a great deal of time trying to reach all of the teams involved with schedule changes.

Procedure for Distribution of Proposals

Proposals are distributed to the membership with mail ballots two weeks before the meeting for review by the teams and administrators from each institution.