Student Participation Agreement

[GMKlenklen]

Hi,

Last year, my team had a bit of a problem with attendance (on the order of 10^0). As a result, the leaders have decided upon two things to fix this issue. First, the new attendance policy is "To miss one time is alright---to miss twice means take a hike!" Second, the student participation agreement is as follows:

By being selected as part of the Missouri Academy Robotics Club (used interchangeably with "MASMAbots"), I agree to the following behaviors, stipulations and methods of accountability:

• Without fail, abide by the principles of Integrity and quality.
• Earn and maintain a minimum trimester AND cumulative GPA of 3.0 by the conclusion of Fall 2008, without exception.
• Attend and participate in meetings and activities as scheduled.
• Abide by the schedule and time line set by the robotics club co-president, FIRST, or the robotics club adviser.
• Positively represent the Missouri Academy and Northwest and understand that I must abide by all Missouri Academy and Northwest policies and regulations.
• Pay expenses not covered by the Missouri Academy which may include, but are not limited to, meals before and after the conference, club apparel and other spirit items.
• Be present and available at all departures for the competition.
• Present the results of the competition and your involvement with the robotics club to the Missouri Academy staff no later than the end of April, 2008 unless directed otherwise.
• Abide by all FIRST standards, policies and regulations.

I, _______________________________________________, accept this position on the robotics club of the Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing at Northwest Missouri State University and all of the responsibilities therein. In the unlikely event that I am unable to attend the competition in Kansas City, I will either find a suitable replacement to be approved by the co-presidents and advisor, or will pay the full registration fee to the Missouri Academy. Furthermore, as a delegate, if I am found responsible for violating any of the aforementioned or implied standards and policies, any delegate will be financially responsible for refunding the Missouri Academy the entire amount of registration, travel, and other costs associated with my membership.

_________________________ _________
Delegate Signature Date

_________________________ _________
Co-President Signature Date

_______ _________
Advisor Initial Date



Personally, I disagree with the highly ambiguous wording that our advisor (our school's dean of student development) has included in this document. Consequently I also disagree with forcing members to pay an unknown amount of money (presumably at least six grand) for missing two meetings, or being unable to attend the competition.

I want to persuade our advisor to rephrase the entire document, removing major monetary commitments from our members. I would like to present to him an example of what successful FIRST teams have their members sign.

Please leave your thoughts on this subject, feel free to ask questions, and most of all, your team's student participation agreement!

Thanks,
Mason K.