Code of Conduct | New Cottingham

CTC CODE OF CONDUCT

Conduct and Discipline

Conduct: Members and Guests of The Cottingham Tennis Club (“CTC”) are required to conduct themselves at all times on the premises in a courteous and responsible manner. We strive to preserve a pleasant and respectful environment both on and off the court, so that all members can use and enjoy the club’s facilities to the fullest extent. The highest level of sportsmanship, courtesy, respect for others, and fair play is expected.

The following outlines code of conduct rules and member behaviour to which all club members, guests/visitors, tennis professionals, and parents must adhere to with fellow members, staff and coaching professionals. In addition to the code of conduct rules set out in this policy, the Club may amend or supplement these rules at anytime, as determined by the Board of Directors and/or its authorized Board Committees. Members will be advised of any changes or updates to the Code Of Conduct on a timely basis.

All Cottingham members and guests shall, at all times:

Act Respectfully toward others regardless of age, gender or sexual orientation, race, culture or religion.
Respect all Club property and facilities, including but not limited to courts, nets, teaching equipment, grooming equipment, furnishings, supplies, and appliances.
Respect the rights, dignity and worth of fellow players, coaches, staff, attendants and spectators.
Members shall be respectful of all Club staff and shall follow all staff instructions related to court usage as communicated. Concerns related to the work performance of Club staff may be directed to the President of the Board of Directors but shall not be made by a Member to any staff member directly. A member or guest shall not disparage Club staff in any manner either directly in directly through communication with another member.
The conduct of an employee or member shall not be made the subject of personal reprimand by a member or their guest. The Club encourages open and respectful dialogue about the Club and its operations. Comments, suggestions, and complaints regarding the Club’s betterment, its members and employees are welcome; however, the Club requires that members refrain from making (whether verbally or in writing) any unprofessional, inflammatory, or disparaging remarks about the Club, its members, guests, or employees.
Refrain from conduct, which could be regarded as sexual or other form of discrimination, harassment or bullying towards fellow players, staff, volunteers or others.
Respect the talent, potential and development of fellow players and competitors
Inappropriate language and/or aggressive behaviour or any form of bullying is prohibited.
Any statement or behaviour that is reasonable for an individual to interpret as a threat to use physical force that would or could cause injury is expressly prohibited.
Harassment in any form is prohibited. Harassment is defined as engaging in a course of action, comment or conduct that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome.
Pictures are only permitted with consent of the subject being photographed.
Members and guests shall follow the direction of the club attendant with regards to club rules, court usage and tennis attire
Members and guests shall follow all rules relating to parking privileges and restrictions as communicated by the Club including parking at the Cottingham School, if and when available.
Members are responsible for ensuring that their guests follow this Code of Conduct, and are responsible for ensuring that the guest fees are paid. Violations of this Code of Conduct by Members’ guests may result in discipline or sanctions for the Member as well.

All incidents related to the breach of this Code of Conduct by any individual shall be the responsibility of the Board of Directors to review, investigate and where appropriate determine sanctions and discipline for violations. The Board of Directors may delegate, in its discretion, the responsibility for review and determination of alleged violations to the Code of Conduct committee of the Board of Directors, such Committee to have the same powers related to Code of Conduct as the Board. The Board of Directors shall appoint the members of this Committee as it determines.

Any member or guest who is found to have breached any provision of the Code of Conduct will be subject to sanctions, as determined by the Code of Conduct Committee and or the Board of Directors as applicable.

Sanctions related to violation of the Code of Conduct may include but are not limited to the following:

Suspension of playing privileges or membership, either for a prescribed period or permanently on such terms as determined by the Board and/or Committee and with no refund of fees
Corrective action (warning) in writing
In the case of non-members, failure to abide by this Code of Conduct may result in a requirement to vacate the premises and prohibition from returning either for a prescribed period or permanently, on such terms as the Board and/or Committee shall determine.

A complaint by any member against another member, staff, visitor, guest, parent or tennis professional alleging a failure to follow the Code of Conduct must be made in writing to the President, on a timely basis, pursuant to the Reporting Process below.

Complaint/Incident Reporting Process

Complaints should be made as soon as possible after the incident, and in all circumstances on a timely basis, and should include the following information:

Your name, phone number, email address
Date and time of incident
Names of any witnesses
Name of offender(s)
Full details of the incident including what led up to the incident, who was involved, and the outcome
Date incident report is being submitted

Members may also report any alleged incidents to Cottingham staff who will prepare a written complaint to be forwarded to the President.

Process:

The Code of Conduct committee is responsible for reviewing all complaints against Members, Guests and Employees.
The Committee will review the written report as soon as practicable, of the incident.
The alleged Member will be given notice in writing by e-mail, (and the complainant blind copied), outlining the time, date, place and specific actions alleged.
The alleged Member is entitled to respond within 5 calendar days of the complaint received and the Committee will review the same.
A copy of the Committee decision with reasons and its actions to the Member involved will be communicated by email.
The Committee will use its discretion in determining sanctions including to suspend, terminate or restrict the alleged Member’s privileges and where applicable, grant partial refunds less administration fees. Sanctions relating to the termination of membership shall require review and approval by the Board of Directors.
Members may be temporarily suspended from Club usage while complaints are reviewed should the Committee in its judgement determine the same to be appropriate.
All decisions of the Board and/or Committee are final, provided that with respect to sanctions involving termination of membership, a member shall have 5 calendar days to appeal such decision to the full Board of Directors for review. The Board shall consider such appeals and determine whether to confirm the sanction or not within a reasonable time frame.
All decisions shall take effect immediately upon notification of the person concerned, unless otherwise specified by the Committee.
Where a finding of misconduct is made, the board shall keep a record of same. The said finding may be used by the board in determining a further sanction if there is a subsequent misconduct hearing for the same member.
Where a finding of misconduct is made, the Board in its discretion may make the minutes available for circulation to the membership, but shall only reflect the nature of the complaint, the board’s finding, the penalty and the member’s name.

All matters or questions relating to the CTC Code of Conduct can be made by email to: membership@cottinghamtennis.ca

A copy of this Code of Conduct, as amended, is published on the CTC website available to all members to review.