~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Annotation conventions: *...* - mandatory phrases <...> - substitute the correct phrase .. - explanations (...) - options and alternatives Bylaws of the Special Interest Group of the Association for Computing Machinery Article I. - Name and Scope 1. This organization shall be called the Asso- ciation for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group , also known as the ACM SIG In these bylaws it will be referred to as "the Chapter" and the Association for Computing Machinery will be referred to as "ACM". It is recommended that a name such as ACM SIG is preferred to a less easily identified name such as the Tri-State ACM SIG . If your special interest area is the same as the interest area of an ACM SIG, the short form designation you choose should be the same as the ACM SIG name. ACM SIG could also be an acronym, such as NYCSIGx. Article II. - Purpose The following section is mandatory. The wording is specified in Bylaw 6, Section 2 of the ACM Bylaws. 1. *The Chapter is organized and will be operated exclusively for educational and scientific purposes.* A. To promote an increased knowledge of and greater interest in the science, design, development, construction, languages, management and applications of modern computing. B. To provide a means of communication between persons having an interest in computing. You may change the above items or add to them as long as the general spirit is maintained. Refer to the ACM Constitution, Article 2, for other ideas you may include. Do not be too restrictive 2. This Chapter will serve persons who live or work in . It is recommended that you specify the geographic area that you intend to serve. (This chapter will serve persons within approximately miles of , .) 3. This Chapter is chartered by the ACM. These bylaws neither super- sede nor abrogate any of the Bylaws of the ACM that regulate chapter affairs. Article III. - Membership The provisions of this section must conform to the membership provi- sions specified in ACM Bylaw 6, Section 5. 1. *Voting membership in the Chapter shall be open to all ACM members and ACM SIG members in the locality served by the Chapter* upon request and payment of any local dues, as determined by the Executive Committee. (Voting membership in the Chapter shall also be open to other interested persons in the locality served by the Chapter upon request and payment of local dues.) The Chapter may decide whether to extend voting membership to non-ACM members. The Chapter should also consider whether to charge higher local dues to members who are not ACM members. If affiliate or other special categories are desired, they should be specified in this article; e.g., as follows (2. Non-voting affiliate membership may be granted to other interested persons, upon request and payment of dues. 3. Student membership shall be open to all full-time students; student membership dues shall be determined by the Executive Council, but shall not exceed 75 percent of regular member dues.) Article IV. - Officers 1. The officers of this Chapter shall be: Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer. Some chapters combine the offices of Secretary and Treasurer into one position. Other offices, such as Second Vice Chairman or Program Chairman may also be established in this article. Whatever offices are defined, there should be a corresponding section in the next article, Duties. 2. *All officers of the Chapter must be voting Members of the Association.* Provisions for filling vacancies left by resignations should be included in this article. Provisions for limiting the number of terms a person can serve in a position may also be included in this article. 3. The officers shall be elected at the annual Election (or Business) meeting. They shall take office on July 1 and serve for one year. It is recommended that the Chapter's election be held at the last or next to last meeting of the Chapter's fiscal year or by mail ballot with the results announced at the Election meeting. This provides or a period of transition from the outgoing Council to the incoming Council. Although it is discouraged, there are several Chapters that specify the term of office as Election meeting to Election meeting as indicated in the following: (Alternate: They shall take office immediately upon election and serve until their successor is elected.) Article V. - Duties of Officers 1. The Chairman shall preside at all meetings of this Chapter and of its Executive Council. (With the advice of the Chapter's Executive Council, the Chairman shall appoint all members of committees of this chapter and all Committee chairmen.) 2. The Vice Chairman shall preside at meetings in the absence of the Chairman. 3. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all Chapter and Executive Council meetings. Other duties of the Secretary include: Some reporting to ACM Headquarters is required by ACM Policies, including an annual activity report (ACM Bylaw 6, Section 7), officer information, and an annual financial report. It is common to assign the duties for the first two of those to the Secretary. A) Preparation of the Annual Chapter Report for presentation to the Chapter at the Annual Election Meeting. B) Preparation of the Chapter's Activity Report and submission of this report to ACM Headquarters. C) Notification to ACM Headquarters of any changes in the elected officers of the Chapter. D) Submission of any proposed amendment to these bylaws to the Chairmen of the Local Activities Board and the ACM Constitution and Bylaws Committee for approval. As noted, in Article XI of these sample bylaws, proposed amendments must be approved before they can be submitted to the Chapter's member- ship for a vote. 4. The Treasurer shall collect dues, pay all bills, and maintain the Chapter's financial records. Duties of the Treasurer shall also include: A) Preparation of the Chapter's Annual Financial Report for pre- sentation to the Chapter at the Annual Election meeting. B) Completion and submission of the Annual Financial Report to ACM Headquarters. This is the third mandatory report - it is required by the Financial Accountability Policy referenced in ACM Bylaw 6, Section 6. Article VI. - Executive Council The Executive Council shall consist of the present Chapter officers, the immediate Past Chairman, the chairmen of the Chapter's standing commit- tees and up to Members-at-Large. Some Chapter Councils consist of the current officers, the Past Chair- man, the chairmen of all committees, and representatives to other organizations. This structure is in lieu of any Members-at-Large. The term of the members of the Council shall coincide with the terms of the officers. They shall take office on the first day of the fiscal year and serve for one year. Article VII. - Standing Committees The Standing Committees of the Chapter shall be (Program, Arrangements, Education, Membership, Publicity, etc.). The number and functions of committees is determined by your Chapter activities and goals. Think about what you want to do this year and the in the foreseeable future and establish standing committees that corre- spond to those activities and the corresponding assignment of duties. Then define the general duties of the committees. The Program Committee shall plan and make arrangements for the technical programs of the Chapter's meetings in accordance with the membership's interests and the aims of the Chapter as set forth in Article II. Include the descriptions of the other standing committees here. Article VIII. - Temporary Committees 1. With the advice of the Chapter Executive Council, the Chairman may appoint such temporary committees as appropriate. 2. A Nominating Committee, consisting of at least three members of this Chapter, at least two of whom shall not be members of the Executive Council, shall be appointed by the Chapter Chairman at least two months prior to the Election meeting. Some Chapters assign this function to the Past Chairman, if available, as the person with no other required duties who knows what all the jobs require. You can also include when the slate of officers must be pre- sented. The Committee can also be responsible for identifying people who may serve on the various committees. (3. An Audit Committee shall be appointed by the Chapter Chairman at the close of the fiscal year to assure the accuracy of the accounting of the Chapter's funds for the year. This Committee should also verify the accuracy of the Financial Report prepared by the Treasurer for submis- sion to ACM.) Descriptions of other Temporary Committees should be included in this Article. Article IX. - Meetings 1. Meetings shall be held as planned by the Program Committee. *The Chapter shall hold meetings only in places that are open and accessible to all members of the Association.* ACM Bylaw 12, Section 1. You may have additional local government requirements about openness to the public and accessibility for the handicapped. 2. The Annual Business meeting shall be held at the last meeting of the program (fiscal) year. At this meeting, the Secretary and Treasurer each shall present a report. Also, the election of officers shall be held. This ties to Article IV, Officers, and their election. If you choose an alternative there, this section should correspond. For Chapters that conduct their elections by mail ballot, this section could read: Also, the Chairman shall announce the results of the election of officers for the coming year. 3. Written notices of all meetings shall be distributed to all mem- bers at least one week prior to any meeting. Article X. - Disbursements and Dues 1. Disbursements from the Treasury for Chapter expenditures shall be made by the Treasurer with authorization of the Executive Council and shall be included in the minutes of its meetings. 2. Dues shall be fixed annually by the Executive Council. Article XI. - Amendment and Voting Procedures 1. *All proposed changes to these Chapter Bylaws shall have been approved by the Chairmen of the Local Activities Board and the ACM Con- stitution and Bylaws Committee before being presented to the Chapter membership for a vote.* 2. No official business of the Chapter shall be conducted unless a quorum of the Chapter is present. 3. A quorum of the Chapter shall be defined as percent of the voting membership of the Chapter or members, which ever is greater. 4. A simple majority of the members present and voting shall be required to carry a motion. To vote on the Bylaws, the Chapter should have a quorum (50% of the members present unless specified otherwise) and the action will be passed by a plurality of affirmative votes (majority of those voting yea or nay). 5. Officers will be elected by a plurality of votes cast. If the election is conducted by mail ballot, sufficient ballots must be returned to have constituted a quorum. If elections are conducted by mail ballot, specific procedures should be included here, especially ballot preparation, how ballots are dis- tributed, and how long the membership has to return the ballots. Article XII. - Dissolution of the Chapter 1. Dissolution of this Chapter by consent of the members shall consist of unanimous agreement of all its officers together with a majority vote at a meeting which has been publicized in advance to all members of the Chapter for the purpose of taking this vote. 2. *Should this Chapter be dissolved, its assets and liabilities shall be transferred to ACM and shall be supervised by the Local Activities Board.*