Bylaws of the Washington D.C. Metro Area (DC) Professional Chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics (SIGGRAPH)
Article I – Name and Scope
1.This organization shall be called the Washington D.C. Metro Area Association for Computing Machinery/Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics Professional Chapter, also known as DC ACM/SIGGRAPH and SIGGRAPH DC. In these bylaws it will be referred to as “the Chapter” and the Association for Computing Machinery will be referred to as “ACM”.
2. The scope of the Chapter is computer graphics and related activities.
3. The Chapter will support activities complimentary to ACM SIGGRAPH, the ACM, and other ACM activities in the Washington, DC Metro area.
Article II – Purpose
1. The Chapter is organized and will be operated exclusively for educational, artistic and scientific purposes. Specific objectives include:
A. To promote an increased knowledge of and greater interest in the educational, artistic, and scientific aspects and applications of modern computing in computer graphics.
B. To provide a means of communication between persons having an interest in computer graphics.
2. The activities of the Chapter will include the following:
A. Sponsoring meetings, conferences, symposia and workshops.
B. Collecting and disseminating information through a newsletter, a website, announcements and electronic mail.
C. Serving as a source of information for its members, the SIGGRAPH Professional Chapters, other SIGGRAPH and ACM units and the general public.
Article III – Charter
1. This Chapter is chartered by the ACM. It is formed and will operate under the sponsorship of the ACM, the Local Activities Board, ACM SIGGRAPH and the SIG Board.
2. This Chapter can be dissolved by consent of its members, or by action of the Local Activities Board with the concurrence of the SIG Board.
3. These bylaws neither supersede nor abrogate any of the provisions in the ACM Constitution and Bylaws or Policies and Procedures of the ACM that regulate SIG or chapter affairs.
Article IV – Membership
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 Chapter Board of Directors. Voting membership shall also be open to other interested persons in the D.C. Metro area upon request and payment of local dues.
2. Student membership shall be open to all full-time students. The Board of Directors shall determine student membership dues.
Article V – Officers
1. The officers of this Chapter shall be: Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.
2. All officers must be voting members of ACM and members of ACM SIGGRAPH.
3. All officers must be voting members of the Chapter.
4. Officers shall be elected by a plurality of votes cast by the voting members of the Chapter.
5. The officers shall take office on January 1 and serve for one year.
Article VI – Duties of Officers
1. The Chair is the principal officer and is responsible for leading the Chapter and managing its activities in accordance with the policies and procedures of the ACM. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Chapter and of its Board of Directors.
2. The Vice-Chair shall preside at meetings in the absence of the Chair, assist the Chair in the management of the Chapter and perform other duties that may be assigned by the Chair. The Vice-Chair is also responsible for organizing and overseeing the Chapter’s program schedule.
3. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all business and Board of Directors meetings of the Chapter. Other duties of the Secretary include:
A. Maintaining the records of the Chapter.
B. Preparation of the Chapter’s Annual Activity Report and submission of this report to ACM Headquarters.
C. Notification to ACM Headquarters of any changes in the officers of the Chapter.
D. Submission of any proposed amendment to these bylaws to the Chairs of the Local Activities Board and the ACM Constitution and Bylaws Committee for approval.
E. Assist the Chair in the management of the Chapter
F. Perform other duties as assigned by the Chair
4. The Treasurer is the chief financial officer (CFO) of the Chapter. Duties of the Treasurer include:
A. Managing the finances of the Chapter according to the policies and procedures of the ACM, including paying all bills and preparing budgets for each Chapter committee.
B. Keeping full and accurate accounts of receipts and expenditures of the Chapter.
C. Completing and submitting the Annual Financial Report to ACM Headquarters.
D. Assist the Chair in the management of the Chapter
E. Perform other duties as assigned by the Chair
Article VII – Board of Directors
1. The Board of Directors shall consist of the present officers of the Chapter, the immediate past Chair and six (6) Members-at-Large.
2. A Member-at-Large shall take office on January 1 and serve for one year.
3. Half the Members-at-Large will be elected during even-years and the other half will be elected during odd years.
4. All members of the Board of Directors must be voting members of the Chapter.
5. Replacements for resigned Members-at-Large will be nominated by the Board of Directors. Replacements will be appointed by the Chair if a majority of the Board votes yes on their appointment.
Article VIII – Standing Committees
1. The standing committees of the Chapter shall be Programming and Special Events, Web Site, Membership and Public Relations.
A. The Programming and Special Events Committee is chaired by the Vice-Chair and is responsible for the planning, arranging and execution of the Chapter’s activities.
B. The Web Site Committee is responsible for designing and maintaining the Chapter web site.
C. The Membership Committee is responsible for collecting dues, maintaining the member database and dealing with member inquiries throughout the year.
D. The Public Relations Committee is responsible for assisting each of the other committees with their publicity needs and maintains the Chapter mailing lists.
2. Committee Chairs will be approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
Article IX – Temporary Committees
With the advice of the Board of Directors, the Chair may appoint temporary committees as appropriate.
Article X – Meetings
1. Meetings shall be held as planned by the Programming and Special Events Committee. The Chapter will conduct at least four (4) meetings a year for the general membership.
2. Written and/or electronic notices of all meetings shall be distributed to all members at least one (1) week prior to any meeting.
3. The Chapter shall hold meetings only in places that are open and accessible to all Chapter members and all members of SIGGRAPH and the ACM.
4. Election results for the coming year will be announced at the final meeting of the program year.
Article XI – Disbursements and Dues
1. Disbursements from the Treasury for expenditures of the Chapter shall be made by the Treasurer with authorization of the Board of Directors and shall be included in the minutes of its meetings.
2. Dues shall be fixed annually by the Board of Directors.
Article XII – Amendment and Election Procedures
1. All proposed changes to these Chapter bylaws shall have been approved by the Chairs of the Local Activities Board and the ACM Constitution and Bylaws Committee before being presented to the Chapter membership for a vote.
2. A quorum of the Chapter shall be defined as 50% of the voting membership of the chapter or 100 voting members, whichever is greater.
3. Elections will be conducted by mail or email. Ballots will be prepared by the Secretary and mailed or emailed to all current voting Chapter members. The membership will have 30 days to return the ballots. Officers and Members-at-Large will be elected by a plurality of votes cast.
Article XIII – 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.