ACM SIGGRAPH
Professional Chapter
Bylaws Template

Revised: December 03, 2003

You are encouraged to use this document as
the template for your chapter bylaws.

Items in blue require that you fill something in.

Items in red are listed strictly to provide background on certain
articles and passages; do not include them in your bylaws.

Bylaws of the

(Put Your Chapter Name Here) Professional Chapter

of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics (SIGGRAPH)

Article I - Name and Scope

This organization shall be called the (city/region name goes here) Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics Professional Chapter, also known as (chapter name goes here) ACM SIGGRAPH. In these bylaws it will be referred to as "the Chapter" and the Association for Computing Machinery will be referred to as "ACM".
The scope of the Chapter is computer graphics and related activities.
The Chapter will support activities complimentary to ACM SIGGRAPH, the ACM SIGGRAPH Chapters, the ACM, and other ACM activities in the (city/region name goes here) area.

* Chapter names are limited to the name of a city or region. Chapters cannot be named after a US state or country. The reason for this is to enable as many chapters as possible to form. If there is a chapter named after a country, others from a different part of that country may be discouraged from starting a chapter if they see that there is already a "Country_Name" ACM SIGGRAPH. The same goes for a state, whether from the U.S.A. or another country. Region names will be handled on a case-by-case basis. *

Article II - Purpose

The Chapter is organized and will be operated exclusively for educational, artistic and scientific purposes. Specific objectives include:

To promote an increased knowledge of and greater interest in the educational, artistic, and scientific aspects and applications of modern computing in computer graphics.
To provide a means of communication between persons having an interest in computer graphics.

The activities of the Chapter will include the following:

Sponsoring general membership meetings and site visits.
Sponsoring conferences, symposia and workshops. These type of events need to be approved by the ACM Local Activities Coordinator and the ACM SIGGRAPH Director for Chapters.
Collecting and disseminating information through a newsletter, web site, mailed announcements and electronic mail.
Serving as a source of information for its members, the ACM SIGGRAPH Chapters, other ACM SIGGRAPH and ACM units and the general public.

* General membership meetings are your regularly scheduled meetings (held monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly) and site visits are trips arranged for your members that take them behind-the-scenes of local institutions or facilities. Any other special events need to be passed by ACM and ACM SIGGRAPH for their approval. This is as much for your protection as it is for theirs. Also, letting the ACM Local Activities Coordinator and the ACM SIGGRAPH Director for Chapters know about your event gives them the opportunity to provide assistance and guidance to help make your event as successful as possible. *

* Each chapter is expected to maintain a web site. Space is available for each chapter at the ACM SIGGRAPH web server. To set up your web site, contact the ACM SIGGRAPH Director for Chapters. If you are an international chapter, there are other items you need to be aware of regarding web sites. You can visit the Communications area of the Chapters web site for the most up to date information. *

* Chapters may produce a printed newsletter if they like. Many chapters publish their newsletter exclusively on-line at their web site. Chapters are not required to produce a printed or electronic newsletter but it is a proven form of promotion that works very well for most chapters. *

Article III - Charter

This Chapter is chartered by the ACM. It is formed and will operate under the sponsorship of the ACM, the Membership Activities Board, ACM SIGGRAPH and the SIG Board.
This Chapter can be dissolved by consent of its members, or by action of the Membership Activities Board with the concurrence of the SIG Board.
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

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 (city/region name goes here) upon request and payment of local dues.
Student membership shall be open to all full-time students; student membership dues shall be determined by the Board of Directors.

* A full-time student is typically one that is taking 12 credits or more per given semester or trimester. Your group can choose to establish a different criteria for full-time student status. *

Article V - Officers

The officers of this Chapter shall be: Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.
All officers must be voting members of ACM and members of ACM SIGGRAPH.
All officers must be voting members of the Chapter.
Officers shall be elected by a plurality of votes cast by the voting members of the Chapter.
The officers shall take office on (July 1) (this is the start of the ACM and ACM SIGGRAPH fiscal years so many chapters use this as the beginning of their year. It is recommended but not required that you use this date) and serve for (two) (the term length is up to you; 1 - 2 usually works best) years.
Replacements for resigned Officers 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. In the event the Chair has resigned, an acting Chair may be appointed for the remainder of the term with a majority "Yes" vote from the Board and approval by the Chair of the ACM Membership Activities Board.

*** The chapter must have the four officers listed above. However, one person can serve as Secretary and Treasurer if necessary. You are strongly encouraged to get four people to fill these four positions if at all possible.***

*** Each of the chapter officers MUST be a voting member of ACM and ACM SIGGRAPH. ***

Article VI - Duties of Officers

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.
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.
The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all business and Board of Directors meetings of the Chapter. Other duties of the Secretary include:

Maintaining the records of the Chapter.
Preparation of the Chapter's Annual Activity Report and submission of this report to the ACM SIGGRAPH Director for Chapters and ACM Headquarters.
Notification to the ACM SIGGRAPH Director for Chapters and ACM Headquarters of any changes in the officers of the Chapter.
Submission of any proposed amendment to these bylaws to the Chairs of the Membership Activities Board, the ACM Constitution and Bylaws Committee and the ACM SIGGRAPH Director for Chapters for approval.
Assist the Chair in the management of the Chapter
Perform other duties as assigned by the Chair

The Treasurer is the chief financial officer of the Chapter. Duties of the Treasurer include:

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.
Keeping full and accurate accounts of receipts and expenditures of the Chapter.
Completing and submitting the Annual Financial Report to ACM Headquarters.
Assist the Chair in the management of the Chapter
Perform other duties as assigned by the Chair

Article VII - Board of Directors

The Board of Directors shall consist of the present officers of the Chapter, the immediate past Chair and six (you can have any number here; 5 - 10 is what many chapters use) Members-at-Large.
A Member-at-Large shall take office on (July 1) and serve for two (the term can be as many years as you like; 1 - 2 usually works best) years.
Half the Members-at-Large will be elected during even-years and the other half will be elected during odd years. (This will only work if the term length is two years.)
All members of the Board of Directors must be voting members of the Chapter.
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.

*** Most chapters have a body (which includes the officers) that leads the chapter. It may be called a Board of Directors or an Executive Council or something else but more important than the name is that it exist. If your leadership structure only consist of your officers, you run the risk of:
1) burning this small group out
2) unintentionally preventing others from volunteering (by keeping your leadership to 3 or 4 people)
3) failing to groom others to step into these positions when he current officers want to leave
4) concentrating too much power in the hands of 1 or 2 people

If you decide that your officers will be the only members of your leadership group, please be ready to provide rationale for taking this approach. ***

Article VIII - Standing Committees

The standing committees of the Chapter shall be Programming and Special Events, Web Site, Membership and Public Relations.

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.
The Web Site Committee is responsible for all aspects of the Chapter web site.
The Membership Committee is responsible for collecting dues, maintaining the member database and dealing with member inquiries throughout the year.
The Public Relations Committee is responsible for assisting each of the other committees with their publicity needs and maintains the Chapter mailing lists.

Committee Chairs will be approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

*** The chapter may establish any committees that it wants. The four listed above are the most common. Other possible committees include: Volunteers, Education, and Newsletter. Elections (or Nominating) is a standing committee which may be convened as a temporary committee. ***

Article IX - Temporary Committees

With the advice of the Board of Directors, the Chair may appoint temporary committees as appropriate.

Article X - Meetings

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.
Written and/or electronic notices of all meetings shall be distributed to all members at least one (1) week prior to any meeting.
The Chapter shall hold meetings only in places that are open and accessible to all Chapter members and all members of ACM SIGGRAPH and the ACM.
Election results for the coming year will be announced at the final meeting of the program year.

* Each chapter is required to hold a minimum of four (4) general membership meetings per calendar year. *

Article XI - Disbursements and Dues

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.
Dues shall be fixed annually by the Board of Directors.

Article XII - Amendment and Election Procedures

All proposed changes to these Chapter bylaws shall have been approved by the Chairs of the Membership Activities Board, the ACM Constitution and Bylaws Committee and the ACM SIGGRAPH Director for Chapters before being presented to the Chapter membership for a vote.
A quorum of the Chapter shall be defined as 50% of the voting membership of the chapter or 50 voting members, whichever is greater.
Elections will be conducted by postal mail. Ballots will be prepared by the Secretary and mailed 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

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.
Should this chapter be dissolved, its assets and liabilities shall be transferred to ACM and shall be supervised by the Membership Activities Board.

ACM SIGGRAPH Professional Chapter Bylaws Template