Toronto ACM SIGGRAPH Professional Chapter

Toronto Chapter Bylaws

Article I – Name and Scope
  1. This organization shall be called: Toronto ACM SIGGRAPH Chapter. 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 SIGGRAPH Chapters, the ACM, and other ACM activities in Toronto area.
Article II – Purpose
  1. 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.
  2. 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 Manager and the ACM SIGGRAPH Director for Chapters.
    • Collecting and disseminating information through a newsletter, web site, mailed announcements and/or 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.
  3. This Chapter is chartered by the ACM. It is formed and will operate under the sponsorship of the ACM, ACM SIGGRAPH, and the SIG Governing Board.
Article III – Membership
  1. Voting membership in the Chapter shall be open to all ACM and ACM SIGGRAPH members and non-members in the locality served by the chapter, upon request and payment of any local dues, as determined by the Chapter Board of Directors.
  2. Student membership shall be open to all full-time students; student membership dues shall be determined by the Board of Directors. Student membership dues shall not exceed 75 percent of regular member dues.
Article IV – Officers
  1. The officers of this Chapter shall be: Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.
  2. All officers, plus the Past-Chair, must be voting members of ACM and members of ACM SIGGRAPH.
  3. All officers, plus the Past-Chair, 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 November 20, 2012 and serve for two years.
  6. No member may serve in the office of Chair or Vice-Chair for more than two consecutive terms.
  7. 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 ACM Local Activities Manager, the ACM SIGGRAPH Chapters Committee Chair, and the ACM Chief Operating Officer.
Article V – 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:
    • Maintaining the records of the Chapter.
    • Preparation of the Chapter’s Annual Activity Report and submission of this report to the ACM SIGGRAPH Chapters Committee Chair and ACM Headquarters.
    • Notification to the ACM SIGGRAPH Chapters Committee Chair and ACM Headquarters of any changes in the officers of the Chapter.
    • Submission of any proposed amendment to these bylaws to the ACM SIGGRAPH Chapters Committee Chair, the ACM Local Activities Manager, and the Chairs of the Membership Services Board and the ACM Constitution and Bylaws Committee.
    • Assist the Chair in the management of the Chapter
    • Perform other duties as assigned by the Chair
  4. 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 VI – Board of Directors
  1. The Board of Directors shall consist of the present officers of the Chapter, the immediate past Chair and ten Members-at-Large.
  2. A Member-at-Large shall take office on November / 20 and serve for two years.
  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 VII – Standing Committees
  1. 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.
  2. Committee Chairs will be approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
Article VIII – Temporary Committees
  1. With the advice of the Board of Directors, the Chair may appoint temporary committees as appropriate.
    • A Nominating Committee which consists of a minimum of three voting members of the Chapter, at least two of whom are not members of the Executive Council, shall be appointed by the Chapter Chair at least four months prior to the Election Meeting.
    • An Audit Committee may be appointed by the Chapter Chair at the close of the fiscal year to assure the accuracy of the accounting of the Chapters funds for the year. This Committee should also verify the accuracy of the Financial Report prepared by the Treasurer for submission to ACM headquarters.
Article IX – 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 ACM SIGGRAPH and the ACM.
  4. Election results for the coming year will be announced at the final meeting of the program year.
Article X – 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 XI – Amendment and Election Procedures
  1. All proposed changes to these Chapter Bylaws shall be approved by the ACM SIGGRAPH Chapters Committee Chair, the ACM Local Activities Manager and the ACM Chief Operating Officer.
  2. No official business of the Chapter shall be conducted unless a quorum is present. A quorum of the Chapter shall be defined as 50% of the voting membership of the chapter or 50 voting members, whichever is greater.
  3. A simple majority of the voting members present shall be required to carry a motion.
  4. 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 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 ACM’s Finance Director.