Approved: April, 1997 by the ACM Local Activities Board. Revisions Approved: August, 2010, and June, 2016, by the NYC ACM SIGGRAPH Membership and ACM
Bylaws of the
New York City (NYC) 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 New York City Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics Professional Chapter, also known as NYC 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”.
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 New York City 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, 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 NYC area upon request and payment of local dues.
2. Student membership shall be open to all full-time students; student membership dues shall be determined by the Board of Directors.
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 be elected in the following cycle: Even Year – Chair and Treasurer; Odd Year – Vice-Chair and Secretary. Each officer shall take office on July 1 and serve for two years.
6. Replacements for resigned Officers will be nominated by the Board of Directors. Replacements will be appointed by the President if a majority of the Board votes “Yes” on their appointment. In the event the President has resigned, an acting President may be appointed for the remainder of the term with a minimum of seven (7) “Yes” votes from the Board and approval by the Chair of the ACM SIGGRAPH Chapters Committee and/or the ACM Membership Activities Board. If seven (7) “Yes” votes are not attained, the Vice-President shall run the chapter until an acting-President is approved or until the next election for the position of President.
7. An Officer may be removed from the Board if they are “Not in Good Standing” as per the NYC ACM SIGGRAPH Bylaws or the current NYC ACM SIGGRAPH Board of Director Standard Operating Rules. This removal will require a minimum of 7 votes in favor of such action from the current Board of Directors.
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 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 July 1 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.
6. All members of the Board of Directors are required to attend a minimum of five (5) of the regularly-scheduled Board of Directors Meetings per program year (July 1 – June 30).
7. All members of the Board of Directors are required to attend a minimum of three (3) Chapter events per program year (July 1 to June 30).
8. All members of the Board of Directors are expected to regularly participate in chapter discussions and e-mail correspondence.
9. All members of the Board of Directors will support the activities of the chapter in a manner that enhances and promotes the mission of the chapter.
10. A Board Member can be declared “Not in Good Standing” and removed from the Board if he or she does not fulfill the above items (Sections 6 – 8) or does not fulfill the items contained within the current NYC ACMSIGGRAPH Board of Directors Standard Operating Rules. This removal will require a minimum of 7 votes in favor of such action from the current Board of Directors.
11. A Board Member may be removed from the Board for conduct considered detrimental to the chapter. This removal will require a minimum of 7 votes in favor of such action from the current Board of Directors.
Article VIII – Standing Committees
1. The standing committees of the Chapter shall be Programming and Special Events, MetroCAF, Web Site, Membership, Elections, Media & Public Relations, and Volunteers.
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 Metropolitan College Computer Animation Festival (MetroCAF) Committee is responsible for all aspects of our annual MetroCAF event.
C. The Web Site Committee is responsible for the continued development and regular maintenance of the chapter web site.
D. The Membership Committee is responsible for collecting dues, maintaining the member database, and dealing with member inquiries throughout the year.
E. The Elections Committee is responsible for running each year’s Chapter elections. This includes producing the call for nominees, the solicitation of candidates and candidate information, preparing the ballot and mailing it to the membership, and confirming the election results.
F. The Media & Public Relations Committee is responsible for assisting each of the other committees with their publicity needs and maintaining the Chapter mailing lists.
G. The Volunteers Committee is responsible for maintaining the Chapter database of volunteers and coordinating volunteers as needed by the chapter throughout the year.
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.
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 quorom of the Chapter at physical meetings shall be defined as 51% of the voting membership of the chapter.
3. Elections will be conducted by mail. Ballots will be prepared by the Elections Committee Chair and mailed to all current voting Chapter members. The membership will have 30 days to return the ballots. Officers and Directors-at-Large will be elected by a plurality of votes cast.
4. All Board Members are required to be in “Good Standing” to continue to serve on the Board or to run for re-election for their current position or to run for election to another position, including another Officer position.
5. Any Board Members removed due to being “No in Good Standing” as a Board Member will not be eligible to run for the Board for a period of two years from the time of their removal from the Board. They will not be eligible for an Officer position for two years from the time they are re-elected to the Board.
7. The Elections Committee will consist of the Past-President of the chapter plus two members of the current Board of Directors who are not up for election or re-election. This committee will be approved by the current Board of Directors.
8. Board nominees must present themselves or be nominated by the posted Elections deadline (posted on the Chapter web site). All nominees will be required to submit certain information (posted on the Chapter web site) in advance of the election. Interviews will also be conducted with all proposed nominees by the Elections Committee.
9. Board nominees must be a member of NYC ACM SIGGRAPH for at least one year prior to running for the Board of Directors OR have helped produce / coordinate an event for NYC ACM SIGGRAPH OR have served on a NYC ACM SIGGRAPH committee.
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