Piedmont Section Bylaws
THE INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERS PIEDMONT SECTION, SOUTH CAROLINA Nothing in these Bylaws is to be construed to be contrary to the IEEE Constitution and Bylaws. ARTICLE I Name and Territory Sec. 1 This organization will be known as the Piedmont Section, South Carolina, of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Sec. 2 The territory of the Piedmont Section, as designated by the Regional Activities Board, includes the following counties in the State of South Carolina: Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, and Union. ARTICLE II Officers Sec. 1 Elected officers of the Section will be a Chairman, a Vice Chairman, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. Sec. 2 Offices of Section Chairman and Vice Chairman will normally be filled by a member who has served at least one full year as a Section officer in the Piedmont Section. Offices of Section Treasurer and Section Secretary will normally be filled by a member who has served at least one full year on the Section Executive Committee. Sec. 3 The term of office of the elected officers will be one (1) year and will begin January 1 and end December 31; but in any case, will continue until their successors are duly elected and take office. Normally, new officers will take office during a Section Executive Committee Meeting held in January. The outgoing and incoming Executive Committee members will attend the meeting. Sec. 4 The Vice Chairman shall succeed the Chairman should a vacancy occur. Any other vacancy occurring during the year shall be filled by a majority vote of the Section Executive Committee. Sec. 5 Duties of the elected officers will be as described in the IEEE Bylaws and in the Section Manual. ARTICLE III Standing Committees Sec. 1 Standing Committees of the Section will be as follows: Executive Program Membership and Transfers Awards Student Activities Publications & Publicity Jets & Career Guidance Arrangement Society/Group chapter Organization Other committees may be authorized by the Section Executive Committee. Sec. 2 Chairmen of the Standing Committees (except the Executive Committee) will be appointed by the Section Chairman with the approval of the Section Executive Committee, and their terms will expire on December 31 (except for Student Activities Committee). Sec. 3 Student Activities Committee Chairman will be appointed for a term July 1 through June 30 to coincide with school year. Sec. 4 Each Committee Chairman (except the Nominating Committee) will appoint his committee members with the approval of the Section Executive Committee. Sec. 5 Duties of Standing Committees will be generally as described in the IEEE Section Manual. Special duties may be assigned by the Section Chairman. ARTICLE IV Management Sec. 1 Management of the Section will be by the Section Executive Committee which will consist of the elected officers, the Junior Past Section Chairman, the Chairman of Section Standing committees, and Student Branch Chairmen within the territory of the section. Any group/ society chapters formed within the Section shall have representation on the Section Executive Committee. Sec. 2 A majority of the Section Executive Committee will constitute a quorum which will be necessary to conduct business. Sec. 3 Meetings of the Section Executive Committee will ordinarily be held at least quarterly and will be called by the Section Chairman or by request of any three members of the Section Executive Committee. Sec. 4 The fiscal year of the Section will January 1 through December 31. Sec. 5 The Section Chairman will be responsible to assure that the Section operates according to Section Bylaws, IEEE Constitution and Bylaws. ARTICLE V Nomination and Election of Officers Sec. 1 A Nominating Committee consisting of four (4) or more members, not then elected officers of the Section, will be appointed by the Section Chairman with the approval of the Section Executive Committee. The Nominating Committee Chairman will normally be the Section Junior Past Chairman. Sec. 2 The Section Nominating Committee will contact the prospective candidates for Section offices and verify their willingness and ability to accept the office, should they be elected, prior to publishing nominees' names. Sec. 3 The Nominating Committee's report should be in the hands of the Secretary by the 1st of October so that it may be included in the November meeting announcements. Nominations may be submitted to the Secretary from the membership by letter bearing the nominee's name and office and signed by ten qualified voters. This letter must be received by the Secretary not later than two weeks prior to the December meeting. The election of officers shall be at the regular December meeting. If there is no contest for any office, the election shall be by voice vote. Sec. 4 If only one nomination is made for each office, elections will be made by voice or standing vote at the December Section meeting. If additional nominations are made, election will be made by written ballot at the December Section meeting and the vote counted by a tellers' committee appointed by the Section Chairman. A majority vote will determine the winner for each office. Sec. 5 Ballot by mail will be resorted to only if there is no quorum present at the December meeting, or if there is a tie vote of those members present at the December meeting. (Reference Article VI) Sec. 6 No officers shall be eligible for re-election to a succeeding term in his office, except when serving out an unexpired term. Sec. 7 The timetable for nomination and election of officer will be as follows: Appointment of nominating committee - no later than the 1st of September. Announcement of nominations - November Section meeting announcement. Nominations by petition will close two weeks prior to December Section meeting. Hold election - December Section meeting. ARTICLE VI Meetings Sec. 1 The regular monthly meetings will normally be held the third Thursday of each month except the months of July and August. Notices of the meetings will be mailed one week prior to the date of the meeting. Sec. 2 Special meetings and Executive Committee meeting may be called at any time by the Executive Committee upon written notice to the membership. Regular meetings may be changed or canceled by the Executive Committee for just cause upon written notice to the membership. Sec. 3 A majority of the members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum to conduct its business. Sec. 4 Ten voting members shall be present to constitute a quorum at a section meeting called for the transaction of business. A majority vote of the members present and voting is sufficient to carry a resolution. ARTICLE VII Finances Sec. 1 The Section shall have the right to obligate funds for all purposes necessary to promote objectives except that no officer or representative thereof shall have any authority to contract debts for, pledge the credit of, or in any way bind the IEEE for those activities specifically prohibited in the IEEE Bylaws or published interpretation of policy. Sec. 2 All expenditures of Section funds must be approved by the Section Executive Committee. Sec. 3 The Section Treasurer or Chairman will be authorized to draw funds as approved by the Section Executive Committee. Sec. 4 The Treasurer books shall be reviewed annually by an audit committee and approved before they are transferred to his successor. ARTICLE VIII Membership Sec. 1 All members of the IEEE residing within the territorial limits of the Section are members. Sec. 2 All Fellows, Senior Members, and Members of the IEEE shall be entitled to attend the meetings, vote, and hold office. Sec. 3 Associates of the institute who are members of the Section shall be entitled to attend meetings and to vote, but shall not have the right to hold office. Sec. 4 Student members of the IEEE are privileged to attend meetings, but shall not have the right to vote of hold office. ARTICLE IX Amendments Sec. 1 Proposals for amendments may originate in the Section Executive Committee or by a petition signed by fifteen (15) or more voting members, Sec. 2 Proposed amendments and sufficient reasons therefor, shall be delivered or mailed to the Section Executive Committee members at least twenty (20)days before the stipulated meeting of the Section Executive Committee at which the vote shall be taken. Two-thirds of all votes cast at that meeting shall be required to approve any new Bylaws, amendments or revocation. Sec. 3 Such Bylaws must be consistent with the IEEE Constitution, Bylaws, and published interpretation of policy. Sec. 4 A copy of amended Bylaws shall be submitted for approval by the Regional Director. ARTICLE X The Affiliation of S. C. Sections Sec. 1 The Section shall maintain membership in the South Carolina Affiliation of Sections of the IEEE, Subject to Article X, Sec. 5. Sec. 2 The Section shall subscribe for each member of the Section to the IEEE Corona published by the Affiliation, subject to Article X, Section 5. Sec. 3 The Executive Committee shall determine the extent and kind of participation of the Section in the affairs of the Affiliation, subject to Article X, Sec. 5. Sec. 4 The Section Chairman shall represent the Section in the affairs of the Affiliation. Sec. 5 The financial participation of the Section in the affairs of the Affiliation shall be limited to $1.00 per year per member, plus a share of the IEEE Corona publication expenses. ARTICLE XI GROUP CHAPTER Sec. 1 A Group Chapter, consisting of the members of a group who are members of the Section, may be established to function in a manner similar to that of a Committee of the Section. A petition must be submitted to the Section Executive Committee for written approval, and then forwarded with this approval to the IEEE General Manager. Sec. 2 The petition to establish a Chapter must contain the following: a) Name of Section. b) Name of the Group. C) Name of the Organizer (who becomes interim Chairman pending election of a regular Chairman at a later organization meeting). d) Signatures of at least twelve (12) IEEE members, other than students, who are members of the Group and Section. e) Names of other Section members who indicate they will join the Chapter, if established. Sec. 3 The Group Chapter shall be considered established upon notification of the Section Chairman by the General Manager. Sec. 4 The Chairman of the Group Chapter will have the responsibility to see that no less than 10 members, other than students, maintain membership and that no less than 2 technical meetings are held per year, or maintain a level of activity acceptable to the Regional Director and the Group Chairman. Sec. 5 Chapter meetings may be scheduled only if it has received prior approval of the Executive Committee of the Section within whose boundaries the meeting is held. All Section member shall be advised of all meetings held in the Section, including those organized by chapters. Sec. 6 The responsibility of Chapter management shall rest with the Section, which shall have control of all financial and other assets of the Chapter in carrying out its activities Sec. 7 With concurrence of the Section Executive Committee, Regional Director, and Group Chairman, a Group Chapter may be dissolved. Such dissolution will be reported to the IEEE Executive Committee, Regional Activities Board and Group Chairman.