IPSA Bylaws
- Article I: Rules of Order
- Article II: Duties of Officers
- Article III: Committees
- Article IV: Membership Application/Reinstatement
- Article V: Meetings and Conferences
- Article VI: Duties and Privileges
- Article VII: Elections
- Article VIII: Vacancies
- Article IX: Official Roster
- Article X: Fiscal and Administrative Year
- Article XI: Dues/Renewals
- Article XII: Amendments
Article I: Rules of Order
Section 1. The Rules contained in Roberts Rules of Order shall govern the deliberations of the Society and the Board of Directors in all cases in which they are applicable and not in conflict with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society.
Article II: Duties of Officers
Section 1. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board and all meetings of the Society and, with the VP Finance, shall sign as legal representatives of the Society, all documents approved by the Board. In the absence of the President, a Vice President, designated by the President, shall preside at meetings of the Society.
Section 2. The Immediate Past-President shall serve as a voting member of the board and assist the President with the continuing operations of the society as the President may request.
Section 3. The Vice President of Finance shall be the custodian of the funds of the Society, with responsibility for annual budget preparation and maintaining and reporting financial statements to the Board in a format consistent with standard accounting procedures. He/she also processes dues, in cooperation with the VP Membership, for annual membership renewals.
Section 4. The Vice President in Charge of Programs acts as liaison to the Board for the host Chapter of the IPSA State conference. The VP Programs provides the Board regular updates of the conference planning process including, but not limited to, programming, budgeting, implementation, and evaluation.
Section 5. The Vice President of Membership will coordinate all membership activities of the Society. He/she will coordinate with local chapters all aspects of the membership recruitment process including, but not limited to, Board approval, notification to new members, and deposit of dues and initiation fees with the Treasurer. The VP Membership also manages the annual membership renewal process in cooperation with the VP Finance. He/she maintains the official roster of membership and oversees production of the annual membership directory.
Section 6. The Vice President of Communications is responsible for the newsletter, Web site and any other special publications of the Society. He/she also issues special announcements to local/state media on behalf of the Society. He/she shall be responsible for keeping of official records of the Society, including recording minutes and maintaining a roster of the Board Members. He/she manages business meeting arrangements for the Board. He/she also prepares and mails the Officer nominee ballot for membership vote.
Section 7. Officers and Board members are expected to attend all meetings of the Board of Directors. If unable to attend, the board member should notify the President or VP Communications in advance of the scheduled meeting. Two consecutive unexcused absences from in-state Board meetings shall constitute grounds for dismissal from office at the discretion of the Board of Directors.
Article III: Committees
Section 1. The President, with the approval of the Board, 60 days prior to the election of officers, will appoint a nominating committee.
Section 2. The Vice Presidents will appoint their respective standing committees after election.
Section 3. The President shall appoint such special and temporary committees as he/she deems necessary.
Section 4. All committees shall report at the board meeting, or as specified by the President.
Article IV: Application for Membership and Reinstatements
Section 1. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in ideas, issues and technology shaping the future of the Internet.
Section 2. The Vice President of Membership shall be responsible for the screening procedure on new membership applications. All applications for membership or reinstatement, from whatever source, shall be directed to the local chapter Vice President for Membership for processing, including securing approval by consent of the local Board of Directors present and voting. If there is not a majority present, phone or fax approval is permitted. Approval shall be a simple majority. Objections must be stated in writing after which additional information will be circulated. Dues and initiation fees shall be submitted with the application for membership.
Section 3. When a member in good standing resigns he may be reinstated under condition to be prescribed by the Board of Directors.
Section 4. A member who has been dropped from the rolls for non-payment of dues may re-apply for membership under the rules governing new membership.
Section 5. Membership transfers from one individual to another will be voted on by the Board of Directors.
Section 6. Current members with company-paid dues moving to positions at another company must complete an application and pay annual dues. Applications are then processed as for new members, with approval at local and state levels.
Section 7. Renewal or reinstatement of membership may be denied to members not in good financial standing.
Article V: Meetings and Conferences
Section 1. There shall be at least one monthly meeting of the Board.
Section 2. Special meetings of the Society may be called at any time at the direction of the Board or by the President, or upon written request to the President by thirty (30) members in good standing. The notice of such meetings shall state the business for which they are called and no other business may be transacted at such meetings.
Article VI: Duties and Privileges
Section 1. Each member shall be entitled, subject to such rules as the Board may establish, to a Certification of Membership, signed by the President and Vice President Membership.
Section 2. All active members who have paid current dues and against whom no ethical or financial charges are pending shall be eligible to vote and to hold office in the Society.
Section 3. If the right of a member to vote or hold office is questioned, the records of the Board shall be conclusive.
Section 4. Upon a written request of ten or more members in good standing in which the cause has been stated, the Board of Directors may expel any member by a two-thirds vote, providing such member shall have been advised in writing of the charges and provided he has been given the opportunity for fair hearing.
Article VII: Elections
Section 1. Procedure for conduct of a written ballot for officers and directors shall be as follows:
A. The Nominating Committee (see Article III, Section 1), after soliciting suggestions for officers, shall nominate a candidate for President. The Presidential nominee shall confer with the Nominating Committee about the remaining officers.
B. The VP Communications shall submit the slate in ballot form to each qualified member at least thirty (30) days before the candidate nominations meeting. At or before this meeting, members may submit nominations. After the candidate nominations meeting, the secretary will send the list of candidates to members via e-mail. Members may write in other candidates for office on this ballot. Ballots not returned within 15 days will indicate a vote in favor of the slate as submitted by the nominating committee. A simple majority of returned and non-returned ballots are required for approval of the officers.
C. In the event that current President is not re-elected, he/she will automatically be appointed to the position of Immediate Past-President and shall serve until replaced.
D. Officers shall be installed at the first meeting of the fiscal year and shall serve until successors are duly elected and installed.
E. Elections must be held at least 90 days before the end of the fiscal year.
Article VIII: Vacancies
Section 1. Vacancies occurring among the officers of the Society shall be filled for the unexpired portion of that term by the Board of Directors with a simple majority of the members concurring. Such vote may be taken by mail-ballot. A vacancy in the position of Immediate Past-President may not be filled.
Article IX: Official Roster
Section 1. An official membership directory of the Society shall be prepared and distributed to all members by the Vice President Membership. This shall be the responsibility of the Vice President Membership.
Article X: Fiscal and Administrative Year
Section 1. The calendar year shall be the fiscal and administrative year.
Article XI: Dues/Renewals
Section 1. Annual dues of the Society shall be $30.00 per year for active members.
Section 2. The official membership year shall be January 1 through December 31. The renewal process is administered by the Vice President of Membership.
Section 3. Dues shall be deemed in arrears if the individual, after receiving notification from the Vice President of Membership, has not paid in full by the end of January. The individual may then be dropped from membership, and so notified by the end of the first quarter.
Section 4. Pro-ration Schedule for New Membership Dues:
- New members applying for membership by June 30th pay full current annual dues.
- Those applying for membership from July 1 through September 30 pay 50% of current annual dues.
- Candidates applying for membership from October 1 through December 31 pay the full annual dues, and their membership term will extend through December 31 of the following year.
Section 5. Renewal or reinstatement of membership may be denied to members not in good financial standing with IPSA.
Article XII: Amendments
Section 1. The Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Board.
