Bylaws

Article I

Name

This organization shall be called: RHU ACM Student Chapter. In these Bylaws, it is referred to as the Chapter; the Association for Computing Machinery is referred to as ACM.

Article II

Purpose

  1. The Chapter is organized and will be operated exclusively for educational and scientific purposes to promote the following:
    • An increased knowledge of and greater interest in the science, design, development, construction, languages, management, and applications of modern computing
    • Greater interest in computing and its applications
    • A means of communication between persons having an interest in computing
  2. The Chapter will serve students at Rafik Hariri University, Computer and Information Systems Department, and other interested persons in the community.
  3. The Chapter is chartered by ACM.

Article III

Membership

  1. Membership in the Student Chapter shall be open to all ACM members and nonmembers.
  2. Voting membership in the Student Chapter shall be granted to all active Chapter members.
  3. Membership shall not be restricted according to race, creed, age, gender, disability, nationality, sexual orientation, economic status, veteran status, or parenthood.

Article IV

Officers

  1. The officers of this Chapter shall be: Chair, Vice Chair, and Treasurer. These individuals must be ACM Student Members. In addition, a Faculty Sponsor with an ACM Professional Membership is required. Other officers may also be established.
  2. The officers shall be elected by a plurality of votes cast at the annual election meeting or via electronic voting and serve for a minimum of one year.
  3. Appointment or nomination of an individual to an officer position within an ACM Chapter shall be in general limited to two full consecutive terms in the same position. This recommendation is intended to encourage the continuing infusion of new volunteers into the organization and to encourage office holders to give thought to planning for their successor.

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 ACM and these bylaws.
  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.
  3. The Treasurer shall keep the minutes of all Chapter meetings and maintain the Chapter's financial records. Other duties include:
    • Collecting dues, paying all bills, and maintaining records for the Chapter
    • Preparation of the Chapter's annual report and officer contact information, and submission of these to ACM Headquarters via the Chapter Administrative Interface
    • Submission of any proposed amendment to these bylaws must be submitted to ACM Headquarters - Chapters Department. Proposed amendments must be approved before they can be submitted to the Chapter's membership for a vote.
    • Perform other duties as assigned by the Chair
  4. The Faculty Sponsor shall be a faculty member or full-time staff member of your school. Each Student Chapter has one Sponsor.
    • The Faculty Sponsor shall be a voting member of ACM and either a member of the faculty or full-time staff of Rafik Hariri University, Computer and Information Systems Department
    • The Faculty Sponsor shall be generally responsible for the activities of the Chapter. Specifically, the Sponsor:
      1. helps provide continuity from year to year as student leadership and personnel change
      2. promotes good student-faculty relationships
      3. helps maintain university standards in all activities of the Chapter
      4. exercises financial supervision, if necessary, by promoting prompt payment of bills and collection of dues, and overseeing the settlement of all accounts in the event of dissolution of the Chapter
      5. represents the Chapter interests to the faculty and administration
      6. For high school Chapters and underage students the Faculty Sponsor must be in attendance at every meeting that is held in the evening. In the event that the appointed sponsor is not available, another faculty member may chaperone the meeting. If both are not available, a local area professional, previously investigated and approved by the school, can be assigned to supervise evening meetings.

Article VI

Meetings

  1. The Chapter shall hold meetings only in places that are open and accessible to all members of the Association.
  2. An annual election meeting should be held. At this meeting, the Treasurer will present the required reports. Also, the election of officers shall be held.
  3. Notices of all meetings shall be distributed to all members at least one week prior to any meeting.

Article VII

Disbursements and Dues

  1. Disbursements from the Treasury for Chapter expenditures shall be made by any active Chapter officer and shall be included in the minutes of its meetings.
  2. Dues shall be fixed annually.

Article VIII

Amendment and Voting Procedure

  1. All proposed changes to these Chapter Bylaws shall be approved by ACM Headquarters - Chapters Department before being presented to the Chapter membership for a vote.
  2. No official business of the Chapter shall be conducted unless a quorum is present. A quorum of the Chapter shall be defined as a majority of the voting membership of the Chapter.
  3. Officers will be elected by a plurality of votes cast.

Article IX

Code of Conduct

  1. Harassment or hostile behavior is unwelcome, including speech that intimidates, creates discomfort, or interferes with a person's participation or opportunity for participation, in a Chapter meeting or Chapter event. Harassment in any form, including but not limited to harassment based on alienage or citizenship, age, color, creed, disability, marital status, military status, national origin, pregnancy, childbirth- and pregnancy-related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, gender, veteran status, sexual orientation or any other status protected by laws in which the Chapter meeting or Chapter event is being held, will not be tolerated. Harassment includes the use of abusive or degrading language, intimidation, stalking, harassing photography or recording, inappropriate physical contact, sexual imagery and unwelcome sexual attention. A response that the participant was “just joking,” or “teasing,” or being “playful,” will not be accepted.
  2. Anyone witnessing or subject to unacceptable behavior should notify a Chapter officer or ACM Headquarters.
  3. Individuals violating these standards may be sanctioned or excluded from further participation at the discretion of the Chapter officers or responsible committee members.

Article X

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 ACM Finance Director. Funds given to the Chapter from the University shall be returned to the University.