BYLAWS of the SOUTHEASTERN WOMEN'S STUDIES ASSOCIATION 1

ARTICLE 1: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Southeastern Women's Studies Association (SEWSA). Membership is drawn from, but not confined to, individuals and organizations interested in women's studies and its purposes who reside in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The Association's office will be at the institution or office of the Association's current president.

ARTICLE II: Purpose

The SEWSA is a feminist organization which actively supports and promotes all aspects of women's studies at every level of involvement. The organization is committed to scholarship and activism eliminating oppression and discrimination on the basis of sex, race, age, religion, sexual orientation, ethnic background, physical ability, and class.

ARTICLE III: Membership

Section 1: Membership is drawn from but not limited to, the residents of states listed In Article I.

Section 2: Regular membership in SEWSA shall consist of two categories defined as follows: Individual members: Any individual who subscribes to the purpose of this organization and pays the annual membership dues shall be a member in good standing and allowed one vote in the organization. Institutional members: Academic and community based programs and projects that subscribe to the purpose of this organization shall be allowed to designate its representative to cast its single vote in the organization.

Section 3: A record of members shall be kept by the Treasurer and the Communications Officer.

ARTICLE IV: Meetings and Publications

Section 1: a. The annual meeting of the SEWSA shall be held during the spring of each year. The time and place of the meeting will be fixed by the Steering Committee in a timely manner.

•  Election of officers, business or annual reports, and a review of Steering Committee actions since the last meeting shall be undertaken at the annual meeting. Notice of meeting date, time, and place will be given to the membership in a timely manner.

Section 2: The Association under the authority of the Steering Committee shall publish news of the Association and other information and work of interest to its membership in a timely fashion online and/or in writing as appropriate.

Section 3: At the discretion of the Steering Committee, a mid-year business meeting shall be held in the fall at a mutually agreed upon site. The purpose of the mid-year meeting shall be to finalize arrangements for the annual spring meeting and to conduct other SEWSA business as necessary.

Section 4: SEWSA is friendly to students and members of the community, and conference organizers are encouraged to reduce costs for students and members of the community who attend the conference.

ARTICLE V: Officers

Section 1: Elected Officers

a. The elected officers shall consist of a President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, Vice-President for Membership and Outreach, Secretary, Treasurer, and Representatives from the region to the National Women's Studies Association (NWSA).

b. Officers shall be elected at the annual business meeting and will serve for two years with the exception of the Treasurer, who will serve in a more permanent capacity, and the NWSA Representatives, who will serve for one year.

Section 2: Appointed Officers

The Appointed Officers of the Association shall be Communications Officer , Annual Conference Coordinator, the Conference Coordinator-Elect, Chairpersons of the standing committees, student representatives, and such other officers as shall be deemed desirable to carry on the work of the Association. These officers shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Steering Committee.

Section 3: No member shall hold more than one office at a given time.

Elected officers shall be eligible for re-election to the same office for one additional term, except the office of the Treasurer . No member shall be eligible to serve more than three consecutive terms, except the office of the Treasurer and the office of the President may be filled without regard to previous consecutive service in any other office.

Delegates and Alternates to NWSA Conferences shall be chosen in accord with NWSA bylaws. Delegates must be members of both Southeastern Region (SEWSA) and the National Women's Studies Association. Members of SEWSA shall be kept informed about the national conferences and any policies it formulates through reports filed by these delegates in the Newsletter.

Section 5: Officer Responsibilities. Responsibilities of the officers shall include:

•  President: The President shall represent the organization in the region and shall communicate the needs of the region and the regional organization to others in the region and the nation. The President shall have the usual executive powers of supervision and management such as may pertain to the office or designated by the Steering Committee. The President with the assistance of the Steering Committee shall be responsible for identifying conference sites for two succeeding years.

•  President-Elect: The President-Elect shall perform the duties of the President in all cases in which the President is unable to serve; shall assist in such matters as may be delegated by the President or by the Steering Committee; shall assume the office of President at the expiration of the current President's term.

•  Immediate Past-President: The Immediate Past-President shall serve as advisor to the President and other elected officers and as a member of the Steering Committee for two years following the expiration of term as President.

•  Vice President for Membership and Outreach: The Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President in all cases in which the President and President-Elect are unable to serve; be responsible for developing a creative membership recruitment and retention policy with particular emphasis on promoting diversity in the membership; and implement the organization's efforts to increase participation by institutions and individuals in the region.

•  Secretary: The Secretary shall be responsible for the minutes of the Association and Steering Committee meetings and shall serve as Parliamentarian at such meetings; shall be responsible for keeping a file of all correspondence received or sent by the Association and shall keep a record of all policies enacted.

•  Treasurer: The Treasurer shall pay the organization's debts as directed by the Steering Committee; report the state of the Association's finances at the annual business meeting; collect dues and other monies of the Association; insure that a periodic audit is taken; and become bonded by a recognized company whenever receipts of the organization exceed $5000. *

•  NWSA Representation: Elected members shall represent the SEWSA in national policy making and decisions and shall keep the region informed of NWSA activities and policies.

h. The Communications Officer shall be responsible for publishing news of the organization, for filing copies of the organization's publications with the NWSA and with regional feminist archive collections, and for transmitting regional news to the NWSA.

ARTICLE VI: The Steering Committee

Section 1: The Steering Committee is the year-round governing body of the SEWSA. It shall consist of the elected officers, the Immediate Past-President, appointed officers, and Chairpersons of the standing committees. Members of the Steering Committee must be members in good standing in the Association.

Section 2: In accordance with the bylaws, the Steering Committee shall have the general power to administer the affairs of the Association and to carry out its programs and policies, and shall act for the Association between conferences.

ARTICLE VII: Nominations and Elections

Section 1: All elections shall be held at the annual meeting. A majority of the votes cast shall be necessary for election. Each member present shall be entitled to one vote.

Section 2: Nominations from the floor and self-nomination are encouraged at the annual meeting.

ARTICLE VIII: Committees and Duties

Section 1: Chairpersons of standing committees shall be members of the Steering Committee. Only members of the Association shall be chairpersons or members of standing and special committees. Committee Chairpersons shall be appointed for two-year terms, with renewal possible.

Section 2: Members of standing committees will serve for a minimum of two years, with the exception of the Conference Committee, the Conference Coordinator and Conference Coordinator-Elect, who will serve for one year. The Steering Committee will appoint standing committee chairpersons. Standing committees shall include: Conference Committee (which shall be responsible for the program at the annual conference); Conference Coordinator (shall be located at the conference site and will plan and execute the arrangements for the annual conference with the conference committee and include the Conference Coordinator-Elect in all deliberations); Caucus groups (which alert the Steering Committee to special interest items for their agenda and work with membership and outreach efforts); Bylaws Committee (which shall review the Bylaws at least every five years); Nominating Committee (which shall submit a slate of nominations at the annual business meeting for officers and assist with the selection of the members of the standing committees).

Section 3: Ad hoc committees and task forces may be appointed by the Steering Committee to deal with specific projects and will no longer exist after the project is completed.

ARTICLE IX: Dues

Section 1: a. Membership dues shall be set by the Steering Committee and approved by a majority of the members present at the annual business meeting. The membership dues year will be April 1 – March 31.

b. Communications of a general nature will be sent to all dues-paying members , and/or placed on the organization's website.

Section 2: The Association shall provide for such audit and control of its funds as are necessary for the safekeeping and complete accounting of its monies.

ARTICLE X: Ratification and Amendment

The Bylaws of the Association shall govern it and all its practices. The current edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall be the final authority in all questions of parliamentary procedure whenever such rules are not inconsistent with the bylaws of the organization. Amendments to the bylaws may be submitted to the bylaws committee at any time, but must be submitted early enough to be considered and sent out with information on the annual conference. The bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present at the annual business meeting of the SEWSA.

--------------------------

1 First approved by the membership present at the annual conference, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee on February 23-25, 1979. Ratification of this document required a 60 (sixty) percent vote of the members present at the annual business session. This document is a revision and was approved on March 14, 1992 at the annual conference, University of South Florida, Tampa by 60% of the members present at the business meeting. Revised and approved on April 17, 1993 in Nashville, Tennessee, by all members present at the business meeting.