THE LAKE/GEAUGA AREA CHAPTER OF THE SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

 

(As amended January 1, 2006)

 

ARTICLE I – Lake/Geauga Area Chapter of SHRM

 

Section 1: Name. The name of the Chapter is the Lake/Geauga Area Chapter of SHRM (herein referred to as the "Chapter").

 

Section 2: Affiliation. The Chapter is affiliated with the Society for Human Resource Management (herein referred to as "SHRM").

 

ARTICLE II -- Membership

 

Section 1: Qualifications for Membership. The Chapter is a 100 percent Chapter of SHRM. All Chapter members must be members in good standing of SHRM. To achieve the mission of the Chapter there shall be no discrimination in individual memberships because of race, religion, sex, age, national origin or handicap. Memberships are individual and are not transferable to other individuals.

 

Section 2: Voting. Each member of the Chapter shall have the right to cast one vote on each matter brought before a vote of the members. Votes shall be tallied by an Ad Hoc Committee appointed by the Board of Directors.

 

Section 3: Rights and Privileges. All members of the Chapter shall have the right and privilege of attending regular meetings, participating in discussions, securing copies of any proceedings and publications of the Chapter, and be entitled to all other privileges and services of the Chapter.

 

Section 4: Application for Membership. Application for membership shall be made in writing on a National Membership Application provided by the Chapter or through National Membership Designation.

 

Section 5: Membership Suspension. Upon the two-thirds affirmative vote of the Executive Board, any member may be suspended or dropped for non compliance with the Constitution, regulations in force, accepted standards of conduct, or membership dues requirements.

 

Section 6: Termination of Membership. Any member failing to maintain membership in SHRM will forfeit his/her membership in the Chapter.

 

Section 7: Payment of Membership Dues. Chapter dues may be recommended by the Executive Board. National dues are payable upon receipt from SHRM National.

 

Section 8: Retired Life Members. Individuals who qualify as NATIONAL SHRM RETIRED LIFE MEMBERS may be accepted for membership in the Chapter. They shall have the right to vote and hold office.

 

ARTICLE III -- Meetings of Members

 

Section 1: Regular Meetings. Regular meetings of the members shall be held on the third Thursday of each month or as otherwise determined by the Board of Directors.

 

Section 2: Annual Meetings. The annual meeting of the members for electing directors and officers and conducting other appropriate business shall be held in November or at such other time as determined by the Board of Directors.

 

Section 3: Notice of Meetings. Notice of all special and annual meetings shall be given to all members at least 10 days prior to the meetings. Notice of regular meetings shall be given to all members at least seven days prior to the meeting.

 

Section 4: Quorum. All members present shall constitute a quorum at any meeting. The act of a majority of those present at any meeting shall be the act of the members.

 

ARTICLE IV – Executive Board

 

Section 1: Chapter Executive Board. The Executive Board shall consist of: President, President-Elect, Vice President of Programming, Vice President of Membership, Vice President of Public Relations, Vice President of Legislation, Treasurer, Secretary and Immediate Past President. Additional members shall be appointed from among the eligible membership as members of the Executive Board. Such positions may be subsequently eliminated by the President with majority concurrence of the Executive Board.

 

Section 2: Qualification. All candidates for the Executive Board must be members of the Chapter and SHRM in good standing at the time of nomination or appointment. The Chapter believes in the concept that all individuals in the field of Human Resource management have the right to leadership in the profession in keeping with their talents, skills, ability and work habits. It is our policy to (1) provide equal opportunities in leadership, and (2) support the concept of equal opportunities based on individual talent, skills, abilities and work habits without regard to race, color, creed, sex, age, national origin, marital status or disability.

 

Section 3: Election-Term of Office. All elected Executive Board members shall be chosen as provided in Article VI of this Constitution. Each Executive Board member shall assume office on January 1 of the year next following the election and shall hold office for one calendar year or until death, resignation, removal or until his/her successor is elected and takes the Executive Board position.

 

Section 4: Vacancies. The President, with the approval of the Executive Board, shall have power to fill any vacancies occurring in any elective office between annual meetings. The member of the Executive Board so elected by the Executive Board shall hold office until the next annual election or until a successor is elected and qualified.

 

Section 5: Quorum. A simple majority of the total Executive Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The act of a majority of the Executive Board present at any meeting at which there is a quorum shall be the act of the Executive Board.

 

Section 6: Executive Board Responsibilities. The Executive Board shall transact all business of the Chapter except as prescribed otherwise in the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws. A member in good standing may request the President to place on the agenda of the next regular meeting any action taken by the Executive Board.

 

Section 7: Removal of an Executive Board Member. Any Executive Board member may be removed from office, with cause, upon an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the entire Executive Board at a duly constituted Executive Board meeting.

 

ARTICLE V -- Duties and Responsibilities

 

Section 1: President. The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Chapter. The President shall serve as the presiding officer at meetings of the members and of the Executive Board; serve on other committees as defined in this constitution and may sit in on any other committee or board; have general charge and supervision of the affairs of the Chapter; perform such others duties as may be assigned, by the Executive Board and shall prepare and submit the Chapter Achievement for the term of office.

 

Section 2: President-Elect. The President-Elect shall automatically assume the office of the President the year following the term as President-Elect; or upon the death, resignation, or removal of the President. The President-Elect shall assume the office of President for the balance of that year and then serve the regular year in office. The President-Elect at the request of the President, or in the absence or disability, may perform any of the duties of the President; shall assist the incumbent President in managing the affairs of the Chapter; shall plan the program for the year in office as President, shall act as Chairperson of the Nomination Committee and shall also perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Constitution, the President, or the Executive Board.

 

Section 3: Vice President of Programming. The Vice President of Programming, at the request of the President, or in the absence or disability of the President and the President-Elect, may perform any of the duties of the President. The Vice President of Programming shall be responsible for planning and coordinating the programs for the monthly meetings and such special meetings that may be called by the President, and perform such other duties as may be assigned by this Constitution or the Executive Board.

 

Section 4: Vice President of Membership. The Vice President of Membership shall serve as Chair of the Membership Committee. He/she shall encourage membership growth and shall maintain the official membership roster of the Chapter. He/she shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as the President may determine.

 

Section 5: Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial affairs of the Chapter. This responsibility shall include the preparation, interpretation and dissemination of periodic financial reports to the Executive Board; shall collect business-meeting receipts and perform such other duties as may be assigned by this Constitution, the President or the Executive Board.

 

Section 6: Secretary. The Secretary shall be responsible for the preparation of a record of the proceedings of all meeting of the Executive Board, and of any other business meetings of the Chapter. The Secretary shall maintain a list of members and publish a roster of the Chapter members at regular intervals as deemed necessary by the Executive Board. The Secretary shall also perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the Constitution, the President, or the Executive Board.

 

Section 7: Vice President of Legislation. The Vice President of Legislation shall keep the Chapter informed on all local, state and federal legislation affection matters relevant to the Human Resource profession and shall represent the Chapter when communicating with legislature, while encouraging Chapter members to do the same.

 

Section 8: Vice President of Public Relations. The Vice President of Public Relations will oversee and manage the marketing and public relations activities of the chapter. He/she will be tasked with guiding the activities of the following committees: Newsletter, External Relations, College and Community Relations and perform other duties as may be assigned by the President or the Executive Board.

 

ARTICLE VI – ELECTIONS

 

Section 1: Election of The Executive Board. The election of members of the Executive Board shall take place by the November meeting of the Chapter.

 

Section 2: Nominating and Ballots. The President-Elect shall, no later than one month prior to the November meeting, place in nomination one name for each elected office, which shall be filed with the Secretary, who shall at least ten days prior to the November meeting, print an official ballot and mail a copy to each member.

 

Section 3: Determination of Elections. The President shall verify the election by tallying the ballots and certify the results to the Secretary. The candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected and the results announced during the December meeting. Installation of officers shall occur during the January meeting.

 

ARTICLE VII - Committees

 

Section 1: Appointment. The President, with the approval of the Executive Board, shall appoint such committees as may be necessary to carry on the activities of the Chapter.

 

Section 2: Committee Activity. Committees are established to provide the Chapter with special ongoing services such as Programs, Membership Communications, Legislative Affairs, Professional Development, Student Chapter Affairs, Public Relations, etc.

 

Section 3: Auditing Committee. The Executive Board shall, no later than March 1 after taking office, appoint an Auditing committee composed of one to three members, of which at least one of whom shall not be a member of the Executive Board. The Auditing Committee shall be required to investigate or cause to investigate and review the financial condition of the Chapter annually or at lesser intervals, as it may deem necessary. It shall audit the accounts of the Chapter for each fiscal period and shall report its findings to the Executive Board and membership.

 

ARTICLE VIII -- Chapter Dissolution

 

In the event of the Chapter's dissolution, the remaining monies in the Treasury, after Chapter expenses have been paid, will be contributed to an organization decided upon by the Executive Board at the time of dissolution (e.g., the SHRM Foundation, a local student chapter, the state council, an HR-degree program, or other such organization or charity).

 

ARTICLE IX -- Statement of Ethics

 

The Chapter adopts SHRM's Code of Ethical Standards for the HR Profession for members of the Chapter in order to promote and maintain the highest standards among its members. Each member shall honor, respect and support the purpose of this Chapter and SHRM.

 

The Chapter shall not be represented as advocating or endorsing any issue unless approved by the Executive Board.

 

No member shall actively solicit business from any other member at Chapter meetings or through the use of information provided to him/her as a member of the Chapter without approval from the Executive Board.

 

ARTICLE X -- Amendment of Bylaws

 

A copy of all proposed amendments to the Bylaws shall be forwarded to SHRM before amendment.

The Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the members present at any meeting at which a quorum exists and in which required notice has been met provided such proposed amendment has been reviewed by SHRM and is not in conflict with the Society's Bylaws.