ARTICLE
I - IDENTIFICATION
1. The name of this group is Nebraska-Western Iowa Mensa, hereinafter identified as NWIM.
2. NWIM is a local
group of American Mensa, Ltd. (AML) and is subject to the
Constitution of Mensa, the bylaws of AML and the resolutions adopted by
the
American Mensa Committee (AMC).
ARTICLE
II - MEMBERSHIP
1. Membership in NWIM shall be open to all members of AML in good standing in the geographical areas assigned to NWIM by the AMC, or as otherwise assigned by AML.
2. Mensa Members in
good standing who are not also members of NWIM are
welcome to participate in the social activities of NWIM at the
discretion of
the host or hostess. The National
Ombudsman, his surrogate, and members of the American Mensa Committee
shall be
permitted to participate in the business affairs of NWIM in discharge
of their
official duties.
3. NWIM shall observe the preferences of members for data suppression and publication, as filed with AML, when publishing a local group roster or membership directory/register.
ARTICLE
III - OFFICERS AND DUTIES
1. All officers must be current members in good standing of AML and NWIM. An officer is defined as any person who is given a title with specific responsibilities.
2. The governing body of NWIM shall be an Executive Committee (ExComm), voting members of which shall be the four elected officers — President, Vice President, Recording Secretary and Treasurer — plus the Communications Officer, who shall be appointed by the President with the concurrence of at least two other elected officers. No person shall have more than one voting position on the ExComm.
3. The ExComm shall conduct the business of NWIM, direct disbursement of group funds and, except for the office of President, shall fill vacancies caused by resignation, inability to serve, or removal as provided in Article III, Paragraphs 12 and 13 of these bylaws.
4. In addition to
the required appointment of the Communications Officer as
a voting member of the ExComm, the President, with ExComm concurrence,
may make
as many other appointments as may be required for the orderly
administration of
the group.
5. The President shall be the chief executive officer of NWIM. He shall preside at business meetings, make all required and special appointments (except as stated elsewhere in these bylaws), coordinate the group activity calendar, and serve as NWIM’s principal liaison with the AMC, other local groups and the public. He shall pass along information to and from the members of NWIM in a timely fashion. He shall notify AML and the Regional Vice Chairman (RVC) for NWIM within two weeks of the results of elections and of changes of officers within the group. He shall be authorized to act for the Treasurer in cases of emergency as determined by the ExComm, and shall, by virtue of office, be a member of all committees except the Election Committee (reference Article V 1).
6. The Vice President shall assist the President in administering the business of NWIM, shall preside in the absence of the President, and shall immediately and automatically succeed to the office of President if that officer is unable to serve out his term.
7. The Recording Secretary shall take minutes and maintain records of all business meetings of the ExComm or group, furnishing a copy to each ExComm member and a summary to the Editor for publication in the next NWIM newsletter.
8. The Treasurer shall have custody of, and be accountable for, all NWIM funds, and shall disburse funds under the direction of the ExComm. He shall submit a semiannual financial report for publication in the NWIM newsletter; the report shall contain schedules of income, expenses and balances for all funds under NWIM control, including RG, scholarship and other special funds. The Treasurer may assist the Editor in the preparation and submission of any postal forms that may be required. The Treasurer shall also maintain a listing of all equipment owned by NWIM and shall submit to the President, at least quarterly, statements from banks and/or any other institutions where the group’s money is deposited or cause a statement to be sent directly to the President or another member of the ExComm so designated by the President. All NWIM accounts must be separate accounts in the name of the group, and shall have more than one signatory so that funds can be accessed in the temporary absence of the Treasurer.
9. The ExComm shall publish a printed newsletter at least quarterly. If an electronic version of the newsletter is also created, the printed version shall nevertheless be the version to be sent to members unless they request otherwise. The Communications Officer shall be responsible for the NWIM newsletter and any other publications of the group, including electronic publications and/or a NWIM website. The Communications Officer shall, with the consent of the ExComm, appoint the Editor of the NWIM newsletter and any other necessary positions or serve in any of those positions personally. The newsletter shall include notices of meetings and programs, required ballots, results of business meetings and elections, amendments to the bylaws and related discussions and ballots, the semiannual financial reports, and shall prepare and publish Post Office forms if required. The outgoing Editor must turn over to the incoming Editor all files in good order to the incoming Editor no later than 15 days after the outgoing Editor leaves office.
10. A mediator shall be appointed by the President, with the consent of the ExComm, to mediate disputes within the group and shall be an arbitrator available to serve as a representative to a Regional Hearings Committee. The mediator and the National Ombudsman may submit matter to the Editor marked “for publication” that relates to their official duties; anything so marked shall be given the highest practicable priority for publication in the newsletter.
11. The term of office for the elected officers shall be two years, from April 1 of each odd numbered year to March 3l of the succeeding odd numbered year, or until installation of a properly qualified successor, except in the case of resignation or removal. A replacement for an elected officer shall be considered an elected officer whose term of office ends with the next regular election.
12. Elected officers may be removed from office, for cause, by unanimous vote of all other voting members of the ExComm, or by recall election. Recall may be initiated by a petition signed by at least 10% of the NWIM membership as determined by the latest membership list provided by AML, citing the reason(s) for such action and presented at a regular or special meeting of the ExComm. The balloting provisions of a regular election shall apply, except that a recall election must be held within 60 days of presentation of a valid petition. Recall ballots shall be included in the NWIM newsletter or as a special mailing, and must include a statement of the petition and a statement by the officer(s) involved, if submitted. A majority of those voting shall be sufficient to effect recall.
13. Any voting officer may be removed from office for three consecutive unexcused absences at business meetings by majority vote of the remaining officers. The authority to excuse absences shall be by majority vote of the other voting officers.
14. Except for the Election Committee (reference Article V 1), the term of office for appointed officers and positions shall not exceed the term of the current elected officers. Appointed officers serve at the pleasure of the ExComm, and may be removed by majority vote thereof.
15. All officers and appointees shall turn over all files, equipment and materials pertaining to their offices to either their successor(s), to the current President, or to another member of the ExComm no later than four weeks after leaving office. (Exception for Editor’s 15 day turnover is noted above.)
16. An annual financial review shall be conducted during April of each year. The ExComm shall appoint someone to conduct the review who was not involved in the issuing or collecting of money during the previous year. The review shall include viewing statements from banks and/or any other institutions where the group’s money was held during the review period.
ARTICLE
IV - MEETINGS
1. Regular meetings of NWIM may be held at such times as may be appropriate; however, a regularly scheduled ExComm meeting and membership activity must each be held at least once a quarter. Notice of meetings and activities shall be published in the newsletter or sent to each member by mail.
2. ExComm meetings shall be announced in the newsletter or notice sent to each member by mail. Meetings shall be open to all members of the group. Attendance of three voting members shall constitute a quorum, and a majority of voting members present shall carry any action, except as otherwise specified by these bylaws.
3. Special meetings of the ExComm may be called by the President or by the ExComm, and shall be called upon receipt of a petition signed by at least 10% of the NWIM membership. The date, time, place and purpose of the special meeting shall be announced in the newsletter or by special mailing, and no other business than that indicated in the notice may be acted upon.
4. Telephone, mail, and E-mail actions taken by the ExComm on time-critical items between meetings shall be verified at the next meeting and be made a part of the minutes.
ARTICLE
V - ELECTIONS
1. No later than November 1 of each even numbered year, the ExComm shall appoint an Election Committee (ElecComm) consisting of three members, designating one as Chairman. Names and addresses of ElecComm members shall be published in the December newsletter or sent to the membership by mail during that month. Names and addresses of the ElecComm members may also accompany the nominated slate of candidates and the election ballots when published. The ElecComm shall be responsible for nominating one or more candidates who are willing to serve for each elected office, and for conducting the election, receiving and counting the ballots, and certifying the results in writing to the President. The term of the ElecComm expires on April 30. No member of the ElecComm shall be a current elected officer or a candidate for elective office in the forthcoming election.
2. The Chairman of the ElecComm shall provide nominations for elective office to the Editor no later than the deadline for the January newsletter, and shall be announced therein or sent to the membership by mail during that month.
3. Additional nominations may be made by petition signed by at least five members of NWIM and delivered to the Chairman of the ElecComm no later than the deadline for the February newsletter.
4. Ballots shall be printed in the February newsletter or sent to the membership by mail during that month. Ballot position shall be determined by lot by the Chairman of the ElecComm. Ballots shall be contained in a blank envelope, placed inside a second mailing envelope, on the outside of which the voter’s name, address and Mensa membership number must be clearly legible in the upper left hand corner. Multiple family members may use the same outer envelope so long as all other requirements are satisfied. Ballots must be mailed or hand-delivered to the Chairman of the ElecComm and be received no later than March 5 in order to be counted. The ElecComm shall strive to maintain the anonymity of voters.
5. The date and
place of the tallying of the ballots shall accompany the
ballots, and the tallying may be observed by any member in good
standing of
NWIM. A plurality of all votes cast for each office shall constitute
election;
in the event of a tie vote, the Chairman of the ElecComm shall
determine the
outcome by a coin toss. The results of the election shall be announced
at the
March general meeting, if one is held,
and in the
April newsletter or sent to the membership by mail during that month.
6. If any office is uncontested, the sole candidate shall be declared elected. If all positions are uncontested, no ballots shall be printed or cast; however, the Chairman of the ElecComm must in any event certify the results, in writing, to the President, who shall, in turn, notify AML and the RVC for NWIM of the results within two weeks of the election.
7. Any challenges to the election must be made in writing to the Chairman of the ElecComm no later than April 15 and ruled on no later than April 30. Any actions by the ExComm while a challenge is pending shall not be affected by the results of any such challenge.
ARTICLE
VI - AMENDMENTS
1. Amendments to these bylaws may be proposed by a majority of the ExComm or by 10% of the NWIM membership.
2. Amendments shall be submitted to the AMC for approval to ballot, following which they shall be published in the next issue of the NWIM newsletter.
3. A mail ballot shall appear in the next issue of the newsletter that follows publication of the proposed amendments. Balloting deadline shall be no less than 90 days following the first publication of the proposed amendments in the newsletter.
4. To become effective, amendments to these bylaws shall require an affirmative vote of the majority of those casting valid ballots, as well as the final approval of AMC after filing of revised bylaws with the Bylaws Committee. The Bylaws Committee will inform NWIM of the effective date of the bylaws as amended.
5. Changes/modifications to the AMC Minimum Standard Bylaws requirements that may come into effect following approval of these bylaws shall be deemed to apply to the bylaws of NWIM, whether or not actually incorporated herein.
ARTICLE VII – MENSA NAME AND LOGO
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