Bylaws of the Southeastern Women’s Studies Association
Amended April 1, 2016
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 and Gender Studies and its purposes who reside in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The Association’s office will be at the institution or office of the Association’s current treasurer.
ARTICLE II: Purpose
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 the elimination of oppression and discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity or expression, sexuality, nationality race, age, religion, 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 and pay the annual institutional dues membership shall be an institutional member in good standing.
Section 3: A record of members shall be kept by the Treasurer, the Director of Membership and Development, and the Director of Communications and Marketing.
ARTICLE IV: Meetings and Communications
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 Executive Board by March 15 of the year prior to the meeting.
b. Election of officers, business or annual reports, and a review of Executive Board actions since the last meeting shall be undertaken at the annual meeting. Written notice of meeting date, time, and place will be given to the membership in the spring conference program.
Section 2: The Association under the authority of the Executive Board shall communicate news of the Association and other information and work of interest to its membership at least three times per year.
Section 3: At the discretion of the Executive Board, 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.
Article V: Officers
Section 1: Elected Officers
a. The elected officers shall consist of a President, President-Elect, Immediate Past-President, Secretary, Director of Membership and Development
b. Officers shall be elected at the annual business meeting and will serve for two years.
c. The two-year terms of elected officers will be staggered to ensure continuity of the Association’s work.
Section 2: Appointed Officers
The Appointed Officers of the Association shall be the Director of Communications and Marketing, Treasurer, Annual Conference Chair, Conference Chair-Elect, and Chairpersons of standing and ad hoc committees deemed desirable to carry on the work of the Association. These officers shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Board.
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. No member shall be eligible to serve more than three consecutive terms. The office of the President may be filled without regard to previous consecutive service in any other office.
Section 4: Two members of the Executive Board will serve as delegates to the National Women’s Studies Association. These delegates will be selected at the mid-year meeting, Delegates must be members of both the Southeastern Women’s Studies Association (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 to the SEWSA Executive Board.
Section 5: Officer Responsibilities. Responsibilities of the officers shall include:
a. 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 Executive Board. The President with the assistance of the Executive Board shall be responsible for identifying conference sites for two consecutive years.
b. 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 Executive Board; shall assume the office of President at the expiration of the current President’s term.
c. Immediate Past-President:
The Immediate Past-President shall serve as advisor to the President and other elected officers and as a member of the Executive Board for two years following the expiration of term as President.
d. Secretary:
The Secretary shall be responsible for the minutes of the Association and Executive Board 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. The Secretary shall perform the duties of the President in all cases in which the President and President-Elect are unable to serve.
e. Treasurer:
The Treasurer shall chair the Finance and Budget Committee; pay the organization’s debts as directed by the Executive Board; report the state of the Association’s finances at the annual business meeting; collect dues and other monies of the Association; insure that an independent review of the Association’s financial records is undertaken annually by an officer designated by the Executive Board.
f. Director of Membership and Development:
The Director of Membership and Development shall 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.
g. NWSA Delegates:
The NWSA Delegates shall represent SEWSA in national policy making and decisions and shall keep the Executive Board informed of NWSA activities and policies.
ARTICLE VI. The Executive Board
Section 1: The Executive Board is the year-round governing body of SEWSA. It shall consist of the elected officers, the Immediate Past-President, appointed officers, and Chairpersons of the standing committees. Members of the Executive Board must be members in good standing in the Association.
Section 2: In accordance with the Bylaws, the Executive Board 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: Elections shall be held annually. A majority of the votes cast shall be necessary for election. Each member in good standing shall be entitled to one vote.
ARTICLE VIII. Committees and Duties
Section 1: Chairpersons of standing committees shall be members of the Executive Board. 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: Director of Communications and Marketing:
The Director of Communications and Marketing shall be responsible for developing creative strategies for communicating with the membership.
Section 3: Members of standing committees will serve for a minimum of two years, with the exception of the Conference Committee, the Conference Chair and Conference Chair-Elect, who will serve for one year. The Executive Board will appoint standing committee chairpersons. Standing committees shall include:
Conference Committee (which shall be responsible for the program at the annual conference and for filing copies of conference materials with the Sally Bingham Archives at Duke University);
Finance and Budget (which shall oversee the annual audit and other matters related to the economic well-being of the organization);
Conference Chair (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 Chair-Elect in all deliberations);
Caucus groups (which alert the Executive Board 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 4: Ad hoc committees and task forces may be appointed by the Executive Board 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 Executive Board and approved by a majority of the members present at the annual business meeting. The membership dues year will be January 1 – December 31.
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.
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. Revised January, 2016 pending a vote April 1, 2016. Revised Bylaws approved April 1, 2016 at the 2016 SEWSA conference, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, South Carolina.