BYLAW
SOUTHWEST TEXAS SECTION
SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS
ARTICLE 1 ORGANIZATION
SECTION 1. NAME AND AUTHORITY
The name of this organization is the Southwest Texas Section of the Society of Women Engineers, acting under a charter granted by the Executive Committee of the Society of Women Engineers (abbreviated SWE) and operating under the authority of the Council of Section Representatives of SWE.
SECTION 2. PURPOSE
The purpose of this Section shall be to further the aims of SWE as stated in its National Bylaws.
SECTION 3. GOVERNMENT
A. The relations of this Section to SWE shall be governed by the National Bylaws of the SWE and the rules of the Society.
B. Every question which shall come before a meeting of this Section, or of a committee, shall be decided by a majority of votes case unless otherwise provided by this Section or National Bylaws.
ARTICLE II MEMBERSHIP
Membership in the Section is governed by all provisions relating to membership as stated in the National Bylaws of SWE.
SECTION 1. GRADES OF MEMBERSHIP
The membership of the Section consists of:
A. Voting Members
1. Voting members of SWE, who have the right to vote at all meetings, to receive official publications, to be candidates for the office of President, Vice-President, and Section Representative and to enjoy the privileges of membership in the organization.
2. Associate members of SWE, who have the same rights and privileges as Voting Members of SWE except that they cannot be candidates for the offices of President, Vice-President, or Section Representative.
B. Non-Voting Members
1. Student members of SWE, who have the right to attend all meetings and receive official publications.
SECTION 2. ADMISSION
Each application for membership shall be submitted through the Secretary of the Southwest Texas Section who shall forward the application and required dues to the Admission Committee.
ARTICLE III OFFICERS
SECTION 1. LIST
The officers of the Section are:
A. President
B. Vice-President
C. Secretary
D. Treasurer
SECTION 2. ELIGIBILITY
A. To become a candidate for any office, a woman must be a Voting Member or Associate Member of the Section.
B. To become a candidate for President or Vice-President, a woman must be a Voting Member of SWE.
SECTION 3. TERM OF OFFICE
The term of office is one year, with no specified limit to the number of times a person may hold the same office.
SECTION 4. DUTIES AND POWERS
A. President
The President shall represent the Section before the public, shall call and preside over all meetings of the Southwest Texas Section, shall appoint all committees subject to approval of the Executive Committee, and assume all other executive duties not otherwise delegated.
B. Vice-President
The Vice-President shall perform all duties of the President in the absence of that officer or at her request and shall also serve as Program Chairman of the Section.
C. Secretary
The Secretary shall prepare and distribute records of all meetings of the Executive Committee to the membership. She also shall receive all applications for membership together with dues for each and shall transmit them to the Admissions Committee. She shall also carry on the correspondence of the Section as directed by the President or Executive Committee and shall be responsible for notifying the membership of all meetings.
D. Treasurer
The Treasurer shall reserve all moneys for the Section, pay all expenses authorized by the President, sign all checks and vouchers, and shall keep an exact account of all receipts and expenditures and report them to the Executive Committee and the membership at the Annual Business Meeting. If for any reason the Treasurer is unavailable to sign checks, the President may sign checks against the Sections funds. The Treasurer will be a member of any budget committee.
ARTICLE IV. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The affairs of the Section shall be managed by an Executive Committee which shall include but not be limited to the Section President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Section shall occupy the same officers on the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE V. COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE
SECTION 1. SECTION REPRESENTATIVE
The Section Representative shall be a Voting Member of SWE and of the Section elected for a period of one year to perform the duties specified in the National Bylaws. She may attend meetings of the Section Executive Committee.
SECTION 2. ALTERNATE
An alternate Section Representative may be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE VI. MEETINGS
The Section shall hold a minimum of two meetings per year. (Time and Place designated by the Executive Committee.)
ARTICLE VII. COMMITTEES
The President of the Section shall appoint Committees and Committee Chairmen with the approval of the Executive Committee as may be necessary to carry out or further the work of the Section.
ARTICLE VIII. ELECTIONS
SECTION 1. NOMINATING COMMITTEE
The nominating committee shall be appointed by the President, with the approval of the Executive Committee. At least two members shall be nonmembers of the Executive Committee. The nominating committee shall select the name of the best qualified candidate for each of the four offices and for the position of Section Representative and may solicit the Section membership for additional nominees. A slate of candidates is to be submitted to the Secretary of the Section so that it may be presented to each Voting Member at least 30 days prior to the day of elections.
SECTION 2. VOTING
A. Elections shall be by secret mail ballot and shall be tallied by the Nominating Committee.
B. Vote required to elect.
A plurality of the legal votes cast for a particular position elects a candidate to that position.
C. Write-in vote.
Each member may write on her ballot the name of any qualified member whom she wishes ever though that member has not been nominated.
SECTION 3. VACANCIES
A. A vacancy in the office of President is filled by the Vice-President.
B. A vacancy in the office of Vice-President, Secretary or Treasurer is filled by nomination by the Executive Committee and election by the membership.
C. A vacancy in any other elected position shall be filled by vote of the membership.
ARTICLE IX AMENDMENTS
Amendments to the Bylaws may be proposed by any Voting Member or by the Executive Committee and must be submitted to the President.
These Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of Voting Members provided the amendment shall have been submitted to the membership at least 30 days prior to the time of voting. All amendments must have the approval of the National Executive Committee before becoming effective.