BYLAWS OF THE

WESTERN WASHINGTON CHAPTER

SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS/SIGMA DELTA CHI

Current as of 6-16-00

ARTICLE I - Scope and Purpose

NAME: The name of this organization shall be the Western Washington Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists/Sigma Delta Chi.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this organization shall be the promotion of high standards of journalistic effort and of good fellowship among all professional journalists.

ARTICLE 2 - Membership

MEMBERSHIP: Membership in this organization shall be open to current members of the national Society of Professional Journalists/Sigma Delta Chi organization, of which this chapter is a branch, upon payment of dues to the Western Washington Chapter.

NOMINATION: Any member may submit for membership the name of a proposed new member and it shall be the duty of the chapter's board of directors to determine whether the nominee is eligible for membership under the bylaws of the national society.

ARTICLE 3 - Government

OFFICERS: Officers of the chapter shall consist of a president, president-elect, vice president, secretary and treasurer. They shall perform the duties associated with these offices. The vice president shall be responsible for programming.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: The chapter shall have a board of directors of 11 members consisting of the five current officers of the chapter, the immediate past president and five other professional members. The five latter members shall be elected for two-year terms, two in even-numbered years and three in odd-numbered years. Adopted 6-16-00

RESPONSIBILITY: The board of directors shall be responsible for these functions: (1) membership and attendance; (2) Regular and special meetings; (3) Annual press awards; (4) Betterment of journalism program; (5) Professional program; and (6) Planning. Adopted 9-11-68

BOARD MEETINGS: Meetings of the board of directors shall be called at the discretion of the chapter president or upon the request of two or more board members. The chapter president will serve as presiding officer of the board and shall preside at meetings. Five members constitute a quorum of the board. All questions shall be decided by a majority vote of those present.

ELECTION: The president shall appoint, no later than April 1, a nominating committee which shall nominate at least one candidate for each office and board position at the May meeting, when nominations also may be made from the floor. All nominations shall be with the consent of the nominees. Ballots, including a brief biography of each nominee, shall be mailed by the secretary to all members in good standing within one week after the May meeting. Those nominees who receive the most votes among ballots received at chapter headquarters no later than two days before the June meeting, shall be those elected. Ties will be decided by the board of directors. The nominating committee shall tally the votes and announce the results at the June meeting; at which time the officers and board of directors shall take office and serve until their successors have been elected. Adopted 10-30-75

VACANCIES: Vacancies among officers or board members shall be filled by majority vote of the directors present at any meeting at which a quorum exists.

COMMITTEES: Committees shall be established to carry out the chapter's programs as determined by the president or by members of the board of directors, upon approval of the board. Adopted 10-30-75

ARTICLE 4 - Meetings

REGULAR: There shall be a regular meeting of the chapter each month except July and August, the time and place to be determined by the vice president and approved by the board of directors.

SPECIAL: Special meetings shall be called by the president or the board of directors should circumstances warrant.

ARTICLE 5 - Authority to Act

PROCEDURE: All business of this organization, except modification of the bylaws, shall be conducted as directed by the board of directors; except insofar as any action of the board may be repealed or modified by the membership. All regular business shall be determined by a majority vote of those meetings at which a quorum is present. Bylaws may be amended only by a two-thirds majority of members present at a meeting. Such amendments shall be proposed at one meeting and voted upon at a subsequent meeting, after at least seven days' written notice of the proposed amendment has been given to the members by the secretary of the chapter.

RULES: Robert's Rules of Order, insofar as they do not conflict with these bylaws, shall govern the conduct of meetings of this organization.

ARTICLE 6 - Dues

CHAPTER: The amount of local dues to be paid by each member of the chapter shall be fixed by the board of directors, subject to ratification by the membership. Dues shall be paid at the beginning of each chapter year (June).

SPECIAL: At the time of initiation into the national organization, a chapter initiation fee, to be determined by the chapter's board of directors, shall be assessed. Chapter dues and initiation fees are additional to those paid to the national society.

ARTICLE 7 - Dissolution

DISSOLUTION: In event this organization is dissolved for any reason whatsoever, all cash or other assets are to be turned over without further restriction to the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation for use in connection with any worthwhile endeavor, carrying out the general purposes of this organization, that the Foundation may deem proper.