Membership
Membership in R-SPEC is open to the public and renewed annually with annual dues. All members are subject to the by-laws. Exceptionally disruptive members may be voted out by the Board of Directors and the member’s dues will be forfeit.Meetings
At least one business meeting of the group members will be held per year, including an Annual Meeting of the Corporation. The date, time, and place of the business meetings, including the Annual Meeting, will be selected by the Board of Directors, or, at the discretion of the Board, by the President on behalf of the Corporation. At least one Officer of the Corporation shall be present at each business meeting.Voting of the Membership
Each member shall be entitled to one vote at each business meeting the respective member attends. A quorum of not less than 10% of the total members of R-SPEC is required for a vote to take place. A simple majority vote of those members present will carry any motion or adopt any proposal, provided that the number of members in attendance meets or exceeds the number required to establish a quorum.Board of Directors
The Board sets policy and goals for the group and shall consist of Directors who are members of R-SPEC with additional responsibilities and shall meet at least annually at a date, time, and place to be established by the Board. Each Director shall have a one year Term of Office with an unlimited number of terms. The Board comprises the Officers and up to four Directors from the group at large such that the total number of Directors is an odd number and shall be led by a Chair elected by the Directors. Each Director may hold more than one Office but is still entitled to only one vote on the Board. The Chair shall organize and run board meetings. The Directors shall be elected by the membership at the Annual Meeting of the membership from a slate presented by the Board and nominations from the floor at the Annual Meeting.
A change in the By-Laws or the Certificate of Incorporation shall require a two-thirds majority vote of the Directors. For all other actions, a simple majority vote of the Directors shall be required.
While voting is preferably conducted in person at a regular Board meeting, the President or Vice-President may call emergency votes by e-mail communication with votes tallied within 72 hours after the vote is called. The vote will be ratified at the next regular Board meeting following the tally of the emergency vote.Officers
The Board shall appoint Officers including a President, a Vice President, a Treasurer, a Secretary, a Marketing Officer, and a Technology Officer. One individual may hold more than one Office save that, as required under New York State law, one individual may not serve as both President and Secretary. The Officers shall be selected from the membership and may also be Directors. Each Officer shall serve a one year term. At the end of each term, the Board may reappoint each Officer or select a new member to serve as an Officer as the Board sees fit. The Board may also create additional Offices by simple majority vote.Responsibilities of the Officers
All Officers are charged with carrying out the policies set by the Board. Each Officer may delegate his or her responsibilities to other group members, save that signatory authority may not be delegated.The President shall oversee all group committees and group activities. The President shall have signatory authority for group bank accounts.
The Vice-President shall assist the President and will act in the place of the President as needed.
The Treasurer shall oversee collection, disbursements, and management of group funds, and will maintain records of fund management. The Treasurer shall have signatory authority for group bank accounts and will work with the Secretary for effective record-keeping.The Marketing Officer shall oversee all marketing and publicity efforts.
The Technology Officer shall oversee the group website, the Google Group (r-spec [at] googlegroups [dot] com), and any other group presence on the world wide web, virtual worlds, such as Second Life, and any other presence on the internet or other cyberspaces as may be created.The Secretary shall keep a list of members, record the minutes of business meetings, take attendance, and record vote counts. The Secretary shall also be responsible for group correspondence and will work with the Treasurer for effective record-keeping.
