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Heart of America
Regional Section of

USITT Logo
The Association of Design, Production, and Technology Professionals
in the Performing Arts and Entertainment Industry

BY-LAWS

HEART OF AMERICA SECTION (As approved April 1, 2010, Kansas City)

UNITED STATES INSTITUTE FOR THEATRE TECHNOLOGY

ARTICLE I - NAME

Section 1. NAME: The name of this organization is the Heart of America Section, United States Institute for Theatre Technology, hereinafter referred to as the Section.

ARTICLE II. PURPOSES AND LIMITATIONS

Section 1. PURPOSES: It is the primary purpose of the Section to implement the purposes of the United States Institute of Theatre Technology, hereinafter referred to as the Institute, as stated in its by-laws, article 2, section 1, within the geographical area served by the section.

Section 2. LIMIT OF ACTIVITIES: The section shall not engage in activities which are not in furtherance of its stated purposes nor in opposition to the grounds on which the Institute was granted exemption from federal income tax under provision of section 501, (c), (3), of the internal revenue code, of 1954, as amended.

Section 3. LIMIT OF ACTIVITIES: No part of the revenue of the Section is meant to benefit any private member or individual. No part of the activities of the Section shall be for the purpose of carrying out propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation nor shall it participate or intervene in any political campaign for or against any candidate for public office.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP, DUES, MEETINGS AND VOTING

Section 1. MEMBERSHIP: The membership of the Section shall consist of anyone residing within, or outside, the geographic Section area, who is interested in furthering the purposes of the Section and the Institute, and who applies to the Section for membership and pays the membership dues. Members may join a section based on activities and other regional affiliations and are not required to adhere to strict geographic boundary designations.

a. SECTION AREA. The Section area is defined geographically by the following states: Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.

b. MEMBERSHIP CLASSES. The same classes of membership shall exist in the Section as exist in the Institute and as set down in the Institute's by-laws, article 3, section 1.

Section 2. DUES. The executive committee shall have the authority to establish annual dues for all classes of membership. Such dues are in addition to the Institute dues.
   
a. Dues shall be paid annually on January 1 and become delinquent March 31 for former members. The fiscal year and the calendar year are the same, from January 1 to December 31.
b. Members joining the Section after October 1 will receive paid-up membership through the following fiscal year.
c. Delinquent members shall pay the full amount of one year's dues membership. A person who fails to renew Section membership is placed in a delinquent status for one operating year, and then becomes simply a non-member. Persons in a delinquent status are not members, they have no Section membership rights. Failure to become a member of the Section or to maintain membership in the Section has no affect whatsoever on membership status with the Institute.

Section 3. MEETINGS.

a. ANNUAL. The annual meeting of the Section shall be held at a place approved by the executive committee. Electronic notice of the time and place of the annual meeting shall be given to all members not less than thirty (30) days before the date of the meetings. Annual meetings are traditional associated with: the annual USITT National Conference.
b. SPECIAL. Special meetings of the Section may be called at any time by:
a. The President of the Section, or
b. A majority of the executive committee, or
c. Filing with the Secretary a request signed by at least ten (10) members of the Section.

Notice of special meetings shall be electronically mailed or delivered in writing to all members not later than thirty (30) days before the meeting.

c. QUORUM. At all meetings of the members, a quorum shall be ten (10%) percent of the total membership of the Section, or five (5) persons, whichever is greater.
d. Robert?s Rules of Order shall be consulted to resolve points of procedure.

ARTICLE IV. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Section 1. COMPOSITION. The executive committee shall consist of the following:
a. ELECTED OFFICERS:
a. President
b. Vice President for Programming
c. Vice President for Membership
d. Secretary
e. Treasurer

b. THE IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
c. EX OFFICIO AND NON VOTING: 
a. Officers of the Institute who are members of the Section
b. Editor of the Section Newsletter.

Section 2 ELECTION. Ballots for the election of officers shall be electronically mailed to the membership with the notice of the annual meeting and must be returned to the designated address not later than five (5) calendar days before the date of the annual meeting or brought to the meeting. The ballot shall list the nominations of the nominating committee plus space for write in votes for all vacancies. The nominating committee shall nominate at least one person for each vacancy. Member's name must appear on the "from" line of the electronic message in which the ballot is returned. The ballots must be tabulated and the results reported at the annual meeting and in the next issue of the Newsletter.
a. NOMINATING COMMITTEE. The nominating committee shall consist of the immediate past president of the Section as committee chair-person, plus four (4) other members of the Section elected at the first regular meeting of the Section each year.
b. SLATE. The committee shall attempt to provide representation for the diversity of disciplines and geographic distribution of the membership. Each nominee must have agreed to serve if elected.

Section 3. TERM OF OFFICE. Officers of the Section shall be elected for a two year term. The election for the officers of President and Vice President for Membership shall be held on odd numbered years, while the officers of Vice President for Programming, Secretary, and Treasurer will be held on even numbered years. Officers are limited to a single consecutive term in the same office. No term limit is set on the office of Treasurer.

Section 4. QUORUM. A quorum of the executive committee shall be three (3) members, including either the President or one of the Vice Presidents.

Section 5. VACANCIES. Vacancies in the executive committee (elected officers only) shall be filled by the executive committee at its next meeting to serve the balance of the unexpired term of office.

Section 6. MEETINGS. The executive committee shall meet as required to carry out the business of the Section.

a. The President may call meetings of the executive committee and shall inform all members of the executive committee of such meetings at least fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting.
b. Special meetings of the executive committee may be called by electronic notice of two (2) members of the committee; such notice to be electronically mailed to all members of the committee at least fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting.
c. Robert?s Rules of Order shall be consulted to resolve points of procedures.

Section 7. POWERS. The executive committee shall have the general power to carry out the business of the Section, as it deems proper, not inconsistent with the by-laws of the Section and the by-laws of the Institute. The executive committee shall not have the power to amend the by-laws. The executive committee shall report any action taken in the name of the Section to the membership by the use of the newsletter. Among the powers of the executive committee are:
a. Adoption of rules and regulations for the conduct of meetings.
b. Adoption of an annual budget for the Section.
c. Establishment of a dues structure for the various classes of membership
d. Establishment of polices on any and all services rendered to or by the Section.
e. Appointment of an editor for the Section Newsletter.
f. Performing other duties as may be prescribed by the by-laws.

ARTICLE V. OFFICERS

Section 1. GENERAL. All officers of the Section shall be members in good standing of both the Institute and the Section at the time of their election and for the duration of their terms of office. No officer of the Institute may also serve as an officer of the Section. No officer of another Section may also serve as an officer of the Section. No officer of the Section shall receive any salary or compensation for his or her services as an officer of the Section. Any officer of the Section may be removed from office by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the membership of the Section.

Section 2. PRESIDENT. The President shall preside at meetings of the executive committee and at meetings of the membership, and shall have general charge of the Section. The President shall keep the membership fully informed of all activities and actions taken and shall freely consult with the membership and executive committee. The President shall appoint all committees except as specifically designated otherwise herein. The President shall perform other duties as by tradition pertain to the office, or as assigned by the by-laws.

Section 3. VICE PRESIDENT FOR PROGRAMMING. The Vice President for Programming, in the absence or incapacity of the President, shall perform all of the duties of the President. The Vice President for Programming shall function as program Vice President for the Section for all regular meetings. The Vice President for Programming shall perform other such duties as may be assigned by the by-laws and/or the President.

Section 4. VICE PRESIDENT FOR MEMBERSHIP. The Vice President for Membership shall be responsible for membership services and membership campaigns. The Vice President for Membership shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the by-laws and/or the President.

Section 5. SECRETARY. The Secretary shall have charge of the minute books and shall take and record all minutes of regular meetings and executive committee meetings. The Secretary shall be responsible for providing a copy of the minutes to the newsletter editor for publication. The Secretary shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the by-laws and/or the President.

Section 6. TREASURER. The Treasurer shall have care and custody of the funds of the Section and shall deposit them in such bank or trust company as designated by the executive committee. The Treasurer shall collect and receive dues, charges, and other monies as are due to the Section and act as agent for the Section to the Institute in the collection and receipt of dues, charges, and other monies payable to the Institute. The Treasurer shall keep accurate books and records of all receipts and expenditures of the Section and of all collections and disbursements of funds on behalf of the Institute. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the disbursement of funds in accordance with the budget as approved by the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall provide quarterly audit to the Chairperson and the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall disseminate information on dues collected to the Section Vice President for Membership and the Newsletter Editor. The Treasurer shall perform other duties as may be assigned by the by-laws and/or the President.

OUTSIDE AUDIT. The Executive Committee shall have the Section books audited on a regular basis by a qualified firm or individual. Such an audit must be performed whenever the office of Treasurer passes from one individual to another and at such other times as the executive committee and membership deems necessary.

 

ARTICLE VI. PROJECTS AND RESEARCH

Section 1. PROJECT ACTIVITIES. It is clearly the chief and most important function of the Institute and the Section to conduct projects and encourage research in the fields of theatre planning and design, construction, equipment, aesthetics, presentation, and operations. Appropriate project activities include research, experimentation, investigation, collection of data, problem analysis, exchange of information and ideas, exhibitions and other forms of study leading to the acquisition of knowledge and improvement in technology. The resultant purpose of project activities shall be the dissemination of information to the membership and the advancement o the profession. Its shall be the objective of the Section to encourage, promote, and assist its members in the conduct of project and research activities in accordance with the purposes of the Institute.

Section 2 PROJECTS. The research and project activity of the Institute is administered and coordinated by the commission on projects. The Section shall cooperate with the commission to the greatest extend possible.

 

ARTICLE VII. PUBLICATIONS

Section 1 NEWSLETTER. The Section shall publish and distribute to the membership a newsletter. The Executive Committee shall appoint the Newsletter editor. The newsletter is to contain official notices of meetings, tours, workshops, and other events by and for the Section. The newsletter will also include a copy of the minutes of the last meeting.

Section 2 OTHER PUBLICATIONS. The Section may from time to time publish and distribute other publications, as the Executive Committee deems appropriate.

ARTICLE VIII. COMMITTEES.

Section 1 The President of the Section shall have the power to establish such committees as are deemed necessary to carry forward the business of the Section subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.

Section 2 Such committees shall serve for a term of one year from the date of establishment.

Section 3. Chairs of such committees shall be appointed by the President of the Section.

ARTICLE IX. CONTRACTS, CHECKS, AND NEGOTIABLE INSTRUEMNTS

Section 1. OFFICERS EMPOWERED TO SIGN. All contracts, checks, and other negotiable instruments of and to the Section shall be signed by the Treasurer of the Section, or, in the absence of the Treasurer, by the Section President.

ARTICLE . AMENDMENTS

Section 1. PROPOSAL OF AMENDMENTS. These by-laws may be amended by any regular or special meeting of the Section in the following manner; any proposal for such amendments shall be subscribed to in writing by not fewer than four (4) members of the Section and filed with the Secretary.

Section 2. NOTIFICATION OT MEMBERSHIP. Upon filing with the Secretary, the Secretary shall notify the membership in the next regular meeting announcement and/or newsletter of the proposed amendment, its content and application, together with a notice of the time and place of the meeting to consider the proposed amendment on a date not less than 10 and not more than 20 days following the date of such an electronic mailing.

Section 3. EMAIL BALLOT. The Executive Committee may choose to submit the proposed amendment to the membership via an electronically mailed ballot. In such case, the ballot must be submitted to the membership along with a written explanation of the purpose of the amendment as well as a complete text to the amendment. In addition, if there are arguments pro and con, they too must be submitted to the membership in the same electronic mailing. The date for the return of the ballots shall be 30 days after the mailing and shall be clearly spelled out in the accompanying notice. The member's name must appear on the "from" line of the same electronic mailing in which the ballot is returned. The ballots must be tabulated and reported not less than thirty (30) days after the close of the balloting.

ARTICLE XI. DISSOLUTION

In the event that the membership of the Section drops below the minimum required by the Institute to sustain a Section, the Section shall cease to function and shall notify the Institute Vice President for Sections of the situation. All assets remaining after payment of all obligations shall be remitted to the Treasurer of the Institute to be maintained in an escrow amount for a period of one calendar year. At the end of such a period, if the Section has not resumed operation, the assets shall revert to the Institute without restriction.
Heart Of America Section, USITT

Adopted April 1, 2010 in Kansas City Missouri

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http://www.usittheartofamerica.com/bylaws.htm