CAM Bylaws
Effective December 20, 2006
Article III - Officers and Duties
Article VII - Mensa Logo and Name
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Article I Name and Purpose
1. The name of this organization shall be Cincinnati Area Mensa.
2. Cincinnati Area Mensa is a local group of American Mensa, Ltd., and is subject to the Constitution of Mensa, the Bylaws of American Mensa, Ltd., and the resolutions adopted by the American Mensa Committee. American Mensa, Ltd. is herein abbreviated as AML, the American Mensa Committee as AMC, and Cincinnati Area Mensa as CAM.
3. The purpose of CAM shall be to carry out the objectives of AML, with special emphasis upon the needs of the local group.
Article II Membership
1. Membership of CAM shall be open to all members of AML in good standing in the geographic areas assigned to CAM by the AMC, or as otherwise assigned by AML. Individual members of AML may request CAM membership by preference.
2. Mensa members who are not also members of CAM are welcome to participate in the activities of CAM but may not vote or hold office.
3. Mensa members in good standing who are not also members of CAM are welcome to participate in the social activities of the local group at the discretion of the host or hostess. The National Ombudsman, his surrogate, and members of the American Mensa Committee shall be permitted to participate in the business affairs of the local group in the discharge of their official duties.
4. CAM shall observe the preferences of members for data suppression and publication, as filed with AML, when publishing a local group roster or membership directory/register.
Article III Officers and Duties
1. The governing body of CAM shall be an Executive Committee of seven members, each of whom shall have full voting privileges. The Executive Committee, herein abbreviated as ExComm, shall elect a Local Secretary and Provisional Local Secretary from their number at the first meeting of the newly elected ExComm. A Treasurer shall be appointed from the local membership at said meeting. The Treasurer need not be a member of ExComm. All officers, whether elected or appointed, must be current members in good standing with AML and CAM.
2. The Local Secretary (LocSec) shall be the chief executive officer and the liaison with other local groups and with AML. He or she shall be charged with being the chief point of contact between AML and the local group. By agreeing to be LocSec, the LocSec agrees to pass along information to and from the group in a timely fashion. The LocSec shall notify AML and the Regional Vice Chairman (RVC) for the local group within two weeks of any changes in the officers of the group during the term.
3. The Provisional Local Secretary shall serve as Local Secretary in the event of a vacancy in that office until ExComm elects a new Local Secretary at the next regular meeting.
4. Three unexcused absences at business meetings shall be considered a resignation from ExComm. Excusal authority is a majority vote of the remaining members; a tie vote constitutes an excusal.
5. A member of ExComm may be removed from ExComm by a recall election which may be called by a petition signed by a minimum of 25 members in good standing. The petition must cite the reasons for the recall election. After the petition has been received by ExComm, the procedure shall be the same as for a regular election, except that the calendar, as determined by the election committee, may differ. Such a calendar must allow a minimum of 30 days from the time ballots are mailed to the balloting deadline. Recall shall be effected by a majority of votes received.
6. ExComm shall select a replacement for any ExComm member who resigns, or who is removed or recalled from office. A replacement for an elected officer is considered to be an elected officer whose term of office ends with the installation of the next ExComm.
7. ExComm may, at its own option, specify as many appointed officers as needed. An appointed officer is defined as any person who is given a title with specific responsibilities. The term of office of all appointed officers ends with that of the ExComm that appointed them. ExComm has full authority to remove such appointed officers by a majority vote. Appointed officers are not members of ExComm.
8. The Treasurer shall be responsible for financial matters of the local group, including the finances of the local group newsletter, and shall submit to ExComm a semi-annual financial report which shall also be published in the local group newsletter. The financial report shall contain schedules of income, expenses and balances for all funds under the control of the local group, including RG, scholarship and other special funds. The Treasurer shall submit to the LocSec at least quarterly, the actual statements from banks and any other institutions where the group's money is deposited or cause a statement to be sent directly to the LocSec or his or her designee (who must also be a member of ExComm). All accounts must be separate accounts in the name of the group, and shall have more than one signatory so that funds can be accessed in the temporary absence of the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall maintain a list of all equipment owned by CAM.
9. ExComm shall appoint an ombudsman, who shall serve as mediator for disputes within the local group and shall be an arbitrator available to serve as a representative to a Regional Hearings Committee. The ombudsman may not be a member of ExComm.
10. ExComm shall authorize a publication to include a calendar of events. At least twice each year, a financial report shall be published. The report shall contain schedules of income, expenses and balances for all funds under the control of the local group, including RG, scholarship and other special funds. ExComm shall appoint an editor who shall serve at the pleasure of the ExComm. The editor need not be an ExComm member.
11. All officials, elected and/or appointed, shall maintain records and follow procedures that will facilitate transition of office to their successors. All files, office equipment and materials pertaining to said offices shall be turned over to their successor, the LocSec or to another member of ExComm within four weeks of leaving office. Note: failure to turn over the files, equipment and other materials of office may be considered an act inimical to CAM and/or AML.
12. An annual financial review shall be conducted during January of each year. ExComm shall appoint someone to conduct the review who was not involved in the issuing or collecting of money during the previous year. The review shall include viewing actual statements from banks and any other institutions where the group's money is deposited.
Article IV Meetings
1. ExComm shall meet monthly. Four members of the committee shall constitute a quorum; no proxies shall be allowed. All meetings of ExComm shall be open to the membership of the local group. Voting at these meetings shall be limited to members of ExComm. Notification of the regular meeting shall be published in the calendar of events. Failure to publish notification of the meeting shall not invalidate any actions taken at a meeting.
2. Special business meetings may be called at any time by the Local Secretary or by ExComm, and shall be called upon receipt of a petition signed by 10% of the membership of the local group, using the most recent membership roster provided by AML as a measure of membership count. The date, time, place and purpose of the special meeting shall be announced or reported in the local group newsletter (or by direct mail). No other business than that indicated in the notice calling the meeting may be acted on.
3. All business meetings of CAM, and ExComm, shall be held within the geographical limits of the group as assigned by the AMC.
Article V Elections
1. Before the conclusion of the June meeting, ExComm shall see to the appointment of an Election Committee consisting of a Chair and two other members to receive nominations, to print and distribute ballots, to receive and count returned ballots, to certify the votes, and to publish election results. The Election Committee Chair may fill vacancies on the committee. Neither members of ExComm nor candidates for elective office in the election may be on the Election Committee. A call for petitions shall be published in the August newsletter.
2. Nominations must be received by September 1. Each nomination shall be made by petition signed by a minimum of four members of the local group, one of whom must be the nominee.
3. The candidate list shall be sent to the editor of the newsletter by the deadline in the month of September. The editor shall publish a ballot in the October newsletter.
4. Voting shall be by secret ballot. All ballots must be received via the US Postal Service by the Election Committee by November 1.
5. Validating and counting shall be done at a time and place to be announced by the Election Committee and shall occur no later than November 15. Members shall be able to vote for one or more of seven candidates with one vote only per candidate. The seven nominees receiving the highest number of validated votes shall become the ExComm-elect. If fewer than seven nominees receive any votes, vacant positions shall be filled by the incoming ExComm as described in Article III (10). Any ties shall be settled by lot. Ballots shall be kept for 60 days after the election results are tabulated. The Election Committee shall notify all candidates of the election results as soon as practicable after counting. Results shall be published no later than the January issue of the newsletter.
6. The ExComm-elect shall be seated at the close of the December ExComm meeting which shall be no later than December 20.
7. Any challenges to the election must be made in writing to the Chairman of the Election Committee and received by November 30. Any such challenges must be ruled on by the December meeting of ExComm.
8. The outgoing LocSec shall notify AML and the RVC for the local group within two weeks of the results of the election.
Article VI Amendments
1. At any regular or special meeting of ExComm an amendment to these bylaws may be proposed.
2. Submission of a proposed amendment to the membership may be by a majority vote of ExComm or by a petition signed by at least 25 CAM members in good standing.
3. Proposed amendments shall be submitted to and approved by the AMC before balloting by the local group membership. Following AMC approval, proposed amendments shall be published to all members of CAM either as an insert in, or as part of the local newsletter, or as a separate mailing. A mail ballot shall appear in the issue of the local group newsletter that follows publication of the proposal and shall be sent to every member of the local group. Members may receive a copy of the proposed amendments upon request. Balloting deadline shall be no less than 90 days following the first publication of the proposed amendment(s) in the local group newsletter. Bylaws or bylaw amendments are not effective until approved by both the AMC and the local group membership. Ballots shall be returned by mail to a person designated by the ExComm. Passage of an amendment shall require approval by a majority of the members voting. All ballots shall be retained for 60 days. The membership-approved bylaws shall be sent back to the National Bylaws Committee, who will notify the local group of the effective date of the bylaws as amended.
Article VII Mensa Logo and Name
1. AML has granted a royalty free, non-exclusive license to Cincinnati Area Mensa for the use of the mark "Mensa" and a logo, consisting of a globe over a stylized "M" within a border, in connection with the non-commercial uses of CAM. AML retains full ownership of the mark and logo and all statutory and common law rights in the mark and logo.