Africa Chapter Bylaws

Article I. Name

The name of this organization is the Africa Chapter of the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T).

Article II. Purpose
The purpose of the Chapter is to provide an organization through which members of ASIS&T located within the Chapter area (Africa) may participate in and carry forward the programs and purposes of ASIS&T. The Chapter shall promote the interests of the Association and its programs and shall make every reasonable effort to involve students of information science and related disciplines who are located within its boundaries.

The particular objectives of the Africa chapter are:
a) to facilitate personal networking among ASIS&T members located in all African countries;
b) to contribute to their professional development by means of meetings, continuing education programs, special programs, newsletter and any other appropriate form of communication and interaction;
c) to establish liaison with ASIS&T officers, SIGs and other chapters with a view to facilitate the interaction between ASIS&T members in Africa and in other parts of the world, the effective participation of Africa members in ASIS&T activities, in particular meetings and publications;
d) to help publicize ASIS&T and its activities within the professional community in Africa;
e) to facilitate the cooperation between ASIS&T and related professional societies in Africa and to contribute to an increased cooperation among the latter.

Article III. Membership

Section 1. All Individual and Institutional members in good standing of ASIS&T whose mailing addresses are within the Chapter's geographic boundaries as established by the ASIS&T Board of Directors shall automatically be members of the Chapter. No individual or organization may become a member of the Chapter except by becoming a member of ASIS&T. Upon request, a member of ASIS&T may become a member of the Chapter even though the mailing address is not within its boundaries.
Section 2. Student members in good standing of ASIS&T who are located within the boundaries of the Chapter shall be student members of the Chapter.
Section 3. All members are entitled to receive Chapter publications. Official notices of Chapter meetings and programs shall be distributed to all members prior to the event.
Section 4. Individual members, Student members, and one certified representative of each Institutional member may vote on any questions submitted to the members of the Chapter at a meeting, or by formal ballot, and may serve as officers of the Chapter.
Section 5. Student members shall have the same privileges and responsibilities as Individual members.
Section 6. A Chapter member whose membership in ASIS&T has been terminated for any cause shall no longer be a Chapter member.

Article IV. Officers
Section 1. The officers of the Chapter shall include, inter alia, a presiding officer to be known as the Chapter Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Past Chair, a Chapter Assembly Representative, an Alternate Assembly Representative, a Secretary -Treasurer, a Webmaster & Social Media/Communications Manager, and an Advisor. The Chair and Chair-elect must be from two different countries of Africa. Effort should be made
to include people from different African countries among the officers. The Chair, Chair-elect, and the Past Chair shall serve for one ASIS&T Africa Chapter administrative year; the Chapter Assembly Representative, Alternate Assembly Representative, Secretary - Treasurer, Webmaster & Social Media/Communications Manager, and Advisor shall serve for two ASIS&T Africa Chapter administrative years. Nothing in these bylaws shall prevent any Chapter member from being elected or appointed to
more than one Chapter office, except that the Representative and Alternate Representative must be different individuals. Terms of office shall coincide with the Chapter administrative year which shall correspond with the ASIS&T administrative year.
Section 2. The Chapter Chair shall see that an annual financial report of the Chapter is filed with the Executive Director of ASIS&T within thirty days after the close of the ASIS&T fiscal year.
Section 3. The Chapter Chair shall preside over all meetings of the Executive Committee (See Article VII, Section 1) and the Chapter. The Chair shall appoint the Chairs and members of all committees, subject to the provisions of these bylaws.
Section 4. The Chair-elect shall actively assist the Chair and shall preside at Executive Committee or Chapter meetings in the absence of the Chair. The Chair-elect shall automatically succeed to the office of the Chair upon completion of the term as Chair-elect, if the Chair becomes unable to fulfill his or her duties, or upon the resignation or death of the Chair.
Section 5. The Secretary-Treasurer shall carry out the customary functions of this office and shall execute the decisions and policies of the Executive Committee. He/she shall ensure that administrative, fiscal and other compulsory reports to the Assembly Director and Executive Director are prepared and delivered in due time and that elections and votes are organized in due time.
Section 6. The Chapter may choose to elect additional officers, at its discretion. Terms of office may span more than one administrative year, but should not exceed three administrative years.
Section 7. The officers of the Chapter must be members of ASIS&T. They shall be elected by a plurality vote of the members voting by means of a formal ballot. The report and recommendations of the Nominating Committee shall be distributed to all voting members prior to the Annual Chapter Business Meeting. The Chapter shall provide its membership with the opportunity to make additional nominations prior to distributing the final ballots.
Section 8. In the event of the resignation or death of a Chapter officer other than the Chair, the Executive Committee shall appoint a member to serve until the end of the administrative year. The exception is that
an appointee filling a vacancy in the position of the Chair-elect shall not accede to the Chair as provided in Section 4 but shall be elected at the next regular election.

Article V. Meetings
Section 1. The Executive Committee shall provide for an Annual Business Meeting. The Annual Business Meeting shall not occur within fifteen days of the ASIS&T Annual Meeting. Written or electronic notice of
the Annual Business Meeting shall be distributed to all members of the Chapter not fewer than 15 days before the date of the meeting. Special business meetings of the Chapter may be held at such times and
places as the Executive Committee may determine, upon 15 days prior notice to the members.
Section 2. The Chapter meetings should, as far as possible, be combined with other professional meetings held in Africa that are likely to attract the largest portion of the membership. They should as far as possible be successively held in different countries. The meetings can also be held virtually via video conferencing tools.

Article VI. Dues and Finances
Section 1. Any Chapter dues and assessments shall be set by affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members who vote by means of a formal ballot. If accepted by a vote of the membership, Chapter dues
and assessments will be levied against all Individual members of the Chapter. Nonpayment of such dues shall not deny any member the privileges of Chapter membership, except that the Chapter may limit the privilege of voting or holding office in the Chapter for nonpayment of such Chapter assessments. Chapter assessments shall not be levied on Institutional members or their representatives.
Section 2. The Chapter may collect monies from persons and institutions who are not members of the Association to place them on a mailing list for meeting notices and other mailings, but such persons and institutions shall have no vote in Association, Chapter or Group meetings or in formal balloting.
Section 3. The fiscal year for the Chapter shall be in conformity with the fiscal year of ASIS&T.
Section 4. The Executive Director of ASIS&T must be a signatory on all Chapter accounts.

Article VII. Committees
Section 1. The Executive Committee of the Chapter shall include the elected Chapter officers, the immediate Past Chair, and the chairs of such committees as may be appointed by the Chapter Chair. The Executive Committee shall also include appointed representatives to other associations as determined by the Chair. The Executive Committee shall conduct and manage the affairs of the Chapter, subject to these bylaws, and shall possess all powers necessary or incidental to that purpose, including the right to appropriate and expend Chapter funds.
Section 2. The Chair shall appoint Committees as recommended by the Executive Committee.
Section 3. There shall be a Nominating Committee, to be chaired by the Past Chair of the Chapter or any other member appointed by the Chapter Chair. It will also consist of two Individual members of the
Chapter, appointed by the Chapter Chair. This committee shall present a list of nominees to the members of the Chapter, as provided in Article IV, Section 6. The Nominating Committee shall present to
the Membership more than one candidate for each office if possible.

Article VIII. Dissolution
In the event of a dissolution of the Chapter, the assets of the Chapter shall, after satisfaction of all liabilities and obligations thereof, be paid into the general treasury of ASIS&T.

Article IX. Other
For matters not covered under these bylaws, the ASIS&T Bylaws will be followed.

Article X. Amendment
These bylaws may be amended by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of the Chapter voting on the proposed amendment. Such amendment may be proposed by petition of a minimum of ten percent of the Chapter members, filed with the Chapter Chair, or by proposal of the Executive Committee of the Chapter or the ASIS&T Board of Directors. Such amendment shall be voted upon by formal ballot within sixty days after receipt by the Chapter Chair.

The Chapter Secretary - Treasurer shall prepare and distribute a written or electronic copy of the proposed amendment together with a ballot to each voting member of the Chapter, setting forth a date not less than twenty or more than thirty days from the date of distribution of the ballot, by which date all valid ballots which are returned shall be counted. No amendment to these bylaws shall take effect unless and until it has been certified by the ASIS&T Board of Directors as being in harmony with the Charter, Constitution, and Bylaws of ASIS&T. If so certified, the amendment shall be effective as of the date of the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Executive Committee.