SIG Constitution Template
CONSTITUTION OF THE ACL SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP ON <TOPIC>
I. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The purpose of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) Special Interest Group on <TOPIC> (the SIG) shall be to promote interest in <TOPIC>; to provide members of the ACL with a special interest in <TOPIC> with a means of exchanging news of recent research developments and other matters of interest in <TOPIC>; and to sponsor meetings and workshops in <TOPIC> that appear to be timely and worthwile, operating within the framework of the ACL's general guidelines for SIGs.
<This, naturally, may be different for different SIGs but it should be what is published in the Finite String as the statement of purpose.>
II. ELECTED OFFICERS
The elected officers of the SIG shall consist of a President, a Secretary and <any such other officers as the organizers of the group may deem advisable to carry out the duties of the organization. fill in specifics here>. The President and Secretary shall be members in good standing of the ACL.
The term of all elected officers of the SIG shall be <fill in term here, but not more than 2 years, dating from specific time>.
The duties of the President shall be: (1) To have primary executive authority over actions and activities of the SIG. (2) To prepare a written report on the activities of the SIG for the Executive Committee of the ACL, for presentation to the ACL at its Annual Business Meeting. (3) To designate a Liaison Representative for the SIG, who shall be primarily responsible for communication with members of the SIG, answering inquiries about the SIG, and communication with the Executive Committee of the ACL.
The duties of the Secretary shall be: (1) To maintain a membership roster of the SIG. (2) To be responsible for any moneys awarded to the SIG by the ACL; to collect and manage any dues that may be required by the organization; and to present a written annual report on the SIG finances to the Executive Committee of the ACL. (3) To act as a Liaison Representative, who shall be primarily responsible for communication with members of the SIG, answering inquiries about the SIG, and communication with the Executive Committee of the ACL.
<Each SIG must have an LR as point of contact for communication with the SIG. While one of the officers may fill this duty, to allow for flexibility the President can appoint the LR: however the person must be designated so people know who to communicate with.>
III. ELECTION OF OFFICERS
All officers of the SIG shall be elected by a vote of the membership. The vote shall take place at least
<Each SIG can establish procedures for conducting elections, subject to approval by the executive committee. SIGGEN conducts elections via electronic mail. The main idea is to come up with something definite that is fair, reaches all the members, and is reasonably easy to administer, and to write it down here.>
IV. DUES
<Not all SIGs may want to charge dues. However, if it is desired that the SIG produce mailings, a newsletter, etc. it may be necessary to charge some amount to defray expenses.>
Subject to the approval of the Executive Committee of the ACL, the SIG may levy annual membership dues, where the rate is determined by <state the means here: small SIGs may make this a matter for their President and Secretary, others may want to put it to a vote; there is flexibility here>.
<Some guidelines for SIGs appear in the guidelines.