Society Constitution Amendments

At its 15 September 2011 meeting, the Board of Governors of the IEEE Signal Processing Society passed amendments to the Society’s Constitution document.

Procedures require approval by the IEEE Technical Activities Board, which has already been secured, followed by a 30-day period for member comment. The amendment is considered approved unless one-half percent or more of the Society’s membership objects, in writing, within 30 days of publication. Publication here fulfills the latter portion of the approval requirement. Please provide comments via e-mail to sp.info@ieee.org or via fax to 732-235-1627. The amendments appear below.

Notation: Material to be excised appears as strikethrough; material to be added is bolded.

ARTICLE I - NAME, PURPOSE, TERRITORY
Section 2. The Society is established as an entity of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE), and its successor(s), and shall operate in accordance with the constitution, bylaws, and procedures of the IEEE and the Society’s Constitution, and Bylaws, and Policy and Procedures Manual. The Society is the successor to the IEEE Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing Society and its predecessor, the IEEE Audio and Electroacoustics Group, and its predecessor, the IEEE Audio Group.

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP
Section 2. Individuals who are not members of the IEEE may become Affiliate members of the Society upon (a) meeting the requirements established in the Bylaws for Affiliate membership; (b) by making proper application for Affiliate membership; and, (c) by making appropriate payment for Affiliate membership. Any other requirements for Affiliate membership shall be as established in the Bylaws. Affiliate members may neither vote nor hold elective office in the Society have the rights and privileges of a Society member. An Affiliate member may serve in an appointive capacity that does not require IEEE membership as a prerequisite.

ARTICLE V - ADMINISTRATION
Section 1. The Society shall be governed by an administrative committee which shall be referred to as the Board of Governors, and which shall comprise the Society’s Officers, and Members-at-Large and Regional Directors-at-Large.

The Officers of the Society shall be the President, the President-Elect, and the Vice Presidents. The Officers shall be elected by the Board of Governors and shall serve terms and perform such duties as are specified in the Bylaws.

Section 2. The voting members of the Society shall elect Members-at-Large and Regional Directors-at-Large who shall serve on the Society’s Board of Governors. The number and method of election of Members-at-Large and Regional Directors-at-Large shall be as specified in the Bylaws.

Section 3. All Officers, and Members-at-Large and Regional Directors-at-Large of the Society shall be members in good standing of the grades specified in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE VI - NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
Section 1. The Board of Governors shall submit, annually, to the voting members at least two candidates for each Member-at-Large and Regional Director-at-Large position becoming vacant.

Section 2. The election procedure for Members-at-Large and Regional Directors-at-Large of the Board of Governors shall provide for petition candidates.

Section 3. Filling of vacancies for Member-at-Large and Regional Director-at-Large positions shall be as provided in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE VIII - TECHNICAL MEETINGS
Section 2. Technical meetings of the Society shall be open on an equal basis to all members of the IEEE. The Society may not sponsor or co-sponsor technical meetings that are subject to security/export clearance or any other restrictions of either governmental or industrial nature.

ARTICLE X - AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Amendments to this Constitution may be initiated either by petition submitted in writing with the exact wording of the amendments to the President by a minimum of one-half percent of the members of the Society or by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Governors. Each proposed amendment will be transmitted for administrative approval to the IEEE Technical Activities Board (TAB). If approved by the IEEE, the proposed amendment shall appear in a Society publication normally reaching all members of the Society, with notice that it shall be considered approved unless one-half percent or more of the Society membership objects, in writing, within 30 days of publication. If such objections are received, a copy of the proposed amendment shall be mailed with a ballot to all members of the Society at least 30 days before the date appointed for return of the ballots. The ballots shall carry a statement of the time limit for their return to the balloting agency. Approval of the amendment by at least two-thirds of the ballots legally cast shall be necessary for enactment.

Section 2. Changes to the Bylaws may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Governors present at a regularly convened meeting of the Board, provided that notice of the proposed bylaw or amendment has been transmitted to each Board member at least one week prior to such a meeting. In addition, a Bylaw or amendment may be adopted by a two-thirds mail vote of the members of the Board of Governors, provided a 30-day period is allowed for such responses. In either event, the proposed Bylaw or amendment shall be reviewed by the IEEE TAB Secretary prior to its presentation to the Board of Governors.

Following adoption by the Board of Governors, the proposed Bylaw or amendment shall appear on the Society’s website.in a publication normally reaching all Society members. No Bylaw or amendment shall take effect until it has been published and has been mailed to the IEEE TAB Secretary and he/she has obtained any other necessary approvals.