BYLAWS OF THE MAINE SECTION
OF THE
SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS

ARTICLE I: NAME AND AUTHORITY

The name of this organization shall be the Maine Section of The Society of Women Engineers. This Section shall be governed by these bylaws and the bylaws of the national Society of Women Engineers.

ARTICLE II: OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this Section shall be to further the objectives of The Society of Women Engineers as stated in Article II of the national bylaws.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

The membership requirements and classifications of all Section members shall be as stated in Article III of the national bylaws, except that Associate members may vote on all Section matters. All Section members shall be members in good standing of national SWE.

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS

The officers of this Section shall be President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Section Representative. They will be elected annually, no later than June 1, for a term of office of one year, coinciding with the national SWE fiscal year (July 1 - June 30).

To become a candidate for President, Vice President or Section Representative, a member must be a voting member of the Society, as defined in Article III of the national Bylaws.

A vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the Vice President.

Vacancies in all other offices between annual elections shall be filled by nomination by the Executive Council and special election by the membership.

The President shall:
A.) Be the authorized leader of the Section.
B.) Preside at all meetings of the Section and the Executive Council.
C.) Appoint the chairmen of all committees, with the approval of the Executive Council, except
the chairman of the nominating committee, who shall be appointed by the Executive Council.
D.) Authorize the signing of checks by the Treasurer.
E.) Assume all other executive duties not otherwise delegated.

The Vice President shall:
A.) Perform all duties of the President in her/his absence or at her/his request.
B.) Perform any other duties assigned by the Executive Council.

The Secretary shall:
A.) Record, prepare, maintain and distribute as directed the minutes of each meeting of the Section and of the Executive Council.
B.) Carry on the Section correspondence as requested by the President or the Executive Council.

The Treasurer shall:
A.) Be responsible for the collection, safekeeping and distribution of all Section funds.
B.) Prepare, maintain and report as directed on the financial position of the Section in relation
the approved budget.
C.) Maintain the current official membership records of the Section.
D.) Keep an exact account of all receipts and expenditures for submission to the National Treasurer at the end of each fiscal year.

The Section Representative shall:
A.) Act as the official contact between national SWE and the Section.
B.) Vote for the Section on all matters before the Council of Section Representatives.
C.) When possible, assure that she/he or an authorized alternate represents the Section at
the annual meeting of the Council of Section Representatives.
D.) Prepare and submit reports of Section activities as requested by national SWE.
E.) Report to the Section on matters reported in the minutes of Executive Committee, Council of
Section Representatives and national Membership meetings.

ARTICLE V: EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

The affairs of this Section shall be managed by an Executive Council consisting of the five Section officers who shall occupy the same offices as in the Section. The Executive Council has the following duties and powers:

A.) To transact the business of the Section when the membership is not meeting.
B.) To implement Section policy as determined by the membership.
C.) To advise the President on the appointment of the Committee Chairmen, other than the Nominating Committee Chairman, and to approve the appointments.
D.) To appoint the Chairman of the Nominating Committee.
E.) To approve the budget and authorize the expenditure of funds.
F.) To nominate a candidate for special election by the membership to fill a vacancy in the office of Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer or Section Representative.

ARTICLE VI: COMMITTEES

The Nominating Committee shall consist of three members elected by the membership at a meeting held prior to April 1 and a non-voting chairman appointed by the Exec. Council. The committee shall present a slate of candidates to the membership at the regular business meeting held in April.

At that meeting, nominations may be made from the floor only with prior approval from the nominee. Subsequent to the April meeting the Nominating Committee shall send to each Section member in good standing a written ballot to be returned in sufficient time to report election results to the membership no later than June 1.

Chairmen for the following Standing Committees shall be appointed by the Section President with the approval of the Executive Council. Each Committee Chairman shall present a status report to the membership when requested by the President, the Executive Council or a majority of the membership. At the close of each SWE fiscal year each committee Chairman shall prepare an annual report with recommendations for further action, for the guidance of the incoming Committee Chairman.

* The Membership Committee shall maintain personal data files on Section members and on prospective members and shall contact and assist the latter in applying for membership in the society. The Chairman of this Committee is automatically a member of the national Membership Committee.

* The Publicity Committee shall provide publicity to advance Section and national SWE goals and shall send news accounts of Section activities to the National magazine. The Chairman of this committee is automatically a member of the national Publicity Committee.

* The Career Guidance Committee shall provide information and counseling on engineering careers for grade, junior and high school girls, their counselors and parents; maintain and disseminate information on available engineering scholarships; administer the SWE Certificate of Achievement and/or Certificate of Merit programs; provide counseling and, when possible, financial assistance to women engineering students; and conduct any other activities approved by the Section membership in furtherance of SWE's career guidance goals. The Chairman of this committee is automatically a member of the national Career Guidance Committee.

* The Program Committee shall coordinate and schedule activities approved by the Section membership in furtherance of the personal and professional development of its members.
Special Committees may be established by the Executive Council or the Section membership when the need arises.

ARTICLE VII: MEETINGS

This Section shall hold not less than two membership meetings per year for the purpose of
transacting business. One of the required meetings shall be held for the election of the Nominating Committee members. Additional business meeting may be called and held in conjunction with other activities at the discretion of the Council.

A quorum of the membership which must be present for the purpose of transacting business shall be seven of the voting members.

The rules contained in "Robert's Rules of Order, Revised" shall govern this Section in all cases when not inconsistent with the Bylaws.

ARTICLE VIII: AMENDMENTS

These Bylaws may be amended by a two thirds vote of the membership of this Section, provided the amendment shall have been proposed at least thirty days at a regularly scheduled meeting prior to the time of voting. After acceptance by the membership, an amendment must be submitted to the national Bylaws Committee Chairman for review and submittal to the SWE Executive Committee. An amendment will become effective only after acceptance by the Executive Committee.