Article I - Name and Scope

1. This organization shall be called the South African Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (SIGCHI) of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), also known as the South Africa ACM SIGCHI Chapter, abbreviated as "CHI-SA".
   
   In these bylaws this organization is referred to as the Chapter; the Association for Computing is referred to as the ACM.
2. The scope of the Chapter is the promotion of the study of human factors in the human-computer interaction process, including research, design, development, and evaluation of interactive computing systems. The focus is on human communication and interaction with computer systems. CHI-SA will provide a Southern African forum for the exchange of ideas among computer scientists, behavioural and cognitive scientists, system designers, and end users, and it will serve as a clearinghouse of information for the field of human factors and user psychology research and development.
3. The geographic scope of the Chapter covers the entire Southern African (sub-Saharan) region.
4. The Chapter will support activities complementary to ACM SIGCHI, the ACM, and other ACM activities in the South African region.

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Article II - Purpose

1. The Chapter is organized and will be operated exclusively for educational, scientific and technical purposes.

Topics of interest include:

1. human factors in the design, development and operation of computing products
2. monitoring and evaluation of human performance.
3. design alternatives and methods directed towards the improvement of the user interface.
4. methods of improving communication between computer scientists, behavioural and cognitive scientists, systems designers and end users.
5. understanding the relationship between studies of user psychology, culture and the technology of computing and systems design.

Activities will include:

1. Promoting and providing facilities for the exchange of information.
2. Collecting and disseminating information through a chapter web site, newsletter and other appropriate methods of printed or electronic communication.
3. Organising local conferences, symposia and workshops.
4. Organising working groups for education, research, and development.
5. Serving as Southern African technical representative of ACM SIGCHI when authorised by the Executive Committee of SIGCHI.
6. Working with subunits of associated South African organisations and government on technical activities associated with the objectives of this Chapter.

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Article III - Charter

The Chapter is chartered by the ACM. It is formed and will operate under the sponsorship of the ACM, the Membership Activities Board, and the SIG Board.

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Article IV - Membership

The provisions of this section conform to the membership provisions specified in ACM's Bylaw 6, Section 5.

1. Membership in the Chapter shall be open to all ACM members and non-members, upon request and payment of any Chapter dues determined by the Chapter Executive Council.
2. Voting membership in the Chapter shall be granted to all ACM members and ACM SIG members in the locality served by the Chapter.
3. Associate membership shall be granted to all individuals within the the locality served by the Chapter. While such members shall not have any voting rights, they may access services and benefits at the discretion of the Chapter Executive Council. The Executive Council shall determine membership dues appropriate for such services and benefits.
4. Student membership shall be open to all full-time students. Student membership dues shall not exceed 75 percent of regular member dues.
5. All applicants for membership must complete and sign the application form provided by the Chapter and submit the application to the principal office of the Chapter.

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Article V - Officers

1. The officers of this Chapter shall be: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. The previous Chairman holds the title of Past Chair, and is also an officer of the Chapter Executive Council.
2. All officers of the Chapter must be voting members of the ACM and members of the ACM SIGCHI.
3. Officers are elected by a plurality of the votes cast at the Annual General Meeting. They shall take office on the first business day following the AGM and serve for one year.
4. No member may serve in the office of Chair or Vice Chair for more than three consecutive years.
5. If a vacancy occurs among the officers other than the Chair, for any reason, the position shall be filled for the unexpired portion of the term by the Executive Council.

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Article VI - Duties of Officers

1. The Chair is the principal officer and is responsible for leading the Chapter and managing its activities in accordance with the policies and procedures of the ACM and these bylaws. The Chair shall:
   1. preside at all meetings of the Chapter and of its Executive Council.
   2. appoint all members of committees of this Chapter and all Committee Chairs with the advice of the Chapter's Executive Council.
   3. assist the Treasurer in monitoring financial status.
2. The Vice Chair shall:
   1. preside at meetings in the absence of the Chair.
   2. assist the Chair in the management of the Chapter
   3. perform other duties that may be assigned by the Chair.
3. The Treasurer shall collect dues, pay all bills, and maintain the Chapter's financial records. Duties of the Treasurer shall also include:
   1. preparation of the Chapter's annual financial report for presentation to the Chapter at the annual election meeting.
   2. completion and submission of the financial report to ACM headquarters.
   3. performance of other duties as assigned by the Chair.
4. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all Chapter and Executive Council meetings. Other duties of the Secretary include:
   1. preparation of the annual report for presentation at the election meeting.
   2. preparation of the Chapter's activity report and officer contact information, and submission of these to ACM headquarters.
   3. submission of any proposed amendment to these bylaws to the Chair of the Membership Activities Board.
   4. perform other duties as assigned by the Chair.

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Article VII - Executive Council

1. The Executive Council shall consist of the Chapter officers, the Past Chair, and chairs of the Chapter's standing committees (see below)
2. The term of the members of the Executive Council shall coincide with the terms of the officers. They shall take office on the first business day following the Annual General Meeting and serve for one year.

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Article VIII - Standing Committees

1. The standing committees of the Chapter shall be Programme, Education, Membership and Publicity.
   1. The Programme Committee shall plan and make arrangements for the technical programs of the Chapter's meetings and events in accordance with the membership's interests and the aims of the Chapter as set forth in Article II.
   2. The Education Committee shall collaborate with educational and training institutions in the development of HCI curricula and HCI educational resources.
   3. The Membership Committee shall maintain a member database and work with the Treasurer in determining membership dues. The Membership Committee shall also maintain and electronic discussion facility and publish and distribute all notices and publicity for and to the members of the Chapter.
   4. The Publicity Committee shall develop communication programmes to encourage sponsorship and participation in Chapter Activities. The Publicity Committee is also responsible for the following:
      • development and maintainance of the Chapter web site and newsletter,
      • provide support the Africa Regional Liaison for the current year's international CHI conference in his or her activities (see Article IX - Temporary Committees and Ex Officio Members);
      • liaise with other associated groups in the region, such as the South African Computer Society (CSSA)

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Article IX - Temporary Committees and Ex Officio Members

With the advice of the Chapter's Executive Council, the Chair may appoint such temporary committees and members with special assignments as appropriate.

The Regional Liaison is a member invited yearly by SIGCHI to handle liaison between members in the region and the CHI conference committee. The Chapter Chair will confirm or revise this appointment as necessary.

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Article X - Meetings

1. Meetings shall be held as planned by the Program Committee. The Chapter shall hold at least two meetings every year in places that are open and accessible to all members of the Association.
2. The Annual General Meeting shall be held at the last meeting of the program year. At this meeting, the Secretary and Treasurer each shall present the required reports. Also, the election of officers shall be held.
3. Written or electronic notices of all meetings shall be distributed to all members at least one week prior to any meeting.

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Article XI - Disbursements and Dues

1. Disbursements from the Treasury for Chapter expenditures shall be made by the Treasurer with authorisation of the Executive Council and shall be included in the minutes of its meetings.
2. Dues shall be fixed annually by the Chapter Executive Council.

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Article XII - Amendment and Voting Procedures

1. All proposed changes to these Chapter Bylaws shall be approved by the Chairs of the Membership Activities Board and the ACM Constitution and Bylaws Committee before being presented to the Chapter membership for a vote.
2. No official business of the Chapter shall be conducted unless a quorum is present. A quorum of the Chapter shall be defined as 10 percent of the voting membership of the Chapter or at least 5 voting members, whichever is greater.
3. A simple majority of the voting members present shall be required to carry a motion.
4. Officers will be elected by a plurality of votes cast. Mail or electronic voting is permitted in the election of the Chapter Executive Council and other matters approved by the Chapter officers.

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Article XIII - Dissolution of the Chapter

1. Dissolution of this Chapter by consent of the members shall consist of unanimous agreement of all its officers together with a majority vote at a meeting which has been publicized in advance to all members of the Chapter for the purpose of taking this vote.
2. Should this Chapter be dissolved, its assets and liabilities shall be transferred to ACM and shall be supervised by the Membership Activities Board.

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