SIGHPC Bylaws

Bylaws of SIGHPC, the Special Interest Group on High Performance Computing of the Association for Computing Machinery

Adopted: 01 November 2011

Amended: 05 October 2012 (transitional addendum removed)

Article 1. Name and Scope.

1. This organization will be called the Special Interest Group on High Performance Computing ("SIGHPC") of the Association for Computing Machinery, Inc. ("the ACM"), and is being established as a transitional SIG.

2. The scope of SIGHPC specialty is high performance computing (HPC) in the broadest sense of the term - spanning the full range of high-performance technologies, systems, and applications. It embraces not only people who study, develop, teach, or support HPC, but also those engaged in applying HPC across a broad spectrum of scientific, engineering, and business domains.

3. SIGHPC's mission is to promote the advancement of the field of High Performance Computing by:

   1. disseminating research and experience by those using computing resources to tackle the most challenging scientific and technical problems of the day;

   2. promoting the mentoring and education of the next generation of HPC professionals; and

   3. serving as a source of information about the field to other parts of ACM and the larger scientific community.

Article 2. Purpose.

SIGHPC is organized and will be operated exclusively for educational, research, and technical purposes in its specialty. Its services will include:

1. Collecting and disseminating information in the specialty, through a newsletter and other means such as websites and electronic mailing lists;

2. Organizing sessions at conferences of the ACM;

3. Sponsoring conferences, symposia, and workshops;

4. Organizing working groups for the exchange of information and to foster collaborative activities in education and research;

5. Serving as a source of technical information for the Council and other units of the ACM;

6. Serving as an external technical representative of the ACM when authorized by the Council or the Executive Committee of the ACM; and

7. Working with other units of the ACM on technical activities such as lectureships or professional development seminars.

Article 3. Charter.

SIGHPC will exist until dissolved as provided in Bylaw 6 of the ACM.

Article 4. Officers.

1. SIGHPC's officers are the Chair, the Vice-Chair, and the Treasurer. The officers are elected for three-year terms, beginning July 1 of the election year.

2. The Chair is the principal officer and is responsible for leading SIGHPC and managing its activities. The duties of the Chair are:

   1. Calling and presiding at SIGHPC's Executive Committee and business meetings;

   2. Conducting SIGHPC's activities in accordance with the policies of the ACM;

   3. Creating ad-hoc committees; and

   4. Making appointments and filling vacancies as authorized herein.

   5. After the conclusion of their term as Chair, to serve a three-year term as Past Chair.

3. The duties of the Vice-Chair are:

   1. Maintaining SIGHPC's records, correspondence, and written policies;

   2. Keeping and distributing the minutes of business and Executive Committee meetings of SIGHPC;

   3. Presiding at meetings when the Chair is absent;

   4. Assisting the Chair in leading and managing SIGHPC.

4. The duties of the Treasurer are:

   1. i. Maintaining SIGHPC's finances according to the Financial Accountability Policy of the ACM. This includes preparing the annual budget, monitoring disbursements for adherence to the annual budget, and preparing financial reports as required.

Article 5. The Executive Committee.

1. The SIGHPC Executive Committee comprises the elected officers, the appointed officers (see below), the Past Chair, and two at-large members. No person may hold two positions on the SIGHPC Executive Committee simultaneously.

2. At-large members are elected for three-year terms, beginning July 1 of the election year.

3. The elected members of the Executive Committee may appoint additional members, known as Appointed Officers, to be responsible for specific activities (e.g., the editor of the newsletter).

4. The general duties of the SIGHPC Executive Committee will be to advise the Chair on all matters of interest to the SIGHPC. Specific duties or responsibilities are specified in these Bylaws or may be assigned by the Chair.

5. All the major management policy decisions of SIGHPC must be approved by the SIGHPC Executive Committee.

6. Unless specified otherwise in these Bylaws, each member of the Executive Committee has one vote, a quorum of at least half the eligible voting members of the Executive Committee must be present, and decisions require a majority vote.

7. All members of, or candidates for, the SIGHPC Executive Committee must be voting Members of ACM and of SIGHPC.

8. The Past Chair will serve as the SIGHPC representative on the steering committee of SC, The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis.    

Article 6. Ad-hoc Committees.

1. The Executive Committee may create ad-hoc committees to accomplish specific tasks or to advise the Executive Committee on specific issues.

2. The decision to create an ad-hoc committee, and decisions about a committee's charter, scope, and duration, is made by the Executive Committee.

3. The Chair of an ad-hoc committee is selected by the Executive Committee. The members of an ad-hoc committee are selected by the Executive Committee; or, they may choose to delegate this role to the Chair of the ad-hoc committee.

4. A Chair or member of an ad hoc committee may be removed by the Executive Committee.

Article 7. Vacancies and Appointments.

1. Should the Chair leave office before his/her term expires, the Vice-Chair will assume the duties of Chair. Should any other elective office or the position on the Executive Committee reserved for the Past Chair become vacant, the Chair may nominate a member of SIGHPC and ACM to fill the vacancy. Nominations are approved by majority vote of the remaining Elected Officers. Vacancies in appointed offices are filled according to the procedures for making the original appointments.

2. Should a vacancy be unfilled, either because of inadequacy of these bylaws or because of a dispute for any other reason, the SIG Governing Board may fill it (as provided in Bylaw 6 of the ACM).

3. All appointments expire automatically when the Chair's term of office expires. Appointees, however, will continue to serve until a successor is appointed by the new Chair.

Article 8. Newsletter.

1. SIGHPC will publish a newsletter at regular intervals as determined by the Executive Committee. The newsletter will be made available to all SIGHPC members. It may also be made available to nonmembers by subscription.

2. With the advice of the Executive Committee, the Chair will appoint the Editor(s) of the newsletter.

Article 9. Membership, Dues, and Voting Privileges.

1. SIGHPC is an open organization and membership is available to anyone.

2. A person becomes a voting member only after enrolling and paying the required dues. The dues for SIGHPC are determined by the Executive Committee with the approval of the SIG Governing Board Executive Committee.

3. All voting members of SIGHPC may vote in any ballot conducted within SIGHPC.

Article 10. Reports and Records.

1. The SIGHPC Chair is responsible for filing reports about SIGHPC as required by the SIG Governing Board. These include:

   1. An annual report on the activities of SIGHPC during the previous year;

   2. All reports required by the Financial Accountability Policy of the ACM; and

   3. Closing reports on conferences and symposia (co) sponsored by SIGHPC as required by the ACM.

2. The membership records of SIGHPC will be maintained by ACM Headquarters.

Article 11. Elections.

1. By September 30 of every third year beginning in 2012, the Chair will appoint a nominating committee which will propose at least two consenting candidates for each SIGHPC officer (Chair, Vice-Chair, and Treasurer). A slate of four candidates, from which voters may choose two, will be proposed for the at-large positions of the Executive Committee. The slate of candidates selected by the nominating committee must be presented to all SIGHPC members by the following January 31.

2. A petition from 1% of the voting members of SIGHPC will place other consenting candidates who are members of SIGHPC and ACM on the ballot. Petitions must be received by the Vice Chair of SIGHPC no later than March 15.

3. The election will be conducted among eligible voters by ACM Headquarters by June 1, following the election procedures of the ACM, unless different procedures have been approved by the SIG Governing Board. Of all the ballots returned in an election, the candidates receiving the largest numbers of effective votes win. Ties will be resolved by a group consisting of the outgoing elected officers and those newly elected officers who are not involved in ties.

4. The SIG Governing Board Executive Committee will by majority vote settle ties occurring in any SIG election or SIG bylaw amendment ballot.

Article 12. Amendments.

1. These bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the SIGHPC membership or as specified in the ACM Bylaws.

2. Amendments to these bylaws may be proposed by the SIGHPC Executive Committee, the SIG Governing Board, or a petition from 1% of the voting members of SIGHPC. All proposed amendments must be approved, prior to being submitted for a vote of the membership, by the Chair of the SIG Governing Board and by the Constitution & Bylaws Committee of ACM, after the Executive Director of ACM has provided advice.

3. The ballot on the proposed amendment(s) will be conducted among the eligible voters by ACM Headquarters following the ACM Bylaws. The proposal is adopted only if a majority of the effective votes of returned ballots approve it, and only if at least 10% of the ballots are returned.

Article 13. Dissolution.

1. Should SIGHPC be dissolved, its assets will revert to the ACM.

Article 14. Meetings.

1. SIGHPC will conduct at least one business meeting each year.

2. Additional national, regional or local business meetings may be convened by the Chair.

3. All meetings sponsored by SIGHPC must be open to all members of the ACM. SIGHPC may hold meetings only in places that are open to all classes of members of the ACM.

Article 15. Consistency.

1. The Constitution, Bylaws, and policies of the ACM and of the SIG Governing Board take precedence over any conflicting provisions of these bylaws or internal policies of SIGHPC.