Winter Simulation Conference Board Bylaws
August 31, 2003
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Article I - Name, Founders of the Board,
and Purpose of Bylaws
Section 1. The name shall be the "Winter Simulation
Conference Board," hereinafter referred to as "the Board."
Section 2. The founding members of the Board are:
the American Institute of Industrial Engineers; the Systems, Man,
and Cybernetics Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers; the College on Simulation and Gaming of The Institute
of Management Sciences; the Operations Research Society of America;
the Special Interest Group on Simulation of the Association for
Computing Machinery; and The Society for Computer Simulation.
Section 3. The purpose of the Board bylaws is
to establish the operating policy of the Board. The Board's major
responsibility is, under the sponsorship of its members, to hold
an annual Winter Simulation Conference on discrete and combined
(discrete-continuous) simulation. Other responsibilities are to
provide continuity and control of said meetings and to promote and
encourage cooperation of the members regarding discrete and combined
simulation. Members, sponsors, and organizations are used synonymously
in the bylaws.
Article II - Membership and Admissions
Section 1. Membership on the Board is open to
all nonprofit national and international organizations that have
an interest in furthering the purpose, understanding, appreciation,
and utilization of discrete and combined simulation and that meet
the requirements of these bylaws. Such an organization may have,
in addition to itself, one or more of its professional subunits
on the Board. However, each organization will have only one (1)
vote.
Section 2. Organizations may be admitted to the
Board by applying in writing to the Board and receiving the affirmative
vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the Board, with each member
having one (1) vote. However, the membership of any organization
admitted less than ninety (90) days prior to the opening of a Winter
Simulation Conference shall not become effective until one (1) minute
after the end of the closing session of that conference.
Section 3. Except as otherwise provided herein,
in accepting membership on the Board, an organization agrees to
co-sponsor both the next Winter Simulation Conference and the Call
for Papers for the following Winter Simulation Conference. Sponsorship
shall be effected by payment in funds or services, as voted on by
the Board, to the conference Business (Financial) Chairperson, of
the sponsor's share of the estimated preconference expenses (costs
reasonably expected to be incurred before the receipt of any conference
fees). Money payment must be effected within ninety (90) days of
the close of the preceding Winter Simulation Conference or, in the
case of new members, within sixty (60) days of admission; payment
of services must be provided based on a schedule provided by the
Financial Chairperson.
Section 4. A member may withdraw from the Board
at any time by sending a letter of resignation to the Chairperson
of the Board. No vote of the Board is required. If the member withdraws
more than one hundred twenty (120) days prior to the start of a
conference, it may choose whether or not it wishes to be listed
as a sponsor for that conference; if it withdraws less than one
hundred twenty (120) days before a conference, it will be listed
as a sponsor. If a withdrawing member has undertaken sponsorship
of any forthcoming conference by contributing working capital or
services, it shall be responsible for its share of any losses incurred
by said conferences and for its prorated share of the cost of the
next Call for Papers; however, it will also receive its prorated
share of any surpluses achieved by the conferences it has sponsored
and will share equally in any reimbursement of the costs of the
Call for Papers.
Section 5. Upon a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the
full Board, the Board of Directors may require a member to withdraw
(a) for lack of sponsorship fulfillment; or (b) for
lack of participation in annual meetings and conferences as determined
by the Board. The financial provisions of Section 4 of Article II
shall apply.
Section 6. A member that has withdrawn can be
reinstated by Sections 2 and 3 of Article II.
Section 7. Each member shall have one (1) voting
representative on the Board of Directors for each sponsorship effected
in accordance with Section 2 of Article II. Each member is required
to appoint and maintain one (1) voting representative to the Board.
In addition, the Board shall have as nonvoting members: the immediate
past Conference General Chairperson, the current Conference Chairperson,
the current Program Chairperson, the current Conference Business
Chairperson, and the next Conference General Chairperson. The Board
may invite others to participate in its meetings.
Section 8. The Board may vote to exempt a member
that is a governmental organization from any sponsorship, fiduciary,
or other financial responsibility, right or obligation, except the
one-time payment of membership dues as specified in Section 1 of
Article VI; or the Board may vote on terms of conference cosponsorhip
that are limited to technical or administrative services or support
and specifically exempt the member from all financial rights and
responsibilities associated with any conference cosponsored by that
member, including the following: (a) responsibility for a
prorated share of preconference expenses or losses incurred by the
conference; (b) the right to receive a prorated share of
any surplus achieved by a conference; or (c) the right to
vote on the budget or any other financial issues concerning the
conference.
Article III - Power and Duties of the
Board
Section 1. It shall be the duty of the Board to
select the location and date of the annual Winter Simulation Conference
at least eighteen (18) months in advance.
Section 2. It shall be the duty of the Board to
select the General Chairperson of each annual Winter Simulation
Conference at least eighteen (18) months in advance. The Board shall
also approve the Program Chairperson and the Business (Financial)
Chairperson of each conference as proposed by the General Chairperson.
Section 3. It shall be the duty of the Board:
(a) to approve each conference budget at least twelve (12)
months in advance of the conference as proposed by the conference
committee; (b) to establish the sponsor funding share advance
required from each member; (c) to establish financial surety
for succeeding conference(s) through assignment of surplus funds
upon the close of the books of the most recently completed conference;
(d) to establish the structure for each conference; and (e)
on an individual basis, to approve the expenses or honoraria to
be paid to guest speakers.
Article IV - Officers and Their Duties
Section 1. The officers of the Board shall consist
of the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson, the Secretary, and the
Immediate Past Chairperson. At the annual meeting, with exception
of the Immediate Past Chairperson, they shall be elected by the
members of the Board to a one (1)-year term.
Section 2. The Chairperson's duties are to call
the meeting as required, set locations, provide agendas, and chair
the meetings.
Section 3. The Vice-Chairperson will act in the
absence of the Chairperson.
Section 4. The Secretary shall take minutes of
the meetings, distribute them to the Board members and other appropriate
individuals, and keep minutes of previous meetings.
Section 5. The Chairperson and the Immediate Past
Chairperson shall form a nomination committee and nominate officers
of the Board for consideration by the Board at the annual meeting.
Article V - Meetings
Section 1. There shall be an annual meeting of
the Board held at the annual Winter Simulation Conference and additional
meetings as necessary to carry out the Board's duties.
Section 2. A quorum shall consist of not less
than two-thirds (2/3) of the members. Majority vote shall determine
action by the Board unless the bylaws specify otherwise. Mail ballots
may be used between Board meetings.
Section 3. The procedures of Robert's Rules
of Order will, in general, be followed, except when the Board
establishes its own procedures.
Article VI - Finances
Section 1. In lieu of sponsorship obligations
otherwise specified herein, the Board may vote to permit a member
that is a governmental organization to pay a one-time membership
fee that is established when the organization applies for membership
by a vote of the Board as specified in Section 2 of Article II.
However, each nongovernmental member will advance its sponsorship
funding share for each conference to that conference Business (Financial)
Chairperson as specified in Section 3 of Article II.
Section 2. The annual Winter Simulation Conferences
shall be selfsupporting. The objective will be to neither incur
losses nor to make profits in excess of the necessary advance of
funds provided by members.
Section 3. Within sixty (60) days after the close
of the conference, the conference's General Chairperson shall submit
to the Board a final report on the conference. This report is to
include a preliminary financial report.
Section 4. By June 15 of the year after the close
of the conference, the General Chairperson shall close the financial
books and submit to the Board a final financial statement and each
member's share of any loss or surplus. Any losses or surpluses shall
be shared equally by the members that provided the sponsorship funding.
Following this, surpluses declared by the Board as essential for
the operation of succeeding conference(s) shall be transferred to
succeeding conference(s) at the time of closing of the financial
books of the most recently completed conference.
Section 5. The budget for each conference shall
include the estimated expenses and income expected for that conference,
the cost of the Call for Papers for the following conference, and
a nominal amount for operation of the Board. The Board must account
for any of these funds it may use.
Section 6. Member organizations may order copies
of the conference proceedings for their own sale, prior to the printing.
The purchase price of the proceedings shall be determined by dividing
the cost of producing the proceedings by the number of proceedings
printed. The production cost includes preparation, printing, artwork,
mats, and delivery.
Section 7. No member of the conference committee,
Board member, or Board officer shall receive any compensation or
salary for their participation. However, at the discretion of the
Board, such a member may be reimbursed for authorized expenses in
the performance of their WSC duties, given that these expenses are
not otherwise reimbursed.
Section 8. Should any conference or the Board
be discontinued for any reason, the member organizations of the
Board will share equally in any expenses or resources outstanding
at the time of discontinuance.
Section 9. Each sponsoring funding organization
has the right to designate a sponsor committee to review and approve
each annual conference budget. Any suggested changes to the budget
must be approved by the annual conference committee. The sponsor's
committee must respond 60 days after receipt of the budget.
Article VII - Amendments
Proposed amendments to the bylaws must be submitted
in writing to each member society representative at least ninety
(90) days prior to taking a vote. Adoption requires a two-thirds
(2/3) vote of the members of the Board, and each representative
must have the concurrence of their society. Amendments shall be
voted on within six (6) months after submission.
Article VIII
The bylaws will take effect after the approval
by three-fourths (3/4) of the founding organizations' councils listed
in Section 2 of Article I.
Article IX - Annual Conferences
Section 1. The General Chairperson shall be responsible
for the organization and operation of the conference subject to
the required approval of the Board as specified in the bylaws.
Section 2. The program content will consist of
submitted papers, invited papers, panels, tutorials, and workshops.
The Board may establish guidelines for each.
Section 3. The proceedings for each Winter Simulation
Conference shall be published and distributed at the time of the
meeting. The proceedings shall contain each paper presented at the
conference.
Section 4. The annual conference committee shall
be appointed by the Board of Directors and shall consist of the
General Chairperson, the Program Chairperson, the Business Chairperson,
the Arrangements Chairperson, and other members as deemed necessary
by the Board. The term of each annual committee shall be from its
inception to the closing of the conference financial books.
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