ACM SIG Bylaws: SIGMICRO

BYLAWS of the Special Interest Group on Microarchitecture (SIGMICRO) of the Association for Computing Machinery

  • Adopted: 3/10/05

Article 1. Name and Scope.

  • (a) This organization will be called the Special Interest Group on Microarchitecture ("SIGMICRO") of the Association for Computing Machinery, Inc. ("the ACM").
  • (b) The scope of SIGMICRO includes computer microarchitecture, especially features permitting instruction-level parallelism and their related implications on compiler design.

Article 2. Purpose.

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

  • (a) Collecting and disseminating information in the specialty, through online publications, or hard-copy publications approved by the Publications Board of the ACM;
  • (b) Organizing sessions at conferences of the ACM;
  • (c) Sponsoring conferences, symposia, and workshops;
  • (d) Organizing working groups for education, research, and development;
  • (e) Serving as a source of technical information for the Council and other units of the ACM;
  • (f) Serving as an external technical representative of the ACM when authorized by the Council or the Executive Committee of the ACM; and
  • (g) Working with other units of the ACM on technical activities such as lectureships or professional development seminars.

Article 3. Charter.

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

Article 4. Officers.

  • (a) SIGMICRO's officers consist of the Chair and members of the SIGMICRO Executive Committee. The Executive Committee includes the Vice-Chair and the Secretary-Treasurer, who are appointed from the elected members-at-large, and with the recommendation of the Chair, it can also include leaders of other significant SIGMICRO initiatives. The Chair and four members of the Executive Committee are elected for three-year terms beginning July 1. The elected Chair and the nominating committee jointly appoint members of the Executive Committee to the offices of Vice-Chair and Secretary-Treasurer.
  • (b) The Chair is the principal officer and is responsible for leading SIGMICRO and managing its activities. The duties of the Chair are:
    • i. Calling and presiding at SIGMICRO's Executive Committee and business meetings;
    • ii. Conducting SIGMICRO's activities in accordance with the policies of the ACM; and
    • iii. Making all appointments and filling vacancies as authorized herein.
  • (c) The duties of the Vice-Chair are:
    • i. Assisting the Chair in leading and managing SIGMICRO; and
    • ii. Presiding at meetings when the Chair is absent.
  • (d) The duties of the Secretary-Treasurer are:
    • i. Maintaining the records and correspondence of SIGMICRO;
    • ii. Keeping and distributing the minutes of business and Executive Committee meetings of SIGMICRO; and
    • iii. Managing SIGMICRO'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.

  • (a) The general duties of the remaining members of the SIGMICRO Executive Committee will be to advise the Chair on all matters of interest to SIGMICRO. Specific duties or responsibilities may be specified in these Bylaws or assigned by the Chair. All the major management policy decisions of the SIGMICRO must be approved by the SIGMICRO Executive Committee.
  • (b) All members of, or candidates for, the SIGMICRO Executive Committee must be voting Members of ACM and of SIGMICRO.

Article 6. Vacancies and Appointments.

  • (a) Should the Chair leave office before his/her term expires, the Vice-Chair will assume the duties of Chair. Should any other office become vacant, the Chair of the SIG Governing Board may, on nomination of the SIGMICRO Chair, fill the vacancy. Vacancies in positions appointed by the SIGMICRO Chair may be filled according to the procedures for making the original appointments as provided herein.
  • (b) Should a vacancy be unfilled, either because of inadequacy of these bylaws or because of a dispute or for any other reason, the SIG Governing Board Chair may fill it.
  • (c) 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 7. Membership, Dues, and Voting Privileges.

  • (a) An eligible person becomes a member only after enrolling and paying the required dues. The dues for SIGMICRO are determined by the SIGMICRO Executive Committee with the approval of the Chair of the SIG Board.
  • (b) All members of SIGMICRO may vote in any ballot conducted with SIGMICRO. On any ballot, the votes cast by non-ACM members of SIGMICRO will, if necessary, be prorated downward so that their effective total cannot exceed 50% of the eligible vote.

Article 8. Reports and Records.

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

  • i. An annual report, due as specified by the SIG Governing Board, on the activities of SIGMICRO during the previous year;
  • ii. All reports required by the Financial Accountability Policy of the ACM; and
  • iii. Closing reports on conferences and symposia (co)sponsored by SIGMICRO as required by the ACM.

The membership records of SIGMICRO will be maintained by ACM Headquarters.

Article 9. Elections.

  • (a) By September 30 of the year before the election, if the SIG Governing Board has not exercised its option to extend the term of the SIG's current officers for an additional three years, the Chairman will appoint a nominating committee which will propose at least two consenting candidates for the office of Chair of SIGMICRO, and at least five candidates for four member-at-large positions. The slate of candidates selected by the nominating committee must be presented to all the SIGMICRO members by the following January 31.
  • (b) A petition from 1% of the voting members of SIGMICRO will place other consenting candidates on the ballot. Petitions must be received by the Secretary-Treasurer of SIGMICRO no later than March 15.
  • (c) 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 Board. Of all the ballots returned in an election, the candidates receiving the largest numbers of effective votes win. The SIG Governing Board Executive Committee will resolve ties.

Article 10. Amendments.

  • (a) These bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the ACM Executive Committee, or by a vote of the SIGMICRO members as provided below. With the approval of the SIGMICRO Executive Committee and of the Executive Committee of the ACM, 2/3 of all members of the SIG Board may amend Article 1 of these bylaws without a referendum of the members.
  • (b) Amendments to these bylaws may be proposed by the SIGMICRO Executive Committee, the SIG Board, or a petition from 1% of the voting members of SIGMICRO. All proposed amendments must be approved, prior to being submitted for a vote of the membership, by the Chair of the SIG Board and by the Constitution & Bylaws Committee of ACM, after the Executive Director of ACM has provided advice.
  • (c) The ballot on the proposed amendment(s) will be conducted among the eligible voters by ACM Headquarters following the procedures of the ACM for voting bylaw amendments, unless a different procedure has been approved by the SIG Governing Board Executive Committee. The proposal is adopted only if at least 2/3 of the effective votes of returned ballots approve it, and only if at least 10% of the ballots are returned. The Secretary-Treasurer will send a clean copy of the amended bylaws to the Executive Director of the ACM and to the Chair of the SIG Board.

Article 11. Dissolution.

Should SIGMICRO be dissolved, its assets will be supervised by the SIG Board.

Article 12. Meetings.

SIGMICRO will conduct at least one business meeting each year. All meetings sponsored by SIGMICRO must be open to all members of the ACM. SIGMICRO may hold meetings only in places that are open to all classes of members of the ACM.

Article 13. Consistency.

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