| | Caucuses and Scholarly Interest Groups
Article VII, Sections 2 and 3 of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Bylaws provide for the creation of caucuses and scholarly interest groups (SIGs) within SCMS. All members of caucuses and SIGs must be Members of the Society who are in good standing. The Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, may approve or deny the formation of a caucus or a scholarly interest group. Definitions: Caucuses are groups comprised of persons who have been historically un- or underrepresented within SCMS, professional organizations, and the academy, based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or marginalized economic status. Caucuses are formed and maintained to provide fellowship and networking opportunities for their members, advocacy within SCMS, and outreach to un- or underrepresented persons and groups in other academic disciplines. Caucuses also support scholarship by, and about, those historically un- or underrepresented groups within SCMS. SIGs are groups comprised of persons who share an interest in a particular medium, a genre, a methodology, the media of a particular nation or region, or any other subcategory within the rubric of cinema and media studies. SIGs are formed and maintained to provide fellowship and networking opportunities for their members, and to support scholarship in that scholarly interest within SCMS. Article VII, Section 2 of the SCMS Bylaws govern caucuses:
SECTION 2. CAUCUSES. Any group of Members of the Society may petition the Board of Directors to form a caucus, which petition shall state the purpose of the caucus and list its members, including alternate members, if any. The members making up the caucus must be Members of the Society who are in good standing. The Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, may approve or deny the formation of a caucus. Each caucus shall take such actions as are necessary to further its purposes, subject to any guidelines established by the Board of Directors and subject to the review of the Caucus Coordinating Committee. Each caucus shall appoint two (2) of its members to serve as Co-Chairs for staggered terms of two (2) years each. In the event of the disqualification of a member of a caucus, the members of the caucus may appoint another individual to replace the disqualified member, which individual must be a Member of the Society who is in good standing and whose appointment shall be subject to the approval of the Board of Directors. A caucus may submit a request to the Caucus Coordinating Committee for conference time and space to meet at the annual meeting of the membership. Each year the Caucus Coordinating Committee shall notify the caucuses of the submission date for such requests. No member of a caucus may vote by proxy. Where alternates have been appointed, an alternate may vote in the absence of the member for whom he or she has been designated as an alternate. No caucus shall have the power or authority to (i) amend the Articles of Incorporation of the Society, (ii) adopt an agreement of merger or consolidation, (iii) recommend to the Members the sale, lease or exchange of all or substantially all of the Society's property and assets, (iv) recommend to the Members a dissolution of the Society, a revocation of a dissolution, or a cessation of the business of the Society, (v) amend the Bylaws of the Society, or (vi) fill vacancies in the Board of Directors.
The following policies govern the on-going operation of caucuses: The purpose or mission statement defines the goals and activities of a caucus. Any change in the purpose or mission statement of a caucus must be approved by a two-thirds majority of its members, and then by a majority of the SCMS Board of Directors. Members affiliate themselves with caucuses by updating their member profile on the SCMS website. SCMS members are not restricted in the number of caucuses with which they wish to affiliate. Caucuses may request time and space for a meeting of their membership at the annual conference. The Program Committee cannot guarantee the availability of meeting time and / or space. Caucuses prepare regular minutes of meetings for circulation to their members. Caucuses submit a report of activities for the year and attendance figures for their last meeting to the Caucus Coordinating Committee one month prior to the annual conference. The Caucus Coordinating Committee forwards these reports, and its own report, to the Board of Directors of SCMS two weeks prior to the annual conference. Caucuses must report elections of Co-Chairs to the Caucus Coordinating Committee in a timely fashion or the Board Each caucus is allocated $500 per year. These funds may be used to cover travel expenses for invited speakers at the group’s annual meeting or at screenings accepted as part of the conference, exhibit tables for the conference, receptions, etc. If unexpended, these funds revert to the general SCMS fund. Any caucus that fails to provide an annual report to the Caucus Coordinating Committee for two consecutive years, is assumed to be inactive and its status as a caucus within SCMS is revoked. Article VII, Section 3 of the SCMS Bylaws govern SIGs: SECTION 3. SCHOLARLY INTEREST GROUPS. Any group of Members of the Society may petition the Board of Directors to form a scholarly interest group. Each scholarly interest group shall submit to the Board of Directors (i) a mission statement; (ii) a list of its members (consisting of at least 15 members), including alternate members, if any; and (iii) a copy of their bylaws. The members making up the scholarly interest group must be Members of the Society who are in good standing. The Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, may approve or deny the formation of a scholarly interest group. Each scholarly interest group shall take such actions as are necessary to further its purposes, subject to any guidelines established by the Board of Directors and subject to review by the Board of Directors. Each scholarly interest group shall appoint two (2) of its members to serve as Co-Chairs for staggered terms of three (3) years each. In the event of the disqualification of a member of a scholarly interest group, the members of the scholarly interest group may appoint another individual to replace the disqualified member, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors. A scholarly interest group may submit a request to the Program Committee for conference time and space to meet at the annual meeting of the membership. Each year the Program Committee shall notify the scholarly interest groups of the submission date for such requests. No member of a scholarly interest group may vote by proxy. Where alternates have been appointed, an alternate may vote in the absence of the member for whom he or she has been designated as an alternate. No scholarly interest group shall have the power or authority to (i) amend the Articles of Incorporation of the Society, (ii) adopt an agreement of merger or consolidation, (iii) recommend to the Members the sale, lease or exchange of all or substantially all of the Society's property and assets, (iv) recommend to the Members a dissolution of the Society, a revocation of a dissolution, or a cessation of the business of the Society, (v) amend the Bylaws of the Society, or (vi) fill vacancies in the Board of Directors.
The following policies govern the on-going operation of SIGs: The purpose or mission statement defines the goals and activities of a SIG. Any change in the purpose or mission statement of a SIG must be approved by a two-thirds majority of its members, and then by a majority of the SCMS Board of Directors. Members affiliate themselves with SIGs by updating their member profile on the SCMS website. SCMS members are not restricted in the number of SIGs with which they wish to affiliate. SIGs may request time and space for a meeting of their membership at the annual conference. The Program Committee cannot guarantee the availability of meeting time and / or space. SIGs prepare regular minutes of meetings for circulation to their members, and submit an annual report on activities for the year and attendance figures for their last meeting to the Board of Directors of SCMS two weeks prior to the annual conference. SIGs must report elections of Co-Chairs Board of Directors in a timely fashion. Each SIG is allocated $500 per year. These funds may be used to cover travel expenses for invited speakers at the group’s annual meeting or at screenings accepted as part of the conference, exhibit tables for the conference, receptions, etc. If unexpended, these funds revert to the general SCMS fund. Any SIG with fewer than 15 members for two consecutive years is assumed to be inactive and its status as a scholarly interest group within SCMS is revoked. Any SIG that fails to provide an annual report to the Board of Directors for two consecutive years, is assumed to be inactive and its status as a scholarly interest group within SCMS is revoked. |
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Governance 
