Introduction
The Society of American Archivists Eagles’ Memories (SAAEM) Chapter adheres to the principles put forth by the Society of American Archivists (SAA) and upholds their guidelines for membership. We are a beneficial forum for graduate students interested in the preservation of historical records, devoted to developing leaders for tomorrow’s archival, museum, and cultural heritage professions.
We enhance the educational experience by providing and organizing workshops, lectures, group meetings, classes, guest speakers, and field experiences that combine the theoretical perspectives, practical experiences, and research initiatives espoused by SAA. Our virtual meetings, seminars, and mini-conferences; external website (https://eaglesmemories.wordpress.com) and blog; hosted events, and Mobilize platform promote communication among students, as well as providing avenues for contacts within the field of archives, special collections, and museum environments. Our monthly meetings encourage members to share information regarding internships, opportunities, and job placements. We also encourage students to participate in external academic and professional conferences via fund-raising, so that they may share their experiences with other members and students. We work with other archival, library science, and public history student groups to increase communication among these organizations, promote archival interests at our university and within the School of Library and Information Science, which promotes the mutual interests of allied professions. We raise funds for future use in order to create a viable organization that can continue to provide professional resources to archival students.
Constitution
I. Name
The name of this organization shall be Society of American Archivists Eagles’ Memories, SAAEM.
II. Objectives
A. To acquaint members with the objectives, ethics, and publications of the archival profession and the Society of American Archivists.
B. To equip members with the tools, workflows, methodologies, and standards involved in the digital collection, preservation, curation and storage activities practiced by archivists.
C. To encourage professional activities among the members in order to develop the leaders of tomorrow’s archival profession.
D. To provide members with opportunities to discuss archival issues and interact with professional archivists, such as sponsoring and conducting mini-conferences, invited speaker panels, Q&A summits, seminars, and other events in order to provide opportunities for the professional development of our members.
E. To promote communication with other student groups within the University, in order to develop mutual interests of the library and archive professions.
F. To promote archival projects and development with our University community and other external stakeholders.
III. Membership
A. Membership in the Society of American Archivists Eagles’ Memories (SAAEM) is open to all students who are currently enrolled in graduate-level studies at North Carolina Central University.
B. Membership in the Society of American Archivists Eagles’ Memories (SAAEM) requires membership in the Society of American Archivists (SAA). Student members are eligible for a reduced rate of membership in the SAA. For more information, see the SAA website: https://www2.archivists.org/membership/student
C. A minimum of five members in good standing with the SAA and North Carolina Central University is necessary to maintain status as a legitimate chapter.
IV. Annual Report
A. An Annual Report on Current Activities must be prepared and submitted to the Executive Office of the Society of American Archivists for review at the mid-winter conference. This report will include the names of all members of the Graduate Student Chapter, the name of the coordinator(s) and the faculty liaison, and a summary of Chapter activities within the past year.
B. Failure to produce such a Report on Current Activities will initiate an inquiry by the Society of American Archivists, which could result in the dissolution of Society of American Archivists Eagles’ Memories (SAAEM).
V. Offices and Advisors
A. Officers of this organization shall include a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Webmaster. These officers, together with one or more faculty advisors will comprise the Society of American Archivists Eagles’ Memories (SAAEM) Executive Board, which shall be responsible for the administration of the Society of American Archivists Eagles’ Memories (SAAEM).
B. The Society of American Archivists Eagles’ Memories (SAAEM) President will act as a liaison with the Society of American Archivists. The liaison will be responsible for ensuring the following:
- That copies of any chapter newsletters or publications are sent to the SAA Executive Office.
- That mailing lists are maintained and mailings are distributed to all members.
- That the content of all mailings are accurate and legible.
C. Any and all faculty advisors must be a member of the SAA, and will act as additional liaisons with the SAA in matters regarding Society of American Archivists Eagles’ Memories (SAAEM).
D. Elected officers shall serve for one year, from mid-term of Spring semester until the mid-term of the following year’s Spring semester. If a vacancy should occur among the offices of the Chapter’s Executive Board, an interim replacement shall be appointed by the Executive Board to serve until the next regularly scheduled election.
VI. ByLaws
The Executive Board is authorized to prepare, adopt or amend Society of American Archivists Eagles’ Memories (SAAEM) ByLaws as may be desirable for administration of the organization. A copy of the current ByLaws must be made available to all members. Changes to the ByLaws shall be subject to review by all members, and must be approved by a majority vote.
- The Executive Board cannot override a majority vote to change the ByLaws.
VII. Amendments
Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by any member at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Society of American Archivists Eagles’ Memories (SAAEM) Executive Board, and shall be decided by a majority vote.
VIII. Meetings
Meetings shall be held at the beginning of each academic semester, and at least monthly throughout the academic year. If the President is unable to attend, the highest ranking officer present will conduct the meeting in accord with the agenda. Votes in meetings shall be conducted in accordance with one of the five ways of “Voting on a Motion” process in Robert’s Rules of Order:
- By Voice: The President or highest attending officer asks those in favor to say, “aye”, those opposed to say “no”. Any member may move for an exact count.
- By Roll Call: Each member answers “yes” or “no” as his name is called. This method is used when a record of each person’s vote is required.
- By General Consent: When a motion is not likely to be opposed, the Chairman says, “if there is no objection …” The membership shows agreement by their silence, however if one member says, “I object,” the item must be put to a vote.
- By Division: This is a slight verification of a voice vote. It does not require a count unless the chairman so desires. Members raise their hands or stand.
- By Ballot: Members write their vote on a slip of paper; this method is used when secrecy is desired (Robert’s Rules of Order, Quick Reference, 2013).
IX. Dissolution
B. The Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President in the latter’s absence, assume the office of the President should it become vacated, and direct external communications within the University community. External communications include internal and external marketing of events and meetings, new member orientation, communicating Chapter-related public information amongst faculty and students, and public relations.
C. The Secretary shall be responsible for recording all Chapter meetings and activities, and for maintaining files of all permanent Chapter records on Mobilize. Record-keeping extends to maintaining lists of speakers and attendees of all chapter events, including digital audio-visual, photographic, text, and other data records[1] . The annual Report on Chapter Activities, to be submitted to the Executive Office of the Society of American Archivists, will be prepared by the Secretary.
D. The Treasurer shall have responsibility for all financial matters of the Chapter, including maintaining a traditional bank account. The Chapter will not use applications such as Zelle or other “cash apps” for purchases by individual members. Included in the Treasurer’s duties will be preparing and balancing the Chapter budget, providing an account of the Chapter’s financial status at every monthly meeting, overseeing sanctioned fund-raising activities such as gather sales and paying applicable taxes and fees, tracking donations and gifts to the Chapter, and other accounting duties as assigned by the Executive Board. The Treasurer is responsible for the preparation of a Chapter financial report at the beginning and close of each academic semester.
E. The Webmaster shall have the responsibility for maintaining the Chapter website and Mobilize platform, which includes listserv and cloud drive capabilities. The Webmaster is also responsible for maintaining the Chapter’s email account, currently on WordPress.com[2] .
II. Duties of the Executive Board
A. The Chapter Executive Board may agree to appoint members to serve in the planning and coordination of organizational activities.
B. The President and Treasurer are authorized to have full access and control over any and all bank accounts associated with the Chapter. This means that the President and the Treasurer are authorized to make withdrawals and deposits, change account information for existing accounts, create new accounts if needed, and add users to the account, in extreme circumstances only.
III. Elections
A. Annual elections for the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Webmaster shall be held in the Spring Semester, after the mid-term break has concluded. Only active Chapter members in good standing and have paid their SAA dues are eligible to be nominated for an office.
B. The nomination and election of officers will be coordinated by an Ad Hoc committee of non-officer Chapter members appointed by the Executive Board.
C. The Ad Hoc Committee will ensure that a list of nominees for all offices, and their brief written statements, are posted on the Chapter website at least one week prior to the election.
D. All Chapter members in good standing are entitled to vote for officers. Voting shall be by anonymous digital ballot using a tool such as SurveyMonkey or other tool chosen by the Ad Hoc Committee. Faculty advisors will consult with the Chapter’s SAA Liaison to verify Chapter members in good standing. Faculty Advisors must ensure that elections are fair and valid.
IV. Committees
A. Standing program committees of continuing areas of interest designed to meet the objectives of the chapter shall consist of volunteer Chapter members.
B. Ad Hoc committees shall be appointed as necessary by the Executive Board.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Robert’s Rules of Order
Eagles Memories 