ARTICLE I - Name

1. The name of this organization shall be the Boston West Photographic Society (hereinafter referred to as "the Club").

ARTICLE II - Purpose

1. The purpose of the Club shall be to educate, encourage, and expand the photographic knowledge and skills of its members by: (a) furnishing a physical meeting place where its members may associate, (b) providing a virtual meeting place via the Internet for members to view and share information, (c) making available equipment required for the conduct of its programs, (d) presenting lectures, courses of study, and demonstration of techniques, (e) providing for Club and member participation in exhibitions and contests, and (f) sponsoring any activities which further the purpose of the Club.

ARTICLE III - Membership

1. Membership in the Club is available to those interested in photography who are looking for a friendly and supportive atmosphere in which to gain or share knowledge and insights into any and all aspects of photography.
2. Prospective members must fill out an application form and submit it along with their dues check to the Club treasurer or other Board of Directors member.
3. The Board of Directors has the power to cap the membership in any year at a level the Board feels is most conducive to meeting the goals of the Club. The Board of Directors also has the power to reject any membership application for any reason, subject to a two-thirds majority vote of the Board.
4. The Treasurer or the Treasurer's appointed representative shall maintain an annual membership list made up of name, address, telephone number, email address, and date joined of all members. This information will not be made publicly available and will only be shared with other members with the consent of each member. The one exception is that members who volunteer to be contact points for the Club will have their name and email address and/or phone number posted on the Club Web site.

ARTICLE IV - Dues

1. The annual Dues for individual or other types of membership shall be determined annually by the Board of Directors and posted on the Club Web site.
2. Dues shall be payable prior to October 1st (club season runs September to June).
3. For new members joining after February 1st, the dues for the remainder of the Club year shall be 60% of the annual amount.

ARTICLE V - Meetings

1. Regular meetings of the Club shall, if possible, be held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month during the ten-month period from September through June (the Board of Directors may choose to have a single meeting in December). One of these monthly meeting shall be a members' competition; the other monthly meeting shall be a program of general interest in the field of photography. The annual end-of-the-season meeting for the awarding of prizes and camaraderie before the summer break shall be held on the third Wednesday in June.
2. The dates of regular meetings may be changed when necessary, or a special meeting may be convened when it is deemed in the best interest of the Club. Such action may be taken by the Board of Directors or, in the event of an emergency, by the President or Vice-President and one other Officer. Reasonable notice of such change or addition shall be given to the Club members.
3. Other meetings may be scheduled from time to time including, but not limited to, field trips, teaching programs, photo sessions, and general interest events.
4. Visitors are welcome at all regular meetings although only members may enter the competitions and take advantage of hands-on workshops and events. Visitors who are disruptive or who negatively affect members will be asked to leave and not return.

ARTICLE VI - Officers and Directors

1. The Officers shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer, elected as per Article VII.
2. There shall be two Directors; one should be the immediate past President, if willing to serve, the other a previous past President, if available.
3. The duties of the President are as follows: (a) take the lead in making certain that the Club, Club meetings, and Board of Directors meetings run smoothly and that meeting agendas are clear and managed in a timely fashion; (b) be responsible for making certain the Club has a location at which to hold its meetings; (c) introduce all regular meetings of the Club and announce Club business prior to turning over the meeting to the Competition or Program Chairperson.
4. The Vice President has the duty to stand in for the President whenever the President is absent. The VP is also the Chairperson of the Program Committee (see Article XI for details of this committee).
5. The duties of the Secretary are as follows: (a) inform all Board of Directors members when a Board meeting has been called; (b) take (and distribute in a timely manner to the members of the Board) detailed notes of all Board meetings; (c) archive Board meeting minutes for all meetings so the minutes can be used for future reference; (d) organize get well and/or sympathy cards for members who may need them.
6. The duties of the Treasurer are as follows: (a) collect dues from members; (b) maintain a bank account at a local institution for holding club funds; (c) disburse club funds for the payment of club expenses; (d) maintain a current membership list; (e) create a Treasurer's Report at the end of each club season and submit it to the Board of Directors which is to include starting and ending balances and all sources of income and all expenses during the year.
7. The duties of the Directors are to help guide Board meetings and to provide perspective to other Board members with regard to the goals and character of the Club.

ARTICLE VII - Election and Term of Service

1. The term of service shall be two years for the Officers and Directors.
2. A Nominating Committee consisting of a chairperson and two other members knowledgeable in the aims and operation of the Club shall be named by the President by the first regular meeting in March in election years.
3. This committee shall, after canvassing the membership for persons willing to serve and reviewing the choices with the Board of Directors, present nominations for Officers and Directors at the first regular meeting in April.
4. Officers and Directors shall be elected at the first regular meeting in May to serve for a two year term beginning at the close of the Annual Meeting. Voting shall be by voice vote of those members present and a simple majority is required.
5. If the President vacates office, the Vice-President shall become President. If any other Officer or Director vacates office, a successor shall be chosen by the Board of Directors.
6. The President and Vice President may hold the same office for two successive years but not for more than two years in any four-year period.

ARTICLE VIII - Board of Directors

1. The Board of Directors shall consist of the Officers, the Directors, the committee chairperson of the Communications Committee and the Competition Committee, and the NECCC and PSA Representatives.
2. No Board of Directors member should hold more than one Board position at the same time although exceptions can be made.
3. The Board shall handle all routine business of the Club and shall authorize the expenditure of funds for all Club expenses such as speakers, judges, equipment, printing, fees, mailings, etc. The President may authorize expenditures up to $50. The Board is required to authorize expenditures of $50 or more.
4. The Board shall designate a member of the Club to act as representative to the New England Camera Club Council and one (possibly the same) member to be representative to the Photographic Society of America.
5. Formal meetings of the Board of Directors shall be called periodically by the President or Vice-President, as required, to transact business of the Club. Notification shall be given to each member of the Board of Directors at least five days in advance of the meeting.
6. Informal meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the President or Vice-President at any regular meeting of the Club by notice to the Board of Directors members present for the purpose of handling items of business that require immediate attention.
7. "Virtual meetings" of the Board may be held from time to time via email exchanges or other electronic communication means in order to handle items requiring immediate attention or items that can be handled over the course of time.
8. At either formal or informal meetings of the Board of Directors, six members, which shall include two Officers, shall constitute a quorum.
9. Decisions of the Board of Directors will be made by votes and require a two-thirds majority of those present. Board members who hold more than one Board seat are entitled to only a single vote.
10. The job of the Board of Directors is to create a framework for a smooth-running club and to insulate the general membership from the mundane details of running the Club. The Board will therefore make its best effort not to burden the general membership with all of the decisions it makes. The Board will attempt to balance the goals of the Club with the wishes of its membership. The goals of the Club are clearly stated in these Bylaws. The wishes of the membership may be less clear, but members of the Board of Directors will normally have a good understanding of these wishes. The Board shall have the option of surveying the membership from time to time to gather information to help them make decisions.
11. Any member who wishes to bring items to the attention of the Board of Directors may do so at any time by alerting the President or any other Board member. The Board will discuss the issue(s) at the next Board meeting.
12. The Board of Directors has the responsibility to provide the membership with a comfortable, supportive, and non-threatening environment. As such, the Board , by a 2/3 majority vote, has the power to expel any member from the Club whom the Board determines to be a disruptive influence. The Board has complete leeway to determine what constitutes a definition of "disruptive". The decision of the Board with regards to expelling a member is final and not subject to review. Any member so expelled forfeits any dues paid for the current year.

ARTICLE IX - Committees

1. The Standing Committees of the Club shall be: (a) Communications Committee; (b) Program Committee; and (c) Competition Committee.
2. As soon as possible after being elected to office, the President shall appoint the Chairpersons of the Standing Committees. The Secretary shall immediately notify the Chairpersons and the Board of Directors of the appointments. The Chairpersons shall recruit members to assist them as required.
3. The President may at any time appoint an ad hoc committee for a special purpose, but the actions of such committee shall be subject to the two-thirds majority approval of the Board of Directors in accordance with the intent of these Bylaws.

ARTICLE X - Communications and Web Site

1. The Chairperson of the Communications Committee shall be responsible for (a) maintaining and keeping current the Club Web site and all membership electronic mailing lists; (b) making available to the membership items of interest or note; (c) providing press releases to the media to publicize the Club; and (d) maintaining a members' mailing list to facilitate the timely delivery of Club news to its members.
2. The Web site will serve the purpose of (a) keeping the membership informed of items of Club interest such as the Club schedule, news items, and competition rules and results; (b) introducing the public to the Club and informing them of the what the Club does and the when, where, and how the Club operates; and (c) providing a repository for Club articles and providing members with space to display a gallery of their work on-line.
3. The web site will be maintained with as current information as is possible by the Communications Committee.
4. The members' mailing list is the primary means of communication of Club news and items of interest to the membership.
5. The Communications Committee shall also be responsible for publicizing the Club to the public via various news outlets and other means.

ARTICLE XI - Program Committee

1. The Chairperson of the Program Committee shall be the Vice President of the Club.
2. The Program Committee shall arrange the programs for all Club meetings, field trips, and special events with the exception of intra Club competitions.
3. The Program Committee Chairperson shall make available for publication a schedule of Club programs for the upcoming season prior to the first meeting in September.

ARTICLE XII - Competition Committee

1. The Chairperson of the Competition Committee shall be responsible for running all competitions among members of the Club.
2. The Competition Committee must publish competition rules for each competition type prior to the start of each Club season. The Competition Committee is responsible for creating competition rules, subject to a two-thirds majority approval by the Board of Directors prior to publication.
3. The Committee will schedule judges and inform each judge of the rules and format of the competition prior to the start of each competition.
4. The Committee will tally the results of each competition and provide a report in a timely manner including winning entries plus cumulative scores for the season to the Communications Committee for dissemination to the membership.
5. The Chairperson of the Competition Committee shall make available for publication a list of Club competitions and scheduled judges (if available) for the upcoming season prior to the first meeting in September.
6. The club competitions, whether slide, digital, or print, will be scored via the "in/out" method whereby a specified fraction of the entries are accepted into the ribbon round and each acceptance will be awarded a ribbon.

ARTICLE XIII - Amendment of Bylaws

1. An amendment to these Bylaws may be initiated by (a) the Board of Directors or (b) by a petition signed by at least twenty-five percent of the Club Members.
2. Notice of the proposed amendment shall be given by publishing it in a member email and/or in full on the Club Web site, together with the reasons therefore, at least thirty days prior to the meeting at which action will be taken.
3. Subject to the above, these Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Club by a three-quarters majority of those present and voting. A quorum shall consist of at least twenty-five percent of the members including two Officers.