Constitution and Bylaws
Delta Human Resource Management Association, Chapter 508
Revised December 2016

ARTICLE I – Name, Affiliation, and Purpose

Section 1.  Name.  The name of this Association shall be the Delta Human Resource Management Association, herein referred to as the “Chapter.”

Section 2.  Affiliation.  The Chapter is affiliated with the Society for Human Resource Management, herein referred to as “SHRM.”  To avoid potential confusion, the Chapter will refer to itself as Delta HRMA and not as SHRM or the Society for Human Resource Management.

Section 3.  Relationships.  The Chapter is a separate entity from SHRM.  It shall not be deemed to be an agency or instrumentality of SHRM or of a State Council, and SHRM shall not be deemed to be an agency or instrumentality of the Chapter.  The Chapter shall not hold itself out to the public as an agent of SHRM without the express written consent of SHRM.  The Chapter shall not contract in the name of SHRM without the express written consent of SHRM.

Section 4.  Purpose.  The purpose of the Chapter is to promote higher standards of performance in human resource management and other interested organizations, businesses, and educational organizations in the Mississippi Delta.  Our goal and the SHRM motto is to advance the profession and serve the professional.

ARTICLE II – Membership

Section 1.  Qualification for Membership.  The qualifications for membership in the Chapter shall be as stated in Sections 2, 3, and 4 of this Article.  To achieve the mission of the Chapter there shall be no discrimination in individual membership because of race, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran’s status, or any other legally protected class.

Section 2.  Individual Members.  Membership of this Chapter shall be limited to regular active members who are presently engaged in Human Resource or Industrial Relations related work activities, Educators, and Service Industries who are interested in the HR field.  Applications for prospective members will be reviewed by the Membership & Nominating Committee, who may either approve or disapprove the applicant.  No more than three (3) individual members from any business firm, corporation, or educational institution, or other organization, shall be eligible for voting membership.  An organization may, however, have additional non-voting members. 

Section 3.  Student Members.  Individuals who are enrolled as full-time students in human resource degree programs at the college or university level.  Student members may not vote or hold office in the Chapter.

Section 4.  Application for Membership.  Application for membership shall be on the Chapter application form.  All applications shall be reviewed by the Membership & Nominating Committee.  New members shall be afforded full membership rights from the date of application approval by the committee.

Section 5.  Voting.  All individual members of the Chapter shall have the right to cast one vote on each matter brought before a vote of the members.  Student members are not eligible to vote.

Section 6.  Dues.  Each individual member shall pay the sum of seventy five dollars ($75.00) per year as dues for membership.  For active national SHRM members, local DHRMA dues are waived.  Dues are payable on January 1 of each year.  Members approved after July 1 of each year shall pay one-half the annual sum specified.  Dues shall be delinquent on or after February 1 of each year.  Any special assessment must be voted by the majority of the membership.

Section 7.  Termination of Membership.  Any member failing to pay chapter dues by April 1 of each year shall forfeit their membership.

ARTICLE III.  Meeting of Members

Section 1.  Regular Meetings.  Regular meetings of the members shall be held on the third Thursday of each month or otherwise determined by the meeting host.

Section 2.  Annual Meeting.  The December meeting shall be considered the annual meeting at which the election of officers shall be held.  Newly elected officers shall take office at the January meeting.

Section 3.  Special Meetings.  Special meetings of members shall be held on call of the President.

Section 4.  Notice of Meetings.  Notice of all special and annual meetings shall be given to all members at least 5 days prior to the meetings.  Notice of regular meetings shall be given to all members at least -five days prior to the meeting.

Section 5.  Quorum.  Business can be transacted only at meetings where a quorum of at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the membership is present.

ARTICLE IV.  Board of Directors

Section 1.  Officers.  The following shall be members of the Board of Directors and shall be Officers of the Chapter: President, Vice President/President Elect, Secretary/Treasurer.

Section 2.  Composition of the Board of Directors. Along with the Officers listed in Section IV.1 of this Article, the Board of Directors shall also include the Past President and Core Leadership Area Directors, as follows: Membership Chair, College Relations/Student Chapter Liaison, Workforce Readiness Advocate, SHRM Foundation Representative, Chapter Legislation Action Representative, Education/Programs/Publicity Chair, Social Media Chair & Website Developer, Diversity Advocate and Chapter Certification Representative. These shall constitute the governing body of the Chapter. Additional Core Leadership Area Directors shall be nominated by the President and elected from among the eligible membership as members of the Board of Directors, should new Core Leadership Areas be established by SHRM.

Section 3.  Qualification.  All candidates for the Board of Directors must be individual members of the Chapter in good standing at the time of nomination or appointment.  The President must be a member in good standing of SHRM throughout the duration of his/her term of office. 

Section 4.  Election – Term of Office.  Officers and Directors shall be elected by the members at the annual meeting of the membership from the proposed slate of the nominating committee appointed by the Board of Directors at the beginning of each election year. Each elected Officer and Director shall assume office on January 1 following his/her election and shall hold office for one year or until his/her successor is elected and takes office.

Section 5.  Vacancies.  Any vacancy in the Board may be filled for the unexpired term by the President with consent of the Board of Directors.

Section 6.  Quorum.  A majority of the total Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.  The act of the majority of the Directors present at any meeting at which there is a quorum shall be the act of the Board of Directors.

Section 7.  Board of Directors’ Responsibilities.  The Board shall be responsible for the overall administration of the Chapter and shall meet quarterly and on call by the Chairperson.  A member in good standing may request the President to place on the agenda of the next regular meeting any action taken by the Board of Directors.

Section 8.  Removal of Director and Officer.  Any Director of officer may be removed from office, with cause, upon an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the entire Board of Directors at a duly constituted Board of Directors meeting.

ARTICLE V.  Duties and Responsibilities

Section 1.  The President.  The President shall preside at all meetings, have general supervision of the Chapter, and serve as an ex-officio member of all standing committees.  He/she shall maintain liaison with SHRM.

Section 2.  The Vice President/President Elect.  The Vice President/President Elect shall assume all duties in the absence of the President and, in the event that the President should leave office during the term, shall serve as President until the next annual election.  The Vice President/President Elect shall serve as Education/Programs/Publicity Chair.

Section 3.  The Secretary/Treasurer.  The Secretary/Treasurer shall collect all money due the Chapter; sign all warrants drawn on the Chapter; keep a complete and accurate record of receipts; keep a complete and accurate record of attendance at each meeting; notify the membership of all meetings; and prepare and submit to the membership an annual financial statement at the December meeting and a semi-annual financial statement at the June meeting.  The Secretary/Treasurer also shall be responsible for coordinating the activities related to the Chapter’s newsletter.

Section 4.  Term.   Each officer shall serve for a one-year term and shall not be eligible for re-election to the same office until a minimum of two years has passed. 

ARTICLE VI. Committee

Section 1. Committee Organization.  There shall be two standing committees:  Education/Programs/Publicity and Membership/Nominations.  Such committees are to be appointed by the President, with approval of the Board of Directors.

Section 2.  Education/Programs/Publicity Committee.  The Education/Programs/Publicity Committee shall consist of three members.  This committee shall attempt to keep the membership informed, by whatever means necessary, of legislation rulings, industry practices, and new ideas pertaining to the human resource and industrial relations fields.  This committee shall also be charged with arranging a suitable and instructive program for every regular meeting.  The committee shall also arrange for all publicity for the activities of the Chapter.

Section 3.  Membership/Nominating Committee.  The Membership/Nominating Committee shall consist of three members.  This committee shall invite, review, and pass on new members.  This committee shall also prepare a slate of candidates, one or two for each office, including vacancies on the Board of Directors, which shall be presented to the voting membership at the Chapter’s regular December meeting.  The floor shall then be opened for additional nominations.

ARTICLE VII.  Chapter Dissolution

In the event of the Chapter’s dissolution, the remaining monies in the Treasury, after Chapter expenses have been paid, will be contributed to an organization decided upon by the Board of Directors at the time of dissolution (e.g., the SHRM Foundation, a local student chapter, the state council, an HR-degree program, or other such organization or charity).

ARTICLE VIII.  Statement of Ethics

The Chapter adopts SHRM’s Code of Ethical Standards for the HR Profession for members of the Chapter in order to promote and maintain the highest standards among its members.  Each member shall honor, respect and support the purpose of this Chapter and SHRM.

The Chapter shall not be represented as advocating or endorsing any issue unless approved by the Board of Directors.

No member shall actively solicit business from any other member at Chapter meetings or through the use of information provided to him/her as a member of the Chapter without approval from the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE IX.  Amendment of Constitution and Bylaws

The Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the members present at any meeting at which a quorum exists and in which required notice has been met, provided that no such amendment shall be effective unless and until approved by the SHRM President/CEO or his/her designee as being in furtherance of the purposes of the SHRM and not in conflict with the SHRM Bylaws.  Any motion to amend the bylaws shall clearly state that it is not effective unless and until approved by the SHRM President/CEO or his/her designee.

ARTICLE X.  WITHDRAWAL OF AFFLIATED CHAPTER STATUS

Affiliated chapter status may be withdrawn by the President/CEO of SHRM or his/her designee as a representative of the SHRM Board of Directors upon finding that the activities of the Chapter are inconsistent with or contrary to the best interests of SHRM.  Prior to withdrawal of such status, the Chapter shall have an opportunity to review a written statement of the reasons for such proposed withdrawal and an opportunity to provide the SHRM Board of Directors with a written response to such a proposal within a thirty (30) day period.  In addition, when the Chapter fails to maintain the required affiliation standards as set forth by the SHRM Board of Directors, it is subject to immediate disaffiliation by SHRM.  After withdrawal of Chapter status, the SHRM Board of Directors may cause a new Chapter to be created, or, with the consent of the President/CEO of SHRM and the consent of the body which has had Chapter status withdrawn, may re-confer Chapter status upon such body.