Section One. Election Voting

Except in special circumstances, elections are held prior to each SEM annual meeting via SEM’s online voting website.

Section Two. Election Procedures

1. Timeline

a. In March, the Executive Committee will conduct a call for nominations for the open positions. Nominations are due by April 30.

b. In May, after the call for nominations is concluded, the Executive Committee provides the Nominating Committee with the nominees and corresponding information to produce a slate of candidates.

c. The Committee selects at least two candidates (unless two are not available) from the nominees for each position open for election.

d. The Committee confirms with the SEM Office Coordinator that all nominees are registered student members.

e. In June, the Committee posts the slate for election with the SEM voting website, elections run from June to July 31 (the Nominating Committee emails the slate to sem@indiana.edu for the Office Coordinator to set up the online election).

f. In August, the new officers are announced.

2. Criteria for Selecting Candidates

a. Requirements

• The ability of the candidate to meet the requirements of serving as an officer of the SU (See Article IV).

• Enrolled in a graduate degree program related to ethnomusicology (MM, MA, DMA, PhD, etc.).

b. Preferences

• Past involvement with the SU and/or other student organizations.

• Availability to serve the full two-year term.

c. Exclusions

• Nominees may not be affiliated with the current officers’ universities or colleges.

• Candidates cannot be excluded based on gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or educational background.

Section Three. Assuming Office

Officers assume their new position at the SEM annual meeting following their online election. However, upon election the new officers are included in correspondence and phone meetings with current officers in preparation for the upcoming conference.

Article VI — Officer Responsibilities

Section One. General Responsibilities

The SU officers shall be responsible for the duties of their position as prescribed by this article. All officers report to the Chair.

Section Two. Chair

1. Acts as the presiding officer of the SEM Student Union.

2. Coordinates and chairs all SEM Student Union business meetings.

3. Provides supervision and acts as advisor to officers.

4. Set specific goals at the start of each term year.

5. Acts as official representative and liaison to the Society for Ethnomusicology.

6. Writes the annual report for SEM Board.

7. Updates and maintains the SEM Student Union bylaws.

Section Three. Vice-Chair

1. Serves as executive officer for all sub-committees.

2. Meets with sub-committee chairs to set specific committee goals at the start of each term year.

3. Facilitates grant writing for the SEM Student Union in conjunction with appropriate officers and sub-committees for specific grant needs and goals.

4. Assumes the duties of the Chair in his/her absence.

5. Acts as the parliamentarian for all SEM Student Union business meetings.

6. Serves as liaison to the SEM Student News.

7. Writes a bi-annual letter for SEM Student News.

Section Four. Secretary/Treasurer Responsibilities

1. In coordination with Executive Committee, prepares agenda items for Student Union business meetings.

2. Maintains accurate business and financial records for the SEM Student Union.

3. Prepares and submits the minutes of proceedings for approval of all business meetings, for subsequent distribution to membership.

4. Records attendance at SEM Student Union.

5. Presents the SEM Student Union financial status at all business meetings.

6. Collects all membership dues and other moneys owed to the SEM Student Union.

7. Serves as Chair of the Network and Communication Committee.

Section Five. Member-at-Large

1. Responsible for researching and networking with:

• SEM regional chapter student representatives.

• Executive officers of regional graduate ethnomusicology associations.

• SEM Council student representatives.

• SEM Special Interest Groups, Sections, and Committees.

2. Assumes duties as deemed necessary by the Executive Committee.

• The ability of the candidate to meet the requirements of serving as an officer of the SU (See Article IV).
• Enrolled in a graduate degree program related to ethnomusicology (MM, MA, DMA, PhD, etc.).

b. Preferences

• Past involvement with the SU and/or other student organizations.
• Availability to serve the full two-year term.

c. Exclusions

• Nominees may not be affiliated with the current officers’ universities or colleges.
• Candidates cannot be excluded based on gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or educational background.

Article I — Name and Purpose

Section One. Name

The name of this section shall be the "Student Union,” also referred to by the official abbreviation, "SEM SU” or "SU.”

Section Two. Purpose

The Student Union is a section of the Society for Ethnomusicology, composed of the society’s student membership. The SU focuses primarily, but not exclusively, on:

1. Providing support and resources for students in the field of ethnomusicology through community formation, networking, and information exchange.

2. Supporting regional and university student ethnomusicology groups in developing programs that promote world music and cultures through education, service, and performance.

3. Supporting the goals and objectives of the Society for Ethnomusicology.

Article II — Meeting Quorum and Rules of Procedure

Section One. Quorum

The presence of a minimum two officers of the Executive Committee plus a minimum of five Student Union members is the recognized quorum to call a meeting of the SU to order at the National Conference.

Section Two. Rules of Procedure

1. Where it is not superseded by these bylaws, the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern procedures at all business meetings of the SU.

2. All business brought in front of the SU at National meetings require a majority vote of members present and voting. In these cases, quorum must be present when the question is called.

Article III — Membership

Section One. Eligibility

1. The SU is open to all student members of SEM with the desire to participate in and further the field of ethnomusicology regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or educational background.

2. Student members of the Society for Ethnomusicology are automatic members and do not need to be voted in by the membership.

Article IV — SU Officers

Section One. Eligibility

1. Officers must be current student members of SEM.

2. Must be an active graduate student in a higher education institution.

3. Under reasonable circumstances, officers are expected to attend the SEM Annual National Conference.

4. Under reasonable circumstances, officers should make every effort to commit to the responsibilities and duties of the SU Executive Committee.

Section Two. Officer Positions

1. Chair

2. Vice-Chair

3. Secretary/Treasurer

4. Member-at-Large

Section Four. Terms of Office

1. Officers are elected on staggered two year terms:

• Chair and Member-at-Large in even years

• Vice-Chair and Secretary/Treasurer in odd years

2. The term of office for each position is two years and runs from SEM annual conference to the next.

3. Officers may resign by submitting a letter of resignation to the Executive Committee (see Section Five of this Article for procedures on vacated positions).

4. Any officer that consistently neglects his/her duties can be removed by a majority vote of the Executive Committee (see Section Five of this Article for procedures on vacated positions).

Section Five. Vacated Positions

1. In the case of a vacated position, the Executive Committee appoints a member to fill the position for the remainder of the vacated term.

2. In the event that the Chair vacates her/his position, the Vice-Chair assumes the remainder of the term.

3. In special circumstances, an election for multiple vacancies can be made if deemed appropriate.

Article V — Elections

Section One. Election Voting

Except in special circumstances, elections are held prior to each SEM annual meeting via SEM’s online voting website.

Section Two. Election Procedures

1. Timeline

a. In March, the Executive Committee will conduct a call for nominations for the open positions. Nominations are due by April 30.

b. In May, after the call for nominations is concluded, the Executive Committee provides the Nominating Committee with the nominees and corresponding information to produce a slate of candidates.

c. The Committee selects at least two candidates (unless two are not available) from the nominees for each position open for election.

d. The Committee confirms with the SEM Office Coordinator that all nominees are registered student members.

e. In June, the Committee posts the slate for election with the SEM voting website, elections run from June to July 31 (the Nominating Committee emails the slate to sem@indiana.edu for the Office Coordinator to set up the online election).

f. In August, the new officers are announced.

2. Criteria for Selecting Candidates

a. Requirements

• The ability of the candidate to meet the requirements of serving as an officer of the SU (See Article IV).

• Enrolled in a graduate degree program related to ethnomusicology (MM, MA, DMA, PhD, etc.).

b. Preferences

• Past involvement with the SU and/or other student organizations.

• Availability to serve the full two-year term.

c. Exclusions

• Nominees may not be affiliated with the current officers’ universities or colleges.

• Candidates cannot be excluded based on gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or educational background.

Section Three. Assuming Office

Officers assume their new position at the SEM annual meeting following their online election. However, upon election the new officers are included in correspondence and phone meetings with current officers in preparation for the upcoming conference.

Article VI — Officer Responsibilities

Section One. General Responsibilities

The SU officers shall be responsible for the duties of their position as prescribed by this article. All officers report to the Chair.

Section Two. Chair

1. Acts as the presiding officer of the SEM Student Union.

2. Coordinates and chairs all SEM Student Union business meetings.

3. Provides supervision and acts as advisor to officers.

4. Set specific goals at the start of each term year.

5. Acts as official representative and liaison to the Society for Ethnomusicology.

6. Writes the annual report for SEM Board.

7. Updates and maintains the SEM Student Union bylaws.

Section Three. Vice-Chair

1. Serves as executive officer for all sub-committees.

2. Meets with sub-committee chairs to set specific committee goals at the start of each term year.

3. Facilitates grant writing for the SEM Student Union in conjunction with appropriate officers and sub-committees for specific grant needs and goals.

4. Assumes the duties of the Chair in his/her absence.

5. Acts as the parliamentarian for all SEM Student Union business meetings.

6. Serves as liaison to the SEM Student News.

7. Writes a bi-annual letter for SEM Student News.

Section Four. Secretary/Treasurer Responsibilities

1. In coordination with Executive Committee, prepares agenda items for Student Union business meetings.

2. Maintains accurate business and financial records for the SEM Student Union.

3. Prepares and submits the minutes of proceedings for approval of all business meetings, for subsequent distribution to membership.

4. Records attendance at SEM Student Union.

5. Presents the SEM Student Union financial status at all business meetings.

6. Collects all membership dues and other moneys owed to the SEM Student Union.

7. Serves as Chair of the Network and Communication Committee.

Section Five. Member-at-Large

1. Responsible for researching and networking with:

• SEM regional chapter student representatives.

• Executive officers of regional graduate ethnomusicology associations.

• SEM Council student representatives.

• SEM Special Interest Groups, Sections, and Committees.

2. Assumes duties as deemed necessary by the Executive Committee.

Article VII — Committees

Section One. Standing Committees

1. Executive Committee

2. Conference Panel Committee

3. Networking and Communication Committee

4. Nominating Committee

Section Two. Committee Appointments

1. Except where specified, Committees will consist of a minimum of two representatives from the Student Union membership appointed by the Executive Committee based on volunteers.

2. Additionally the Executive Committee appoints a volunteer to chair individual committees as needed, except where otherwise specified.

Section Three. Executive Committee

1. Is responsible for the administrative efforts of the Student Union.

2. Launches and directs initiatives and activities on behalf of the members of the Student Union.

3. Coordinates with Committee Chairs on projects, programs, and services.

4. Sets agenda for the annual meeting at SEM.

5. Produces calls for nomination and for contribution for distribution via established channels (Facebook, SEM-L, etc.).

Section Four. Conference Panel Committee

3. Is responsible for organizing conference panels or roundtables that address student issues.

4. Sends out invitations to scholars and professionals working in ethnomusicology, determines how the panel will be structured (as a roundtable or as separate presentations), and submits a panel proposal to the SEM program committee during the call for papers.

Section Five. Network and Communication Committee

1. Chaired by Secretary/Treasurer (see Article V, Section Four)

2. Serves as a link between the SEM Student Union and the vast body of SEM student members.

3. Organizes and facilitates student-related social events at SEM annual conferences.

4. Maintains SU website and coordinates with the Executive Committee for content and use.

5. Encourages and promotes:

• Attendance at SEM Student Union meetings.

• Dissemination of information from the SEM Student Union to affiliated institutions.

• Coordination of a system of "student hosts” to be clearly identified throughout the SEM National Conference.

Section Six. Nominating Committee

1. Has the sole purpose to produce a slate of nominees to be brought before the SU membership (See Article V, Section Two for election procedures)

2. Shall consist of at least three members

Section Seven. Special Committees

1. The Executive Committee has the discretion to create special ad hoc committees to coordinate projects as needed for the SU.

2. Special committees can be dissolved once the project or need is fulfilled.

Section Eight. Committee Chair Duties

1. To coordinate committee meetings.

2. To report on committee activities when called upon to do so during designated business meetings.

3. Provides a report of each meeting including attendance, resolutions, and activities to the Chair of the Executive Committee within one week of said meeting.

Section Nine. Neglecting Committee Chair Duties

If a Committee Chair neglects his/her duties in running their committees, the Executive Committee may appoint a new member to Chair said committee.

Article VIII — Dues

As an SEM Section, the Student Union may collect voluntary dues upon registration with the Society. These dues will be used for functions, projects, etc. at the discretion of the Student Union and its Executive Committee.

Article IX — Bylaws Amendments

All amendments to these bylaws require approval by a two-thirds majority vote of members present and voting at the national meeting.