Bylaws

Approved 20 September 2007

400.0 GEOGRAPHICAL ORGANIZATION OF MEMBERS.

The membership of the Society shall be concentrated, geographically, according to units defined by the IEEE as Regions, Areas, Regional Councils, Sections, Subsections, Student Branches, Chapters, and Student Branch Chapters.

401. Region.

A Region is a geographical unit consisting of part of one, or of one or more countries, established by the IEEE Board of Directors as the basic operating entity of the IEEE and, thus, of its societies. The membership is organized according to the following Regions:

Region 1 - Northeastern USA
Region 2 - Eastern USA
Region 3 - Southeastern USA
Region 4 - Central USA
Region 5 - Southwestern USA
Region 6 - Western USA
Region 7 - Canada
Region 8 - Africa, Europe, Greenland, Iceland, the Near and Middle East, Countries located West of Afghanistan and Pakistan
Region 9 - Caribbean and Bahamas Islands, South and Central America, North America (except USA, Jamaica, and Canada)
Region 10 - All areas not already defined in Regions 1-9 above.

402. Area.

An Area is a geographical entity established by a Regional Committee as a management and administrative entity to fulfill the communication needs and/or management/administrative mission of the Region within a prescribed territory.

403. Regional Council.

A Regional Council is a consortium of Sections which may be established by the Sections concerned with the approval of the IEEE Regional Activities Board in order to represent and fulfill the needs of the members and the missions of IEEE within the prescribed territory.

404. Section.

A Section is an operating entity of the IEEE constituted by a minimum of fifty (50) members and established with the approval of the IEEE Regional Activities Board upon petition of those who live/work in relatively close proximity to be served by activities that meet their needs and further the missions of the IEEE.

405. Subsection.

A Subsection is part of a Section, constituted by a minimum of twenty (20) members, and established with the approval of the IEEE Regional Activities Board upon petition to the Section Executive Committee, who live/work in relatively close proximity to be served by the activities that meet their needs and further the missions of the IEEE.

406. Chapter.

Society activities organized on a geographical basis shall be accomplished via Chapters (representing the technical interests of the Signal Processing Society) or Joint Chapters (representing the technical interests of the Signal Processing Society in conjunction with the technical interests of one or more of the IEEE's other technical societies).

A Chapter is a technical subunit of one or more Sections, or a Council, constituted by a minimum of twelve (12) members of a Society and established by petition to the parent unit(s) and Societies concerned to represent and fulfill the needs of the members and the missions of the IEEE.

A petition to establish a Chapter must contain the following:

1. name of the Section;

2. name of the sponsoring Society(ies);

3. name of the organizer (who becomes interim chair, pending election of a egular chair at a later organization meeting);

4. signatures of at least twelve (12) IEEE members, other than Students, who are members of the Society and Section involved;

5. information on Section members who indicate they will join the Chapter, established.

The petition for a Chapter shall be submitted to the Section Executive Committee for written approval and forwarded with the written approval to the IEEE General Manager. The Chapter will be considered established after the IEEE General Manager has ascertained that the Regional Director and the Society President have no objection to its formation. The IEEE General Manager shall so notify the IEEE Executive Committee, the Regional Activities Board, the Society President, and the Section Chair.

407. Student Branch.

A Student Branch of the IEEE is constituted by a minimum of twenty (20) Student Members at a particular college, university, or technical institute and established with the approval of the IEEE Regional Activities Board by petition to the Region concerned to represent and fulfill the needs of the members and the missions of the IEEE.

408. Student Branch Chapter.

A Student Branch Chapter is a technical subunit of a Student Branch constituted by a minimum of twelve (12) Student Members of a Society and#12; established by petition to the parent Student Branch and Society concerned to represent and fulfill the needs of the members and the missions of the IEEE.

A petition to establish a Student Branch Chapter, on the required form supplied by the IEEE, must contain at least:

1. name of Student Branch, signatures of its Student Branch officers, and signature of the counselor;

2. name of the sponsoring Society;

3. signatures of at least twelve (12) students who are members of the Student Branch and of the Society involved; the signature of the Faculty Advisor of the Student Branch Chapter selected by the petitioning students, who shall be a Member of the Society; the name of one student petitioner who will serve as interim chair until establishment of the Student Branch Chapter is authorized.

The petition for the Student Branch Chapter shall be submitted to the Manager of Student Services at IEEE Headquarters. The Student Branch Chapter shall be considered established following approval of the petition by the Regional Student Activities Committee Chair, the Regional Director, and the Society President.