According to FLDH’s bylaws, proposed amendments to these bylaws can be made with the approval of the Executive Council. The below are proposed amendments to the bylaws for review by the membership and the Executive Council. The comment period for the proposed changes will be open until November 2nd, after which the The FLDH Executive Council will discuss the proposed amendments and all comments received from the FLDH membership at their next meeting (TBA).

Please submit any comments here.

Bylaws

Preamble

The name of this organization is “Florida Digital Humanities Consortium” (hereafter abbreviated “FLDH” or “FLDH Consortium”).  In all its activities, FLDH will remain sensitive to the principles of diversity, inclusivity, and transparency.  FLDH will have other purposes and objectives as decided by the FLDH Executive Council. These include:

• To provide a portal (www.fldh.org) as a forum for members of FLDH to discuss issues surrounding digital humanities in various environments and to offer ideas on how to develop fertile surroundings when resources are more limited or nonexistent.
• To share information about available digital humanities tools of interest to the community.
• To organize and participate in digital humanities events of interest to the FLDH community.
• To undertake other activities relating to its purposes and objectives or the promotion of FLDH as a community.

FLDH is a non-profit organization; any funding received will be used to enable FLDH to further its purposes and objectives.

The Electoral and Fiscal year of FLDH will run according to the calendar year (January 1- December 31).

Article I. Membership

1. Membership in FLDH is open to anyone interested in its goals to promote the humanities.
2. Membership is conferred by joining the FLDH portal (http://www.fldh.org).
3. Individual members in good standing associated with a cultural, educational or historical institution in Florida have the right to vote in FLDH elections and on issues that the Executive Council deem necessary.
4. Individual members in good standing employed by a cultural, educational or historical institution in Florida who meet additional eligibility criteria as specified in Articles 2 and 3 may stand for positions on the FLDH Executive Council or Standing Committees or serve as an Officer of the organization.  A letter of support from each individual member’s institution (direct supervisor or higher unless the individual is head of organization) is required to stand for Council, or Officer positions.

Article II. Executive Council

1. The Executive Council will be responsible for discussing, working through, and voting on particular topics and issues related to the FLDH mission (e.g., where and when to hold meetings, funding initiatives, position statements in regard to higher education in Florida, etc.).
   1. Composition
      1. Any cultural, educational or historical institution in Florida may be a general member of the Florida Digital Humanities Consortium.  The Executive Council will consist of up to ten permanent members and ten other representatives elected by the general membership.
         1. Institutions with one permanent representative on the Executive Council: UCF, UF, USF, FSU, FIU, UNF, Florida Humanities Council, University of Miami, Rollins College, New College of Florida.
         2. FLDH members from the institutions with a permanent seat on the Executive Council will choose their representative.
      2. The Executive Council may include up to two representatives from each institution. If two representatives are included for an institution, it is recommended that the two representatives come from separate institutional units (e.g., the library and a teaching department) with the intention to foster collaboration within the institution as well as across FLDH through participation on the Executive Council.
   2. Election
      1. Elections for the Executive Council will be held biannually, beginning in 2016, before the end of January following an open nomination period.
         1. The precise system used for collecting nominations and conducting the election will be left to the discretion of the Elections & ByLaws  Committee. Whatever system is chosen must reflect the principles of transparency, inclusiveness, and openness to diversity.
         2. The election will be preceded by a nomination period of at least two weeks. During this period, nominations will be solicited from the membership using the FLDH portal and other channels as deemed appropriate. The notice will indicate that self-nominations are both welcome and common.
         3. In addition to this open nomination process, the Elections & ByLaws Committee may also solicit  nominations directly, especially to encourage participation from diverse types of institutions. Nomination by this committee will provide no advantage to candidates over self-nomination or nomination through the open call.
         4. Nominees will be asked to submit a candidate statement for publication to the FLDH portal. The Elections & ByLaws Committee may require all statements from candidates to conform to certain requirements (length, format, etc.).
         5. The election will open after the nomination period has closed and the names and candidates’ statements have been published to the FLDH portal.
            1. In the event that the elections are uncontested, all nominees will automatically be selected for the Council.
         6. The election will remain open for at least a week. A closing date for each election will be established and announced to the membership.
         7. The Elections & ByLaws Committee  will announce the results of the election via the FLDH portal as soon as the results are tabulated.
         8. Any exceptions, accommodations, or alternative arrangements will be decided by a majority vote of the Elections & ByLaws Committee  and reported as quickly as possible to the membership. Where practical, such exceptions, accommodations, or alternative arrangements will also be made available to all other members.  In reporting such accommodations or alternative arrangements, the Elections & ByLaws Committee will be sensitive to issues of privacy.
      2. Terms of office are for two-years and will be renewable.
      3. FLDH Executive Council members may resign from their commitments at any time but are expected to give adequate notice, at least one month is preferred.
         1. When a member resigns, the FLDH Executive Council, at its discretion, may decide to: hold a special election; appoint a replacement; leave the position vacant.
   3. Meetings
      1. At least one meeting will be held annually
      2. Meetings may be face-to-face or virtual.
         1. If a face-to-face meeting is called, members may attend virtually.
      3. An agenda for each meeting should be sent to the Executive Council before the meeting.
   4. Decisions
      1. Only elected members of the Executive Council have the right to vote in its decisions. Ex officio members and observers may not vote.
      2. The Executive Council will decide issues before it by a simple majority unless these Bylaws call for a higher standard.
   5. Officers
      1. Officers will be elected every two years from the elected membership of the Executive Council.
      2. No member may be elected to an officer’s position for more than three terms.  After three elected terms, the member must wait at least one year before becoming qualified for re-election as an officer to the Executive Council.
      3. Officers will include, but need not be limited to:
         1. Chair
         2. Vice-Chair
         3. Secretary (Project Management & Reporting)
      4. In electing officers, the Executive Council shall keep in mind the principles of diversity, inclusivity, transparency, experience, and competence.
      5. Officers may be removed from office for cause by the Executive Council. Any such removal will require a supermajority of the membership of the Executive Council.
      6. After the Executive Council has approved an officer’s removal from office, the Chair or Vice Chair must write to the affected person within three days explaining the grounds for removal.

Article III. Standing Committees

1. Composition and selection
   1. Four standing committees will work in concert with the larger Executive Council to manage FLDH activities. The committees will be:
      1. Conference Committee
      2. Education Committee
      3. Elections & ByLaws Committee
      4. Communications Committee
   2. Each committee will have a minimum of 2 members, one of which must be an Executive Council member. 
   3. Executive Council members are expected to serve on at least one standing committee, which they will select when they join the Council.
   4. Committee members from the general FLDH membership will serve two-year terms on a volunteer basis.
   5. At the beginning of the Electoral and Fiscal year of FLDH, the Secretary will send out a call to the FLDH list for volunteers for the Standing Committees. The call will also be posted on the FLDH website. However, members may join a Standing Committee at any time. 
   6. Each committee will select a chair at the beginning of each Electoral and Fiscal year of FLDH. Chairs may serve multiple years at the discretion of the committee. 
   7. Standing committees will provide regular reports to the Executive Council before each scheduled FLDH meeting. These reports will be available on the FLDH website in the Executive Council Group: https://www.fldh.org/groups/eboard/ 
   8. In selecting members for the Standing Committees, the members shall keep in mind the principles of diversity, inclusivity, transparency, experience, and competence.
   9. Standing Committees members may resign from their commitments at any time but are expected to give adequate notice; at least one month is preferred.
   10. Standing Committees members may be removed for cause by the Standing Committees. Any such removal will require a supermajority of the selected membership of the Executive Council.
   11. In the case  that a resignation causes a Standing Committee  membership to fall below two, then the secretary will send out an additional call for volunteers to the Executive Council and general membership.  
2. Committee Charges
   1. Conference Committee
      1. The Conference Committee will:
         1. Develop, organize, and plan the annual FLDH Conference. This conference may be virtual or in-person, depending on the needs of the membership.
   2. Education Committee
      1. The Education Committee will:
         1. Identify possible professional development opportunities for FLDH membership. These educational opportunities can come from both within and outside of FLDH membership. They may include (but are not limited to) webinars, short form interviews with practitioners, and other in-person preconference sessions.  
   3. Elections & ByLaws Committee
      1. The Elections & ByLaws Committee will:
         1. Review the Bylaws each year and recommend any updates to the Executive Council and general members. This committee will also conduct annual and adhoc elections for FLDH.
   4. Communications Committee
      1. The Communications Committee will: 
         1. Work in collaboration with the officers and the University of Central Florida’s web team to manage website updates, mailings, and other promotional tools. This committee will also work closely with all other committees to promote upcoming events, the annual conference, and annual elections. 
3. Adhoc Committees
   1. The Executive Council  will have responsibility for creating any  adhoc committees that might arise from members’ interests and soliciting members for said committees.
      1. Individuals may serve on more than one committee and the Executive Council  may assign all tasks to a single adhoc committee if it sees fit.
      2. Term limits will not apply to membership on  adhoc committees.
      3. Adhoc committee members may be removed for cause by the Executive Council. Any removal will require a simple majority of the elected membership of the Executive Council.

Article 4. Officer Duties

1. Chair
   1. The Chair will convene, determine the agendas for, and preside over meetings of the Executive Council.
   2. The Chair or his/her delegate will be a member ex officio of all Standing Committees. 
   3. The Chair will perform other duties as may be directed by the Standing Committees  Executive Council.
2. Vice Chair
   1. The Vice Chair will act as Chair when the Chair is absent or otherwise unable to act.
   2. Perform other duties as may be directed by the Standing Committees and  Executive Council.
3. Secretary
   1. Ensure the minutes of the meetings of the Standing Committees and Executive Council are kept.
   2. Ensure all other records of the Standing Committees and Executive Council are maintained.
   3. Manage all Executive Council and Standing Committees elections
   4. Perform other duties as may be directed by the Standing Committees and Executive Council.

Article 5. Amendments to these bylaws

1. Amendments to these bylaws can be proposed by the FLDH Standing Committees, Executive Council, or petition from the membership at large.
2. A proposal for amendment by the membership requires the support of 10 general members or one member of the Executive Council.
3. Proposed amendments will be published on the FLDH website requesting comments by the FLDH membership for a minimum of 10 days.
4. The FLDH Executive Council will discuss the proposed amendment and all comments received from the FLDH membership, incorporating changes agreed by a simple majority of the FLDH Executive Council.
5. The agreed version of the amended bylaws will be presented as a whole to the FLDH membership for voting over a minimum seven-day period. The amended version of the bylaws will pass with a two-thirds majority of votes cast during the voting period, provided quorum has been met.
6. Quorum for approval by the membership will be 25% of the total membership.
7. In the event quorum is not reached, the Executive Council may approve amendments to the Bylaws by a supermajority. In such a case, the Executive Council should consider the results of the membership election, though it is not bound by it.

Revision History

Initial draft: February 27, 2015

Revised draft: October 15, 2020

Last update:  Approved on August 10, 2015

View document with tracked changes here.