Preamble
The purpose of this by-law document is to ensure a smooth officer transition and knowledge transfer for the officers of the Georgia Tech IEEE Student Branch. Georgia Tech IEEE is a unique IEEE Student Branch. Officially chartered more than 50 years ago, Georgia Tech IEEE is one of the largest student branches in the world. Georgia Tech IEEE together with the Institute has earned an acclaimed reputation. In fact, the highest award for an IEEE Student Branch officer, the Larry K. Wilson award, is named after a former Georgia Tech IEEE branch chair. Consequently, much is expected out of our Student Branch.

These by-laws are the culmination many years of Georgia Tech IEEE officer experience. The authors of these by-laws sought a way to correct past mistakes which caused significant strain upon the student branch and its officers. An important distinction should be made between "best practices" and by-laws. As we see it, "best-practices" are individual actions which may or may not work for different people. Items in by-laws should apply to all officers regardless of the capabilities of the individuals holding the office. Future amendments to these by-laws should reflect this distinction: best practices should be passed down in individual transition documents, not in this document.

In closing, future Georgia Tech IEEE officers are asked to amend these by-laws to redress any failings you find in them. These by-laws should be seen as a framework for a well run branch; they are a starting point, not an ending point. Many activities have and will take place over the course of the years. Some programs may flourish while others may flounder. Some officers may excel in their duties while others may struggle. Officers who are reading these by-laws should view these as a basis for all branch activities that are undertaken.

Chris Wieczorek, Chair 2002- 2003;
Mike Roberts, Vice Chair Internal 2002-2003;
Sriram Narasimhan, Vice Chair External 2002-2003;
Mario Vittes, Treasurer, 2002-2003;
Irene Chow, Secretary 2002-2003;
Chase Battaglio, Branch Mentor 2000-2003, Chair 1997-1998;
Dr. John Matthews, Branch Advisor 1998-2003;

Governing By-Laws
The following By-Laws are an additional subset of the Atlanta Section of IEEE intended for the Georgia Tech IEEE Student branch. The Georgia Tech IEEE student branch will be governed under the Atlanta Section By-Laws in addition to the following articles. In any conflict, the Atlanta section by-laws will supercede these by-laws.

Article I. Qualifications for being elected to an executive officer position

1. All prospective executive officers must be in good academic standing with the Institute.
2. All prospective executive officers must have completed a minimum of one full semester (fall or spring) at the Institute and must also have been members of IEEE for at least one full semester.
3. Prospective executive officers must have held either a committee membership or another executive officer position for at least one full semester prior to announcing their candidacy for an executive officer position.
4. In addition to completing at least a full term, candidates for the position of Branch Chair must have at least junior standing with the Institute. Other executive officers must have at least sophomore standing.
5. At no time may all the executive officers be graduating seniors. In the absence of otherwise qualified executive officer candidates who are not graduating seniors, rule #3 above may be relaxed.

Co-ops/interns

1. Any prospective committee chair may co-op or intern during the school year (fall or spring semester), provided s/he is working in the Atlanta area and can fulfill his/her branch duties and transition duties as outlined below.
2. No executive officer may co-op or intern during the fall or spring term while simultaneously serving his/her term in office.

Article II. Conduction of Executive Officer Elections

1. The outgoing Branch chair shall preside at the executive officer elections
2. Nominations for executive officer positions will be made no more than two weeks prior to the elections at an officer or general branch meeting. Nominations will also be accepted at the elections themselves.
3. The order of elections shall be as follows: Branch Chair, Vice Chair External, Vice Chair Internal, Treasurer, and secretary.
4. Any non executive officer positions will be filled at the discretion of the branch Chair. This may include either election or appointment.

Article III. Officer Transition procedures

1. All executive officers shall maintain a notebook recording their experiences for the academic year. This notebook should contain a written job description and a dynamic "best practices" document which records past program successes and failures.
2. The secretary shall be responsible for maintaining a branch notebook, which must contain copies of the following documents:
1. Annual plan
2. Annual report
3. Branch Counselor nomination reporting form
4. Newly-elected student officer reporting form
5. Officer meeting minutes
6. Attendance rosters for corporate and faculty presentations and general meetings.
3. Elections shall be held in March at least two weeks prior to the annual South East Conference (SECON).
4. Outgoing executive officers must meet in person with newly-elected executive officers with in one week of their elections. During the meeting, the executive officer responsibilities will be outlined. Outgoing committee chairs need not meet with newly-elected committee chairs in person, but should see to it that newly-elected committee chairs have had their duties explained to them and take possession of the committee notebooks at the end of the academic year.
5. Newly elected officers will be expected to attend the SECON immediately after their election.
6. Outgoing executive officers shall conduct all meetings between elections and the end of the academic year. This is to provide a smooth transition for the newly-elected officers and offers a chance to "shadow" their duties.
7. Newly-elected officers will be expected to attend officer meetings following their election.
8. Newly-elected officers shall take office at the end of the academic year. Outgoing officers will then hand over their notebooks to the incoming officers.
9. Outgoing executive officers shall coordinate travel and financial plans for SECON, as well as for the end-of-the-year banquet.
10. At the conclusion of the year, prior to the filing of the annual report, the Branch Advisor, Mentor, outgoing and incoming treasurers, and outgoing and incoming chairs will audit the financial status for the year. This is to ensure that all treasurers clearly understand the branch financial status.