BYLAWS OF THE AERA SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (SIG)

MEDIA, CULTURE AND LEARNING (MCL)

Article I: Name of the SIG

The name of this Special Interest Group (“SIG”) is the Media Culture and Learning SIG, (hereinafter, the “SIG”). 

Article II: Affiliation of the SIG

The SIG is a Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association (hereinafter, “AERA” or “Association”) established to facilitate the formation of research specialties of an intra- or cross-divisional nature and to increase the exchange of knowledge within research arenas of special interest, and for other purposes in keeping with achieving the mission and objectives of the Association. 

Article III: Governing Authority of the SIG

The SIG shall be governed by the Association’s Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws and policies, as periodically amended. The Bylaws, decisions and actions of the SIG shall not conflict with the Association’s Bylaws and policies, including the SIG Handbook and all guidelines, procedures and policies associated with the Association’s Annual Meeting and its program. 

Article IV: Purpose of the SIG: Media, Culture, and Learning

The purposes of the SIG are to support critical inquiry and pedagogy and to generate and disseminate knowledge concerned with the use of media within the culture of schools, other learning environments, and society in general. Pursuant to these purposes, SIG/MCL may elect to publish its own journal, or hold occasional conferences supplementing AERA meetings.

Article V: Membership in the SIG

Section 1. Eligibility. Membership in the SIG shall be open to any AERA member who supports the purposes of the SIG and who pays the specified SIG dues and all additional fees required of SIG members by the Association.

Section 2. Joining the SIG. AERA members shall join the SIG by paying SIG dues and Association fees through the AERA Central Office using the appropriate AERA print or electronic form. 

Section 3. Members in Good Standing. SIG members are considered ‘in good standing’ immediately upon the recording of their dues paid in full by the AERA Central Office.

Section 4. Length of Membership in the SIG. The length of membership in the SIG shall be from the date membership dues are recorded by the AERA Central Office to the end of the AERA membership year as established by the Association. AERA members may join the SIG at any time, but SIG membership expires simultaneously with AERA membership.

Article VI: Officers

Section 1 – General. Officers of SIG/MCL shall be elected by a majority of SIG members voting each year at to the AERA annual meeting or by postal or e-mail balloting. The elected officers shall comprise the Executive Committee of SIG/MCL and shall conduct all business of the SIG in the interim between the annual business meetings.

Section 2 – Eligibility. All members in good standing of both AERA and SIG/MCL shall be eligible for election as officers.

Section 3 – Terms. The term of each office shall be for 2 years, expiring at the end of each year‘s annual AERA meeting. No person may serve in any single office for more than 2 consecutive terms.

Section 4 – Offices. The following offices shall compose the Executive Committee of SIG/ MCL: (1) SIG Chair/Program Co-Chair; (2) Program Chair; (3) Secretary/Treasurer. Persons to assist these officers or to carry out other work of the SIG may be appointed by the SIG Chair.

Section 5 – Election Procedures. Each year prior to the annual AERA meeting the President, in consultation with the Executive Committee who shall serve as the Nominating Committee, will solicit nominations for open offices from the membership. The SIG Chair shall present the slate of candidates to the SIG/MCL members prior to the annual meeting, distribute and count ballets at the annual SIG/MCL meeting, and announce the outcomes of the elections to the membership.

Article VII: Duties of Officers

Section 1 – SIG Chair/Program Co-Chair. The Chair each year shall be responsible for the general administration of the SIG, for ensuring that the SIG Bylaws are followed, and shall act as liaison between the SIG and AERA and the SIG and the SIG Executive Committee. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the SIG’s Executive Committee and at the Annual Business Meeting. The Chair shall act as parliamentarian or shall appoint a SIG member to serve in that role for each meeting. The Chair shall appoint ad hoc committees as needed. Unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws, the Chair of the SIG shall appoint persons to assist officers, to chair committees or to carry out other work of the SIG.  The Chair shall be responsible for compiling and disseminating a newsletter to be sent by email or other means at least once a year and for maintaining an up-to-date SIG/MCL website.

Section 2 – Program Chair. The Program Chair shall be responsible for executing the various tasks necessary to plan for the SIG/MCL portion of the annual meeting, including arranging for fair and unbiased review of submissions, final proposal decisions, and program planning. The Program Chair shall mentor the Program Co-Chair to assume Program Chair duties at the end of the former’s term. The Program Chair shall serve a 2-year term overlapping the term of the Program Co-Chair.

Section 3 – Secretary/Treasurer. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for the safe keeping of all financial documents and any official correspondence and meeting minutes of SIG/MCL. The Secretary/Treasurer shall serve a 2-year term.

Article VIII: Other Non-Officer Leardership Positions

Section 1. Non-Officer Positions. The SIG may from time to time establish important leadership positions that are not officers of the SIG. None Currently. [To activate this Article, contact AERA Central Office or consult current SIG bylaws template.] 

Article IX: Executive Committee

Section 1. Membership. There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the Chair, Program Chair, and Treasurer.[m1] 

Section 2. Responsibilities and Powers. The Executive Committee shall have responsibility and powers to provide leadership and to direct and review the general affairs of the SIG within the limits set forth in these Bylaws.

Section 3. Meetings. The Executive Committee shall hold at least one meeting each year in person and shall communicate as needed throughout the year. This meeting may be during the Annual Meeting. The Program Chair shall be responsible for setting the time and place of this meeting and for creating and distributing the agenda for this meeting.

Section 4. Quorum and Decision-making. A majority of the members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum, and decisions of the Executive Committee shall be made by a majority of those present, provided a quorum is present.

Section 1. Oversight of the Nominations and Elections Process. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for setting up, monitoring and providing other oversight duties regarding all aspects of the nomination and election processes of the SIG.

Section 2. Nominations Committee. The Nominations Committee shall consist of the Chair, the Program Chair, and the Treasurer.

Section 3. Nominations and Nomination Process.

Section 3a. The Nominations Committee shall seek eligible individuals to serve as candidates for each officer and non-officer position.

Section 3b. No SIG member may nominate an individual for any SIG office without the prior consent of the individual to be nominated. 

Section 3c.  The Chair shall ensure that the Nominating Committee elicits at least two candidates for each position to be elected. No election may be held or will be certified by AERA for any elected position unless there are at least two candidates nominated and placed on the ballot for that position.

Section 3d. By the deadline set by the Association, the Nominations Committee shall submit the names of the candidates and any other information required by AERA for inclusion in the AERA electronic ballot system. The deadline for this submission shall be determined by the Association.

Section 4. Date for Completion of Election Tabulation. All election processes and tabulation of votes for designated officers and elected non-officer positions for the following year shall be completed within the timeline and by the deadline established by AERA in conducting its electronic election of Officers of the Association. The Chair of the Nominations Committee shall receive the results of the balloting from the AERA Central Office.

Section 5. Notification of Results. The Chair shall be responsible for reporting the results to the membership.

Article XI: Meetings

Section 1. Annual Business Meeting. The SIG shall hold its Annual Business Meeting in conjunction with the AERA Annual Meeting. Announcement of day, time and place of this meeting of the SIG membership shall be made by the Chair as far ahead as is reasonably possible. In all cases notice shall be communicated to members at least three weeks in advance of a meeting. Unless otherwise noted in these Bylaws, decisions made during this meeting shall be made by the majority of SIG members present and voting.

Section 2. Other Meetings. The SIG may hold other official business meetings at times and places approved by the Executive Committee and vote of the SIG members. The SIG may conduct SIG business and vote on motions in person, electronically, or by e-mail or mail.

Section 3. Officer and Committee Meetings. The Officers and Committees of the SIG shall meet when, where and as needed to conduct the business of the SIG or carry out the charges of the committee within the parameters and requirements of these Bylaws. The Chair, other SIG officers and committee chairs shall set the meetings and notify all officers of the date, time, place and agenda or purposes of the meetings.

Section 4. Rules of Order. In all cases to which they apply and do not conflict with the provisions of these Bylaws and the Association Bylaws, Robert’s Rules of Order (current edition) shall govern all business meetings of the SIG.

Article XII: Dues and Other Fiscal Concerns

Section 1. Dues. The amount of dues for the SIG shall be decided by the SIG’s Executive Committee.

Section 2. Effective Date of Dues Increases. All increases in dues shall go into effect for all categories of SIG membership for the following membership year as determined by the Association.

Section 3. Allocation of SIG Assets. The Program Chair, in consultation with the Executive Committee, shall authorize the expenditure of SIG funds for any allowable purpose that is requested and approved. 

Section 4. Overseeing the Allocation of SIG Assets. The Program Chair and the Treasurer shall have the joint responsibility to ensure that all SIG assets, including money collected via dues, are allocated and spent in ways and in a timely manner to fulfill commitments made by the SIG members or Executive Committee, to pay fees to the Association, to pay debts and to enhance and promote the SIG and the purposes, goals and objectives of the SIG and the Association.

Article XIII: AERA-Approved Awards

Section 1. Names of Awards. The SIG shall present on an annual basis, when merited, the following Award as approved by the AERA Executive Board: Best Student Paper award. 

Section 2. The Best Student Paper Award. This award shall be presented to a graduate student for best student paper presented at the annual AERA conference, submitted to a Media, Culture, and Curriculum session.

Section 3. Awards Criteria and Procedures.  Detailed criteria and procedures for this award can be found on the SIG website which is accessible from the AERA website (www.aera.net) or can be obtained by contacting the AERA Central Office.

Article XIV: Termination/Dissolution of the SIG

Section 1. Membership Decision to Voluntarily Dissolve the SIG. Should it be decided that the SIG is no longer meeting the needs and serving the purposes for which it was founded, the SIG shall be voluntarily dissolved by a majority vote of the members present at a SIG Business Meeting followed by a two-thirds vote of those SIG members voting in a postal, e-mail, or electronic ballot administered by the AERA Central Office within 30 days of the vote to terminate passed at the Annual Business Meeting. A message of the results of this ballot shall be sent in writing to the SIG membership, AERA Central Office and Chair of the SIG Executive Committee by the Program Chair within one week of the counting of the votes.

Section 2. Other Circumstances that May Result in the Dissolution of the SIG. The SIG may automatically be dissolved should its membership fall below the minimum number established by Council for active SIGs; should its members approve the merging of the SIG with one or more other SIGs; or for other reasons pursuant to the Bylaws of the Association and the SIG. In addition, a Special Interest Group may be dissolved by the AERA Council for good and sufficient reasons.

Section 3. Distribution of SIG Assets. Should the SIG be discontinued for any reason, its assets shall be used to pay all outstanding debts and obligations. Any remaining funds shall be returned to the AERA.

Article XV: Ratification and Amendments

Section 1. Approval Process of the Initial Bylaws. The process for approving the initial Bylaws shall be as follows, with the actions of AERA Council noted for the information of membership:

Section 1a. The officers of the SIG shall decide the process for the construction of a draft of the Bylaws, and offer SIG members an opportunity to comment on this draft.  The officers shall be responsible for making specific revisions, additions and/or deletions in the Bylaws based upon the feedback and suggestions.

Section 1b. After the membership has provided feedback and input on the draft of the Bylaws, the Program Chair shall submit a copy of the draft to AERA Central Office for review. Central Office may send it back to the Program Chair with comments for revisions or may forward the Bylaws to the SIG Executive Committee for review and recommendation to the AERA Council for approval.  The SIG Executive Committee may return the Bylaws to the Program Chair to address specific concerns before making a recommendation to the AERA Council.

Section 1c. The AERA Council may require changes or revisions in the language of the Bylaws or amendments thereof prior to final approval. Once approved by the AERA Council, the Program Chair shall be notified that the Bylaws are in effect and will stay in effect until notification in writing to Central Office of the favorable or unfavorable vote of SIG members. The Program Chair and officers, with the assistance of the AERA Central Office, shall then complete the process of getting approval of the Bylaws by a vote of SIG members. The Program Chair shall have 30 days to convey in writing to Central Office and the Chair of the SIG Executive Committee the dates and manner of voting decided upon by the SIG officers.

Section 2. Ratification. After AERA Council approval, these Bylaws shall require a majority vote of those members voting electronically, such voting to be administered by the AERA Central Office on behalf of the SIG. The AERA Central Office shall transmit in writing the manner, dates and results of this vote to the Program Chair within 10 days of the final count of the votes.

Section 3. Effective Date of Implementation. These Bylaws shall take effect immediately upon receipt in writing to the AERA Central Office by the Program Chair acknowledging the Central Office’s written statement of the favorable vote of the SIG membership for the presented version of the Bylaws or amendment(s) thereof.

Section 4. Amendments to the SIG Bylaws. These Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of those members voting at a duly called Annual Business Meeting and a majority of the members voting by postal, e-mail, or electronic voting as designated by the Executive Committee of the SIG or elsewhere within these Bylaws. Amendments to the SIG Bylaws must be approved by the AERA SIG Executive Committee and Council.

Article XVI: Posting of the SIG Bylaws

Within 30 days of the membership’s adoption of the SIG Bylaws approved by the AERA Council and all amendments to the Bylaws, the entire set of Bylaws shall be posted on the AERA website for the SIG with the dates of Council’s approval and membership adoption included. The Program Chair shall send an electronic communication to all SIG members announcing the posting of the Bylaws on the SIG website.