ARTICLE I - Statement of Purpose

The Puget Sound Oracle Users Group (PSOUG) was created to serve the community by performing the following functions:

1. Provide technical education and networking opportunities.

2. Provide a forum for communication among users and vendors and other parties interested in the Oracle technology stack including companies that sell related products such as hardware, operating systems, third-party supplementary programs, or related services and persons interested in pursuing further information about these products and services.

ARTICLE II - Organization

The PSOUG shall be managed by a Board of Directors and Officers initially elected by the organization's members. Thereafter Directors and Officers shall be selected by a vote a the majority of the current Members of the Board so long as three remain in office. Should the number of Board members be less than three then a new Board shall be, again, selected by a vote of the membership.

Board members shall serve in an advisory capacity and provide overall direction to the PSOUG. Officers shall carry out the day-to-day management functions of the organization.

Board of Directors
The Board of Directors will serve as the administrative body for the organization. It will consist of the officers of the organization that include the Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, and up to five members-at-large. Employees of Oracle Corporation are not allowed to vote in the PSOUG elections or be a member of the Board of Directors. The number of positions in the Board may be changed by a vote of the existing Board members.

Director Functions
Director functions shall be distributed among the officers and the members-at-large. A document containing distinct director functions shall be kept to maintain continuity as board members change. This document will remain dynamic and will contain a listing of both general and specific duties of the board of directors.

Vacancies on the Board of Directors
Upon vacancy of an office for other than end of term, the Board of Directors may temporarily fill the office appointing a current board member or PSOUG member until the end of the term when nominations may be taken and a vote called.

Officers
The following positions comprise the officers of the PSOUG.

Chair
Will preside over all scheduled meetings. Will direct and serve to coordinate the activities of the Board of Directors and the activities of the user group overall. Will promote communications with Oracle and other user groups.

Vice-Chair
Will preside over any scheduled meetings in the absence of the Chair.

Treasurer
Will collect funds. Will handle the payment of the user group debts and the maintenance of bank accounts. Will file any reports to the International User organizations, as requested. Provide periodic and annual budgets, and financial reports deemed necessary by the Board of Directors.

Education Chair
Will develop educational programs for the organization, arrange topics and speakers for regular PSOUG meetings and develop seminars, lectures, and other education opportunities for the membership.

Term of Office
Officers and directors will hold that position for a period of one year and until their successors shall be duly elected by the Board or the members. Officer may be re-elected. Term of office is from January to January.

Election Process
Nominations from the Board (along with biographies) for open positions on the Board of Directors shall be submitted at beginning of the December meeting of each year from among the organization's membership. Election of officers will be held at the end of the December meeting, beginning in December 2004 with all subsequent elections to be held at December meetings with officers taking office in January following the elections. Non-members can not be elected to, or hold the positions of, member of the Board of Directors or Officer.

Director And Officer Compensation
Board Members and Officers shall receive no financial compensation for their service as a member of the Board of Directors.

Meeting of the Board of Directors
Regular meetings of the Board of Directors may be held at such time and place to be determined by the Chair.

Bylaws Process
Changes to the Bylaws must be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors for review. The Board may contact the individual for clarification of the motion. The Board will call for discussion and a vote on the change at the next scheduled conference and/or by mail or e-mail. The change will become effective upon a majority vote by the active PSOUG members. The Board of Directors will be responsible for any interpretation of the Bylaws to the membership.

ARTICLE III - Membership

Personal Memberships
Membership is open to all persons and organizations with an academic or professional interest in Oracle products and services. Due to conflict of interest, employees of Oracle Corporation are not allowed to be voting members of PSOUG, nor can they hold any PSOUG Board position.
An Active Member is one who has paid the membership fee to the PSOUG. An active member may participate in any user group activity. An active member has voting privileges, will receive PSOUG publications, and will receive a discount membership rate to PSOUG special events. An Inactive Member is one who was once a member but is not current on the payment of the membership fees. An inactive member may not vote. An inactive member may attend meetings and receive user group publications. At that time, the member's status reverts to that of a guest.

Corporate Memberships
A Corporate Membership will allow the corporation the above privileges at a discount based on the status selected by the organization. Each organization will assign one employee as the contact for membership. The contact will be responsible for facilitating communications between the PSOUG and the corporate members.

Membership Information
No member information held on record by the PSOUG will be distributed outside the user group unless approved by each member affected. Individuals who use the membership roster for their own private gain may be subject to expulsion from the user group upon a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

Membership and Conference Fees
The PSOUG membership fee must be paid prior to becoming an active member in the group. The fee is non-refundable and good for one year. The amount of the annual fee is to be specified by the Board of Directors. The principal use of this money is for the user group activities including, but not restricted to, education, publication of the user group newsletter, and conferences.

The member must update their profile at the time the fee is paid if it has changed since the last update. Fees must be paid to the PSOUG. The profile must be obtained from and returned to the Membership Coordinator. A minimum fee will be charged for each educational conference. This fee will be used to pay any costs related to the conferences. Should these costs be greater than the amount received from the attendance, the balance will be taken from the user group treasury.

Guest Policy
Guests are welcome to attend meetings. Guests may have access to any free material distributed to the general membership at the conference.

ARTICLE IV - Meetings

Frequency, Time, Place
Regularly scheduled meetings will be held bi-monthly on the first and third Wednesday of each month, unless changed by the board of directors. Final notification of the meeting site should occur no fewer than two weeks prior to the meeting time. No fee will be charged for meeting attendance.

Voting Requirements
A quorum for voting in the regular meetings will be a majority of those active members present. All voting material will contain a statement that a non-response will be counted as abstaining. A quorum for voting in the Board of Directors or other special committees and SIG’s will be 50% of the participants.

Solicitation
Vendors will be able to display and distribute their company’s information at the designated location during group meetings. The Board must approve all solicitations prior to display. Any individuals who violate the Board’s stipulations will be excused from the meeting.

Ratified by the membership: August 4, 2003
Revised by the Board of Directors: April 26, 2006