ARTICLE I – Organization
Section 1. The name of this division shall be the Game Studies interest division of the National Communication Association.
Section 2. The organization may at its pleasure by a vote of the membership body change its name.
ARTICLE II – Purpose
The following are the purposes for which this organization has been organized:
Section 1. The Game Studies interest division is dedicated to the study of games and the game experience offers opportunities for the study of human communication that involve multidisciplinary approaches that merge the disciplines of conventional communication studies and research, arts and visual design, cognitive studies, computer sciences, cultural studies, engineering social sciences, health sciences, and information design. Although the common ground for the interest division is digital and video games, the group encompasses a broad range of inquiry topics and methods. It serves as fertile meeting ground for the exchange of ideas among a very broad spectrum of disciplines.
ARTICLE III – Membership
Membership in the organization shall be determined in this manner:
Section 1. General membership in the Division is open to any member of the National Communication Association who is interested in promoting the Division’s purposes.
Section 2. The full membership of the Division shall be those persons who identify themselves as members of the Game Studies Interest Division with their NCA membership.
ARTICLE IV – Meeting
Section 1. A business meeting shall be held at the time and place of the annual convention of the National Communication Association. Additional meetings may be scheduled by the Executive Committee of the Division.
Section 2. The Secretary shall be responsible for circulating/publishing the minutes of all meetings on the Division’s web page and/or newsletter as practical and possible.
ARTICLE V – Officers, Committees, Duties, and Terms
Section 1. The officers of the Division shall be the Chair, Vice-Chair, Vice-Chair-elect, Secretary, and Immediate Past-Chair. These officers constitute the Division’s Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall serve as chief administrative authority of the Division between annual business meetings of the Association and the Division. ALL DIVISION OFFICERS SHALL BE MEMBERS OF THE DIVISION AND ASSOCIATION.
Section 2. The Chair shall preside at business meetings of the Division, and shall work with the Vice-Chair-elect in membership recruitment for the Division. The Chair shall serve as a representative of the Division on the Association’s Legislative Assembly Council The Chair is responsible for presenting the annual report of Division activities to and as directed by the Legislative Assembly Council. The Chair shall serve a one-year term and will succeed to the office of Immediate Past-Chair in the subsequent year.
Section 3. The Vice-Chair shall, in cooperation and consultation with appropriate officers of the Division and the Association, plan the program of the Group Communication Division for the annual NCA convention. The Vice-Chair shall be responsible for administering the evaluation process for papers and panels submitted for competitive evaluation. The Vice-Chair shall serve a one-year term and succeed to the office of the Chair in the subsequent year.
Section 4. The Vice-Chair-elect shall serve as a convention submission evaluator. The Vice-Chair-elect shall work with the Chair in membership recruitment for the Division. The Vice-Chair-elect shall serve a one-year term beginning immediately after the close of the convention at which he/she is elected. The Vice-Chair-elect shall succeed to the office of the Vice-Chair in the subsequent year.
Section 5. The Secretary shall serve as the recorder and historian for the Division. The Secretary will prepare and distribute minutes of all Division business meetings and of Executive Committee meetings. The Secretary is also responsible for writing and distributing on the official channel(s) of communication of the division. The Secretary shall serve a two-year term year beginning immediately after the close of the convention at which he/she is elected. The Secretary shall also serve as the Division’s representative to the Association’s Resolutions Committee.
Section 6. The Immediate Past-Chair shall serve as a representative of the Division on the Association’s Legislative Assembly Council and the Association’s Nominating Committee, convene and chair the Division’s Nominating Committee, and assist other officers of the Division as directed by the Chair.
Section 7. A minimum of five convention submission evaluators shall be elected by the Division membership. The evaluators shall be elected at the annual business meeting to serve a one-year term during which they work under the direction of the Vice-Chair to evaluate papers and panels submitted for the following year’s convention program.
Section 8: Special committees with tenure ordinarily limited to one year and with specific duties appropriate to the needs of the Division shall be appointed by the Chair, with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee.
Section 9: Other position not defined in the previous eight sections of this article may be established & defined by the chair and/or the rest of the Executive Community. Those position created this way serve at the pleasure of the chair and/or the rest of the Executive Committee.
Article VI. Voting
Section 1. At all meetings, except for the election of positions, all votes shall be viva voce.
Section 2. All election votes shall be done by secret ballot with the results displayed to the members at attendance.
Article VII. Parliamentary Authority
Section 1. All meetings of the Division, its committees, and other subsidiary bodies, shall be governed by the parliamentary rules and usages contained in the current edition of Roberts’ Rules of Order (Revised).
Article VIII. Amendments
Section 1. Amendments to these By-Laws may be initiated by a majority of the Executive Committee, by a majority of the Division membership at a business meeting, or by a petition addressed to the Chair and signed by 25 members of the Division.
Section 2. Proposed amendments to the By-Laws are to be published/distributed in/on the Division’s newsletter/web page at least 60 days prior to the annual business meeting.
Section 3. The adoption of a proposed amendment requires a two-thirds majority vote of those present at the annual business meting of the Division.
Article IX. Ratification of By-Laws
Section 1. These By-Laws shall become effective after ratification by a majority vote of voting members present at the annual Division business meeting.
