Guidelines and Bylaws

1. MEMBER: A member organization
   1. Has traditionally (but not a requirement) been an electric utility.
   2. Appoints a contact person to receive and distribute communications, and to serve on the CPSS Advisory Council.
   3. Has voting rights and a voice in policy determined at the annual and semiannual meeting of the CPSS Advisory Council.
   4. Makes an annual monetary contribution as determined by the voting membership.
   5. Cooperates in campus seminars, field trips, student design projects and potential research projects of value to the organization.
2. ASSOCIATE MEMBER: An associate member organization
   1. Is an organization within the regional electrical industry which, because of legal restraints, or for other reasons, does not or cannot make annual financial contributions required of members, but wishes to support the CPSS by other means such as hiring graduates, providing summer employment opportunities, supplying seminar speakers, supporting field trip tours, supporting scholarships, or smaller annual monetary contributions.
   2. May be an organization or individual such as a federal agency, a state agency, a rural electrical cooperative, a municipal electrical utility, a planning group, a consulting engineer, an electrical manufacturer, an electrical supplier, a contractor or a surrounding utility.
   3. Appoints a contact person to receive and distribute communications.
   4. Makes an annual monetary contribution as determined by the voting membership.
   5. Is invited to attend the semiannual and annual meetings of the CPSS Advisory Council, attends whenever possible, and participates in the informational sessions and dialogue. Associate members do not have voting privileges, but may hold committee or other special positions.

Procedure for officially becoming a Member or an Associate Member of the CPSS.

1. The interested organization desiring to initiate membership shall submit a written letter to the CPSS Coordinator stating their wish to officially join the CPSS, and which type of membership desired.
2. The CPSS Coordinator will present this request at the next business meeting of the Advisory Council for a formal acceptance. There is a business meeting usually held in September and March of each year.
3. Upon formal acceptance as a member, the joining organization shall identify an individual of this organization to serve as a contact person and representative on the CPSS Advisory Council.
4. Regular members shall indicate their desire to submit their contributions either semiannually or annually. The CPSS Coordinator shall send a statement to each organization when the contribution is needed and due.
5. All member organizations of CPSS have a responsibility and are encouraged to attend the two meetings of the organization held each year.

1. Each member and associate member organizations shall supply a member of the Advisory Council. Only representatives of member organizations shall possess official voting rights.
2. This contact individual will be the recipient of CPSS communications from the CPSS Coordinator on the South Dakota State University campus, and will be the official company / cooperative / organization / representative with the University on CPSS matters.
3. This contact individual will be selected and identified by the organization.
4. The SDSU representative will cooperate with anyone selected. The University would appreciate that the selected individual be an individual with a technical background and with as high management responsibilities as possible.
5. It is not suggested that the individual need be an electrical engineer or a SDSU alumnus.

1. The Fall Meeting of CPSS shall be held in the fall, preferably during the month of October, on the SDSU campus.
2. The Spring Meeting of CPSS shall be held in the spring, preferably during April, on the premises of one of the supporting members of the Center. Preferably, a member of the CPSS will offer an invitation at the fall meeting and it will be accepted by a formal motion. In case of more than one invitation, either a majority vote or a approved motion to accept a particular invitation shall determine the invitation to select.
3. The Coordinator of the CPSS is designated by the Dean of the College of Engineering and/or the Head of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department of SDSU.
4. The Advisory Council shall consist of an individual from each organization that is a member or associate member, designated by that organization.
5. The Fiscal Year of CPSS shall be July 1 to June 30 of the next calendar year.
6. The Proposed Annual CPSS Budget shall be presented at the spring meeting by the Coordinator, and with prior consultation and assistance of a Budget Committee for approval by the Advisory Council. The Annual CPSS Financial Report (for the recently ended fiscal year) shall be presented at the fall meeting by the Coordinator, and with prior consultation and assistance of a Budget Committee for approval by the Advisory Council.
7. The Budget Committee shall consist of the CPSS Coordinator and two industry members, one of which shall normally be selected at the fall meeting by a nomination/ballot procedure and shall be for a term of two years. The CPSS Coordinator is a permanent member of this committee.
8. The Special Projects Committee shall consist of the CPSS Coordinator and two industry members, one of which shall normally be selected each year at the fall meeting of a nomination/ballot procedure, and shall be for a term of two years. The CPSS Coordinator is a permanent member of this committee. This Committee selects CPSS-funded special annual projects.
9. The Conference Committee shall consist of the CPSS Coordinator and two industry members of which shall normally be selected each year at the fall meeting by a nomination/ballot procedure, and shall be for a term of two years. This committee advises and assists the CPSS coordinator in selecting appropriate conference topics and arranging conferences that are useful to the electric industry.

1. The site of the meeting is selected from invitations from the CPSS organization membership by action of the Advisory Council at the prior fall meeting.
2. The date of the meeting is selected by action of the Advisory Council at the prior fall meeting.
3. The host organizations is responsible for determining the program and agenda, except for the CPSS business meeting which includes the selection of the Annual CPSS Budget, other items referred from the fall meeting, student project reports, or urgent items requiring immediate action. The CPSS Coordinator shall conduct the business meeting.
4. The host organization shall extend invitations and distribute information concerning this meeting.
5. Typically, the host organization will arrange speakers and/or tours pertaining to their organization, particularly if they are of unique nature and of special interest to the group. Because of the distinctly different operating philosophies of the membership, the program should be sensitive to these differences.
6. In the past, the host organization has provided the noon luncheon at no charge to the participants. If the host organization prefers that each individual pay for their luncheon, this is very agreeable and should be announced.
7. If there is a specific activity that the host organization would like to schedule the evening prior to the meeting, this is an acceptable consideration.
8. The host organization may wish to invite special employees, friends, or alumni to part or all of the activities. Visiting member organizations should be encouraged to bring other interested individuals other than the Advisory Council member.
9. The Coordinator of the CPSS is available for consultation and assistance with the meeting plans.