HAAMster Press

Haam Guidelines

1. Membership
• A HAAM member is any person who officially signs up on the HAAM website or fills out a membership form and submits it to a member of the HAAMster Wheel.
• All members agree to accept and follow these guidelines.
• A member can only be expelled from the group if they either: A.) expose the group to litigation, or B.) deliberately abuse or neglect to follow these guidelines.
• Disputes regarding membership qualification must be submitted according to the guidelines regarding arbitration.
2. The HAAMster Wheel
• The “Wheel” is an advisory board for HAAM elected by a quorum of members at a general HAAM meeting.
• The Wheel is made up of seven HAAM members.
• The purpose of the Wheel is to provide clarification and maintenance of these guidelines, and also act as arbiter for questions and disputes regarding them.
3. Election and Terms of the Wheel
• Three Wheel members are elected as permanent members.
• Four wheel members are elected to four year
terms.
• Every two years in September- elections are
held for two Wheel positions.
• There are no term limits for Wheel members.
• All members are eligible to become a member of the Wheel. Anyone wishing to become a Wheel member must submit written notice of candidacy to a current Wheel member at least five weeks prior to elections.
• The Wheel must provide at least two months notice of a pending election, and at least one-month notice of actual election date. Notice will be provided via email and be announced at general meetings.
• A Wheel member may resign at any time. Remaining Wheel members will decide procedures and provide details on special elections for vacant Wheel positions.
4. Voting
• All policy decisions affecting the membership body, and/or changes to these guidelines, must be voted upon by a quorum of members at a general HAAM meeting.
• All elections and decisions involving the general membership are decided by a majority of quorum vote.
• A quorum is represented by the attendance of membership at a meeting, or those responding to an email vote within a reasonable period of time. This definition also applies to committees.
• The Wheel will determine all voting procedures for general membership voting, and it’s own committee voting. All voting must be in adherence to these guidelines.
5. Committees
• A committee may be established at any general meeting, or by submitting a proposal in writing to a Wheel member. Guidelines on arbitration will apply for decisions on the proposal’s acceptance.
• The member establishing the committee will determine the initial make-up of the committee membership. Subsequent additions or deletions to committee membership must be determined by the committee in adherence to these guidelines.
• A form provided by the Wheel must be filled out and returned to a Wheel member within a reasonable period. These forms will also be available on the website.
• Committees will determine their own procedures, as long as those procedures do not conflict with these guidelines.
• A representative of each committee must prepare a report to be given at each general meeting.
6. Meetings
• General HAAM meetings will be scheduled at reasonable intervals to be determined by a representative of the Wheel. A Wheel member will chair all general meetings.
• General meetings will be announced with reasonable notice via email and will also be posted on the website.
• Committee meeting scheduling and procedures will be determined by the committee.
7. Arbitration
• Any questions, issues or disputes regarding these guidelines and/or their clarification must be directed by the inquiring member(s) personally via email, or written letter, to a Wheel member. These communications will be regarded as Arbitration Submissions.
• Any request for arbitration will be acknowledged upon receipt.
• Resolution or clarification of Arbitration Submissions will be returned to the inquiring member within 72 hours of receipt.
• The contacted Wheel member will forward the submission to the entire Wheel. Decisions will then be made by a majority of quorum of the Wheel members.
• The Wheel has the right to call a special meeting, or bring up an Arbitration Submission at a general meeting in order to invoke general membership input. Decision by the Wheel to do so must be directed to the inquiring member(s) within 72 hours.
• Any special meeting regarding arbitration must be announced to the general membership with reasonable notice.
• The Wheel has no jurisdiction over matters and inquiries that are not implied within these guidelines. Submissions regarded by the Wheel to be of this nature will be returned to the inquiring member as “not applicable”.
8. COMMUNICATIONS
• All personal and contact information submitted to HAAM shall remain confidential. All members are to respect the privacy of other members.
• No dissemination of such information will be made by any member to any third party without the expressed consent from each individual member whose information is desired.
• All members shall be sent regular newsletters via email by a Wheel member.
• A member may choose to list his/her contact information in the HAAM Directory.
• The HAAM Directory is for individual member use only. All information in the directory shall remain confidential to the owner of the directory. Any member may own a copy of the directory. Ownership of the directory is non-transferable.
• Using any part of the HAAM Directory to create, or add to, a mailing list, is prohibited. This would include any individual or bulk solicitation for any business, outside organization, private or public sales, events, or services. This would also include any private unsolicited communication.
• Any information a member wishes to share with the greater HAAM membership shall be submitted to a wheel member for consideration for inclusion in the newsletter. All information submitted for the newsletter must be applicable in accordance with the HAAM mission and not be in conflict with these guidelines.
• Member performance dates will not be listed in the newsletter, unless it is within the context of a HAAM event. The Wheel has the right to clear a listing for a non-HAAM performance event, if the event is deemed by the Wheel as a “newsworthy” special event.
• The Wheel will review all newsletter submissions and is responsible for determining whether a submission is appropriate.
• Information to be included on the HAAM website will be determined under the same guidelines as the HAAM newsletter. The HAAM Webmaster(s) will consult with the Wheel before posting any new or questionable information on the website.
• The HAAM website is for public viewing. HAAM or the Wheel, or any of its members, are not responsible for any public usage of information on the website. The Wheel may approve links to other websites, if they deem appropriate, or beneficial to HAAM as an organization.
9. HAAM EVENTS
• All members are eligible to initiate, or be considered for participation in, any HAAM event.
• The committee organizing a specific event will determine which members will participate in performance, or other, opportunities related to that event. The committee will set criteria and/or submission requirements (if applicable).
• The committee will have the authority to change any facet of the event. Any member artist cancelled for performance at an event must be given written notice by a committee member at least two weeks prior to the event. Any member artist who cancels a performance must give the committee written notice at least two weeks prior to the event. Any changes or cancellation beyond the control of HAAM or the committee is not applicable to this guideline. The committee will be responsible for informing all member participants, other parties involved, and a member of the Wheel, of any such cancellations as soon as possible.
• An email is acceptable as written notice.
• HAAM has the right to ask for a 10% suggested donation for any consignment merchandise sold at an event. The Wheel will determine if this is applicable.
• A minimum of 20% of any net proceeds collected at a HAAM event is to be submitted to a Wheel member for submission into the HAAM General Fund. (see next section).
10. FINANCES
• A HAAM General Fund will be maintained by the Wheel. It will help to cover administrative costs and possibly provide seed money for events and activities.
• The HAAM General Fund will not exceed $5,000.00 at any time. The Wheel will be responsible for “disposing” of any additional funds, if the case arises.
• If an event is listed as a benefit, the remaining 80% of net proceeds goes directly to the charitable organization, or to the object of the benefit through an escrow account recognized or maintained by the Wheel. The Wheel may decide, in the name of HAAM, to waive the 20% General Fund donation; in which case, those proceeds will be directed the same as the original 80%.
• Committee members shall not receive any monetary or tangible compensation from that committee’s event(s).
• All property, purchased or donated, remaining at the completion of a HAAM event shall be property of HAAM. If a member is the owner of any property previous to its use at an event, it will, of course, remain the property of that member.
• If the event is not a benefit, the committee will determine how the remaining 80% of net proceeds will be distributed. This determination must be made previous to the event, and communicated to all member participants, and a member of the Wheel.
• In the event that HAAM is dissolved, all assets remaining in the HAAM General Fund, and all HAAM properties, will be donated to a non-profit organization(s).
11. REVISIONS and MAINTENANCE
• The Wheel will be responsible for interpreting these guidelines. All questions, comments, suggestions or complaints should be submitted to a Wheel member as an arbitration submission.
• The Wheel will periodically review these guidelines and propose amendments if necessary.
• Any member may propose an amendment: 1. By submitting it through an arbitration submission, or 2. By motioning for an amendment at a HAAM general meeting.
• Any amendment to these guidelines must be voted on and approved by a majority of quorum at a HAAM general meeting.