ACM SIGGRAPH Policy Guidelines

POLICY GUIDELINES

Approved December 5, 2023

ACM SIGGRAPH Budgets and Financial Policies

Website and Information Technology Policies

Handling Reports of Discrimination

Amendments to Policy Guidelines

Foreword

These guidelines are intended to be a working document of policies and principles as they affect the daily operations of ACM SIGGRAPH. Policies are generated by action items, task force recommendations, and resolutions from members; they are adopted by a supermajority vote of the Executive Committee. At the beginning of their term, all members of the ACM SIGGRAPH Executive Committee will sign a document stating that they have read the current version of the Policy Guidelines.

Special cases not covered by the policy guidelines will be dealt with by the EC. The EC can override the policy or make decisions not covered by the policy by a supermajority vote. The policy should be written with the long-term in mind and the few short-term exceptions to the policy should be handled by the EC.

Definitions

ACM SIGGRAPH: The Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques. It is one of the Special Interest Groups (SIGs) of ACM.

SGB EC: The ACM SIG Governing Board Executive Committee
EC: ACM SIGGRAPH Executive Committee
SIGGRAPH: SIGGRAPH Conference (Held each July/August since 1974)
CAG: SIGGRAPH Conference Advisory Group
SIGGRAPH Asia: SIGGRAPH Asia Conference (Held in Asia each November/December since 2008)
SACAG: SIGGRAPH Asia Conference Advisory Group
ABG: Advisory Board/Group
A supermajority vote is 66% of all Directors

Overarching Principles

ACM SIGGRAPH is a volunteer-run organization that hosts a set of conferences and year-round activities for its members. More than a thousand volunteers help create vibrant conferences and an effective organization each year. In this section, we enumerate the required duties and expected behaviors for ACM SIGGRAPH’s volunteer team.

Volunteer Expectations:

We expect all leaders to have and all high-level volunteers to strive to have

significant familiarity with the culture and processes of the annual conferences and an understanding of the ACM SIGGRAPH organization and its strategic vision, plan, goals, and priorities (for Conference leadership positions)
an understanding of the ACM SIGGRAPH organization and its strategic vision, plan, goals, and priorities, and a familiarity with the culture and processes of the annual conferences (for EC positions)

Further, all volunteers shall

make all decisions with the best interests of the entire organization and its diverse constituencies in mind
challenge the organization and the conference to achieve excellence in all spheres of influence
engage in respectful dialogue in order to collaborate on strategic and operational goals
communicate with sensitivity on issues that are controversial and protect confidential material
value our time together as volunteers and come to meetings prepared for dialogue and decision-making
recognize respectful dissent and still emerge as one voice
value collaboration among the EC members, conference teams, volunteers, staff, committees, industry, and other professional organizations
commit to succession planning through mentoring and development of volunteers and staff

Volunteer Required Duties:

The individuals serving on the EC, or as SIGGRAPH, SIGGRAPH Asia, or Specialized Conference Chairs and any Conference Treasurer must be ACM SIGGRAPH Professional members. Standing Committee Chairs, Advisory Board/Group Chairs, Community Group Chairs, or Award Chairs must be ACM SIGGRAPH Professional, Pioneer, Affiliate, or Student members. A Professional member is a member of both ACM and ACM SIGGRAPH and an Affiliate member is a member of only ACM SIGGRAPH.

These volunteers must also read and sign a document acknowledging that they have read the following documents:

ACM Anti-harassment Policy
ACM COI Statement (annually because conflicts change)
this Policy document

All volunteers must have the ability and willingness to devote the necessary time to SIGGRAPH volunteer work. Jobs have varying workloads ranging from a few tens of hours per year to ten or more hours per week so volunteers shall ensure that they have the time required for the role before committing.

Volunteer Recruitment and Appointment:

All leadership positions described in this document must be advertised broadly to ensure that SIGGRAPH members have the opportunity to step forward.

If the appointment of a volunteer for a role is to be approved by the EC, the EC shall be presented with a shortlist (of at least two names) of potential candidates for comment before any of the candidates are approached regarding their interest in the role.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

ACM SIGGRAPH strives to create a welcoming and nurturing community for everyone working in computer graphics and interactive techniques independent of gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, religion, country of origin, or abilities.

For any submission to an ACM SIGGRAPH conference or Standing Committee activity, the person in charge (PIC) of the program should be aware of and sensitive to potential issues pertaining to the ACM SIGGRAPH values of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. If an issue is identified, then the authors of the submission shall be asked to modify their submission to resolve the issue before acceptance. If the PIC is unsure if there is an issue, then they should contact the Chair of the DEI Committee for advice.

To help avoid such a situation all submission calls should include the following: “ACM SIGGRAPH strives to create a welcoming and nurturing community for everyone working in computer graphics and interactive techniques independent of gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, religion, country of origin, or abilities. Work submitted to this program should be in alignment with these values.” We realize that with different conferences and standing committees, there may be different names and different formats for the submissions call. Therefore each entity should decide the best place to add this statement to their call.

SECTION I: MEMBERSHIP

1.1 Member Benefits. The member benefits are set by the EC with the approval of the SGB EC.

1.2 Professional Members. A person becomes a professional member of ACM SIGGRAPH only after enrolling and paying the required dues for both ACM and ACM SIGGRAPH. The dues for ACM SIGGRAPH are determined by the EC with the approval of the SGB EC.

1.3 Affiliate Members. A person becomes an affiliate member of ACM SIGGRAPH only after enrolling and paying the required dues for ACM SIGGRAPH. The dues for ACM SIGGRAPH are determined by the EC with the approval of the SGB EC.

1.4 Pioneer Members. Pioneer membership is a Full Membership that is earned after twenty (20) years of contributions to some aspect of computer graphics and/or interactive techniques. All members of the computer graphics community are welcome, including the following: engineers, academics, artists, educators, and practitioners. Members must pay the required dues. Pioneer members may be either affiliate (ACM SIGGRAPH member-only) or professional (ACM SIGGRAPH and ACM member) members. Because of this ambiguity, this document will only reference professional, affiliate, and student members in the sections below.

1.5 Associate Members. An associate member is a person who is not a full member but meets the requirements for Associate membership as determined by the EC. Members of a professional or student ACM SIGGRAPH chapter shall qualify as Associate Members.

1.6 Student Members. A student member is actively furthering their education at an institution of higher learning. SIGGRAPH and SIGGRAPH Asia student volunteers receive a complimentary one-year student membership.

1.7 Voting Members. All Professional, Affiliate, and Student members of ACM SIGGRAPH may vote in any ballot conducted by ACM SIGGRAPH. Associate members cannot vote.

SECTION II: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EC)

While the duty of the EC is to guide and oversee all of the activities of ACM SIGGRAPH, as stated below, it shall be primarily a strategic rather than an operational committee. The EC is responsible for developing long-term strategies to guide and govern the organization and these strategies will be implemented by the other committees and units of ACM SIGGRAPH. The EC members will lead and/or be involved in a group of Strategy committees that assist this effort. The current set of Strategy committees is described in Section 6.10.

2.1 Executive Committee (EC). The EC comprises Officers, Directors, and Ex-Officio Members. The duty of the EC is to guide and oversee all of the activities of ACM SIGGRAPH. There are Ex-Officio members on the EC for purposes of communication and deliberation. The Chairs of the CAG and SACAG are appointed voting Directors. The Directors at Large will serve as liaisons to the Standing Committees (SC), representatives to the CAG and SACAG, and members of and possibly leaders of a Strategy Group. Each elected Director, except the Chair and Treasurer, is responsible for two of the following three duties: CAG or SACAG liaison, liaison to an SC group, or head of a Strategy group.

2.2 Officers. The Officers of ACM SIGGRAPH are the Chair, Chair-elect, Treasurer, and Treasurer-elect.

2.3 Number of Directors. The number of elected Directors shall be set by the EC with a supermajority vote and shall be no fewer than seven and no more than thirteen.

2.4 Ex-officio Members. The EC may designate ex-officio members. The following are currently ex-officio non-voting members of the Board:

SIGGRAPH Chief Staff Executive
EC Representative(s) to the CAG (if not a member of the EC)
SIGGRAPH Asia Chief Staff Executive
EC Representative(s) to the SACAG (if not a member of the EC)
ACM Program Director for ACM SIGGRAPH
Project Manager(s) for ACM SIGGRAPH
A representative from the Nominations Committee
Chair of the Governance Advisory Board
Chair of Strategy Group (if not a member of the EC)
A representative from the SACAG (if not a member of the EC)
ACM SIGGRAPH Student Representative

The SIGGRAPH Student Representative must be at least eighteen years old and can be an undergraduate or graduate student. They are appointed for a one-year term, renewable once. The Early Career Development Committee will advertise the position and will also solicit nominations from the EC, the Early Career Development Committee, the SIGGRAPH, SIGGRAPH Asia Student Volunteer programs, and the SIGGRAPH Student Chapters. The Early Career Development Committee will review the nominations and make a recommendation to the EC which makes the final selection.

2.5 Election of Directors. Directors are elected to three-year terms beginning September 1 of the year of their election.

2.6 Terms. No one shall serve on the EC for more than two consecutive full terms as a voting member independent of position, with exceptions decided by a super-majority vote of the EC. An exception is that individuals appointed to roles to replace a volunteer who steps down early will be allowed to complete their full complement of terms. The partial term does not count against their term limit.

2.7 Meetings. In addition to the meeting at SIGGRAPH, the Executive Committee of ACM SIGGRAPH meets several times a year, either in a face-to-face or a virtual meeting. The face-to-face meetings are usually in November, February, and May/June. The virtual meetings are usually held every other week.

Required Meeting attendance:

All meetings: EC members (elected, appointed, and ex officio) and Strategy Committee Chairs.
Meeting at SIGGRAPH: All Standing Committee Chairs, the SIGGRAPH N+1 and N+2 Conference Chairs, and the SIGGRAPH Asia N and N+1 Conference Chairs.
For other meetings, other attendees, including Standing Committee Chairs, other ACM SIG Chairs, affiliated society chairs, and strategy team members may be invited by the Chair as deemed necessary.

We realize that because of logistical issues, not all EC members may be able to attend all the meetings, e.g., travel from Asia, but they are urged to attend as many as possible.

When the approval of the EC is required for any issue the following process will be used. There will be a presentation of the issues involved, followed by a general discussion. When appropriate, a formal motion will be made and seconded. There will be a call for discussion and then a vote.

Any EC member can make a motion upon the Chair granting them the floor. It is the responsibility of the Chair to ensure that the meetings are run in a smooth and productive manner. If in the opinion of the Chair, this is not happening, the Chair can invoke Robert’s Rules of Order.

2.7.1 Minutes

Minutes are a very important mechanism for creating transparency and visibility to the workings of the EC and other bodies for our membership. They should be published on the web in a timely fashion.

EC Votes involving financial, management, and policy decisions are open. The names of those voting and how they voted are reported in the public minutes. Votes involving appointments of individuals are closed and only whether the appointment was approved or not is reported in the public minutes. The vote totals but not the individual votes are made known to the EC. No individual votes are recorded.

Minutes can be approved by Unanimous consent (Section 2.10). Minutes should be approved by a majority of the members of the board present at the time that the meeting occurred and in general, should be approved at the start of the next meeting. Minutes that have been approved by the Chair and have been out for a vote to the members of the board for more than 30 days will be considered to be approved.

2.8 Only One Position. No person may hold more than one position on the Executive Committee simultaneously. No voting members of the EC can be either a Chair of a Standing Committee or an Advisory Board/Group or a SIGGRAPH or SIGGRAPH Asia Conference or Program Chair or a specific Awards Chair. Please refer to SIGGRAPH or SIGGRAPH Asia documents for further restrictions. No Chair of a Standing Committee can be a SIGGRAPH or SIGGRAPH Asia Conference Chair.

Volunteers shall avoid any actual or perceived conflict of interest stemming from serving in multiple roles.

As a matter of professional courtesy, when new volunteers are selected, others within the organization who might be affected by this selection shall be informed. A volunteer being considered for a position within ACM SIGGRAPH shall consider their current and potential commitments, as well as the support for ACM SIGGRAPH work from their employer. Volunteers shall be sure not to overcommit to their volunteer jobs.

2.9 Conflict of Interest.

A Conflict of Interest (COI) is not necessarily bad but should be identified and dealt with as detailed below. The ACM SIGGRAPH COI Policy includes the ACM Policy and the additional aspects below.

It is normal for COIs to arise in large organizations like ACM SIGGRAPH. Identifying and disclosing a conflict of interest is not a judgment on anyone’s character or actions but only the first step towards managing the conflict.

A COI occurs when a volunteer’s private interests compete with their obligations to ACM SIGGRAPH, and therefore could improperly influence how they perform their official duties.

Private interests include your own personal, professional, and business interests, and the interests of individuals and groups you associate with, including friends, relatives, and competitors.

There are three types of conflict of interest:

actual: where a direct and current conflict exists between a volunteer’s private interests and their ACM SIGGRAPH responsibilities
potential: where a volunteer has private interests that could conflict with their ACM SIGGRAPH responsibilities in the future
perceived: where it could be reasonably perceived, or give the appearance, that a volunteer’s private interests could improperly influence the performance of their ACM SIGGRAPH responsibilities.

Some examples of possible COIs that are not included in the ACM COI Policy are making decisions on issues such as conference locations, volunteer appointments, or committee budgets that affect your private interests.

All types of COI need to be disclosed and managed to minimize the risk that they could influence, or be seen to influence, the way you perform your duties. Although perceived COIs are not actual COIs, it is important that they are also managed through recusals so that an independent outside observer would judge the decision processes of ACM SIGGRAPH to be fair.

Potential COIs can be handled within the ACM SIGGRAPH volunteer infrastructure but must be declared. The ACM SIGGRAPH Chair will resolve a potential conflict of interest by an Executive Committee member or a standing committee chair. The ACM SIGGRAPH Chair-elect will resolve a potential COI by the ACM SIGGRAPH Chair. A person on a committee who has a potential COI shall report it to the committee chair, and the committee chair will resolve the COI. The volunteer to whom a committee chair reports will resolve a potential COI by a committee chair. A person determined to have a conflict of interest will not participate in the discussion or decision on the relevant issue. All volunteers on the EC, CAG, SACAG, and the Standing Committee, Advisory Board/Group, and Awards Chairs must sign the COI form annually.

Section 2.10 Voting Policy

Unless there is an extreme time urgency all motions must pass by a majority (or supermajority, or unanimous consent where noted in this document) vote of the total number of Directors minus any who may have a Conflict of Interest. If there is an extreme time urgency then, as per Section 2.4 of the ACM SIGGRAPH Bylaws, a “majority vote” occurs when a quorum is present, and at least fifty percent of the quorum (those voting, or directors present) votes in favor of a matter.

Approval by unanimous consent does not require a formal vote; the motion is approved if no one dissents. If anyone dissents then a formal motion and vote are required. For an email vote, there should be a waiting period of at least 48 hours. Unanimous consent can be used for minor amendments to previously approved motions that do not require a supermajority.

For ethical reasons, any EC Director who is responsible for a proposal that requires approval by the EC may present that proposal to the EC and call for a motion to approve, but should not make the motion to approve or second the motion.

Section 2.11 Orientation of New Directors

To facilitate the orientation of new Directors, it is recommended that once the slate of EC Director Candidates is finalized, the EC Chair invites all EC Director Candidates to attend EC meetings. This will help provide them with an early understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the EC Directors.

SECTION III: OFFICERS

As stated in Article 5 of the ACM SIGGRAPH bylaws, the EC shall select, from among its directors, a Chair, Chair-elect, Treasurer, and Treasurer-elect. The Chair and Treasurer serve a one-year term.

Officer Selection Process

The Chair of the EC with the advice and consent of the EC shall appoint an Officer Selection Advisory Group (OSAG). The OSAG shall have at least two non-EC members and at least three EC members who are not eligible for a Chair-elect or Treasurer-elect position. There must always be more EC members on the OSAG than non-EC members. The Nominations Committee Chair (NC) is the Chair of the OSAG and a voting member. If the NC Chair is not the NC representative to the EC, then the NC representative to the EC shall also be on the OSAG. The OSAG will be appointed between the end of the EC election cycle (August 15) and the start date of the new terms (September 1) and should make its selection by September 1. The Chair of the OSAG should seek input from the current Chair and Chair-elect as well as any other people they think are appropriate. The Nominations Chair shall query all of the potentially eligible officer-elect candidates, including those candidates running for an EC Director position, on August 1 to see if they would be willing to serve as an officer-elect. This is done because of the short time between the end of the EC election cycle and September 1 when the new EC starts. The OSAG chooses the Chair-elect and Treasurer-elect from the eligible EC members and presents this slate to the EC who approves or disapproves. The Chair and Chair-elect of the EC are not members of the OSAG.

The elected officers will fulfill the duties outlined below.

3.1 . Chair The duties of the Chair are as follows:

Leading and managing ACM SIGGRAPH;
Calling and presiding at EC meetings; and
Conducting ACM SIGGRAPH’s activities in accordance with the policies of the ACM.

3.2 Chair-elect. The duties of the Chair-elect are as follows:

Assisting the Chair in leading and managing ACM SIGGRAPH; and
Presiding at meetings when the Chair is absent.

3.3 Treasurer. The duties of the Treasurer are as follows:

Chairing the Finance Committee;
Managing ACM SIGGRAPH’s finances consistent with ACM policy. This includes preparing the annual budget for presentation to the EC for approval, monitoring the group’s disbursements for adherence to the annual budget, preparing financial reports as required; and
Reporting ACM SIGGRAPH’s finances to members at least once a year in ACM SIGGRAPH’s regular publications.

3.4 Treasurer-elect. The duties of the Treasurer-elect are shadowing and assisting the Treasurer in managing ACM SIGGRAPH’s finances.

3.5 Past Chair. For one year after the completion of their term as Chair, the Past Chair will be an ex-officio member of the ACM SIGGRAPH Executive Committee, unless they are already serving on the EC as a Director.

Section IV: ACM SIGGRAPH Budgets and Financial Policies

4.1 Guiding Principles. The EC maintains a bank balance with ACM which is intended to cover shortfalls that may occur due to unforeseen events in conference planning and investments in the computer graphics and interactive techniques community. ACM requires a minimum amount in this fund which is a function of the yearly SIGGRAPH, specialized conferences, and organization expenses.

The annual budget is developed by the Treasurer. The Treasurer meets with the appropriate people whose committees or groups are requesting funds and considers historical line items to carry over or remove. After gathering expense and revenue inputs, a draft budget is created.

The approval steps for the draft budget in order are:
1. The Finance Committee reviews and approves.
2. Submit to ACM for review and additions of allocations, final revenues, etc.
3. The Finance Committee reviews ACM’s additions and approves them.
4. The EC reviews and approves.
5. The final budget is sent to the ACM.

The annual budget approved by the EC and subsequently by ACM, need not be balanced but may include more expenses than the expected income if the organization is significantly above the reserve amount required by ACM. All of the expenditures of the EC and the standing committees, but particularly those that are investments beyond the yearly income must be strategic and in support of the membership and its current needs. Unless there are significant extenuating circumstances, at least $1M in 2018 dollars ($1.11M in 2021) above the required reserve amount should be maintained.

No expenses that go beyond a balanced budget shall be incurred until after SIGGRAPH has taken place and it has been determined that that conference will not operate at a loss for that year. With ACM’s fiscal year beginning on July 1 and SIGGRAPH occurring in July or August, this should not be a burdensome constraint on the spending of the organization. If SIGGRAPH Asia returns to a status where it also represents a potential financial liability, then the timing of that conference shall also operate as a similar constraint on the EC spending.

All expenditures must be justified anew each year. Even if a budgetary unit has spent X dollars in the last year or sent Y people to SIGGRAPH for each of the past five years, the volunteers responsible for that unit shall still justify the request as part of a detailed budget request for the next year.

Care must be taken to avoid projects that request funds incrementally resulting in a larger total expense than expected. The total funds for a project must be requested at once (even if the project is over a year in duration) and all previous funds requested for the project must be included in any request for additional funds, even if that results in a higher level of approval being required.

4.2 Finance Committee.

The Finance Committee will be composed of the Chair, Chair-elect, Treasurer, Treasurer-elect, and the CAG Chair or their representative. The CAG Chair shall be involved in the development of the total ACM SIGGRAPH budget. The EC may also opt to add a Director to the Finance Committee to better distribute the workload. The Finance Committee assists the Treasurer in preparing the annual budget for presentation to the EC for approval. It is also an advisory body to the EC that reviews New Project proposals according to the guidelines below. It does not have any final authority on budget or expenditure approvals except for the special cases in Section 4.5 Unbudgeted Expenses.

4.3 Budgeting Process. In January of each year, the Treasurer will meet with each of the standing chairs and the Chair via telecon to construct an initial budget for each budgetary unit. The budget will take into account the expected sources of income (membership dues, ACM Digital Library, return from SIGGRAPH, SIGGRAPH Asia, the specialized conferences, and other miscellaneous income) and will budget expenses for each of the standing committees and for the EC. The budget for the standing committees must take into account all expenses, including conference registrations (either for guests or contributor recognition), travel, and other forms of contributor recognition. The budget for the EC shall similarly include all travel, contracted services, and other expenses.

Once the budget has been approved by the Finance Committee, it will then be sent to the Executive Committee for discussion and approval. All outside requests for project funding shall be included with a recommendation from the finance committee as to whether the project shall be funded or not.

The approval of the annual budget by the EC must be by a supermajority, as defined in the ACM SIGGRAPH Bylaws. After this approval is obtained, the budget is sent to ACM for final approval for their spring deadline.

The EC will try to avoid policy changes affecting how the ACM SIGGRAPH budget shall be implemented during the budget development cycle. (December-February)

4.4 Budget Reporting. The financial state of the organization shall be reported to the membership at least once a year via an appropriate communications mechanism such as the Interactions newsletter and the siggraph.org website. A report of spending/income vs. the budgeted categories must be provided to the EC quarterly by the treasurer. Quarterly reports shall also be provided to the standing chairs for their budgets. At no point shall any of those entities spend beyond their budget without gaining approval through the procedures in the next section.

4.5 Unbudgeted Expenses/Special Projects. Every attempt must be made to include all expenses in the yearly budget. However, unforeseen expenses may arise mid-year through the strategic work of the EC, an issue or opportunity with SIGGRAPH or SIGGRAPH Asia, from our membership, or any number of other reasons. These unbudgeted expenses/Special Projects shall be approved with the following process:

All requests must go to the ACM SIGGRAPH Treasurer alias (treasurer@siggraph.org)

All requests above $2k must include the following information. As the requested amount gets larger, the corresponding detail must also increase.

Project Name
Project Scope and Purpose
Who is Involved with the Project
Start and End Date of the Project
Amount of Funding Required
Purpose of the Funding
Member or Attendee Benefits of the Project

Requests greater than $2k and less than or equal to $50k must be submitted no less than 30 days prior to the required date of funding. Requests exceeding $50k must be submitted no less than 60 days prior to the required date of funding.

Funding triage tree:

● Less than or equal to $2k: Treasurer or Chair approves. Both parties have to be notified of the expense.

● Above $2k and less than or equal to $5k: Treasurer and Chair approves.

● Above $5k and less than or equal to $10k: The Finance Committee approves with a vote of 66% or more in favor.

● Above $10k and less than or equal to $50k: The Finance Committee will review and provide a recommendation to the EC which approves with a majority vote.

● Above $50K and less than or equal to $100k: The Finance Committee will review and provide a recommendation to the EC which approves with a supermajority vote.

● Above $100k: The proposal will be thoroughly discussed with all the affected components of ACM SIGGRAPH (Standing Committees, CAG, and SACAG) such that the EC has heard and carefully considered any concerns, and has done a careful risk/benefit analysis. Every effort shall be made to ensure that there is a consensus on whether to proceed with the proposal. An agreement shall be reached on the timing for re-evaluation and completion or termination of the funding. The funding must be approved by a supermajority of the EC.

Note: The above dollar amounts are from 2018 and should be revised as needed to adjust for inflation.

If the approving individual or body includes the person who is applying for the budget item, that person will recuse themselves. It will be made by the next higher approving body if the existing group cannot reach a majority decision.

Examples of Special Projects

SIGGRAPH Conference Special Projects. SIGGRAPH Conference chairs are encouraged to make proposals to the EC for a portion of the reserve to be spent on special initiatives that need to be planned for early in the conference planning process. These should generally be above $25,000 projects. These might be (but are not limited to):

Advance events in a new city to encourage attendance
Panels with local experts who are not regular SIGGRAPH attendees
Subsidy of registration rates in an expensive city
New initiatives
Events that enhance the attendee experience

EC Special Projects. Examples of EC Special Projects are the following (but are not limited to):

Establishment of a new major conference like SIGGRAPH Asia
Establishment of a new Specialized Conference
Support of a special regional event
A major new strategic initiative

4.6 Financial Policies.

Interest Income. The EC uses the interest from the ACM SIGGRAPH reserve fund as income in its operations budget.

Conference Transfer. The mandated SIGGRAPH Conference transfer to the EC is 3.5% of the total income. The mandated SIGGRAPH Asia transfer to the organization is a minimum amount plus a percentage of profits.

Standing Committee Meetings. The EC will set aside an amount in each Fiscal Year ($60,000 in FY20) to fund face-to-face meetings held by the Standing Committees outside of the conferences. The expectation is that such meetings will be held at most every few years and not annually by a Standing Committee. Any Standing Committee desiring to hold such a meeting will submit their request during that Fiscal Year’s budget cycle (deadline February 1 in 2020 and beyond, April 1 in 2019). The request will consist of the following: location, approximate date, number of people attending, estimated budget, purpose/goals for the meeting, and deliverables (written report for publication on the web, data showing impact, or other appropriate deliverables given the purpose/goals of the meeting).

Donations. If an entity in ACM SIGGRAPH, e.g., a Standing Committee or Advisory Board/Group, receives an external donation that is not meant to be all spent in one year, then those funds are tracked and added to the yearly budget of that entity until it has less than $1,000 remaining. All donation solicitations above $10,000 shall be coordinated by the Finance Committee. There is an ACM allocation fee paid on all expenses.

All donations and their related expenses, except those received by Specialized Conferences, SIGGRAPH, or SIGGRAPH Asia, are processed by the ACM SIGGRAPH Treasurer. The donations will be assessed at the current average ACM Allocation rate for ACM SIGGRAPH.

4.7 ACM Overhead or Allocation. (Taken from the ACM SIG Finances page) This fee is part of doing business at ACM. It is not a fee for service. It is currently calculated based on the total expenses of each SIG, both general operations and conferences.

To cover overhead, SIG leaders (through the action of the SGB) have chosen to implement a formula based on a sliding scale, starting at 16% in FY’07 and FY ’08, and decreasing by 0.8% for every $125K of expenses down to a minimum rate of 5.35%. Thus different SIGs and their conferences vary in the percentage used for overhead. The activities covered under overhead include general office support for SIGs and their conferences, accounting and finance support, and assistance with publications, membership, marketing, and web pages/wikis.

All nonconference expenses for ACM SIGGRAPH are assessed on this sliding scale, starting at 16% and decreasing as stated above. ACM SIGGRAPH has set the ACM allocation rate for SIGGRAPH at 6.35% and the ACM allocation rate for each specialized sponsored and co-sponsored conference at the maximum allocation rate minus 6% (currently this is an allocation rate of 10%). Note that because of the financial arrangement with Koelnmesse, SIGGRAPH Asia is excluded from this calculation.

SECTION V: NOMINATIONS & ELECTIONS

5.1 Nominations Committee. The Nominations Committee will consist of an even number of members (including the chair), greater than three.

The EC will select the Chair of the Nominations Committee several months before the start of their term. It is expected that the chair will often be a former member of the EC, CAG, or SACAG so that the chair has an understanding of the conferences and organization. The newly selected chair will join the nominations committee as a non-voting member immediately to create continuity. The term of the Chair of the Nominations Committee will run for three years starting September 1, with a possible second three-year term. The Past Chair will serve as a non-voting member of the committee for one year after the end of their term to assist in the transition.

By April 1 of each year, the Chair of the Nominations Committee will put forward an odd number of persons, numbering three or more, to serve on the Nominations Committee. These must not be members of the ACM SIGGRAPH Executive Committee. The Executive Committee must approve the candidates for the nominations committee before being accepted. The terms of the members will end the following April 15 and they can serve up to two additional one-year terms on the committee. No member of the Nominations Committee can be considered for any position selected by or recommended by the Nominations Committee.

One member of the Nominations Committee, preferably the Chair, will be an ex-officio member of the EC as a representative of the Nominations Committee. This person shall also be engaged with the Governance Advisory Board and/or Strategy Groups. This representative will be appointed by the EC with the approval of the Nominations Committee to a one-year term, potentially renewable throughout their term on the Nominations Committee. The ex-officio term dates will coincide with their Nomination Committee term dates as in the above paragraph.

The Nominations Committee is responsible for selecting the annual slate for the EC election and for recommending Chairs of Standing Committees to the EC. The Nominations Committee should provide the EC with their recommendation for a new Chair of the Standing Committee at least three months before the end of the term of the previous Chair to ensure continuity. The Nominations Committee will submit at least two names to the EC for each Standing Committee Chair position.

The job description for all positions should be reviewed by the Governance Advisory Board, sent to the EC as an FYI, and approved by the EC Chair before being posted. Job descriptions for existing Standing Committee Chairs should be developed by the Chair of the Nominations Committee working with the current Standing Committee Chair, and the EC Director who oversees that Standing Committee.

5.2 Nominations Process. The Chair will put the call for nominations out via email to all of SIGGRAPH’s constituencies (such as chapters, education committee, and pioneers) and on the ACM SIGGRAPH website and social media outlets. The Nominations Committee will make reference checks on any volunteer position the potential candidate has had within ACM SIGGRAPH for the previous five years and will require references for all candidates on the shortlist.

5.3 Slate. The Nominations Committee must select a slate of candidates and announce the slate to all ACM SIGGRAPH voting members at least two months before the election, as required by ACM. For Directors, the slate must contain at least two candidates for each Director slot as per Bylaws 9.1 Slate.

Under the previous bylaws if there were N positions open then we only required N+1 candidates and the top N candidates were the winners. So, if there were three positions open, then we required at least four candidates with the top three being the winners. Under the new bylaws, we are dividing the open positions into different slots with at least two candidates for each slot. For example, if three director positions are open in a given election, the Nominations Committee might select two (or more) candidates from industry to run for one of the open director positions, two from academia to run for the second position, and two from the education community to run for the third. This “bucketing” of the candidates into positions will allow the nominations committee to ensure that all three open director roles aren’t filled, for instance, with members who are from academia or that the EC doesn’t have only representation from North America. With this modification to the Bylaws, the nominating committee will be able to achieve increased diversity in skillset, area of expertise, and geography on the EC.

5.4 Petition candidates. A petition from 1% of the members of ACM SIGGRAPH who are eligible to vote will place other consenting and eligible candidates on the ballot. All candidates must be ACM SIGGRAPH Professional members. The petition process will be in accordance with the ACM SIG petition process. The staff at ACM HQ who manage the election process will assign a successful petition candidate to the appropriate director position after being given the director position descriptions by the Nominations Committee. If there is uncertainty about the appropriate director position for the petition candidate the ACM HQ staff may consult with the Chair of the Nominations Committee.

5.5 Election. ACM Headquarters will conduct the election among eligible voters by August 15, following the election procedures of the ACM, unless different procedures have been approved by the SGB. Of all the ballots returned in an election, the candidate receiving the largest number of effective votes for each position is declared the winner. ACM policies will be followed in resolving ties. The individual vote counts for each race from an EC election will be shared with the Nominations Committee. The candidates can request the results of their race from the Chair of the Nominations Committee. The EC can vote to have the vote counts released to the Chair of the EC. They will not be made public as part of the election results announcement. The total number of votes and the percentage of the membership that voted shall be made public.

5.6 Vacancies and Incapacitation.

Chair. Should the Chair leave office before their term expires, the Chair-elect will become the Chair and the EC will fill the vacant Chair-elect position. Should the Chair become incapacitated or be unable to fulfill their duties, the Chair-elect will temporarily assume the duties of the Chair.
Treasurer. Should the Treasurer leave office before their term expires, the Treasurer-elect will become the Treasurer and the EC will fill the vacant Treasurer-elect position. Should the Treasurer become incapacitated or be unable to fulfill their duties, the Treasurer-elect will temporarily assume the duties of the Treasurer.
Other Positions. Should any position other than Chair become vacant, the EC shall appoint someone to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the position’s current term
Resignation. An EC member may resign at any time by giving written notice to the Chair or, if the Chair is resigning, to the Chair-elect. The resignation shall be effective as of the time the resigning individual specifies
Removal. An elected EC member may be removed for just cause by a supermajority vote of the EC with the approval of the SGB EC

SECTION VI: COMMITTEES

6.1 Standing Committees

Standing Committees are established and their chairs are appointed and removed by a majority vote of the EC. Standing committees exist until dissolved by a supermajority vote of the EC.

Each Standing Committee must have membership in addition to the Chair. The Chair of a Standing Committee is responsible for recruiting the committee, ensuring that all policies and procedures of the committee are documented, and, near the end of their term, suggesting potential successors to the Nominations Committee. Each committee shall have a second point of contact on their committee in case the Chair becomes unavailable. The Chair is responsible for ensuring that the programs of the committee align with the current strategic vision of ACM SIGGRAPH. The Chair will report the committee’s activities annually, in June, to the Executive Committee. At the beginning of their term, the Chair will sign a statement that they have read the current policy document. The Chair shall suggest to all their committee members that they read the current policy document.

Each Standing Committee and Advisory Board/Group shall have a Policies and Procedures document that has been reviewed by the Governance Advisory Board, which recommends it for approval to the EC liaison to that group, who presents it to the EC for approval. All changes to these documents will be reviewed by the Governance Advisory Board, approved by the EC liaison, and presented to the EC for final approval.

Given that all the Standing Committees are serving the SIGGRAPH community they shall consider how they can work together to enhance this effort. They shall consider having representatives serving on each other’s committees. All the Standing Committees shall consider how their activities benefit the members of ACM SIGGRAPH and how they can enhance these benefits.

The following shall be standing committees of the Board:

Awards
Chapters (Professional and Student)
Communications
Digital Arts
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Early Career Development (S3)
Education
External Relations
History
Information Technology Services
Interactive and Immersive Experiences
International Resources
Membership
Nominations
Practitioner Career Development
Publications
Research Career Development
Specialized Conferences

6.2 Advisory Boards/Groups

Advisory boards/Groups are created with a supermajority vote of the EC and can be disbanded similarly. For ABs that interact heavily with other entities such as the conferences, there shall also be an advisory vote of the CAG/SACAG or other governing body when they are created or disbanded. These rules pertain to Advisory Boards/Groups for ACM SIGGRAPH as a whole, Standing Committees can create their own Advisory Boards/Groups without EC approval as long as there is no budget impact.

All Advisory Board/Group Chair positions, either replacement chairs for an existing advisory board/group or a chair for a new advisory board/group, will be advertised. All applications will be sent to the ACM SIGGRAPH Project Manager who will forward the applications to the relevant Advisory Board/Group and will copy the Chair of the Nominations Committee as an FYI. The Advisory Board/Group will nominate a person for the Chair position from the shortlist (of at least two names) of candidates who applied or were potential applicants and send this nomination to the EC for approval. Because the Chair of an Advisory Board/Group may want to run for a second term, an EC Director will manage this process, i.e., the SIGGRAPH Project Manager will forward the applications to the EC Director who will then forward the applications to the Advisory Board/Group, excluding the current Chair. The ACM SIGGRAPH Chair shall inform the approved candidate of the EC’s decision and copy the EC Director in charge of the process. If there were other candidates who were not selected, the EC Director will inform them of the decision.

Advisory Boards/Groups with specific responsibilities and leadership rules:

SIGGRAPH Arts Advisory Group (AAG)
Conference Advisory Group (CAG)
SIGGRAPH Asia Conference Advisory Group (SACAG)
Computer Animation Festival Advisory Board (CAFAB)
Papers Advisory Group
Governance Advisory Board

6.3 Affinity Groups

Affinity Groups (AGs) are a subset of the ACM SIGGRAPH community that have a specialized common interest or demographic. They must align with the ACM SIGGRAPH strategic mission and follow the ACM SIGGRAPH Policy Guidelines. The Chair of the AG must adhere to all conditions of the Volunteer Required Duties at the beginning of this document.

Application for membership to the AGs will be accompanied by a completed MOU and must be approved with a supermajority vote of the EC and can be disbanded similarly. AGs should primarily fund their activities, e.g., from external donations, or special dues, and should not receive ACM SIGGRAPH financial support beyond using the ACM SIGGRAPH treasury to receive and disburse funds while paying the prevailing average ACM allocation rate. Each AG must have their Chair officially confirmed by the EC. The Chair must be a member of ACM SIGGRAPH. It is recommended that the members of the AG be members of ACM SIGGRAPH. Each AG shall provide an annual written report that is incorporated into the ACM SIGGRAPH annual report and give an annual verbal report at an EC meeting. Each AG shall have a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that further details their relationship with ACM SIGGRAPH including specific policies, processes, and procedures not covered in this section. MOUs will be renewed every three years.

Current Affinity Groups

Pioneers
WiGRAPH

6.4 Standing Committee Chair Nominations

Except for the Nominations Committee, when a committee chair position is open, the position opening will be posted on the website and through all of SIGGRAPH’s communication channels. The Nominations Committee will review applicants, consult with the existing committee and the EC, and make a recommendation to the EC who will make the final selection. In addition to its recommendation, the Nominations Committee will provide the EC with the names and application materials of all the people who applied for the position and the rationale for their recommendation.
The timeline for this process will be as follows:

February 1 – Call for Nominations Open
May 1-15 – Review by Nominations Committee
May 15 – Recommendation to EC
June 1 – New Chairs Announced

6.5 Standing Chair Terms.

Committee chair terms will be for three years, beginning on September 1. Chairs can be re-appointed for a second term. If a standing Committee Chair is unable to complete the three-year term they must notify the EC Chair in writing. After getting recommendations from the Nominations Committee, a replacement will be appointed by a majority vote of the EC to fill out the remaining term. This interim term does not count as a term for the person appointed so they are eligible for two more full terms. The former chair may be included on the email alias for up to one year at the discretion of the new chair.

6.6 Standing Committee Charges.

The Standing Committees are gathered into several groups as described below. Each group will have one or more Executive Committee Directors as liaisons with the Executive Committee.

The EC Director(s) shall meet with their group approximately every two weeks to discuss strategic efforts and directions the EC wants the Standing Committees to pursue and also any issues the Standing Committee chairs want to bring to the EC. By doing this the Standing Committee Chairs should be fully aware of all relevant EC activity and vice versa.

Career Development Grouping: These committees focus on career development. Taken together, these five committees will provide year-round content, networking, and mentoring for our members independent of their career path or stage of career.

Early Career Development Committee (S3)

Early career is defined as undergraduate and graduate education as well as the first three years after graduation for non-academics. Plans, develops, and facilitates activities that bring additional year-round value to the student members, and emerging professionals of ACM SIGGRAPH through integration with the SIGGRAPH community and career development year-round. Activities include creating and managing a mentoring program and portfolio/reel/statement review. Provides continuity and institutional memory for the Student Volunteers and intern programs at SIGGRAPH and SIGGRAPH Asia and assists with the oversight of ACM SIGGRAPH Student Chapters.

Research Career Development Committee

Plans, develops, and facilitates activities that support the career development of members with research careers in academia and industry. Creates and manages a mentoring program, provides guidance on tenure and promotions, career changes, funding, research management, and leadership of large projects and large teams. Provides best practices for advising and mentoring graduate and undergraduate students and interns.

Practitioner Career Development Committee

Plans, develops, and facilitates activities that support the career development of practitioners working in industry and academia. The focus will be on how these activities relate to areas of professional interest to the SIGGRAPH community (SIGGRAPH areas). Creates and manages a mentoring program and provides guidance on promotions, hiring, project management and leadership, business development and entrepreneurship, moving into management and career changes, again focusing on how these relate to SIGGRAPH areas. Facilitates networking, i.e., connecting practitioners doing related work.

Online Communities Grouping: These committees provide content to our members both current and archival via many different online mechanisms.

Communications Committee

Working in concert with the Digital Presence and Marketing/Communication Strategy teams of the ACM SIGGRAPH Executive Committee, the Communications Committee provides a communication vision for the ACM SIGGRAPH organization, planning out an editorial calendar and managing how the organization presents its activities on social media and via the monthly newsletter and the President’s Corner blog. The Communications Chair will recommend and implement appropriate communication channels and will form a committee of volunteers and content editors/managers to implement the communications vision of the organization and synchronize that vision with that of the SIGGRAPH conferences. The members of the committee will oversee content development, new functionality, and updating of the ACM SIGGRAPH website.

History Committee

Engages in activities to collect, preserve, and make accessible materials concerning the history of ACM SIGGRAPH and its role in the development of computer graphics research and the computer graphics industry. Encourages and supports the development of histories of both people and technological innovation that document the impact of SIGGRAPH and the field.

Information Technology Services

Provides information services support to the ACM SIGGRAPH community. Manages the siggraph.org server infrastructure (software/hardware). Works with the ACM IS team as needed on technical issues for ACM SIGGRAPH and ACM. Responsible for maintaining a database of accounts and email aliases for tracking purposes (both creation and deletion as appropriate).

Membership Committee

Coordinates all ACM SIGGRAPH activities designed to benefit our members and explores new ways to enhance the value of membership. It should have representatives from the other Standing Committees and facilitate communication between the membership and the different parts of ACM SIGGRAPH. It should investigate, identify, and recommend to the EC better ways to recruit, retain, and support members and volunteers and ensure responsiveness, inclusiveness, and diversity. It shall work with the EC to define member benefits and membership rates. It is in charge of the SIGGRAPH Village, both at SIGGRAPH and SIGGRAPH Asia, and in a year-round format.

Publications Committee

Documents the content presented at ACM SIGGRAPH-sponsored events, using channels that are efficient and cost-effective. Documentation includes archiving all forms of media including video, software, and interactive content. Develops new forms of archiving and summarization as the forms of media evolve. Coordinates with ACM Publications Board and Digital Library as new situations arise and on items with broader implications. Committee members to manage video channels such as YouTube and Vimeo.

Focused Communities Grouping: These committees provide support for subsets of our members who share common interests or needs. The chairs of these committees will coordinate extensively with the chairs of career development committees on areas of overlap.

Digital Arts Committee

The mission of the ACM SIGGRAPH Digital Arts Committee is to foster year-round engagement and dialogue within the digital, electronic, computational, and media arts. We facilitate dynamic scholarship and creative programming within the ACM SIGGRAPH organization. Our goal is to promote collaboration between artists and the larger computer graphics and interactive techniques community.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

Celebrates the diversity that exists within the ACM SIGGRAPH community and provides opportunities, both in-person and year-round, to connect with others with common backgrounds, ethnicities, and gender for mentoring and inspiration. The goal of this committee is to create a welcoming and nurturing community for everyone working in computer graphics and interactive techniques independent of gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, religion, or abilities.

Education Committee

Supports educators in computer graphics and interactive techniques. This work encompasses both technical, creative, applied, and interdisciplinary studies at all post-secondary levels that intersect curricular areas of computer science, engineering, art, design, and related disciplines. The Education Committee undertakes a broad range of projects and activities in support of the computer graphics and interactive techniques education community, such as developing curriculum guidelines, providing instructional resources, organizing SIGGRAPH Conference-related activities, and outreach at both post-secondary levels as well as K-12.

Interactive and Immersive Experiences Committee

Supports researchers and practitioners involved in the design and creation of interactive and immersive experiences (including AR, VR, projection, computer vision, sensors, and related technologies). This role will be a champion for the development of best practices across the interactive and immersive design community. The chair will also lead efforts in career development, documentation and education media for our members in these fields.

International Resources Committee

Extend the reach and influence of the ACM SIGGRAPH conferences and organization globally through language and intercultural support.

Chapters

Promotes, plans, and facilitates the full integration of Chapter activities into ACM SIGGRAPH while identifying and facilitating the flow of additional ACM SIGGRAPH benefits through to Chapters. Provides a link for communication between ACM and Chapters regarding the details of ACM policies and procedures. Devises best “face” for Chapters on ACM SIGGRAPH Web and social media presence. Ensures compliance with all relevant policies and procedures. Develops a pathway for chapter members to transition into volunteer roles in the conference and organization

External Grouping: These two committees interact with external organizations, companies, and volunteers to support new and emerging areas as well as existing focused communities.

External Relations Committee

Manages relationships with professional societies and organizations that are external to ACM. Working with the EC, this committee identifies and establishes relationships with new organizations and companies according to the organization’s current mission and strategic plan. The chair of the External Relations Committee, in consultation with the EC and other organization standing committees, chooses the recipients of complimentary registrations for the conferences organized by ACM SIGGRAPH’s affiliated groups. See Section XIV for more details.

Specialized Conferences Committee (SCC)

Approves and monitors specialized conferences to ensure that they are financially and intellectually healthy and aligned with the mission and strategic plan of ACM SIGGRAPH. Promotes awareness of the specialized conferences and the resulting archival content to the broader community and works to improve the integration of the specialized conferences with other ACM SIGGRAPH events. Together with the External Relations Committee, the SCC works to strengthen existing ties and identify new venues, emerging themes, or potential relationships with other conferences and organizations to broaden the scope of ACM SIGGRAPH. See Section IX for more details.

Chair’s Grouping

Awards Committee

Supervise all the Awards Committees of ACM SIGGRAPH. Facilitate the nomination of ACM SIGGRAPH members to higher ACM levels, e.g., Distinguished Scientists and/or ACM Fellows, and other ACM awards. Facilitate the Awards announcements and ceremonies at the conferences. See Awards Section XII for more details.

Nominations Committee

Selects slate for the annual Executive Committee election. Recommends candidates for Chairs of Standing Committees to the Executive Committee. For more information, see Section V.

Volunteer Development Committee (Currently an Ad-Hoc Committee)

The Volunteer Development Committee (VDC) supports the organization by aiding volunteerism within the SIGGRAPH organization and community. Two primary functions of the VDC are: first, matchmaking, the process of identifying potential volunteer roles within the organization and matching willing volunteers with these roles; and second, supporting volunteers throughout the duration of specific roles as well as each volunteer’s arc throughout their career.

6.7 Advisory Board/Group Charges.

SIGGRAPH Arts Advisory Group (AAG)

The AAG has been established to ensure that Art Gallery and Art Papers continue to be valued SIGGRAPH Conference programs that serve the artist community and beyond. This group will also provide counsel to the SIGGRAPH Advisory Group (CAG) and SIGGRAPH Asia Advisory Group (SACAG), as needed, on multi-year, cross-conference issues that affect the Art Gallery and Art Papers community.

Computer Animation Festival Advisory Board (CAFAB)

The Computer Animation Festival Advisory Board was established to elevate the role of the Computer Animation Festival (CAF) as a global asset for promoting SIGGRAPH (the conferences and the organization) to new communities and territories. The CAFAB will provide guidance and support to the CAF Chairs for SIGGRAPH and SIGGRAPH Asia. This group will also provide counsel to the CAG and SACAG as needed. Here is a link to a full description of the CAFAB.

Papers Advisory Group (PAG)

The Papers Advisory Group (PAG) is an advisory group for the technical papers community and venue at SIGGRAPH and SIGGRAPH Asia. It recommends and vets the technical papers chairs for SIGGRAPH and SIGGRAPH Asia and represents the papers community in multi-year, cross-conference issues.

Governance Advisory Board

Ensures that our structure, policies, and procedures are reflective of what we do, what we should be doing, and are the most effective and efficient possible. The ACM SIGGRAPH Chair shall always be a member of the Governance Advisory Board.

6.8 Community Group Charges
Pioneers
Members of this networking, mentorship, advisory, and philanthropic group are passionate advocates of computer graphics and interactive techniques who share their opinions with the ACM SIGGRAPH Executive Committee and conference committees to help shape the future of the organization. Twenty years of experience in some aspect of computer graphics and/or interactive techniques are required for Pioneer membership. There is an additional dues cost, above the normal membership.

WiGRAPH
The main goal is to increase the number of women pursuing cutting-edge research in computer graphics. The target audience is researchers in computer graphics of underrepresented genders, including cisgender women, trans people of any gender, non-binary people, and all people with historically marginalized or underrepresented genders. This includes researchers at any stage in their career, including undergraduates, graduate students, post-docs, faculty, and industry research professionals.

6.9 Relationship of Standing Committees to Conferences. Each Standing Committee (SC) will provide a liaison to the corresponding Conference subcommittee, where appropriate. Each such Conference subcommittee will provide a liaison to the SC. The chairs of these committees are encouraged but are not required to be the liaisons. The EC and SACAG/CAG/Conference Chairs will identify the appropriate subcommittees and relationships.

The Conference subcommittee liaison to the SC will provide the SC with updates on direction, goals, and projects for the conference cycle.

The SC liaison to the Conference subcommittee will provide the Conference subcommittee with updates on current projects, goals, and strategic vision.

Liaisons will be placed on committee email lists so that they may keep abreast of the committee’s ongoing plans. Liaisons shall participate in at least one committee conference call to deliver their home committee’s update on goals and projects.

Collaboration can include SC activities at the Conference, Conference involvement in an SC project, or a side project mutually run by the SC and Conference. If travel is needed to coordinate this project, the home committee will be responsible for providing travel funds for their representative.

Collaboration is subject to both committee chairs’ mutual agreement on appropriateness and interest, and on their respective committees having the resources to perform the necessary work. Collaborative projects are subject to the approval of the Conference Chair.

6.10 Strategy Committees

The set of Strategy Committees is not fixed and will change over time. In general, the Chair of each committee will be a voting EC member but this may not always be the case. The members of the committees are not specified and may include people outside the volunteer structure of ACM SIGGRAPH.

The current Strategy Committees:

Nurturing Communities – increasing our services to better serve our existing communities.

New Communities – expanding our reach to engage with new communities that may create new research and applications for Computer Graphics and Interactive Technologies

6.11 Ad Hoc Groups. Ad hoc committees or task forces are established for a specific duration of time, not to exceed one year unless a longer duration is authorized by a majority vote of the EC. Ad hoc committees may be established and their chairs appointed by a majority vote of the EC. The chairs of those committees will be added to the EC-chairs email list and be included in the planning, reporting, and meetings of the standing chairs while their committee is in operation.

SECTION VII: SIGGRAPH Conference

The SIGGRAPH Technical Papers Chair will be approved by the EC. The PAG sends the shortlist (of at least two names) of suggested Chairs to the Conference Chair and the ACM SIGGRAPH Chair for comment by the EC. The EC will send their comments to the SIGGRAPH Chair, in a timely fashion, and then the SIGGRAPH Chair can contact the potential Papers Chairs. After the Conference Chair chooses a Technical Papers Chair, the choice is submitted to the EC for final approval.

If there is a Conference Papers Chair or Director (or other leadership position for Conference Papers), the above procedure also applies.

7.1 Conference Advisory Group. The CAG handles basic issues of SIGGRAPH. Their responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Providing strategic guidance from both a single and multi-year perspective
Reviewing/defining/implementing policy and decisions that have a multi-year impact.
Soliciting/recommending to the EC both Conference and CAG Chairs
Assisting Conference Chairs/Conference Committees as requested or as related to multi-year issues
Creating/recommending Conference Budget to the EC
Recommending to the EC future year conference sites prior to bids. Based on approved cities, selecting and notifying the EC of the confirmed site
Developing/participating in RFP’s for key contracted services
Post-conference assessment of each conference and key contractor roles to determine any recommended changes

7.2 CAG Chair. The ideal candidate has a strong familiarity with SIGGRAPH, is familiar with ACM and ACM SIGGRAPH, and can work closely with all groups to build a bridge on strategic visions/priorities. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated history of growing and developing leaders as well as working on strategic projects of significant scale or responsibility. The CAG presents a shortlist of potential candidates to the EC for input, reviews applications submitted for this role, interviews candidates, and then presents their nomination for the position to the EC for approval. The candidate must have been on the list of potential candidates. Since the CAG Chair may be in a position to be reappointed, one of the EC representatives, chosen by the CAG, will manage this process.

The CAG Chair serves a three-year term starting at the CAG Budget meeting. The CAG Chair may serve two terms in this position.

The duties of the Chair of the Conference Advisory Group are

Managing the work of the CAG
Serving as an appointed member of the Executive Committee and as the primary communication link between SIGGRAPH and the Executive Committee (working in concert with the EC reps to the CAG)

7.3 CAG Composition. The CAG consists of the following voting members: four conference chairs (N -1, N, N+1, and N+2), the CAG chair, and up to two Executive Committee (EC) representatives. The CAG can also appoint up to two voting members at large.

7.4 Conference Chairs. The term of a conference chair on the CAG begins January two years prior to their conference and ends at their final budget meeting (typically in January following their Conference). Once a list of potential conference chairs has been identified, the CAG shares that list confidentially with the EC for input. The conference chairs are typically selected at the CAG Fall meeting and sent to EC for approval shortly thereafter. Once the EC approves the CAG’s selection, the newly appointed Conference Chair is invited to participate in all activities. They do not have voting rights, however, until their term officially starts.

7.5 EC Representative(s). The EC reps to the CAG are fully working and voting members of the CAG. They are responsible for serving as an information conduit between the EC and CAG. Their duties include attending all CAG and EC meetings, alerting the CAG when issues come up that SHOULD be handled by the EC, and bringing appropriate issues to the attention of the EC. Their duties also include ensuring that the CAG is fully aware of the strategic priorities of the EC and working with the CAG to make sure their efforts and strategies are aligned with the EC priorities.

One EC Rep to the CAG is required. A second EC Rep can be added at the CAG Chair’s discretion. The term of the required EC Rep will be one year, beginning October 1. The term of the second rep will end one year after joining the CAG. Either position can be extended for another year with the EC Rep, CAG, and EC being in agreement.

It is recommended that the Chair and the Treasurer of the EC should not be EC representatives to the CAG. If possible, the EC Chair-elect should serve as EC representative to the CAG; this recommendation does not apply to the SACAG. The EC Chair and EC Treasurer should have strong communication links with the CAG and may be invited or may request to attend some meetings. The EC Chair should be on the CAG email alias.

The CAG makes a recommendation to the EC of the candidate(s) they believe will work best within the CAG structure. This decision is made after the yearly elections so all individuals on the EC can be discussed for this position. The EC makes the final decision taking into account the CAG’s input.

Candidates who are also members of the EC will leave the room for the discussion and vote. A majority must select the representative. If this is not achieved on the first ballot, there will be a run-off between the top two candidates and discussion until such a majority is reached.

EC Rep Qualifications. In addition to the expectations described in the Overarching Principles (see Foreword), the ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:

Willingness to work through CAG issues in a collegial manner that will be acceptable to the EC
An understanding of which kinds of issues shall be dealt with by the ACM SIGGRAPH EC or Chair
A working knowledge of the industry and/or research practices of the computer graphics and interactive techniques industry The ability and willingness to devote time as necessary to CAG work. This commitment is estimated to be 2 to 4 hours weekly plus attendance at four to six CAG meetings, four EC meetings, and the annual conference, as well as other meetings deemed necessary each year
The ability and willingness to reply promptly, i.e., within 24 hours, to all communication on CAG and other ACM SIGGRAPH issues
The ability and willingness to perform work on a wide variety of issues that might involve interaction with many people, leadership of small groups, assembly of material, and creation and presentation of reports
The willingness to fairly represent CAG decisions to the EC in addition to their own views if they differ from the majority of the CAG

7.6 Invited Members of the CAG. Two additional members can be added to the CAG to supplement the skill sets, diversity, and representation on the CAG. These individuals SHOULD not already be EC Members. Invited members fill a void from segments of the community that are not currently represented on the CAG. The CAG chair appoints these members at large. The EC does not need to approve these selections; however, the CAG Chair advises the EC of the selections. The term of these individuals is one year, beginning January 1. The term is renewable once at the discretion of the CAG Chair. The expectations of the Invited Members mimic those of the EC Rep to the CAG minus the conduit to the EC which is not expected of this role.

7.7 Support Staff Members of the CAG. The ACM Program Director supporting ACM SIGGRAPH as well as the lead from Conference Administration are non-voting members of the CAG. Another member of the Conference Administration team participates in the CAG to properly record all minutes/action items and is also encouraged to participate fully in all agenda items.

7.8 Membership of RFP Committees. The RFP committees for the major contracts of the conference shall include an EC representative in order to maintain good communication among the EC, the CAG, and the committee for the RFP. In addition to serving as an active member of the committee, the duties of that representative include updating the EC on the progress of the committee at key junctures:

completion of the RFP
number of bids received (including a preliminary assessment of quality)
update on major discussion points in the committee’s decision process
presentation of the decision, rationale, and final bids to the EC after the vendor has been approved by the committee and the CAG
presentation of the terms of the final contract after negotiations are complete

If possible, the chair of the RFP committee shall also attend the EC meetings where the last two communications take place.

7.9 Program Changes

This information must be submitted to the EC for ALL proposed program changes but unless it is a significant change it does not need to be approved by the EC.

Program Change (addition, deletion, rebranding, change of format/scope, or change of submission date)
Rationale for change
Is this a significant change, as defined in the policy below
Impact on other ACM SIGGRAPH Conferences
Approval or disapproval of any relevant Advisory Boards/Groups

If the relevant CAG (CAG or SACAG) or the EC thinks this is a significant change then a longer proposal as outlined below must be submitted and approved by the EC.

Major changes to SIGGRAPH and SIGGRAPH Asia should be approved based on a written proposal provided by the responsible venue chair or conference chair. Approvals are required from the appropriate advisory board/group if any (for example PAG or CAFAB), the appropriate conference advisory group (CAG or SACAG), and the EC. Approvals should be obtained in that order.

One-time events, e.g., the 25th or 50th anniversary or a special initiative for a particular city, are acceptable and will be promoted as a one-time event.

Changes are defined as major using the following guidelines:

1) the deletion of a significant program/venue where significant is defined as requiring a spend of more than 5% of the conference budget or with an expected attendance of more than 10% of the eligible conference registrants.

2) the addition of a program/venue requiring a significant spend or expected attendance.

3) The addition or deletion of a program that affects the perception of the attendees, e.g., the deletion of a program that will be missed by a significant number of attendees or an important constituency.

4) the significant movement of a deadline.

5) a change in publication or presentation format for a significant program/venue (for example, the publication of the papers in TOG or a change in presentation format from talks to posters)

6) the proposer should err on the side of making a proposal and following this approval process if it is not clear whether a change is major or not based on the guidelines above

All major changes should be enacted for a minimum of three years unless new information is gained and the responsible bodies approve rolling back the change.

The proposal must include an analysis of the potential advantages and risks of the proposed change and the potential impact on any other ACM SIGGRAPH sponsored or co-sponsored conferences. The proposal must also contain a summary of the discussion and vote of each of the responsible bodies as they occur. Once approved, the proposal should be archived with the minutes of the EC to provide a historical record.

If the proposal is turned down by the responsible program advisory group or conference advisory group, the advocate for the proposal is allowed to submit it to the next step in the approval process. However, it then must be approved by a super-majority of that body as well as any subsequent approval bodies. If a proposal is turned down by the EC, it must be substantially revised before resubmission. No proposal should be submitted more than twice in a calendar year.

SECTION VIII: SIGGRAPH ASIA

SIGGRAPH Asia is an international conference hosted in the Asia-Pacific region. SIGGRAPH Asia shall strive to have a registration structure similar to SIGGRAPH with full conference registration, more limited passes, and one-day passes.

SIGGRAPH Asia has a different management structure than SIGGRAPH in that a company, Koelnmesse, has been contracted to both manage and be the financial backer for SIGGRAPH Asia. The technical and creative content of SIGGRAPH Asia is still managed by the volunteers similarly to SIGGRAPH, i.e., with a Conference Chair and individual program chairs. However, Koelnmesse manages the budget and does all of the subcontracts for SIGGRAPH Asia. Koelnmesse returns a guaranteed minimum amount to ACM SIGGRAPH and possibly more depending upon the profit from the SIGGRAPH Asia conference.

SIGGRAPH Asia will follow the same procedures as SIGGRAPH with respect to required approvals from the EC: host City/Country and Conference Chair. The SIGGRAPH Asia Conference Chair ideally shall be from and located in the host country to facilitate negotiations with local entities.

A limited number of ACM SIGGRAPH leaders may also attend the annual SIGGRAPH Asia conference. For the unbudgeted travel approval process see Section IV: Unbudgeted Expenses.

The SIGGRAPH Asia Technical Papers Chair will be approved by the EC. The PAG sends the shortlist (of at least two names) of suggested Chairs to the Conference Chair and the ACM SIGGRAPH Chair for comment by the EC. The EC will send their comments to the SIGGRAPH Asia Chair, in a timely fashion, and then the SIGGRAPH Asia Chair can contact the potential Papers Chairs. After the Conference Chair chooses a Technical Papers Chair, the choice is submitted to the EC for final approval.

If there is a Conference Papers Chair or Director (or other leadership position for Conference Papers), the above procedure also applies.

Similarly, a shortlist (of at least two names) of potential Courses Chairs will be submitted to the EC for comment and then the name of the individual selected will be sent to the EC for final approval. We realize that the SIGGRAPH Courses Chair is not approved by the EC and thus is treated differently. However, the roles and responsibilities of the Courses Chair are different for the two conferences. For SIGGRAPH Asia, the Courses Chair assembles their own jury and has the ability to have both juried and curated content. For SIGGRAPH, the Courses Program is juried as part of the General Submissions Program so does not have a separate jury, and the Courses Chair does not decide on curated content. Therefore, both the responsibility and workload of the SIGGRAPH Asia Courses Chair are higher which justifies the different approval process.

8.1 SIGGRAPH Asia Conference Advisory Group (SACAG)

Membership. The members of SACAG shall consist of:

Chair
ACM SIGGRAPH Executive Committee (EC) representative(s)
The Chief Staff Executive from Koelnmesse
All the conference chairs of the current and future conferences who have been appointed
The immediate past conference chair
Two members at large

The duties of the Chair of the SACAG are

Managing the work of the SACAG
Serving as an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee and as the primary communication link between the SIGGRAPH Asia Conference and the Executive Committee (working in concert with the EC representative(s) to the SACAG)

All of these members are voting members and are on the SACAG mailing list.

The SACAG has a consultative panel whose members are non-voting members of the SACAG.

Appointed Members. The Chair and the two members-at-large are appointed members.

Their appointment shall be by nomination and then voting by the existing SACAG members. The SACAG Chair must be approved by the EC and the EC must be informed of the selection of the two members-at-large
Nominations may be made by anyone
The appointments shall be for three years, starting in January
All the appointments are renewable to a maximum of two consecutive terms
A third consecutive term may be considered if there is no suitable candidate willing to take up the post, subject to EC approval
The end of the term of the three appointed members shall be staggered to ensure continuity
The number of members at large may be varied, subject to a vote by the SACAG and approval by the EC
In the event that any of the three members cannot complete their term, SACAG may, by voting, either leave the position vacant until the actual end of the term; or move to fill the vacancy immediately using the selection procedure described below for new members. This appointment shall be for the remainder of the term only although the new member may serve up to two additional terms.

8.2 SACAG Chair. The ideal candidate has a strong familiarity with the SIGGRAPH Asia Conference, is familiar with ACM and ACM SIGGRAPH, and can work closely with all groups to build a bridge on strategic visions/priorities. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated history of growing and developing leaders as well as working on strategic projects of significant scale or responsibility. The SACAG presents a shortlist of potential candidates to the EC for input, reviews applications submitted for this role, interviews candidates, and then presents their nomination for the position to the EC for approval. The candidate must have been on the list of potential candidates. Since the SACAG Chair may be in a position to be reappointed, one of the EC representatives, chosen by the SACAG, will manage this process.

8.2 EC Representatives. The selection procedures, requirements, and responsibilities are the same as for the EC Rep to the CAG described above.

8.3 The Chief Staff Executive from Koelnmesse. The Chief Staff Executive represents Koelnmesse on the SACAG, as per the contract between ACM and Koelnmesse.

8.4 Conference Chairs. A conference chair becomes a member of the SACAG immediately upon appointment as conference chair. A conference chair’s term in the SACAG ends at the end of the following conference.

8.5 Consultative Panel. The consultative panel consists of members appointed by the SACAG. They are not voting members of the SACAG. SACAG may appoint at any time consultative panel members who would be helpful to the work of SACAG and SIGGRAPH Asia.

The appointment shall be made by voting by members of SACAG, for two years, renewable up to a maximum of two terms. The end of term is at the end of a calendar year, i.e. 31 December if a member is appointed in the first half of a year, that year will be counted in the two-year term, and so the member will serve the year of appointment and the following year. Otherwise, that year will not be counted, and the appointment will be for two full years after the year of appointment.

There is no limit to the number of panel members. Their appointments shall be based on need, which SACAG has to assess carefully. Panel members are not to be on the SACAG mailing list.

8.6 Voting. For a motion to pass, a simple majority of the eligible SACAG members must approve it. Every member will be given ample time to vote; one day in time-critical cases, and three days otherwise.

8.7 Program Changes (See Section 7.9)

The Contributor Recognition (CR) policy of SIGGRAPH Asia shall be similar to that of SIGGRAPH. The SIGGRAPH Asia CR policy will be recommended by the SACAG and approved by the EC.

SECTION IX: SPECIALIZED CONFERENCES

ACM SIGGRAPH sponsors, co-sponsors, or is in cooperation with over twenty specialized conferences per year. The approval process for these conferences is managed by the Specialized Conference Committee (SCC). As part of that approval process, the SCC verifies that the proposed budget and registration numbers are reasonable and defensible given the proposed location and the registration at past events. For details of this process, see the SCC Handbook.

A sponsored specialized conference is one for which ACM SIGGRAPH has 100% of the financial responsibility. A co-sponsored conference is one for which ACM SIGGRAPH shares the financial responsibility with another entity, e.g. another ACM SIG or an external group such as Eurographics. An in-cooperation conference is one for which ACM SIGGRAPH has no financial responsibility but approves of the specialized conference.

9.1 Co-Located Conferences. A specialized conference is said to be co-located with either SIGGRAPH or SIGGRAPH Asia if it is in the same city and during the same time period as SIGGRAPH or SIGGRAPH Asia. For a specialized conference to be officially co-located it must be either sponsored, co-sponsored, or in cooperation with ACM SIGGRAPH. A co-located conference can take place in a hotel, local university, or the convention center.

In order for a specialized conference, workshop, or symposium to co-locate in the convention center with the SIGGRAPH or SIGGRAPH Asia Conferences the organizers must also have the approval of the respective CAG/SACAG and Conference Chair because of possible space constraints.

9.2 Budgets. All Specialized Conference budgets in which ACM SIGGRAPH has a financial liability must be reviewed by the Finance Committee and approved by the Specialized Conferences Committee. When budgets are submitted, the previous five years’ paid registration numbers, budgets, and actuals must be submitted.

Budget changes and cancellations for Specialized Conferences must be approved by the Finance Committee if they are between $2K and $10K (in 2018 dollars) and by the EC if they are above $10K dollars. The budget request must have a rationale explaining the changed circumstances, the reasons for the changes, and the financial ramifications. The approval thresholds are the same as in Section 4.5 Unbudgeted Expenses.

9.3 Funds for Conference Enhancement. ACM SIGGRAPH funds grant proposals from Specialized Conference organizers for up to 50% of the surplus (after the allocation to ACM is deducted) from the previous year’s conference for an activity or funding that would enhance their venue, provided that the previous year’s account is closed. The Specialized Conferences Committee evaluates and approves the proposals. Each year during the budget cycle the Specialized Conference Chair will include 50% of last year’s surplus under a Special Projects account code for each Specialized Conference that submitted their closing statements on time. If the funds are not used by the next conference, they are forfeited.

9.4 Allocation Rate. See Section 4.7.

9.5 New Conferences. Any new conference that is being sponsored, co-sponsored, or in cooperation for the first time shall be approved by the EC as well as the Specialized Conferences Committee. This evaluation shall assess the alignment of the conference with the ACM SIGGRAPH strategic vision as well as the intellectual and financial viability of the conference.

SECTION X: VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION

This section is for ACM SIGGRAPH volunteers. The conferences have their own volunteer recognition policies.

ACM SIGGRAPH recognizes that the organization’s activities would not be possible without the hard work of hundreds of volunteers. For the ACM SIGGRAPH volunteers who donate significant amounts of their time to the organization, ACM SIGGRAPH recognizes this effort through complimentary or discounted conference registration and complimentary merchandise. For those organization volunteers who devote a significant portion of their time during the conference week to their volunteer work, ACM SIGGRAPH also covers some or all of their travel expenses.

Only ACM SIGGRAPH members can receive travel, room, and board (TRB) reimbursement, complimentary or discounted conference registration, and/or complimentary merchandise

10.1 SIGGRAPH complimentary merchandise

All Executive Committee (EC) members, Volunteer Ex-Officio EC members, Standing Committee (SC) Chairs and their sub-committees, and Advisory Board/Group (ABG) Chairs, will receive SIGGRAPH mugs if the conference is producing them that year.

10.2 SIGGRAPH discounted registrations

EC members, Volunteer Ex-Officio EC members, and SC and ABG Chairs receive a 100% discount off a SIGGRAPH Full Conference Registration (SFCR) or 100% off any lower-level registration.

SC sub-committee members receive 50% off a SFCR or 100% off any lower-level registration.

SC Chairs with a sub-committee member volunteering more than 120 hours a year can request and justify an SFCR from the ACM SIGGRAPH Chair or Treasurer for those members. SC sub-committee members may also qualify by working more than a total of 120 hours across multiple committees.

SIGGRAPH will charge the organization for 100% discounts at 50% of the early member registration rate. SIGGRAPH will not charge for the 50% and 25% discount registrations.

The CAG and SACAG have their own policy on registrations between the two groups.

EC members, SC Chairs, and ABG Chairs can ask the Treasurer for one 100% discounted guest registration. Conference guest registrations are intended for the following purposes:

Allow family members to attend the conference.
Allow an Employer (supervisor or other management) to understand the magnitude of the conference for which they are approving employee volunteer time.
Allow individuals who would not normally attend the conference by registering or paying. This category includes individuals who may have influence over approving others to attend/register in the future. The EC, SACAG, and CAG members and the Chairs of the Standing Committees may also use these for the development or strategic purposes of the conference or organization.

Other uses such as allowing Standing Committee members or the volunteer’s students or colleagues to save money by attending for “free” are not appropriate.

10.3 SIGGRAPH Travel, Room, and Board (TRB)

Anyone receiving TRB must adhere to ACM SIGGRAPH policies and any additional policies laid out by the ACM SIGGRAPH Chair or Treasurer like the yearly travel policy which lists limits for airfare and hotels and which hotels to stay in.

EC members, Volunteer Ex-Officio EC members, and SC and ABG Chairs will receive TRB for the entire conference.

SC Chairs who will have sub-committee members working at SIGGRAPH MUST account for them in their budgets. If a sub-committee member is working during the conference the maximum TRB that ACM SIGGRAPH will cover is for the number of working days plus one. The sub-committee member must be working most of the day to be covered for that day. For example, if they work at the conference for two days then they have three days covered. The SC Chairs have flexibility in determining which volunteers need to be supported and for how long and they MUST exercise fiscal responsibility. The total for any SC cannot exceed the budgeted amount for that SC. See here for more information on allowable expenses.

10.4 SIGGRAPH Asia complimentary registrations

The ACM SIGGRAPH Chair and EC Representative to the SACAG are expected to attend and receive Full Conference Complimentary Registrations (FCCR).

Other EC members and Volunteer Ex-Officio EC members can petition the Finance Committee for an FCCR.

SC Chairs can request and justify an FCCR from the ACM SIGGRAPH Chair or Treasurer and MUST account for it in their budgets.

SC Chairs with a sub-committee member performing significant work at the conference can request and justify an FCCR from the ACM SIGGRAPH Chair or Treasurer for those members and MUST account for it in their budgets.

10.5 SIGGRAPH Asia Travel, Room, and Board (TRB)

The ACM SIGGRAPH Chair and EC Representative to the SACAG receive TRB.

In general, no TRB is given to other EC or Volunteer Ex-Officio members unless requested from the ACM SIGGRAPH Chair or Treasurer and significant work is being performed at SA. EC and Volunteer Ex-Officio members can petition the FC to attend but this would usually only happen once in their term.

SC Chairs can request and justify TRB from the ACM SIGGRAPH Chair or Treasurer if significant work is being performed at SA and the costs are accounted for in their budgets.

SC Chairs can request and justify TRB for sub-committee members from the ACM SIGGRAPH Chair or Treasurer if significant work is being performed at SA and the costs are accounted for in their budgets.

10.6 Financial Hardship

In times of financial hardship, as determined by the Finance Committee, any or all travel support; complimentary registrations and registration discounts; and complimentary merchandise may be subject to elimination.

SECTION XI: EXPENSE POLICY

The following policy is based on the ACM reimbursement policy and the reimbursement policy set for Conference Committee travel. These policies apply to conference travel as well as travel to the EC, CAG, and SACAG in-person meetings.

To facilitate volunteer planning and booking of air travel all travel plans for meetings, including any necessary travel authorizations, should be defined eight weeks before the meeting and must be defined at least four weeks before the meeting.

All ACM SIGGRAPH expense reports must be submitted to the ACM SIGGRAPH Treasurer as PDF files, as specified in the expense report. The Treasurer will include instructions about how to prepare the PDF files in the spreadsheet.

11.1 Travel to SIGGRAPH Conferences. Full Conference registration is provided for the Executive Committee and all EC Standing Committee Chairs through specified registration procedures. Full Conference registration for Ad-Hoc Committee Chairs is provided at the Chair’s discretion.

Travel expenses must be included in the committee budget for both chairs and any committee members who are expected to be reimbursed for travel. The expectation is that only people who are working extensively at the conference will have part or all of their travel covered. Only ACM SIGGRAPH members can receive travel reimbursement.

11.2 Committees of ACM SIGGRAPH. Many committees of ACM SIGGRAPH meet in conjunction with the annual SIGGRAPH Conference. The committees may also have specific responsibilities related to both conferences.

Each ACM SIGGRAPH committee budget will include funds to cover the committee Chair to attend the SIGGRAPH EC meeting, plus travel support for committee members to attend the conference for committee meetings and/or to support conference activities. Committee Chairs determine the reimbursement of travel support for committee members within their approved budget.

The Chairs of standing committees shall include travel to SIGGRAPH Asia in their budgets if they expect such travel. This expense shall only be necessary for onsite meetings.

11.3 Air travel

Plan travel as early as possible to get the best airfares and most convenient travel times. Reimbursement is made for economy or coach airfare. In some cases, lower airfare is available by staying an extra night. Extra nights are reimbursable only when the total of airfare plus the extra hotel night is less than the airfare without the extra night. International travel may necessitate an earlier arrival or stay over an extra night. Such expenses are approved routinely. For flights over six hours, economy plus or extended legroom seating is reimbursable. Airfare tickets shall be booked as nonrefundable. If last-minute cancellation is required then the cancellation fee will be reimbursed. Business-class or first-class seating is non-reimbursable unless prior approval from the finance committee has been granted. Booking a coach ticket and then paying for the upgrade is permissible, but only the coach ticket price shall be reimbursed.

Reasonable airline fees will be reimbursed. This will be determined by the Treasurer.

11.4 Travel by car

An individual may opt to drive, rather than fly, to a meeting if it is nearby. Mileage (IRS business rate), tolls, and parking fees are reimbursable. Reimbursement for travel by car is the lesser of mileage (at the applicable IRS business rate) plus tolls and parking, or estimated airfare. Estimated airfare is determined by establishing a reasonable airfare for the same trip if booked three weeks prior to travel. Rental cars are not reimbursable under ACM guidelines without prior approval.

11.5 Hotel

Hotel reservations for the conferences are to be made through the conference housing system. This is very important for SIGGRAPH since reservations bypassing the conference housing system lose revenue for SIGGRAPH. Therefore, in order to be reimbursed, any booking outside the conference reservation system must be preapproved by the Treasurer and the reimbursement will be limited to the median conference hotel price. The reservations must be booked by the official cutoff date to ensure conference rates. Bookings after that point in time will only be reimbursed at the conference rate. Reimbursable hotel nights for EC members generally begin the night prior to the EC meeting and continue through the night following the end of the conference. Reimbursement for additional nights must be pre-approved as per the Unbudgeted Expenses part of Section IV.

11.6 Ground Transportation. ACM SIGGRAPH will reimburse travelers for reasonable ground transportation costs to and from airports. Airport shuttles or taxis are considered reasonable in cost.

11.7 Meals. Reimbursement is available for meals while traveling on ACM SIGGRAPH business. The limit for reimbursement is set by ACM and is currently $60/day in the US; $75/day outside. This is not a per diem and meals must be itemized, including date/meal/place/cost. Amounts over the maximum per day are not reimbursed. Original receipts shall be submitted if possible, and are required if the expense is over $25. Receipts shall be required for all meals. Personal meals will not be reimbursed when organized meals are provided (such as the lunch that is currently provided in conference management for the EC and SC Chairs or the reception that is provided for all full conference attendees). Meals for all-day virtual meetings will be reimbursed up to $50/day.

If a meeting includes a group meal, one individual will put the full charge on a credit card, and then submit for reimbursement. The number of people at the meeting and a list of names must be included with the receipt.

11.8 Internet. Internet fees in the hotel are reimbursable.

11.9 Personal Expenses. ACM SIGGRAPH does not reimburse personal expenses such as movies, health club fees, entertainment, childcare, personal phone calls, or personal purchases.

11.10 Tips. Reasonable tips for services provided are reimbursable. Meal tips shall be included with the meal receipt.

11.11 Fees. Currency conversion charges and bank fees for credit card use for international travel can be reimbursed. The following fees are not reimbursable: credit card interest fees, cash advance fees, or general ATM transaction fees. Wire transfer fees incurred from international reimbursement from ACM can also be reimbursed.

11.12 Receipts. ACM policy requires original receipts for all expenses in excess of $25 US except tips.

For airfare booked with electronic tickets, the following are considered “original receipts:” (1) email(s) showing the itinerary and total amount paid, plus boarding passes if available; (2) airline receipt, plus boarding passes if available.

Sometimes a receipt may be lost during travel, or the traveler simply forgets to get a copy. This circumstance shall be noted in the EXPLANATION OF EXPENSES portion of the expense report form.

11.13 Travel Advances. While travel advances are not normally issued, there are situations (for example, international travel), where they are desired. A request for an advance must be submitted to ACM at least four weeks prior to travel.

All travel advances require taxpayer identification (US Social Security number and taxpayer address, or similar information for those not working in the US). After the travel is complete, the individual submits the travel documentation, and the advance is cleared. If travel documentation is not received, the amount of the travel advance will be reported as income to the individual, and a 1099 (Miscellaneous Income) issued.

Should the advance exceed actual expenses, the recipient will refund the excess advance to ACM SIGGRAPH. If the expenses exceed the advance, ACM SIGGRAPH will reimburse the individual for the difference. If the requester already has an outstanding travel advance from a previous meeting or conference, no additional advance will be approved until the original is cleared.

11.14 Combined Travel. At times, those traveling for ACM SIGGRAPH will need to combine personal or professional travel with travel for ACM SIGGRAPH. An appropriate proportional split of travel expenses shall be used.

11.15 Traveling with Guests. Guests may join authorized travelers on ACM SIGGRAPH trips, but ACM SIGGRAPH does not cover any travel expenses for them including increases in hotel charges due to higher occupancy. However, guests may be invited to join in for non-working group meals during the event at ACM SIGGRAPH expense.

Any questions on ACM reimbursement policies should be sent to either the Treasurer or the program liaison working with ACM SIGGRAPH, currently Ashley Cozzi (acozzi@hq.acm.org).

11.16 Submitting for Reimbursement. Most travel is reimbursed using the travel reimbursement template, which can be found in a generic format here.

Be sure to include the address to which the reimbursement check is to be sent. Be sure the entire address is visible on the electronic form. Include an email address to be used if questions come up about the paperwork submitted.

Reimbursement is available in non-U.S. currencies and is also available to those outside the U.S. by bank transfer.

All expense reports must be signed by the traveler requesting reimbursement and supported by original receipts. Expenses in foreign currency amounts will be converted at the exchange rate in effect on the day the check request is processed. In order to be reimbursed, expense reports must be received within 90 days of the completion of travel.

11.17 Travel Expenses and Honorariums for Speakers (Note: This does not apply to conference-sponsored speakers)

ACM SIGGRAPH does not usually pay honorariums or reimburse travel expenses for speakers since the prestige of being a speaker at an ACM SIGGRAPH event is deemed a sufficient reward for those in our community. However, there may be occasional speakers who are outside of our community and some expense reimbursement may be justified. In rare cases, an honorarium might be justified. These expenses must be budgeted for and approved by the Finance Committee and EC in the final budget. If they are unbudgeted expenses, then the policies of Section 4.5 apply.

SECTION XII: AWARDS

ACM SIGGRAPH presents awards to recognize exceptional achievements in computer graphics and interactive techniques. The awards are presented at the SIGGRAPH or SIGGRAPH Asia Conference. The award committees compile a list of nominated individuals and examine each carefully. All award winners must be members of ACM SIGGRAPH. With the exception of the SIGGRAPH Academy, awards are presented to one individual; the Executive Committee must approve exceptions.

The Awards Chair prepares ACM Fellow or Distinguished Member nominations (whichever the committee believes appropriate) for the award winners.

The Awards Chair also selects nominees for the Athena Lecturer Award, given annually by the ACM-Women’s Committee to an outstanding computer science researcher. The names and nomination text for the nominees are forwarded to the ACM SIGGRAPH Chair, who submits the nominations to ACM on behalf of ACM SIGGRAPH (nominations have to be submitted by a SIG officer).

Though some ACM SIGGRAPH awards include special prizes, all award winners will receive:

Plaque
Complimentary full conference registration to the SIGGRAPH Conference at which they will receive their award
Select conference registrations for any family members joining them at the conference
Round-trip economy transportation from the winner’s home city to the conference
Three nights of hotel accommodation during the conference
Three days of meals
A ticket for the winner and their spouse or significant other to attend a VIP celebratory luncheon for current and past award recipients

In times of financial hardship, as determined by the Finance Committee, the award winners will not receive financial support for transportation, meals (except for the VIP celebratory luncheon), or hotel accommodations. This decision by the Finance Committee must be made no later than January 15 for the current year and thus, before any award winners are chosen.

The ACM SIGGRAPH awards are as follows:

SIGGRAPH Steven Anson Coons Award: given to an individual who has made a significant lasting contribution to the field of computer graphics, both directly and through others over an extended period of time. The award is given in odd-numbered years and includes a $6,000 cash prize and a specially commissioned and engraved statue (The Coons Surface).

SIGGRAPH Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement in Digital Art: presented annually to an artist who has created a substantial and important body of work that significantly advances aesthetic content in the field of digital art.

SIGGRAPH Outstanding Service Award: given annually to recognize an individual for outstanding service to SIGGRAPH by a volunteer who has given extraordinary service both in the trenches and in positions of more responsibility or visibility, over a significant period of time. The award includes a lifetime Pioneer membership in ACM SIGGRAPH. (Prior to 2013, this award was given in even-numbered years only.)

SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics Achievement Award: given annually to recognize an individual for outstanding achievement in computer graphics and interactive techniques. The award includes a $2,000 cash prize.

The SIGGRAPH Education Award: given annually to a member for outstanding pedagogical contributions to computer graphics and interactive techniques at any educational level or within the context of any discipline. The award recognizes contributions in both innovative content and delivery.

The SIGGRAPH Practitioner Award: recognizes outstanding contributions to the practice and advancement of Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques. The award recognizes the very best and most influential applications and practitioners. The award includes a $2,000 cash prize.

SIGGRAPH Significant New Researcher Award: given annually to a researcher who has made a recent significant contribution to the field of computer graphics and is new to the field. The intent is to recognize people early in their careers who have already made a notable contribution and are likely to make more. This award includes a $1,000 cash prize.

SIGGRAPH Doctoral Dissertation Award: awarded annually to recognize a recent doctoral candidate who has successfully defended and completed their Ph.D. dissertation in computer graphics and interactive techniques. This award recognizes young researchers who have already made a notable contribution very early during their doctoral studies. The key criteria used to evaluate the nominations include technical depth, the significance of the research contribution, the potential impact on theory and practice, and the quality of presentation. Honorable Mention(s) may also be awarded.

The ACM SIGGRAPH Academy: an honorary group of individuals who have made substantial contributions to the fields of computer graphics and interactive techniques. These are leaders of the field, whose efforts have shaped the disciplines and/or industry, and led the research and/or innovation in computer graphics and interactive techniques. Five to eight members are expected to be inducted into the Academy each year beginning in 2019. The winners of the Coons Award, Computer Graphics Achievement Award, Distinguished Artists Award, Practitioner Award, and Education Award are automatically inducted into the SIGGRAPH Academy.

ACM SIGGRAPH Awards has more detail on the SIGGRAPH awards.

12.1 EC Oversight and Responsibility

The Chair of the Awards Committee oversees the awards program and serves as a liaison between the awards committees and the ACM SIGGRAPH Executive Committee. The Chair also coordinates the ACM SIGGRAPH Awards Program with ACM by notifying the ACM Awards Committee of ACM SIGGRAPH Award activities and ensuring that ACM award policies are followed.

The chair for each award committee is appointed for three years (which may be renewed once) by the ACM SIGGRAPH Chair upon recommendation of the Awards Chair and with the consent of the Executive Committee. The Awards Chair will advertise for the open position, solicit input from the current committee members, provide an ordered shortlist (of at least two names) to the EC for approval, and then contact the potential chairs to gauge their interest. After the top candidate has been identified, the EC will approve the selection.

There are seven awards committees:

Technical Awards
Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement in Digital Art
Distinguished Educator Award
Outstanding Service Award
Doctoral Dissertation Award
SIGGRAPH Practitioner Award
SIGGRAPH Academy

Technical Awards Committee: The Technical Awards Committee selects recipients of the Steven Anson Coons Award, the Computer Graphics Achievement Award, and the Significant New Researcher Award.

The Technical Awards Chair appoints a five-person Selection Committee, rotating one per year. If a new Chair is selected from the current committee, then the outgoing committee member will be asked to stay on the committee for an additional year to keep a continual five-year rotation.

Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement in Digital Art Committee: The Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement in Digital Art Award Committee Chair appoints a five-person Jury. Each Juror serves a two-year term with the possibility of one renewal (which means that two new jurors are appointed in one year, and three the next).

Distinguished Educator Award: The Distinguished Educator Award Committee Chair appoints a five-person Committee. Each committee member serves a three-year, staggered term, with the chairperson selecting one or two new members each year.

Outstanding Service Award Committee: The Outstanding Service Award Committee consists of five members, often prior awardees who serve five-year terms. Each year one person rotates off and a new person, chosen by the Chair, rotates on the committee. If a new Chair is selected from the current committee, or a committee member leaves the committee for any reason, then the outgoing committee member will be asked to stay on the committee for an additional year to maintain a five-year rotation. If that is infeasible, or there is more than one person leaving, then the chair will select someone to fill the role(s) for an appropriate period.

Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award Committee: The Doctoral Dissertation Award Committee Chair names six members to the committee, serving a term of up to three years. The committee draws from recipients of the Significant Young Researcher, Computer Graphics Technical Achievement Awards, and those of similar accomplishments and recognition in the community.

Practitioner Award Committee: The Practitioner Co-Chairs appoint a five-person Selection Committee, rotating one per year. If a new Co-Chair is selected from the current committee, then the outgoing committee member will be asked to stay on the committee an additional year to maintain a continual five-year rotation.

Academy Committee: The Academy Chair appoints a five-person Selection Committee, rotating one per year. If a new Chair is selected from the current committee, then the outgoing committee member will be asked to stay on the committee an additional year to maintain a continual five-year rotation.

12.2 Committee Chair Responsibilities

In addition to forming the selection committees and choosing award winners, committee chairs:

Notify award recipients
Prepare the short citation for the award recipients’ plaques,
Prepare the one-page citation for the SIGGRAPH Conference Proceedings, the ACM Digital Library, and the conference and organization website
Prepare a short presentation describing each winner’s accomplishments, to be used as part of the awards presentation ceremony at SIGGRAPH or SIGGRAPH Asia
Present the awards in the opening ceremony of SIGGRAPH or SIGGRAPH Asia

The Award Chair coordinates with ACM SIGGRAPH and Conference management to:

Ensure that award nominations are broadly solicited via the SIGGRAPH web pages, social media, monthly newsletters, and any other means they find useful and appropriate,
Announce the nomination process and due dates
Provide each award winner, except the Academy inductees, with the opportunity to address the SIGGRAPH Conference during the award session
Work with the Project Manager to ensure that plaques or statues and award checks are prepared
Arrange for conference registration, hotel accommodations, and travel expense payments with the Project Manager
Invite awardees and their immediate families to the awards luncheon

If chairs have no other source of funding to attend the ACM SIGGRAPH Conference, they may request conference travel, three nights of hotel and meals, and full conference registration in years when the award they manage is presented.

12.3 Awards Luncheon

An Awards Luncheon is held each year during the SIGGRAPH Conference. Invitees include all awardees and their immediate families, the Awards Committees, all previous award winners, all previous award committee chairs, and the ACM SIGGRAPH Chair and Chair-elect. The Awards Chair with the assistance of ACM’s Program Director and the Project Manager selects the luncheon venue and handles logistics (such as invitations and payments).

Past award winners and all accompanying significant others (other than those of current-year award winners) are expected to pay for their luncheon.

12.4 Allocation of Costs. The awards presented by the Technical Awards Committee are paid from a special endowment:

$6,000 Steven Anson Coons Award
Coons Surface sculpture
$2,000 Computer Graphics Achievement Award
$2,000 SIGGRAPH Practitioner Award
$1,000 Significant New Researcher Award

All other expenses – such as plaques, travel, awards luncheon, and full conference registrations for awardees and award presenters are paid from the Award Committee Budget.

12.5 Creation of New Awards

Awards that recognize contributions over multiple years such as test of time awards and achievement awards, must be created by the organization (EC) and approved by ACM as per ACM policy.

Awards that recognize contributions to a single conference such as a best paper award, can be created at the discretion of the conference but the EC and the Awards Chair should be informed about the creation (or deletion) of any awards. No award should be created unless there is a mandate in the responsible conference advisory group to continue the award for at least three years unless there are unusual circumstances. If there is an appropriate advisory board/group then they should be involved in the decision-making process. The advisory boards/groups should strive to ensure that SIGGRAPH and SIGGRAPH Asia stay approximately in sync.

If a Standing Committee wants to present an Award then they should discuss it with the EC. If it is to be presented at SIGGRAPH or SIGGRAPH Asia then it should be discussed with the CAG or the SACAG.

ACM SIGGRAPH may rescind an award from any Awardee who violates either the ACM or ACM SIGGRAPH policies in force at the time of the infraction or acts in a way that is harmful to ACM SIGGRAPH, as determined by the ACM SIGGRAPH Executive Committee.

SECTION XIII: LOGO USE

Details about the proper use of the ACM SIGGRAPH Logo can be found here.

SECTION XIV: EXTERNAL RELATIONS

This section specifies the policies regarding the relationship of ACM SIGGRAPH with professional societies and organizations that are external to ACM. These are managed by the External Relations Committee. Working with the EC, this committee identifies and establishes relationships with new organizations and companies according to the organization’s current mission and strategic plan. The chair of the External Relations Committee, in consultation with the EC and other organization standing committees, chooses the recipients of complimentary registrations for the conferences organized by ACM SIGGRAPH’s affiliated groups.

All agreements with external groups must be presented to the EC with a brief summary of the reasons why the agreement is beneficial to ACM SIGGRAPH. New agreements, or renewals that have been substantially modified, must be approved by the EC. Renewals that have not been substantially modified must still be presented to the EC but do not need to be formally approved. This will allow more EC Directors to be aware of our external agreements. Once approved, all agreements are signed by the ACM Program Manager for ACM SIGGRAPH.

SECTION XV: EMAIL

15.1. Position Aliases. EC, CAG, and organizational positions are given “position” aliases related to their position (such as Chair, Education Chair).

Conference positions and committees (such as chair-2018, papers) use email lists as their email address, with the various individuals comprising those groups being members of the list. If the need for a distinct email alias comes up, that is dealt with on a case by case basis.

15.2 Member Alias. ACM SIGGRAPH members are allowed to select any member alias on a first-come basis. These aliases are tied into the membership database maintained by ACM, and mail routing is managed using their myACM account.

15.3 Retiring Aliases. EC, CAG, and organizational position aliases will be maintained and transferred to the new individuals taking on the role.

SIGGRAPH Conference lists will be switched to an archive-only mode (with the exception of the overall conference committee list) in December of the conference year. If any distinct aliases have been created for a conference individual, those aliases will be removed once the commitment has been completed.

15.4 Requesting Aliases. Aliases may be requested through the EC, CAG, or Information Technology Services chair for contractors during their time of association with ACM SIGGRAPH. This provides a unified experience and helps reinforce their connection to ACM SIGGRAPH. Once their commitment is completed, the alias will be removed.

15.5 Executive Committee email lists.

There will be three EC-related email lists as follows:

ec@siggraph.org – this includes all voting and ex-officio members of the EC which includes some contractors

ec-minus@siggraph.org – this is the ec email list minus all of the contractors, so it is only volunteers

ec-voting@siggraph.org – this is only the voting members of the ec so no ex-officio members

The rationale for the ec-minus list: Sometimes issues are discussed about contractors so other contractors should not be involved in the discussion.

The rationale for the ec-voting list: Sometimes personnel issues are discussed and the larger the group the greater the chance of information leakage so the group is as small as possible.

SECTION XVI Website and Information Technology (IT) Policies

Any IT related licenses/services that are used by multiple entities must be under and paid for out of the Information and Technology Services (ITS) budget. ITS must have administrative access to all IT related licenses/services, including those used by only one entity.

All ACM SIGGRAPH-related websites should be housed on siggraph.org or linked to/from siggraph.org and the Chair of the Information Technology Committee should have the administration login and password to the site.

Standing Committees, Advisory Groups, and Community Groups can edit their own webpage on siggraph.org. There will be a single person, either the Chair or another appointed person, from each SC/AG/CG who has edit access.

SECTION XVII: HANDLING REPORTS OF DISCRIMINATION

Please refer to the ACM Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment for Members and Event Attendees. ACM will strive to keep the identity of those making reports as confidential as possible. In addition, if a complainant feels that their safety is at risk, they should take appropriate steps themselves to ensure their own safety. ACM will follow up on all reports promptly and will investigate complaints as needed to confirm facts or resolve disputed facts. The policy bars retaliation against individuals who make a complaint; ACM SIGGRAPH volunteers are expected to help ensure that no such retaliation occurs.

ACM SIGGRAPH has created a committee, SIGGRAPH CARES: Committee to Aid Reporting on discrimination and harassment policy violations, to provide on-site support to those who have experienced discrimination at the conferences. More information is available on the website.

SECTION XVIII: Amendments to the Policy Guidelines

Any amendments to the Policy Guidelines must be approved by a supermajority vote of the Executive Committee, as defined in the ACM SIGGRAPH Bylaws and this document.

ACM SIGGRAPH Policy Guidelines

POLICY GUIDELINES

Approved December 5, 2023

Foreword

Definitions

Overarching Principles

Membership

Executive Committee

Officers

ACM SIGGRAPH Budgets and Financial Policies

Nominations & Elections

Committees

SIGGRAPH

SIGGRAPH Asia

Specialized Conferences

Volunteer Recognition

Expense Policy

Awards

Logo Use

External Relations

Website and Information Technology Policies

Handling Reports of Discrimination

Amendments to Policy Guidelines