About COOUG

COOUG is a fraternal organization, open to the public, and charges NO dues.

• Background
• Non Profit Status
• Mission
• Publications
• Demographics
• Company Representation
• Objectives
• Operating Procedures
• Bylaws

Background

The Connecticut Object Oriented Users Group (COOUG) was formed in Fall 1993 and had its first public meeting on November 11, 1993 at Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company. A series of ad-hoc committee meetings was held during the first half of 1994 to formalize the group. In October 1994 COOUG adopted a Charter and By-Laws, and elected a set of officers, directors, and advisors.

COOUG is believed to be the oldest continuously operating Object Users Group in the world.

Non Profit Status

COOUG operates as a non-profit organization per 501(c) Internal Revenue Service.

Mission

The Connecticut Object Oriented Users Group (COOUG) has the overall mission of promoting a more common awareness, understanding, usage, and acceptance of object technology by both the business and technical communities within the area.
The group offers frequent exchanges of information, experiences, and strategies that help software systems to become more flexible and more adaptive to the ever-changing business climate.

Regular meetings focus on presenting practical real-world information on object technology, with emphasis on concepts and strategies that can bring business value and return on investment.

Special interest groups explore object technology topics of more specialized interest.

Publications

COOUG publishes a web page at http://www.cooug.org containing meeting notices, events, and items of interest to the professional community. An E-Mail meeting notification is sent from time to time to those with internet addresses.

Demographics

COOUG is based in Hartford Connecticut and generally holds meetings in and around Hartford.  The monthly Users Group meeting typically attracts about 50 attendees. Special events have drawn almost 300 attendees. Of the attendees, generally a third are new people who have not attended before and the remainder are on the regular COOUG mailing list.

About 70% of the attendees come from the Hartford County area, with most of the others coming from the counties New Haven, Fairfield, Litchfield. There are a few attendees who travel from lower Massachusetts and a few from Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey.
 

Job Categories

COOUG attendees fall into six broad categories.

Executives include corporate upper management and small business owners.
Managers include supervisory and second line managers.
Programmers include engineers and related technical professionals.
Analysts include internal corporate consultants.
Consultants contains individuals and members of larger consulting firms.
Other includes auditors, writers, instructors, and managers of those areas.

Attendee Familiarity with Object Technology

A profile of attendees was made in Spring 1995. COOUG attendees have a normal distribution of experience with objects, ranging from beginner to expert. This distribution cuts across the various job titles and also across the company representation

Company Representation

Electronic meeting notices are sent to more than 650 people who come from more than 150 employers and fourteen universities. Many of these notices are redistributed by recipients to other interested associates.

Many of the major companies represented by COOUG have an extensive investment in legacy systems which are integral to their business operations.

Companies

(Last Updated Summer 2003)

Universities

Objectives

To assist in helping technical professionals and all levels of management to understand the impact and benefits of object technology.

• Improve individual skills and understanding.
• Discuss what has worked and what hasn't and why.
• Communicate to object technology vendors a set of requirements and product strategies.
• Facilitate discussion of diverse products into a more cohesive and usable set of tools.
• Promote a common level of understanding and direction.
• Expand the use of object oriented technology in the industry.

Operational Procedures

Editor's note: These represent the Fall 1994 Procedures with minor updates based on ongoing practice.

Meetings

Overview

Various meetings and special events will be conducted by the COOUG throughout the year.

Schedule

• Users Group meetings will be held monthly on the second Tuesday of the month except for July and August.  Alternate dates and locations will be determined by the Board of Directors, if necessary.
• Board of Directors meetings are generally held bi-monthly on the third Tuesday of the months of January, March, May, July, September, November. Alternate dates and locations will be determined by the President, if necessary. All COOUG members are invited to attend.
• Notification of all meetings will be done by  E-Mail and will include meeting date, time, location, topics featured, and other pertinent information (e.g. maps, parking, additional costs, etc.)

 Locations

• To keep costs at a minimum, meetings will be held at member locations whenever possible.
• The Board of Directors will have authority to rent alternate facilities when special circumstances arise (e.g., short notice cancellation, large attendance, lack of host facility, etc.).

 Format

• The Executive Vice President will have the responsibility of arranging the format for each Users Group meeting (e.g., presentation, panel discussion, workshop, etc.).
• Users Group meetings will feature guest speakers and/or may foster internal discussion on a particular topic.
• The chairperson assigned to run the Users Group meeting will have the right to interrupt any speaker that violates the COOUG Presentation and Product Demo Guidelines and take any appropriate action.
• Board of Directors meetings will be governed by the President or his/her designee.

Presentation and Product Demo Guidelines

Presentations

• Presentations should be primarily educational in nature, and may not focus on the promotion of vendor products and/or services.
• Vendor proposals for presentations on topics of common interest to the Users Group will be considered by the Users Group Committee.
• The exact topic and scope of any presentation must be agreed upon in advance by the Executive Vice President and the Users Group Committee. Topics can be either Managerial or Technical in nature and should be geared to an agreed upon audience level, either Introductory, Intermediate, or Advanced.
• Presentations should follow the usual group format of approximately 45-minutes of speaking, followed by a 15-20 minute question and answer period. Please note that questions and/or dialogue should not take place during the presentation.
• Presenters are required to supply handouts or an abstract of their presentation to the Executive Vice President for review four weeks in advance of the meeting at which they are scheduled to speak.
• Presenters who fail to comply with these guidelines may be asked to end their presentations immediately, at the discretion of the meeting chairperson.

 Product Demos

• Pre-arranged demos of vendor products will be permitted during designated times, and in a designated area, at the Users Group meetings.
• All product demos must be scheduled in advance through the Executive Vice President and the Users Group Committee, and should not exceed two at any given meeting.
• Tables will also be available at Users Group meetings for the display of vendor product promotional material.

Fees

Overview

To ensure high quality presentations, the COOUG may be required to charge annual membership fees. These fees would be used primarily to obtain noted guest speakers and to cover operational costs as appropriate.

Users Group Meetings

Costs for special functions as well as User Group meetings will be recovered by minimal charges at those functions. Requirements for any fees will be determined by the Board of Directors.  The current meeting charge is $5.00.

Mailing List

COOUG does not sell its mailing list and has rarely cooperated with commercial firms in mail promotions.  Our formal bylaws state that the COOUG mailing list may be used by outside parties for a fee of $.25 per name (only after Board of Director approval).

Sponsorship

"System Level" Sponsorships are available to organizations at a price of $2000 per year in return for acknowledgment in COOUG publications and information packets.  See Sponsoring Agreement for full details.

"Component", "Object", and "Bits and Bytes" level personal sponsorships are available at $100, $50, and $25 per year in return for a listing in the COOUG sponsor box.  "Component" sponsors receive an optional hyperlink to a web page.

Disbursements

Overview

The maximum disbursement dollar amount that the Treasurer can approve will be $500.00. Two COOUG Officers are required to approve amounts greater than $500.00.

By-Laws

Organization

Overview

• The Board of Directors shall consist of the elected Officers, Directors, and appointed Advisors of the organization.
• The Board of Directors will make or delegate all organizational decisions and will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the COOUG.
• A majority vote of the Board of Directors will elect new Officers as appropriate.

Officers

There are seven formal COOUG Officer positions:

• President,
• Executive Vice President,
• Secretary,
• Membership Vice President,
• Treasurer,
• Marketing Vice President,
• Special Interest Group Vice President.

Each position requires a commitment to the organization as well as responsibility for the specific duties that come with that position. As new tasks are discussed at the Board of Directors meetings, areas of responsibility will be assigned accordingly.

General requirements for individuals holding COOUG Officer positions are as follows:

• Must be dedicated to COOUG as a long term commitment.
• Must be active within the organization.
• Must attend all Board of Directors meetings or send a representative.
• Must be responsible for succession planning.
• Must have an E-Mail id.
• Must be responsible for all agreed upon tasks, but can delegate as appropriate

 President

• Runs the organization in a manner analogous to running a business.
• Presides at Board of Directors meetings.
• Assists all Officers and Directors in the performance of their responsibilities.
• Approves any disbursements.
• Can act as chair for the Users Group meetings.
• Enforces responsibility.

 Executive Vice President

• Is responsible for the Users Group meeting program, including setup and speaker logistics.
• Provides leadership for all workshops and discussion groups.
• Chairs or appoints a chair for each Users Group meeting.
• Directs the efforts of the Users Group Committee.

 Secretary

• Keeps and publishes Board of Directors and annual membership meeting agenda and minutes.
• Is responsible for processing all requested Charter, By-Laws, Operational Procedures, or Canons of Conduct modifications.
• Is responsible for all COOUG published documents and materials (including speaker handouts, vendor "giveaways", COOUG marketing materials, COOUG Charter, etc.).
• Provides for public access to all COOUG publications (including providing paper copies at Users Meetings as well as access electronically via the COOUG Web page).
• Provides a reference source for all relevant COOUG documentation (e.g., related articles, books, seminars, etc.) 

Membership Vice President

• Is responsible for current membership and mailing lists.
• Processes new applicants.
• Maintains the COOUG database.
• Is responsible for any COOUG survey, both solicitation as well as compilation of results.

Treasurer

• Maintains all financial accounts.
• Handles all financial transactions including the collection and distribution of funds
• Produces balance sheets and income statements.
• Is responsible for all fund raising activities.
• Is responsible for establishing or maintaining the "non-profit" status of the organization.
• Approves disbursements under the agreed upon limit as recommended in the COOUG Operational Procedures.

Marketing Vice President

• Markets the Connecticut Object Oriented Users Group (COOUG).
• Markets object oriented technology to the greater community on behalf of the organization.
• Responsible for the editing and publication of a newsletter featuring articles and activities of the organization.
• Acts as a liaison to other related users groups.

Special Interest Group Vice President

• Assists all COOUG Special Interest Groups.
• Helps to coordinate SIG calendar, program topics, and mailing lists.
• Helps to establish or retire SIGs as warranted by the COOUG membership.

Directors

There is an unlimited number of Director positions available within the COOUG organization.

These Directors:

• Are volunteers who agree to take on miscellaneous tasks on behalf of COOUG.
• Have specific assignments that may only require a short-term commitment.
• Report their status to the appropriately responsible COOUG Officer.
• Can work on several tasks at once.
• Have an E-Mail id.
• Can be assigned to acting as chairpersons for any Special Interest Groups (SIG's).
• Are groomed to become Officer nominees.

Advisors

 Up to two Advisors can be appointed by the President whose duties include:

• Any formal or informal counsel required by the President or other Officers.
• Participation in any activities as required by the organization.

 Terms

• The length of term for all elected offices is recommended to be two years with a maximum of two terms.
• A majority vote of the Board of Directors will select a new Officer following any Officer's resignation. The term for the new Officer will coincide with the term of the Officer being replaced.
• The Advisors are appointed by the President with terms not to exceed the President's term.
• A majority vote of the Board of Directors is required for the removal for any Board of Director Officer.

 Elections

• Candidates must be active members to participate in elections.
• All Officers, Directors, and Advisors must be individual active members.
• The election of Officers will take place at the September Board of Directors meeting.
• It is important to note that the COOUG Board of Directors is made up of a group of dedicated volunteers. This being the case, although formal elections are held yearly, the length of the term as well as the timing for assuming new volunteers is flexible and driven by the Board of Directors at the annual election meeting.

 E-Mail

• It is required that every COOUG Board of Director have an E-mail address for the purpose of maintaining proper levels of correspondence with the other board members.

Membership

Active Membership

 The requirement for active membership in COOUG is:

• An active interest in object oriented technology.
• No organizational dues outstanding.
• Attendance at a minimum of two Users Group meetings annually.

Voting

Formal Voting

Formal voting includes elections, Charter and By-Law amendments, and all ballot votes. These elections are held at the regularly scheduled Board of Directors meetings. Only active COOUG members may vote.

The general procedure for voting during an election is as follows:

Call for Nominees (June)

Nominees for COOUG positions are solicited.

 

Request for Nominees (July)

The Marketing Vice President presents endorsed slate of Officer nominees to the Board of Directors.

 

Membership Notification (August)

The nominees for the new Board of Directors Officer positions is published in the COOUG newsletter.

 

Formal Election (Sept.)

A formal election is held at the Users Group meeting. All members are invited to vote.

Results Available (late Nov./early Dec.)

A formal announcement is made to the member-ship at the next Users Group meeting and in the COOUG newsletter.

The general procedure for voting for Charter and By-Law amendments is as follows:

Call for Amendments (ongoing)

Any Charter and By-Law amendments are collected by the Secretary.

 

Amendment Review (ongoing)

The Secretary presents requested amendments to the Board of Directors.

 

Membership Notification (August)

Proposed amendments are communicated to the membership.

 

Formal Election (Sept.)

Proposed amendments are formally voted upon at the Board of Directors meeting.

 

Results Available (late Nov./early Dec.)

A formal announcement is made to the member-ship at the next Users Group meeting and in the COOUG newsletter.

Informal Voting

Informal voting includes all occasions that are not covered by the formal voting process.

• Votes will be conducted by voice or show of hands by the persons present.

 Charter and By-Law Amendments

 Overview

• All Charter or By-Law amendment requests must be submitted in writing by an active member to the Secretary.
• The Secretary will represent each request at the next Board of Directors meeting.
• The Board of Directors will then review each request, determine a recommendation of endorsed vs. non-endorsed, and assign a level of urgency.

 Voting on Amendments

 General Requests

• All general amendment requests will be presented to the active membership annually in conjunction with the election process.

 Immediate Requests

• Immediate requests will be presented to the active membership within 30 days after the review by the Board of Directors.
• All others will follow the normal voting process.

Please send corrections and ideas to cooug@aol·com