Local SAS Users Group Guidelines
Effective January 1, 1999, SAS Institute will recognize and support only those local groups that have officially registered with SAS Institute's Users Group Support Department. The Institute is notifying all local users group leaders by mail and is asking that all existing groups participate in this new registration program. If your local group has not received information about this registration process in the mail, please contact SAS.
New: Local SAS Users Groups Must Agree ...
- to be led by a volunteer board or officers, one of whom is designated by the group to serve as a primary contact for SAS Institute.
- to develop bylaws and encourage the volunteer efforts of its membership in leadership roles.
- to open membership in the users group to all SAS software users living or working in the group's geographical area. In addition, leadership opportunities in the group should be equally available to all members. Users group leaders agree to ensure that all users group policies and activities reflect a spirit of fair play and professionalism. Furthermore, users group leaders agree that users group policies and activities will be free from bias, discrimination, and harassment of any kind, either explicit or implicit.
- to file federal, state and local taxes as appropriate and otherwise comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
- to use funds raised through membership fees, training courses, and newsletter advertising to offset group expenses and to benefit the group's membership. Users group leaders or individual members should not profit from users group activities.
- to share its membership/mailing list with SAS Institute on an annual basis, as requested by SAS Institute.
- to exist to serve users within a specific, defined geographic location, typically within a 50-mile radius of the group's primary meeting city; in low density population areas, groups may exist to serve larger geographic areas such as an entire state.
- to work cooperatively with other local users groups in its area and with regional groups. Users groups should be willing to share names of its members with each other.
- to work through SAS Institute's Users Group Support staff in Cary, NC to meet its support needs from the SAS Institute.
- to use SAS Institute trademarks correctly and appropriately. This includes adhering to SAS Institute conventions for using the word "SAS" in the name of users groups and following SAS Institute's trademark guidelines as amended from time to time.
- to keep SAS Institute Users Group Support staff informed of the group's activities and include SAS Institute on newsletter mailing list.
- that SAS Institute assumes no responsibility for the actions or omissions of any local SAS users group and that SAS Institute may change or terminate its local SAS users group program in its sole discretion.