Article I
Name and Jurisdiction
Section 1. This organization shall be known as Spirit Encounters Research Team (Also known as SERT PARANORMAL) and has been in existence under that name since January of 2004.

Section 2. The jurisdiction of this organization is nationwide with a special emphasis on New England.

Section 3. The principal office of this organization shall be located in the County of Hampden, State of Massachusetts. The organization may have such other branches either within or without the State of Massachusetts as the directors may require from time to time.

Article II
Objects
Section 1. Primarily, SERT is a research organization.The objects of this organization shall be:
A. To scientifically and without prejudice explore the realm of the supernatural with a special emphasis on the topics of ghosts, haunting, poltergeists and life after death.
B. To attempt to prove the existence of ghosts through on- site investigations at alleged haunted locations with the aid of special equipment.
C. To report such findings in the organization's website along with other media venues.
D. To examine all forms of evidence for the existence of ghosts including; psychic photographs, audio sounds and any physical proof gathered.
E. To receive, manage, invest, expend or otherwise use the funds and property of this organization to carry out the duties and to achieve the objectives set forth in these By-Laws and for such additional purposes and objects not inconsistent there with as will further the interests of this organization and its members, directly or indirectly.

Article III
Eligibility for Membership
Section 1. Subject only to the specific conditions stated hereinafter, any person of good character who has an interest in the paranormal shall be eligible for membership at the discretion of the President and Officers.

Section 2. Anyone wishing to become more involved with the organization may become a Member by subscribing as either a Sustaining Member or a Contributing Member. Sustaining members are active investigators that are assigned to a team. This requires a certain amount of commitment and responsibilities. Contributing members are members that contribute to the organization in one form or another. Applicants for both types of memberships must meet the following requirements:
A. All Members must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age and have a valid ID or driver's license prior to joining. Exceptions to this rule  may be granted by the directors.
B. He/she must fill out an Application For Membership. This also contains a questionnaire which is used as an aid in determining membership eligibility. The applicant is then given an interview by the  SERT directors and current  members.
C. SERT. Applications for membership are considered by the organization and voted into a 6 month probationary membership by a majority vote.
D. He/she must attend all training classes and pass SERT's ghost hunter certification as outlined in our training and certification programs.
E. He/she must attend no fewer than 75% of all meetings, unless a waiver is granted by the directors

 Section 3. No person shall be eligible for membership if:
A. He/she refuses to follow established protocols of SERT.
B. There is reason to believe that he/she may not adhere to and abide by the By-Laws and our rules and regulations.
C. He/she advocates race, religious, sexual orientation or class hatred.
D. His/her attendance to meetings, Field Excursions, Special or Haunted House investigations falls below 50% in any given six (6) month period. This applies only to Sustaining memberships.

E. He/She has a felony criminal record.

Section 4. Your Active Membership can be permanently revoked if:
A. Divulging privileged or confidential information gathered at Haunted House Investigations with anyone outside the SERT circle. Information that is confidential will either be posted as such, on the top line of a message or post, or verbally communicate by a Staff Officer.
B. Attempting to undermine the credibility of the organization in anyway.
C. Violating any portion of SERT's by-laws or regulations.

Section 5. Other membership points:
A. The Directors and Staff Officers have the exclusive right to deny Sustaining or Contributing Membership to anyone who does not meet with the high standards set forth by SERT.
B. All Members are given a trial period of six months and evaluated at the end of that time. It is then up to the Directors whether or not the said member will be invited to renew as an Sustaining Member. Renewal points taken into consideration are: attendance to monthly meetings, Field Excursions, Investigations, Research, ability to learn and grow with SERT, neatness of appearance, willingness to contribute to the organization as a whole and other general membership practices.

C. The Directors is not obligated in anyway to retain any individual that doesn't meet with the above mentioned criteria and others deemed necessary by the Directors.

Article IV
Officers
Section 1. The Staff Officers of this organization shall consist of The Directors, Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations officer, Operations and Research Manager.

Section 2. Eligibility to hold appointed office shall be governed solely by the Directors and the provisions of the By-Laws.
A. All officers are appointed by the Directors with the exception of the Operations Officer, Treasurer, Secretary which are elected for two year terms by a general election. A majority vote from the current Staff Officers is required to revoke their status and office and may be done at any time.
B. Staff officers have a slightly higher ranking than members and are offered some special privileges such as access to sensitive information and priority on investigation schedules.
C. Any Active Member may apply for any vacant Officer position (Elected or Appointed) anytime after their one (1) year anniversary date. You must maintain a better than average attendance to all meetings and Field Excursions. Exceptions can be made by a decision of the Directors.

 Section 3. It shall be the Duty of the Directors:
A. To preside at all meetings of this organization and to preserve order therein. He shall appoint all committees and shall also have the right to serve on all committees by virtue of his office. He/she acts as a general manager of the entire organization
B. To publish and edit and copyright findings and publications of  SERT.
C. To appoint officers to the organization, create branches in other states and to have sole power to dissolve any branches, officers or the organization as a whole at anytime.
D. To organize Field Excursions, Special or Haunted House Investigations for the membership and be in charge of such.

Section 4. It shall be the Duty of all Staff Officers:

A. Must have at least 2 years of field experience to be eligible for the position, unless waived by the President.
B. Coordinate and execute field investigations. Ensures that the investigation or research is proceeding within the established protocols.

Section 5. It shall be the Duty of the Secretary:
A. To take meeting minutes at all meetings. This would also include later typing out the same and seeing that the Directors and Staff Officers receives a copy.
B. To assist the Directors at meetings with the distribution of materials, i.e. application forms, flyers and to assist new applicants with questions.
C. To maintain a record of all members, Active or otherwise, in good standing with their last known address. Said record shall not be opened to inspection of any member except as and to the extent required by statue. The Secretary also assists with any administrative duties assigned to them by the President.

Section 6. It shall be the Duty of the Research Manager:
A. To report directly to the Directors.
B. To research and investigate new leads as directed by the Directors and to report such findings to the Directors without exception using a Report Form.
C. To assist other members on scheduled Field Excursions and Special or Haunted House Investigations.
D. To preside at any meetings in the absence of both the President or as directed by the Directors.
E. To have top seniority over the Staff Officers and any other Active Members or Field Investigators.
F. Minimum age requirement is 21.

Section  7. It shall be Duty of the Public Relations Officer:
A. To report directly to the Directors.
B. To coordinate and organize any affairs with regards to public relations and SERT's image. This includes publicity opportunities, fundraisers and media appearances directly under the supervision of the President.
C. To work directly with the other officers in regards to maintain SERT's image and creditability.

Section 8. It shall be the Duty of the Treasurer:
A. To assist the Public Relations Officer with the organization and execution of Fundraisers.
B. Maintain all financial records and transcripts and tax records and file appropriate taxes if need be.
C. Collect money for SERT related items, such as T-shirts, Jackets, etc….

Section  9. It shall be the duty of the Operations Manager:
A. To assist the Directors in recruiting new members and conducting orientations for all new members.
B. Maintain and operate SERT's contact e-mail spiritencounters@yahoo.com.
C. Forward all applicable correspondence to the proper officers.
D. Directly assist any other officer who requires assistance.
E. Trouble shoot any problems as directed by the Directors and assists in the enforcement of SERT's By-Laws and protocols.
Section 12. Other officers:
A. Special Consultants are individuals within the United States that are not necessarily members of the SERT. They are called upon by the SERT for the expert opinions in the subject of the supernatural and/or the paranormal.
C. This organization does not allow for a Board Of Directors nor will it ever.

Article V
Officers - Generally
Section 1. All officers of this organization when installed after appointment may be required to take the following obligation for office: “
I. ________________________________ do most sincerely promise, upon my honor, that I will truly and faithfully, to the best of my ability, perform the duties of my office, as prescribed in the By- Laws of this organization.”
Section 2. All officers in the performance of their duties shall adhere to the terms of these By-Laws.

Article VI
SERT Investigative and Research Teams
Section 1. Team Captains
A. This person is in charge of all the investigators at the site. He/She will be responsible for assigning tasks to the investigators under their control.. This person should also be able to answer any questions that might be presented to him/her from any of the team during the investigation or ghost hunt and act as a spokesperson for the team. This person must be certified in all aspects of SERT procedures.
B. Team captains are elected by the sustained members of a Team by a majority vote and serve for two years.
C. Team Captains report directly to the Directors.

Section 2. SERT Team structure and responsibilities
A. Teams are identified by a number. Optional team names and/or logos must be approved by the Directors and Staff Officers.
B. Teams will consist of no more than 10 members with the preferred number being 8.
C. The Teams are responsible for conducting investigations and research of haunted locations, known or otherwise, within its assigned area of operations. Additional projects and assignments may be given to the charter by the Directors or Research Manager.
D. Teams must conduct at least six investigations or research projects within SERT's fiscal year to retain it's Team status.
E. Teams must always be in compliance with SERT's By-laws, regulations and protocols. Violations of any of these could result in the dissolution of the team.
F. Teams are responsible for training its members. Formal training sessions can be scheduled with the Directors or Operations Manager.
G. Teams report findings and facts of their assigned cases to the Directors for analysis and discussion.
H. Teams must submit a photo of each new member to Spiritencounters@yahoo.com along with the member's name so that it may be added to the website.
I. For each ghost hunt or investigation, Teams will compose a document on Microsoft Word that contains the names of all personnel participating, a brief history and any gathered data (if applicable). Photographs of the ghost hunt or investigation and this report will be e- mailed to spiritencounters@hotmail.com.

Article VII

Member regulations
Section 1. Code of Conduct / Regulations.

As a member of SERT, it is your duty to remember that before, during, and after an official investigation, you are not only representing yourself, but your team and the entire organization as well. Failure in following the codes as set forth by the Directors will result in the termination of your membership. Also be aware that an official SERT function cannot be performed without a Team Captain, Area research Manager or the expressed written/verbal consent of the President.

All investigators performing investigations must be dressed in appropriate attire for both the physical and social environment of the site. This means comfortable, but safe footwear, dark non reflective clothes and jewelry, and no loose objects such as wallet chains. Please refrain from revealing, torn or ragged attire as you represent not only yourself, but the entire group as well. We also ask that all long hair must be tied back or under a hat so as not to interfere with photographic data if you are taking pictures. Dress code for individual investigations is at the Team Captain's discretion. Members must obtain at least one official SERT shirt as is part of the standard uniform.

A. The on-site Team Captain makes all decisions concerning the investigation. Failure to follow directions and SERT policies is grounds for termination
B. All investigations must be performed in a courteous and professional manner.
C. No illegal drugs. If you take prescription medication, please inform your team captain before the investigation begins so as to avoid future complications.
D. All investigators must respect the privacy of the people, families and places we are investigating for.
E. No matter what, please direct all questions from the media, police and others to the on-site Team Captain unless the Team Captain has informed you otherwise prior to the start of the investigation.
F. No obscene, foul, or abusive language near clients
G. All investigators are to respect the site of investigation. No littering at site of investigation and no obscene, foul, or abusive language near clients. No pranks or practical jokes at investigation site and no handling of objects without owner's permission.

H. No smoking while on investigations
I. Other policies listed in the SERT by-laws

Article VIII
Membership Outings
Section 1. Field Excursions, Investigations and Research projects.
A. All Active Members are required to attend all meetings especially those prior to regularly scheduled Field Excursions or eligibility to the same is void.
B. Investigations and Research projects will be offered only to those Sustained and Contributing Members whose attendance to Field Excursions and meetings is better than average and whom showed promise at past Field Excursions and has attended at least one Field Excursion in the past.
C. All Members who attend Field Excursions, Ghost hunts, Research projects or Out-of-State Research Trips assume full responsibility and agree to relieve the SERT and the Clients of any liability as far as personal injury, legal action or anything deemed as an Act Of God(s).
D. All outings are for SERT Members only! Please do not bring wives, friends, or relatives unless permission is granted directly by the directors.
E. All information obtained during SERT sponsored outings should remain within the SERT circle and not shared with anyone not already a member. SERT holds exclusive copyright of any material presented, investigated or obtained during or afterwards. This would include: photographs, video or audiotapes, and research reports and any other data generated by SERT.
F. All Members are expected to arrive on time with the proper equipment discussed at the previously scheduled meeting.
G. If a member cannot make a scheduled Field Excursion, Investigation or Research project, it shall be his/her responsibility to phone in advance to the Directors or person in charge of the investigation. In the cases of an emergency, some notification as soon as possible would be appreciated.

Article VIV
Meetings
Section 1. Annual Meetings shall be held in January at a designated location and are subject to change. Monthly meetings for Members only will be held on the fourth Saturday of the month but are frequently subject to change. consult a Team captain or Staff Officer for the proper date and location.

Section 2. Attendance is encouraged for all members of this organization. Length of meetings is usually two (2) hours.

Section 3. Schedule of meetings:
A. Opening comments or last meetings minutes. Staff Officer reports.
B. Case reviews from Teams, slides or audio presentations.
C. Projected activities and events.
D. Reading of interesting letters or newspaper articles.

E. Open floor discussion or question/answer time.
F. Video presentations.
G. Closing comments.
H. Adjournment.

Section 4. The Directors upon reasonable notice to the membership may call meetings of this organization for Active Members or Staff Officers.

Article X
Fiscal Year
The fiscal year of this organization shall be from 01 January to 31 December .

Article XI
Official Logos and materials
Section 1. All logos on this organization's business cards are copyrighted and remain the property of the SERT. This would also include cover designs on the Website, manual and all special interest directories. These designs and logos cannot be reproduced without expressed written consent from the Directors.

Section 2. The designs on this organization's membership cards and photo identification cards are also copyrighted and cannot be duplicated under penalty of law.

Section 3. All SERT generated manuals, compact discs and other written material, electronic or otherwise, is copyrighted and cannot be used or duplicated without permission.