ASURA bylaws

The name of this organization shall be The Arizona State University Retirees Association, also referred to as ASURA or Association herein.

1. To work on behalf of retired Arizona State University personnel to ensure that they receive maximum retirement benefits and to communicate membership concerns to representatives of the University, legislators, state government agencies and other groups affecting the welfare of retired persons;
2. To work for the improvement of the retirement program of Arizona State University and to ensure that Association members are made fully aware of the nature and extent of their retirement benefits;
3. To contribute to the general public understanding about the issues of concern to retired persons;
4. To assist ASU retired persons so that they can continue their association with the University and continue to receive University benefits including, but not limited to, course registration and entertainment event discounts, volunteering for University programs, and continuing in their professional and educational activities;
5. To facilitate continuing contributions by members to the furtherance of the objectives of Arizona State University;
6. To sponsor educational, charitable, service, historical and other programs relating to interests of ASURA retired members.

1. Eligibility

Persons eligible for membership are:

• retired employees of Arizona State University;
• retired persons who were former employees of ASU;
• those who are approaching retirement from ASU;
• retirees from other universities;
• surviving partners of deceased ASURA members;
• other individuals with approval by a majority vote of the Board of Directors;

The Board of Directors may also appoint individuals of their choice to “Honorary Member” status through a majority vote. The appointment may be for an indefinite or a fixed term. Honorary Members do not pay dues, and therefore do not vote. Honorary status for an individual may be revoked through a majority vote of the Board.

2. Dues

Members, except for Honorary Members, shall pay annual dues in an amount set by the Board. Dues shall be for a fiscal year beginning July 1. Payment of dues covers participation of a member’s partner in all ASURA activities, except voting.

3. Vote Entitlement

Payment of annual membership dues entitles the member to one vote.

4. Association Meetings

Association meetings are meetings open to all ASURA members.

1. Annual Meeting

The President shall call an annual meeting of all members of ASURA in each fiscal year. The annual meeting shall be held in April, at a time and place designated by the Board. At this meeting the members of the Association shall transact such business as may be properly presented for action by the members and the Board.

2. Other Meetings of the Association

Additional Association meetings may be initiated by the Board, or upon written request of ten (10) members, submitted to the Board.

3. Quorum

The voting members present at an Association meeting shall constitute a quorum.

1. Purpose

The Board of Directors shall manage the affairs of the Association and shall establish policies as needed to carry out the purposes of the Association.

2. Composition

The Board of Directors shall consist of fifteen (15) elected voting members. In the case where the regular Board term of the current President, Vice President, or Immediate Past President has expired, this officer will sit as an additional member of the Board. To facilitate communication between ASURA and ASU organizations (as determined by the Board), representatives from those organizations will serve on the Board as ex-officio members in a non-voting, advisory capacity. Ex-officio members have automatic Honorary Member status in the ASURA for the duration of their service.

3. Eligibility for Board Membership

All current members, except Honorary Members, are eligible for membership on the Board.

4. Term of Office

Members of the Board shall be elected for a term of three (3) years. Board members shall not be eligible to serve consecutive terms whether elected, appointed, or serving by virtue of office. One third of the members shall be elected annually. Any mid-term vacancy on the Board shall be filled by nomination by the President and approval by the Board.

5. Elections

The members of the Board shall be elected by ballot according to the following timeline. Election shall be by a plurality of votes cast.

1. By Mid-December: The Immediate Past President shall inform the membership of ASURA’s nominating procedure and invite suggestions from the membership through a Prime Times issue, notice on the ASURA Web site, and e-mail notice to members. At this time the Past President shall also appoint a Nominating Committee, which shall include at least four members of the Association. The committee membership shall be representative of the various constituencies in the membership.
   
    
2. By January 31: the Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of at least five names for the ballot. To the extent possible, the Board shall be representative of the several constituencies of the Association. The slate shall include the names of members agreed upon by the committee and also names of members nominated through petitions received by the Chair of the Nominating Committee by this date. Such nominating petitions must bear the signatures of at least ten ASURA members.
   
    
3. By February 7: The ballots shall be distributed to the membership.
   
    
4. By February 28: Ballots must be received in the ASURA Office in order to be counted in the election.
   
    
5. By March 5: The Executive Committee shall count the ballots. The President shall announce the results to the Board prior to its March meeting and to the membership at the Annual Meeting.
   
    
6. Newly elected members of the Board shall assume their duties at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting.

6. Board Meetings

1. Regular Meetings

The Board shall meet monthly during the academic year, unless otherwise agreed to. The time and place of such meetings shall be established by the Board.

2. Special Meetings

Special meetings of the Board may be held upon the call of the President or upon request of any three (3) members of the Board.

3. Notice of Meetings

The Secretary shall provide the agenda for upcoming Board meetings, along with meeting date, time and place to each Board member at least three days prior to the meeting date.

4. Quorum

A majority of the members of the Board shall constitute a quorum.

1. Composition

The officers of the Association shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Immediate Past President.

2. Election

The incoming President in consultation with the Executive Committee shall propose a slate of officers. The Board shall elect the officers from among its continuing members at its March meeting.

3. Term

The term of office shall normally be one year. The Presidency, Vice Presidency and Past Presidency are limited to one full term. The other officers are limited to two consecutive full terms.

Any mid-term vacancy on the Executive Committee other than the President shall be filled from among the current Board membership through nomination by the President and approval by the Board.

In the event of the President’s resignation, permanent disability or death, the Vice President shall succeed to the Presidency for the remainder of the term of office, and will then serve the subsequent full term as well, during which time there will be no Immediate Past President.

All officers serve at the pleasure of the Board.

4. Duties

1. Executive Committee

As a group, the officers shall form the Executive Committee. Under the President’s leadership, the Executive Committee shall plan meetings of the Board and meetings of the Association, and shall administer the various functions of the Association consistent with the Board’s policies. Annually, between May and September, the Executive Committee shall select chairs of the Standing Committees for the year. The Executive Committee shall present the list of committee chairs to the Board for ratification at the September Board meeting. The Executive Committee shall appoint personnel as needed to carry out the operations of the ASURA, for example a business officer and an information technology officer.

2. President

The President shall serve as the chief elected officer of the Association and shall preside at all Executive Committee and Board of Directors meetings and at meetings of the Association. The President shall be responsible for community and University relations. The President shall ensure that an Annual Report is generated for distribution to the membership at the Annual Meeting. The President shall have signature authority on all ASURA financial accounts.

3. Vice President

The Vice President is President-Elect and will succeed to the Presidency automatically. In the case of temporary absence or disability of the President, the Vice President shall perform all the duties of the President and when so acting shall have all the powers of, and be subject to, all restrictions upon the President. The Vice President shall have signature authority on all ASURA financial accounts.

4. Secretary

The Secretary shall prepare or cause to be prepared minutes of all Board meetings and all Association meetings, and shall submit such minutes to the Board for approval at its next meeting. The Secretary shall also keep or cause to be kept at the principal office of the Association, or such other place as the Board of Directors may order, all records, including, but not limited to, the Bylaws and a Book of Minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors and of the Association, with the time and place of holding, the notice thereof given, the names of those present at Board of Directors meetings, the number of votes represented at meetings of the Association, and the proceedings thereof. The Secretary shall give, or cause to be given, notice of all Board meetings to the Board of Directors and notice of all Association meetings to the members.

5. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall keep and maintain, or cause to be kept and maintained, adequate and correct accounts of the properties and business transactions of the Association, including accounts of its assets, liabilities, receipts, disbursements, gains, losses, and surplus. The Treasurer shall deposit, or cause to be deposited, all monies and other valuables in the name of, and to the credit of the Association, with such depositories as may be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer is authorized to disburse the funds of the Association, or cause them to be disbursed, within the limits of the annual budget as approved by the Board of Directors without the necessity of further authorization, subject to further directions of the Board and consistent with policies of the financial institutions used by the ASURA. The Treasurer shall have signature authority on all ASURA financial accounts. The Treasurer shall present a statement of current financial status of the Association as directed by the Board, and shall arrange for an annual review of the financial records of the Association by the Finance Committee. On request, the President or Treasurer shall provide any Board member access to the ASURA books of accounts.

6. Immediate Past President

The Immediate Past President shall serve as a voting member of the Board and Executive Committee, and shall serve as Chair of the Board Nominating Committee. The Immediate Past President shall have signature authority on all ASURA financial accounts.

1. Standing Committees and Liaisons

Standing Committee chairs are appointed annually by the Executive Committee, and their appointments are ratified by the Board. Committee chairs shall appoint members to their committees with the assistance of the Executive Committee as needed, shall oversee committee meetings and activities, and shall report regularly to the Board on their activities.

1. Government Liaisons

The Government Liaisons shall act as agents of the Board to provide liaison and advocacy in relation to the Arizona State Legislature, the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS), and such other agencies as the Board may designate. The liaisons shall be responsible for planning and directing any ASURA membership efforts to exert influence on designated agencies. They shall consult with the Board in the planning of their activities, and base their advocacy activities on prior approval by the Board. The liaisons shall include a person assigned to oversight of the Legislature, and a person assigned to oversight of the ASRS.

2. Community Outreach Committee

The Community Outreach Committee shall identify and promote opportunities for members to donate or volunteer resources to better our community and to oversee any outreach programs designated by the Board, such as Adopt-a-Family, Scholarship, Video History, and other volunteer programs.

3. Events Committee

The Events committee shall plan and provide for educational programs and for activities such as the Retirees Day, luncheons, tours and travel, and other interests as indicated by the members.

4. Finance Committee

The Finance Committee shall make recommendations regarding current and future financial matters related to the business of the Association. It shall also annually review expenditures of the Association for reasonableness and consistency with the budget. Results of the annual review shall be presented to the Board within five months of the close of the fiscal year.

5. Health Insurance Liaisons

The Health Insurance Liaisons shall monitor existing health insurance programs for University retirees, propose improvements in insurance programs, and suggest actions that should be taken by the Association to provide the best possible health insurance coverage for its members. The liaisons shall also help make the members aware of their health insurance options.

6. Membership and Communications Committee

The Membership and Communications Committee shall stimulate and develop Association membership. The committee shall promote and facilitate communication with the membership using such methods as direct mailings, newsletters, electronic mail, and the Association Web site.

2. Subcommittees

The Standing Committees may appoint such subcommittees as may be essential to the accomplishment of their business. The subcommittees shall report directly to the committees that appointed them.

3. Term of Office

Members of the Standing Committees shall serve a one-year term and are eligible for successive reappointment.

4. Other Committees

The Board may appoint other committees as necessary. These committees shall report to the Board and shall serve at its pleasure.

The fiscal year of the Association shall close on June 30 of each year.

The Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds majority of the ballots returned in a written and/or electronic poll of the members. The Board shall approve proposed amendments to the Bylaws before they are submitted to the ASURA membership for a vote. A period of thirty (30) days from the date of mailing must be allowed for the receipt of valid ballots.

1. Parliamentary Rules

The current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, governs this organization in all parliamentary situations not provided for in the bylaws or rules of the Association, or of the University, or relevant State or Federal law.

2. Regulating Rules

Such Rules as may be deemed appropriate and consistent with these bylaws may be adopted for the purpose of regulating the business procedures and other ongoing activities of the association. Regulating rules may