I trust you had relaxing and enjoyable holidays, I certainly did. But now it is time to get back to work. ASURA held it first Board meeting of the new year last week, still Zooming. I am getting tired of all the zooming around and look forward to getting back to meandering.

Board Meeting Notes

• Joy Shearman, Co-chair with Jan Shore of the Scholarship Committee, reported that ASU has received 43 applications for the scholarship. ASU is currently verifying that the applications satisfy the posted requirements before passing them on to the Scholarship Committee. The review process typically reduces the number of acceptable submissions.
  
  
  
  Joy is looking for volunteers to review the submissions and help select next year’s recipient. If you would like to help either reply to this E-News or write Joy directly at joyrn@cox.net.
• Jeri Meeks, chair of the Government / Legislative Council, reported the Council members (Tara Roesler, Larry Carlson, Pat Schneider, Dick Jacob, and Don Dotts) were all eager to get started as the 55^th Legislature is off and running.
  
  
  
  Jeri reported that she and Tara met with Kendra Burton, our University Ex-Officio Board member, to discuss ASU’s and ABOR’s legislative priorities. The Budget, again as always, is the University’s priority. Guns on campus appears to be raising its head again, Kendra feels there is a strong lobby for this and there will be another attempt to pass a bill that will allow weapons on university grounds. Also, there will be a push to pass a bill that would allow Class 1 employees - people making $35K or less - to choose ASRS or an Optional Retirement Plan (ORP). Right now these employees default to ASRS. Kendra said this affects ~300 employees.
  
  
  
  Pat attended the Arizona Retirement Security Coalition (ARSC) Pre-Legislative Session Training on December hosted by Daniella Smith, Lobbyist for ASRC. The coalition is worried about threats to ASRS in the 2022 session (see previous paragraph and the following item by Dick).
• Dick Jacob, the ASRS observer in the Governmental Council, had good news for those in the ASRS retirement system. The Arizona State Retirement System Board of Trustees, on November 12, 2021, announced that qualified retirees, beginning with their July 2022 benefits check, will receive a Permanent Benefit Increase (PBI) to their monthly annuities. He also reported that those still working will have their contribution decreased from 12.41% to 12.17% as of next July.
• Mary Stevens, Chair of the Book Donation program, was asked if paperback books could be donated. Mary reported that any type of book, short of encyclopedias (thank you Jiminy Cricket) and coffee table books, can be donated. This was confirmed by Larry Carlson. So, all you members who attended the latest seminar on downsizing along with all the Introductory members with shelves of unwanted books, visit the ASURA Book donation page to learn how to donate your books. All money gained from selling the books goes to support the scholarship and video history project.
• There was no desire by the Board to try to have an in-person Annual Meeting and so this year’s meeting will again be virtual. But, who knowns, maybe next year. As Little Orphan Annie says, “The sun’ll come out tomorrow,” and maybe in-person meetings as well.
• The success of the December Holiday Picnic in the Park prompted the Board to plan something similar for March.

COVID Research Study

A collaboration between ASU and University of Arizona epidemiologists and public health researchers is underway to help researchers better understand the COVID virus and its health effects in the near and long term. What researchers learn from important studies such as these may also inform public health strategy going forward

The study consists of online surveys asking you about your health and experiences during the pandemic. The study is open to everyone, regardless of age and COVID-19 status. Both those who have not had COVID-19 and those who have are welcome to join!

If you are interested in learning more and enrolling in the CoVHORT study, visit the study website at https://covhort.arizona.edu/.

I did enroll and you should be prepared for a longish set of questions to get enrolled.

Barry McNeill, Editor