Minutes for September 14, 2016

The meeting was called to order at 10:01 AM by President Barbara White. After self-introductions of the Board members, President White announced that she was stepping down from the Presidency due to an impending move to North Carolina.  Vice President Jeri Meeks will assume the ASURA Board Presidency effective end of day, September 14, 2016. The Video History Committee continues editing and uploading interviews to the Library archives. They are moving to new editing software, Adobe Premiere, which offers increased accessibility and flexibility.  They are looking for additional volunteers to assist with the editing. The Events Committee Coordinator regularly receives and submits East Valley activities lists for inclusion in the ASURA E-News and on the ASURA website. The Luncheons and Special Events Committee reported a good response to the impending New Members Meet and Greet Pizza Party. The Fall Luncheon, featuring guest speaker Pat McMahon, is scheduled for October 11 at Karsten Golf Course. The Seminars Committee reported that the pre-Meet and Greet seminar was staffed. The October 20 Open Enrollment Health Care Seminar was still in the planning stages. The location is confirmed at the Tempe History Museum. The Travel Committee is offering the Spirit of Phoenix Chorus Christmas Show in December, the Rhythm Cats Golden Rock N Roll Show on November 29, an overnight trip to Southern Arizona sometime in the Spring, 2017, and international trip to the British Isles in September, 2017, and is planning another international trip to South America in probably early 2018. The ASRS Government Liaison reported that ASRS open enrollment will be "passive" again this year - no changes, no action required. ASRS will also be rolling out additional insurance options for non-Medicare members. The Legislative Liaison is waiting on ABOR to roll out their 2017 legislative agenda. E-News scheduled to go out mid-month. The Membership Committee approved release of next membership renewal reminder email. Following discussion regarding increasing ASURA membership, the Board unanimously passed the following motion: Effective January 1, 2017, all ASU retirees will automatically receive a free one-year introductory membersip in the Arizona State University Retirees Association, with a welcome email containing necessary information, with the option to opt out of the membership.  All articles for inclusion in Prime Times need to be submitted by September 23rd. With Board approval, an article on the ASU United Way Campaign will be included. Candidates to fill the empty Board position need to be identified and contacted before the October Board meeting. Board members were asked to consider filling the empty Vice Presidency position. NEW BUSINESS: 1) A proposal was made for the creation of a Health Information Committee, a sub-committee of the Membership Committee, whose mission would be to identify and disseminate information on health matters and health insurance via Prime Times and a webpage within the ASURA website. A motion was made to explore the possibility of creating this committee when a viable candidate willing to staff the committee has been found. 2) A proposed ASURA Policy on Business Advertising was presented to the Board.  Following discussion, the proposal was tabled.