Bylaws

Article I. Name and Purpose

1. This organization shall be known as the Northern Illinois University Annuitants Association (NIUAA), a chapter of the State Universities Annuitants Association (SUAA), a not-for-profit corporation chartered by the state of Illinois on June 6, 1979. As used in these Bylaws, the terms "Chapter" and "Association" are interchangeable and refer to the local chapter (NIUAA).
2. The purpose of the Association shall be to promote the individual and collective interests and welfare of the members of the Association.
3. Chapters are responsible for promoting the goals of SUAA through chapter meetings, chapter activities, member recruitment, regular communications, and legislative contacts. No chapter shall publicly promote a position contrary to positions formally adopted by the SUAA Board of Directors or the House of Delegates.

Article III. Officers and Board of Directors

1. Officers of the Association shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer who shall be elected to two-year terms.
2. The Board of Directors of the Association shall consist of the four elected officers, the Past President, and eight additional members, four elected from the faculty (including instructors) and four from the staff, with at least one civil service and one supportive professional staff member. Faculty and staff members of the Board shall serve two-year terms on a staggered basis; the immediate Past President shall serve until replaced by the next outgoing President.
3. Officers and Board members shall be elected by and from the membership at the Annual Meeting and shall assume office at the end of the Annual Meeting. The President and Vice-President shall be retirees of NIU and annuitants of SURS.
4. With the concurrence of the Board, the President may appoint a member of the university president's staff as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Board conditioned on that person being a member of the Association.

Article IV. Election of the Officers and Board of Directors

1. Officers and Board members may be elected to no more than two consecutive terms. Any officer may be elected for one term to any office not previously held, and a Board member may be elected for one term to any office not previously held. No officer may hold two offices concurrently.
2. In the case of a vacancy in the Presidency, the Vice-President shall assume the office of President for the unexpired term. A vacancy in the office of Vice-President, Secretary, or Treasurer shall be filled by appointment by the Board of one of its members. A vacancy in the Board, including the immediate Past-President, shall be filled by appointment by the President from the general membership with the approval of the Board.
3. All officers, board members, and committee members must be members in good standing for the years in which they serve.

Article VI. Committees

1. The Chairs of committees shall be appointed by the President, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors. The Committee Chairs shall appoint the members of their committees. Any Committee Chair not currently serving as a Board member shall be considered an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Board. The following are the committees of NIUAA:
   1. Audit and Finance Committee: This committee shall conduct an annual audit of the records of the Treasurer as specified in Article V. 4. The committee is charged with preparing a forecast of receipts and expenditures prior to the start of each association fiscal year and making recommendations on the purchase of Certificates of Deposit including the amounts to be invested and their durations. The committee shall be comprised of three members.
   2. Awards: This committee shall nominate, for recognition by the membership, one or more individuals within or outside the Association who have made significant contributions of leadership or service to the organization. Nominees will be recognized in an appropriate way at the Annual Meeting or a NIUAA special meeting. The committee’s chair and members will be persons who have previously received the recognition award, and will be appointed by the President.
   3. Benefits Committee: This committee will keep abreast of and provide information to the membership concerning those benefits, including insurance benefits, which affect the welfare of current faculty and staff, retirees, their spouses, and survivors. The Committee Chair or a Board member designee shall represent the Chapter at meetings of the NIU Benefits Committee.
   4. Communication Committee: This committee will prepare, monitor, and produce issues of the NIUAA Newsletter, as well as be responsible for any other media communications approved by the Board of Directors that are not specifically assigned to other committees or persons.
   5. Culture and Travel Committee: This committee will plan and arrange cultural and travel opportunities for the benefit of the membership. Cultural opportunities include, but are not limited to, attending operas and plays as well as visiting museums and monuments. Travel includes planned trips to local sites as well as more distant locations.
   6. Education Committee: This committee will organize and host various programs to inform the membership of contemporary issues that affect them. These programs might include, but are not limited to, public presentations by internal or external experts, pre-retirement workshops, and mini briefings on select topics.
   7. Legislation Committee: This committee will keep abreast of legislation affecting the welfare of workers and retirees and provide the membership with information concerning this legislation.
   8. Membership Committee: This committee will encourage current members to maintain their memberships in the Association and promote an increase in membership in the Association.
   9. Nomination Committee: This committee shall prepare a slate of candidates for officers and board members prior to the annual meeting. This slate of nominees will be approved by the Board and voted upon by the members at the Annual Meeting. Additional nominations may be made from the floor.
   10. Scholarship Committee: This committee will act as the liaison between the Board and the NIU Foundation, receive and review reports generated by the Foundation, make determinations on the allocation of earnings between the Scholarship’s Endowed Fund and Expendable Fund, conduct fund raising activities, and perform such other related duties as assigned by the President.
   11. Social Committee: This committee will organize and host social opportunities for the membership. These opportunities will include informal gatherings such as coffee hours, luncheons, and picnics.
2. As needs arise, the President may create other committees with the approval of the Board.
3. Committees may appoint sub-committees. With Board approval, Committees may also appoint consultants to assist them in the development of specific projects and programs.

Article VII. Records

1. At the conclusion of the term of each officer, committee chair, and Board member, all records accumulated during that person's tenure shall be turned over to his/her successor.
2. Membership lists shall be coordinated by the designated University Liaison, in conjunction with SUAA, and made available to the NIUAA Officers and to Chairs of the Membership and the Political Involvement Committees.

Article VIII. Board Meetings

1. The Board shall meet at least two times during the Fiscal Year.
2. A majority of the voting members of the Board shall constitute a quorum.
3. Committee chairs are encouraged to attend Board Meetings; consultants may be invited to attend Board Meetings.

Article IX. Annual and Special Meetings

1. The Chapter membership shall meet at least once each year to receive such reports as are specified heretofore, to elect officers and board members, and to act upon such matters as are called for in the Agenda. Matters for consideration also may be presented from the floor. This Annual Meeting shall be held in the spring on a date set by the Board.
2. Notification of the date of the Annual Meeting shall be given to the membership at least four weeks prior to the date of the meeting.
3. Special meetings of the Chapter may be called by the President with the approval of the Board. A special meeting must be called by the President if requested by a majority of the Board or by a written petition signed by 50 or more members of the Chapter. Notice of a special meeting shall be given to the membership through available email addresses, University and Chapter publications where feasible, advertisement in local media, and on the NIUAA website. Discussion and action at a special meeting shall be limited to those matters which relate to the stated purposes of the special meeting.
4. Members present and voting at the Annual Meeting shall constitute a quorum. At least 50 members present and voting at a special meeting shall constitute a quorum.

Article X. Electronic Media

Electronic media may be used to send notices and minutes of Board and annual meetings, to conduct and report Board votes on time-urgent matters that require action between meetings, and to transmit other communications to

the membership. Electronic media include, but are not limited to, email, texting, webpages, and teleconferencing.

Article XI. SUAA Board of Directors and House of Delegates

The SUAA Board of Directors is elected by the Membership, with representatives from all SUAA regions.

According to the SUAA Bylaws, each chapter is entitled to membership in the SUAA House of Delegates, with the number of delegates specified in the SUAA Bylaws. Of the Chapter's members in the House of Delegates, one will normally be the President, one will be the Vice President, and others will be named by the President with alternates being designated by the President as the need may arise. According to SUAA Bylaws, House delegates normally serve a two year term. If a vacancy occurs, the Chapter will fill the vacancy as soon as practical. The President of the chapter may appoint any Association regular member from the chapter as an alternate delegate for a single meeting and so notify the Executive Director of his or her designee. The SUAA House of Delegates normally meets twice each year: once for the annual meeting in June and once for the fall meeting in October or November.

Article XII. Dues, Assessments and Expenses

1. Changes in the local dues for membership in NIUAA shall be determined by the membership at the Annual Meeting. Members may pay their dues by automatic deduction from payroll or annuity checks, or by direct payment as billed annually by SUAA. Membership in SUAA and NIUAA becomes effective with the receipt of the initial payment by SUAA.
2. The Board is authorized to levy assessments requested by the State Association for special or emergency needs.
3. The Board may receive donations on behalf of the Association.
4. The Board is authorized to pay reasonable expenses incurred:
   1. By individuals who travel to meetings and conferences on behalf of NIUAA;
   2. By individuals who are invited to participate at Chapter meetings;
   3. In the conduct of the business of the Chapter.
5. The Board may adopt additional policies dealing with the payment of expenses.
6. The Board may make contributions to individuals and groups associated with NIU for humanitarian or other initiatives which advance the purposes of the organization or assist in communication with the membership of NIUAA and to qualified charitable organizations.

Article XIII. Parliamentary Authority

1. The President may appoint a parliamentarian, whose tenure shall be at the discretion of the President.
2. The rules contained in the latest edition of ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER shall be the accepted parliamentary authority for the Chapter where not inconsistent with any rules of order adopted by the Chapter.

Article XIV. Use of Member Addresses

Email and mailing addresses of members of NIUAA will not be shared with third parties. Email and mailing addresses will be used to inform NIUAA members about issues of interest to them, such as pension and legislative concerns, legislative call-to-action alerts, lobby days, and events sponsored or co-sponsored by NIUAA.

Article XV. Amendments to Bylaws

1. Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed by a majority of the Board or by petition signed by 50 or more members of the Chapter.
2. To be adopted, the proposed amendment shall receive a two-thirds vote of those members voting at the Annual Meeting.
3. Amendment(s) to a proposed amendment may be presented from the floor at the Annual Meeting, and shall be incorporated into the proposed amendment if approved by the majority of the members present.
4. An adopted amendment shall go into effect immediately unless a time provision is specified.

Article XVI. Dissolution

If the Board determines that NIUAA should be dissolved, the Board shall present its reasons to the members at the Annual Meeting of the membership. If the majority of the members who are present vote to dissolve NIUAA, the Board shall pay or make provision to pay all the liabilities of NIUAA. If there are any assets left after the liabilities are paid, the Board shall contribute those assets to a successor organization with comparable goals or to organization(s) that are operating for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes that qualify as exempt organization(s) under Section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law.

• June 1, 2016
  • Combine Constitution and Bylaws into one document
  • In Bylaws, Most Articles have been renumbered
  • in Bylaws, Articles III, IV, V, VI, and IX
  • In Bylaws, Article X - added
  • in Bylaws, Article XV
  • in Bylaws, Article XVI – added
• June 1, 2019
  • In Bylaws, Articles IV. and V.
• June 3, 2020
  • In Bylaws, Article I. 3. – added
  • In Bylaws, Article II. a. and b.
  • In Bylaws, Article V. 1.
  • In Bylaws, Article VI. 1. a.
  • In Bylaws, Article VI. k. – new committee added
  • In Bylaws, Article VI. j. – re-lettered
  • In Bylaws, Article XI.
  • In Bylaws, Article XII. 6.
• June 15,2022
  • In Bylaws, Article III.4. - added
  • In Bylaws, article VI.1.g. - modified
  • In Bylaws, article VI.i.j. - deleted
  • In Bylaws, Article VI.k & l. - re-lettered