Proposed amendment to the By-Laws in 2023

The required notification of a proposed amendment to the By-Laws was emailed to FRAUHM members on April 21.  At the May 9 meeting, 14 Zoom participants voted in favor of the amendment; 5 submitted votes in favor by email.

The amendment replaces Article I of the current By-Laws

This organization shall be named the Faculty Retirees Association, University of Hawaii at Manoa (FRAUHM).

with the following Article I

This organization shall be named the University of Hawaii Retirees Ohana (UHRO).  It was originally named Faculty Retirees Association,  University of Hawaii at Manoa (FRAUHM).  FRAUHM may continue to be used for the website and in other areas to indicate that UHRO and FRAUHM are the same entity.

Revision of FRAUHM By-Laws

The FRAUHM board met on 19 January 2021 to finalize the proposed by-laws.  The amended text was sent by email to members on 18 February along with an announcement that a vote would be held at the 9 March meeting and that members who could not attend could vote by email.  The URL of the current by-laws was given to allow comparison.

votes on amended by-laws at the 9 March FRAUHM meeting
24 on Zoom participants list
-2 speakers
-2 duplicates
-> 20 FRAUHM members at the meeting

15

present voted yes

1

present voted no

4

people joined the meeting after the vote

5

people voted yes by email and did not attend the meeting

The board agreed in March to accept the amended by-laws.

Proposed Amendments to the FRAUHM Bylaws

The bylaws of this organization have not been amended or updated since 1998. These proposed amendments attempt to bring the bylaws in line with current practices of the Board of Directors, especially the elimination of a committee structure, with the Board functioning as a “Committee-of-the-whole. “ As long as we were reviewing the bylaws, we are recommending a few additional changes and updates.

By-Laws

Faculty Retirees Association

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Article I

Name

This organization shall be named the University of Hawaii Retirees Ohana (UHRO).  It was originally named Faculty Retirees Association, University of Hawaii at Manoa (FRAUHM).  FRAUHM may continue to be used for the website and in other areas to indicate that UHRO and FRAUHM are the same entity.

Article II

Purpose

The purposes of this association are (1) to organize and offer social, professional, and intellectual programs and activities of special interest to its members, and (2) to offer support and service to the University of Hawaii wherever possible.

Article III

Membership and Dues

Section 1. Membership:

All retired members of the faculty and staff of the University of Hawaii system and their spouse or partner are eligible for membership.   Any member of the community who supports the purpose of the organization is also eligible.

Section 2. Dues:

All members shall pay annual dues in the amount as approved by   the membership at its annual meeting.

Article IV

Officers

Section 1. Personnel:

The officers of the Association shall be a president, a vice-president, a secretary, and a treasurer.

Section 2. Term of Office:

The officers shall be elected for a term of one year.

Section 3. Duties of Officers:

  1. President: The president shall be the executive officer for the Association and shall have general supervision over its business affairs.  The President shall see to the proper observance and enforcement of all by-laws, rules and regulations of the Association and any actions or orders of the Board of Directors.
  2. Vice-President: The Vice-President, in the absence of the President, shall assume the duties of the President.
  3. Secretary: The secretary shall keep the minutes of the generalmembership meetings and the meetings of the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall be responsible for giving notice of general membership meetings and Board meetings, and shall attend to all correspondence for the Association.
  4. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall be the custodian of the funds of the Association, shall collect all dues and make payments in accordance with the budget. The Treasurer shall keep full and accurate accounts and shall submit a written report covering the fiscal year.

Article V

Board of Directors

Section 1. Personnel:

The Board of Directors shall consist of the four elected officers,  and up to five elected members-at-large. All vacancies on the Board shall be filled by appointment by the President, with the approval of the Board.

Section 2. Duties of the Board:

The Board of Directors shall have general charge, direction and control of the affairs and funds of the Association.  They shall function as a committee of the whole and be responsible for, but not limited to the following — organizing programs both intellectual and social, obtaining guest speakers, providing for meeting locations and room setup, meeting the financial responsibilities of the organization, appointing ad hoc committees as deemed necessary, recruiting officers, and recruiting new members.

Section 3. Meetings:

The Board of Directors shall hold no fewer than four business meetings during the year.  The meetings shall be held at the pleasure of the President or as requested by two Directors.  Reasonable notice of all meetings shall be given by the Secretary. Both Membership Meetings and Board Meetings may be conducted via Zoom or other equivalent platforms.

Section 4. Quorum:

A majority of the members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business and the concurring vote of most of the members present shall be sufficient to validate any action of the Board.

Section 5. Interpretation of By-Laws:

The decision of the Board of Directors shall govern all questions of construction and interpretation of these by-laws subject to the action of most of the members present at any general membership meeting.

Article VI

Committees

There may be other committees deemed necessary by the Board.

Article VII

Meetings of the General Membership

Section 1. Annual Meeting:

The Annual Meeting shall be held in May at such time as the President shall determine.  At this meeting, the yearly reports on the activities of the Association for the previous year shall be presented, elections for officers and members-at-large shall be held, and any other business may be transacted.

Section 2. Meetings

General membership meetings shall be held at the discretion of the Board of Directors.  Members shall be notified of each meeting at least one week prior to each meeting.

Section 3. Quorum:

A quorum shall consist of 10 members.

Section 4. Voting:

A majority vote of the members present at a general membership meeting shall decide all questions, except as follows:
  1. A plurality vote shall determine the winners of elections where there are more candidates for the offices to be filled than necessary.
  2. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present shall be required to amend these by-laws (See Article IX).

Section 5. Rules of Procedures:

Robert’s Rules of Orders, most recent edition shall be the parliamentary authority for all matters of procedure not specifically covered by these by-laws.

Article VIII

Fiscal Policies

The fiscal year shall be from July 1 to June 30.

Article IX

Amendments

These by-laws may be amended or added to by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present at any general membership meeting called for the purpose, provided that notice of the meeting and the proposed changes be made available for the membership to study at least two weeks in advance of the meeting.

Revised January, 2021