Lets take a look up to the end, at least to read my acerbics critiques of few passages.

INTERNATIONAL URANTIA ASSOCIATION

CHARTER AND BYLAWS

THE CHARTER OF THE INTERNATIONAL URANTIA ASSOCIATION

1.  
2. PURPOSE AND POLICIES

The International URANTIA Association (IUA) is a task-oriented, social and service organization formed by the URANTIA Foundation to foster in-depth study of The URANTIA Book and the orderly dissemination of its teachings.

International URANTIA Association is not to be confused with the spiritual fellowship of the kingdom of heaven. Yet IUA is intended to foster that fellowship, especially, but not exclusively, among readers of The URANTIA Book, by means of a minimal, flexible service organization. IUA is not a religious organization, is not associated with any religion, and is not a competitor of any religion.* We welcome people of all faiths, races, and nationalities.

IUA is not designed to carry the teachings of The URANTIA Book to planetary culture in its own name. IUA is not to be a direct agent of change in religious, political, social, or economic institutions. However, individuals who are engaged in all sorts of creative enterprises may be nourished by the interaction provided by IUA. Where individuals are always free to express their own views as their own views, IUA as a group has no opinions to express on religious, political, economic, or social issues. Its focus is to remain on The URANTIA Book and its teachings.

II. THE TASKS OF IUA

A. Service to Present Readers and Study Groups

One of the primary tasks of IUA is to put readers of The URANTIA Book in touch with one another. The liaison work of IUA includes:

1. Referring readers to study groups.
2. Responding to reader inquiries.
3. Sponsoring meetings, seminars, and conferences.
4. Developing teaching and leadership skills.
5. Publishing newsletters and periodicals.

Referring Readers to Study Groups. The local study group, the place where teamwork is forged and spiritual growth is fostered, is the primary social and educational organization for disseminating the teachings of The URANTIA Book. IUA will foster study groups which focus exclusively on the study of The URANTIA Book.

Responding to Readers Inquiries. URANTIA Foundation receives many different kinds of inquiries. For example, many people who have recently discovered The URANTIA Book call or write with questions; others, who have been reading for a time, may decide to seek fellowship with other readers in their area. The first social interaction of a reader with other readers is an important event. Members of IUA can volunteer to act as first contacts for referrals from the Foundation. By doing everything possible to make such first contacts uplifting and enlightening, they will encourage the spread of the teachings and will foster the growth of study groups. Just as the Trustees of URANTIA Foundation function as the custodians of the text, the registered marks, and related business aspects of The URANTIA Book, IUA members may volunteer for social trusts, such as meeting with, and answering the questions of, readers referred to them.

Sponsoring Meetings, Seminars, and Conferences. Getting readers of The URANTIA Book together in meetings, seminars, and conferences is another important task of IUA. The events, topics, teachers, venues, and time frames of meetings must be planned well in advance. IUA members may volunteer or be asked to accept responsibility in any of these areas. By sponsoring gatherings from time to time, IUA hopes to stimulate deeper understanding of the teachings of the book, strengthen commitment to its teachings and their dissemination, and eventually stimulate creative activities in the arena of human society beyond such meetings.

Developing Teaching and Leadership Skills. IUA provides opportunities for many people to participate in meetings, seminars, and conferences in various capacities of leadership. Associations of IUA (as well as local study groups) will naturally choose the people whom they view as well- informed, insightful, and successful communicators to teach, speak, and lead activities. In addition, less experienced teachers and readers can gain valuable experience from leading or just participating in study sessions.

Good teachers and leaders are essential to the formation of stable and dynamic study groups and Associations. However, such teachers and leaders must naturally emerge from among the readership. IUA will not presume to designate who is and who is not a leader. Aside from protecting the copyright and the marks and some common-sense things associated with the business of the URANTIA Foundation, it is not the task of IUA to dictate what readers should or should not do. The task of IUA is to provide interactive learning environments in which participants deepen and broaden their knowledge of The URANTIA Book, increase their teaching and leadership skills, and enjoy fellowship while doing so.

Publishing Newsletters and Periodicals. Associations may publish news letters and periodicals under the Three Concentric Circles Symbol and the registered mark "URANTIA." With the approval of URANTIA Foundation, Associations may also devise computer networking systems for readers of The URANTIA Book.

B. Social Liaison: Dissemination and Service to non-Readers

Formally and informally, the members of IUA will carry out and encourage non-invasive dissemination of The URANTIA Book and its teachings. By coordinated efforts to place the book in libraries, and by the wisdom of patient, person-to-person dissemination of the book and its teachings, IUA can accomplish its primary goal--promoting the study of The URANTIA Book and disseminating its teachings.

Equally important is that IUA discourage invasive dissemination. Such invasive dissemination includes T-shirts and bumper stickers; radio, television, and movie advertising; billboard advertising; newspaper and magazine advertising; and open computer networking which is exposed to non-readers.

Don't miss this next one just below !!!

Mass-media advertising and promotional gimmicks are inconsistent with the dignity of The URANTIA Book. Furthermore, they are ultimately counter productive. Experience has shown that The URANTIA Book requires time: time to read, time to think about, time to incorporate into one's life. Premature mass-media exposure short circuits the necessary time component of evolution. By removing the gentle ingredient of time, advertising and mass-media promotion are actually unfair to those they would try to enlighten.

............

III. RESPONSIBILITIES

IUA is given the crucial task of representing to the public the name "URANTIA," "Urantian," and the Concentric Circles Symbol--the registered trademarks, service marks, and collective membership marks of the URANTIA Foundation. Using these marks carries with it a threefold responsibility. First, IUA is responsible to URANTIA Foundation which holds these marks in trust and, through an explicit licensing agreement, entrusts them to IUA. Second, IUA is responsible to its members and the growing readership of The URANTIA Book. Third, IUA has certain responsibilities to people who have not read The URANTIA Book (and many of whom may never read it) but who may from time to time make inquiries about the book and its associated organizations.

Unless there is a designated group in place which is uniquely authorized to use the marks associated with the book and its publisher, any misled, erratic, or unscrupulous individual (or group) could appear to speak for The URANTIA Book. Anyone can buy a URANTIA Book, read a few pages of it, and proceed to make unwise, uninformed, and even malicious public statements which could prejudice many people, and perhaps even entire groups, againstThe URANTIA Book. The social presence of IUA, along with its authorized use of the name "URANTIA," "Urantian," and the Concentric-Circles Symbol, will help guard against immature and premature publicity and the interpretive distortions of other groups and individuals.

IUA will not be self-promoting. While the members of IUA labor to promote the study of The URANTIA Book and to disseminate its teachings, they will not yield to impatience. The success or failure of IUA cannot be measured by numbers alone. The full impact of The URANTIA Book will undoubtedly take many generations to unfold. The public relations of IUA will be based on attraction rather than promotion.

URANTIA Foundation, IUA, and the Coordinating Committee

One of the basic duties of the Trustees of the URANTIA Foundation is to devise means and methods to disseminate the teachings of The URANTIA Book. In order to fulfill that duty, the Trustees of URANTIA Foundation have created International URANTIA Association. Given the derivative status of IUA, its work depends upon and is related to the Foundation's work; but the focus of IUA is quite different from that of URANTIA Foundation. The assigned work of IUA is the study of The URANTIA Book and the dissemination of its teachings. The practical duties of URANTIA Foundation are to publish and "perpetually preserve inviolate the text of THE URANTIA BOOK" and "to retain absolute and unconditional control of all...media for the printing and reproduction of THE URANTIA BOOK and any translation thereof" (Declaration of Trust, Art. 3.1, 3.3). The interface between IUA and the URANTIA Foundation is the work of a group called the Coordinating Committee.

The size of the Coordinating Committee and the selection and terms of its members are decided by the Trustees of the URANTIA Foundation. One of the Coordinating Committee's primary tasks is facilitating the formation and chartering of Associations. Before a chartered Association is in place, individuals who apply to become members of IUA will be contacted by a member of the Coordinating Committee, who will then put readers in the same geographical area in touch with one another en route to forming an Association. Only by joining with others so that an Association is formed and chartered do individuals actually become members of IUA (although individuals alone may join Friends of URANTIA Foundation). Until the chartering and licensing is achieved, the individual applicants are "prospective members." After an Association is chartered, most of the liaison work previously carried out by the Coordinating Committee in that geographical area will be taken over by the members of the Association.

Because IUA is truly an international organization, whose diverse membership reflects vast differences in country sizes, national populations, and number of readers of The URANTIA Book in a given area, readers may, with the assistance of the Coordinating Committee, form Associations in a number of different ways. For instance, Australian and New Zealand readers may initially form a joint Association. If and when such an Association grows very large, the Association might request permission of the Coordinating Committee to split into two units, one for each country.

The members of the Coordinating Committee do not initiate policy; they are simply coordinators and facilitators. The Coordinating Committee assists readers to familiarize themselves with and to understand the policies of URANTIA Foundation; concomitantly, it assists the Trustees of URANTIA Foundation to familiarize themselves with and to understand the needs and concerns of Associations and the general readership. In relation to readers of The URANTIA Book, whether members of an Association or not, the Coordinating Committee is a communicator, coordinator, and facilitator. In relation to the URANTIA Foundation, it functions primarily as an advisory body.

While the URANTIA Foundation's main task is to publish The URANTIA Book and preserve the integrity of its text, two other important duties of URANTIA Foundation include translating the book into other languages and executing the business features of pricing, marketing, and distribution. It is the policy of URANTIA Foundation to make the book broadly available in an attractive and dignified form. By making the book available in book stores and libraries, URANTIA Foundation provides the broadest possible access to the book without intermediaries, access which is unencumbered by anyone's personal interpretations. By its distribution policies, URANTIA Foundation makes The URANTIA Book available to current and future generations in an unadulterated and un interpreted form, so that all readers may experience its teachings in their own way.

While we hope that our own organizations will be attractive to others, URANTIA Foundation and IUA recognize the wisdom of not requiring all people to come to The URANTIA Book through social contact with our organizations. The URANTIA Foundation's policy of selling the book through bookstores (and to those individuals who do not have access to a bookstore) avoids the formation of a "church" or special group which places itself between the book and the reader. While it is natural for members of IUA to be interested in the distribution of The URANTIA Book, such distribution is the business task of URANTIA Foundation, not IUA. Nonetheless, members of IUA may volunteer for Foundation tasks in their area of expertise or volunteer information which might facilitate the work of URANTIA Foundation.

While many groups may come into existence for a variety of purposes related to The URANTIA Book, IUA has a unique role to play. Its licensed use of the registered marks benefits the service activities of IUA and supports the Foundation's trusteeship of the copyright and the marks. The explicitly authorized use of the marks by IUA prevents other groups or individuals, good, bad, or indifferent, from usurping them for their own purposes, such as presenting their interpretations and activities as officially representing The URANTIA Book. Were such unauthorized use to occur, orderly liaison and dissemination to the wider public could be disrupted; the marketplace would be confused; and the copyright and integrity of The URANTIA Book itself could be jeopardized.

In general, those who serve in IUA should do everything possible to promote the goodwill of URANTIA Foundation and do nothing to detract from the goodwill of the organization upon which the safety of the copyright of the book and its associated marsks depends.

IV. STRUCTURE OF IUA

Associations of International URANTIA Association may be chartered as national Associations with a minimum of 30 members or local Associations with a minimum of 10 members ("local" may be understood as a town, city, or region, depending upon the needs of a given area as determined by the Coordinating Committee). All Associations have uniform membership requirements. Exceptions, for example those due to a nation's laws or customs, may be allowed by the Coordinating Committee which charters Associations on behalf of the trustees of the URANTIA Foundation. Under a separate agreement, each Association will be licensed by the URANTIA Foundation to use the Concentric Circles Symbol, the registered marks, and the name "International URANTIA Association."

As mentioned previously, if an Association becomes too large, it may request permission of the Coordinating Committee to split into smaller units. Over time, such smaller units may again request permission to split into smaller units as the need arises.

The officers of an Association are called the Governing Board. Besides its other duties, the Governing Board also sets the time and venue of an Association's Annual Meeting. Officers are to be elected for two year terms, with half the officers to be up for election in one year and the other half the following year, so that the entire Governing Board will not be replaced at one time. A Board member may be re-elected only once; after two successive terms, the officer must vacate the Governing Board and remain without office for at least a year, but may be elected again to any office at the next Annual Meeting. Local Associations must have a president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. Beyond those officers, local Associations may elect other officers and appoint or elect other committees as they see fit.

All Associations will have the following officers:

1. President. Presides over meetings of the Governing Board and Annual Meetings of the full Association; acts as spokesperson of the Association and makes an annual written report of Association activities to the local or national Association and to the Chair of the Coordinating Committee.
2. Vice-President. Takes up the duties of the President or any officer of the Board as required; along with the President, the Vice-President is also an international liaison officer, i.e., attends international meetings as a voting member.
3. Secretary. Handles correspondence and takes minutes; keeps the membership register; refers readers to study groups and responds to reader inquiries or delegates such responses.
4. Treasurer. Responsible for the cash assets and bank accounts of the Association; collects membership dues and donations; responsible for fund-raisers.

   Additionally, national Associations will have four committees. (Local Associations may form these committees as the need arises.) Each committee will have a Chair and two to three other members. Committee Chairs are to be elected by the full Association. The committee members may be elected or appointed as each Association deems best. Committee Chairs also serve as voting members of the Governing Board.

5. Chair of the National Conference Committee. This committee takes responsibility for the practical arrangements for national and other conferences.
6. Chair of the Membership Committee. This committee makes contact with applicants for membership in the Association, interviews applicants, and makes recommendations to the Governing Board to admit or reject these applicants. Admission decisions are made by the Governing Board.
7. Chair of the Education Committee. This committee, which works closely with the National Conference Committee, organizes study seminars and reader meetings.
8. Chair of the Publications Committee. This committee may publish newsletters and other publications. IUA publications may display the Concentric Circles Symbol and the name "URANTIA."

International Meetings

National and/or local Associations may choose to cooperate and serve within a global, continental, or sub continental framework. For that purpose, international meetings, whether face to face or by some other media, can be convened by the Chair of the Coordinating Committee. The nationally elected Presidents and Vice-Presidents, along with the Chair and Associate Chair of the Coordinating Committee, will constitute an international service group, whose purpose, like the purpose of IUA in general, is to facilitate the study of The URANTIA Book and the activities of readers. The international service group is to be task-oriented. For example, a meeting might be convened in order to plan and coordinate an international seminar or initiate a periodical or some other project. The international service group should meet only when necessary to accomplish some clear purpose. It is not a separate organization, standing committee, or other statutory body. If and when the international service group does meet, each national Association, regardless of how small or large its population, will have equal representation (the President and Vice-President) and voting power (two votes), as in the international government discussed in "The Urmia Lectures" (The URANTIABook, p. 1489).

In forming IUA, the Trustees of URANTIA Foundation have attempted to avoid a complex, international, organizational superstructure. Instead, the vast majority of the work of IUA is to be carried out by local and national Associations, with the Coordinating Committee currently assigned to coordinate efforts between constituent Associations.

V. OTHER RELATED GROUPINGS

Individual Readers. Individual readers of The URANTIA Book may or may not choose to contact URANTIA Foundation or its affiliate, IUA. Those who do contact URANTIA Foundation may become part of its mailing list and then will receive information about IUA activities, Foundation activities, and study groups. Individual readers may start a study group or become part of an existing study group. In this regard, the liaison work of IUA may be particularly helpful.

Friends of URANTIA Foundation. Friends of the Foundation are self-declared supporters of URANTIA Foundation who are unable or do not desire to be part of an Association. As Friends, they declare their support for the Foundation's programs and policies, as well as the Foundation's ownership of the copyright and marks. They receive mailings, including newsletters, solicitations, and invitations to participate in IUA workshops and conferences.

Study Groups. Study groups are not a part of the formal IUA structure, but they are related to its work. Study groups may request IUA assistance or information, and study group members may be invited to IUA functions. The Associations of IUA may form a study group or, if requested, foster existing groups as part of its service activity.

VI. Conflict Resolution.

By the written request of an Association's Governing Board, unresolved issues affecting Associations can be brought before the Coordinating Committee, whose members will function as a judicial committee whenever necessary.

The common welfare of IUA should be the first priority of its members, with individual rights of members held as a close second priority.

Removal Procedures

No member shall be expelled from membership in a URANTIA Association unless, as adjudged by such URANTIA Association, the attitude, conduct, or influence of that member shall be prejudicial to the interests and work of the Association. Once expelled, the former member shall cease to be a member of IUA and shall be disqualified for membership in any other URANTIA Association. In the case of expulsion, appeal may be made to the Coordinating Committee.

In order to expel a member, three members of the same constituent Association must bring specific charges of misconduct. After providing the accused member a hearing, an Association can remove a member by a two-thirds majority vote of members present, provided that the members present constitute a quorum.

VII. PROVISION FOR AMENDING THIS DOCUMENT

IUA is intended to be an organic, growing organization which is focused on the in-depth study of The URANTIA Book and its teachings. In order to avoid distracting concerns about the mechanical structure of the organization itself, this Charter and the accompanying Bylaws of IUA have been kept as simple and as minimalistic as possible. Should future developments require further additions, corrections, or clarifications, this Charter may be revised by a majority vote of the Trustees of the URANTIA Foundation.

VIII. CONCLUSION

In its Declaration of Trust, the URANTIA Foundation is charged with disseminating the teachings of The URANTIA Book:

It shall be the duty of the Trustees to disseminate the teachings and doctrines of The URANTIA Book and to devise, develop, and effectuate means and methods for such dissemination, and to apply and use the Trust Estate for the accomplishment of that end (Declaration of Trust, Art.3, Par.4).

Therefore, in accordance with the purposes, policies, tasks, and responsibilities presented in this document, the Trustees of URANTIA Foundation invite readers of The URANTIA Book from all over the world to join with URANTIA Foundation in the work of the International URANTIA Association.

BYLAWS OF THE INTERNATIONAL URANTIA ASSOCIATION

Article 1: Name

The name of the Association will be International URANTIA Association(IUA). In order to be part of IUA, a constituent Association must be licensed by URANTIA Foundation. Such a license privileges the constituent Association to use the name "International URANTIA Association" and make authorized use of the "URANTIA" name and URANTIA Foundation's trademarks, service marks, and collective membership marks.

The International URANTIA Association is legally defined as the reader membership arm of the URANTIA Brotherhood Association, an umbrella organization whose Directors are the Trustees of URANTIA Foundation. IUA enjoys a tax exempt status and other benefits by this legal relationship. Operationally, IUA's constituent Associations are self-governing groups linked together through their IUA Charter and Bylaws, readers' common membership in IUA, and shared tasks and functions.

Article 2: Purpose

IUA is a task-oriented, social and service organization formed by the Trustees of URANTIA Foundation to foster in-depth study of The URANTIA Book and the orderly dissemination of its teachings. The constituent Associations of IUA, as well as any collective bodies which may be formed over time, shall be governed by the Charter as amended from time to time by the Trustees of URANTIA Foundation.

Article 3: Membership Requirements

Any student of The URANTIA Book will be eligible for entrance and membership in IUA, if that person:

1. Has read The URANTIA Book in its entirety and supports its teachings.
2. Supports the Purpose, Policies, Tasks, and Responsibilities of the Charter of IUA.
3. Is sponsored by the Membership Committee and accepted by the Governing Board of an Association (after chartering) or is sponsored by a member of the Coordinating Committee and accepted by the Coordinating Committee prior to chartering.
4. Has paid the annual dues and other fees which an Association may require; contributes annually to URANTIA Foundation.
5. Supports the work of the URANTIA Foundation as specified in its Declaration of Trust; supports the Foundation's ownership of the copyright and marks; and supports IUA's authorized use of the marks.

Article 4: Chartering of Associations

The Coordinating Committee shall charter constituent Associations of International URANTIA Association as national Associations with a minimum of 30 members or local Associations with a minimum of 10 members ( local may be understood as a town, city, or region, depending upon the needs of a given area as determined by the Coordinating Committee). Each constituent Association shall adopt these Bylaws, but, with the permission of the Coordinating Committee, which charters Associations on behalf of the Trustees of URANTIA Foundation, constituent Associations may adopt a written set of rules to supplement or amend these Bylaws as needed. For example, amendments may be necessary or desirable due to a nation's laws or customs. Under a separate agreement, each Association will be licensed by URANTIA Foundation to use the Concentric-Circles Symbol, other registered marks, and the name International URANTIA Association.

If an Association becomes too large, it may request permission of the Coordinating Committee to split into smaller units. Over time, such smaller units may again request permission to split into smaller units as the need arises. As the need arises, but only after informally consulting and formally notifying each constituent Association, the Coordinating Committee may adjust upward the minimum number required for chartering Associations.

Article 5: Organizational Structure

The officers of an Association are called the Governing Board. Besides its other duties, the Governing Board sets the time and venue of an Association's annual meeting. Officers are elected for two year terms, with half the officers up for election in one year and the other half up for election in the following year, so that the entire Governing Board will not be re-placed at one time. A Board member may be re-elected only once; after two successive terms, the officer must vacate the Governing Board and remain without office for at least a year, but that person may be elected again to any office at the next annual meeting. (In the very first election of a chartered Association, half of the officers should be elected for one year terms. But in this special case, these one year terms will not prohibit those elected from being re-elected to two full two year terms.) Local Associations must have at least a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Beyond those officers local Associations may elect other officers and appoint or elect other committees as they see fit.

All Associations will have the following officers:

1. President. Presides over meetings of the Governing Board and annual meetings of the full constituent Association; acts as spokesperson of the Association and makes an annual written report of Association activities to the local or national Association and to the Chair of the Coordinating Committee. The President of a local Association also functions as liaison officer between constituent local Associations, and attends national Association meetings as a voting member. The President of a national Association functions as international liaison officer, and attends international meetings as a voting member.
2. Vice President. Takes up the duties of the President or any officer of the Board as required; along with the President, the Vice President of a local Association also functions as liaison officer between constituent local Associations and attends national Association meetings as a voting member. The Vice President of a national Association functions as international liaison officer, and attends international meetings as a voting member.
3. Secretary. Handles correspondence and takes minutes; keeps the membership register; refers readers to study groups and responds to reader inquiries or delegates such responses.
4. Treasurer. Responsible for the cash assets and bank accounts of the Association; collects membership dues and donations; responsible for fund raisers.

   Additionally, national Associations will have four committees. (Local Associations may form these committees as the need arises.) Each committee will have a Chair and two to three other members. The committee Chairs are to be elected by the full Association. The committee members may be elected or appointed as each Association deems best.

5. The Conference Committee. This committee takes responsibility for the practical arrangements for national and/or other conferences.
6. The Membership Committee. This committee makes contact with applicants for membership in the Association, interviews applicants, and makes recommendations to the Governing Board to admit or reject these applicants. Admission decisions are made by the Governing Board.
7. The Education Committee. This committee, which works closely with the Conference Committee, organizes study seminars and reader meetings.
8. The Publications Committee. This committee may publish newsletters and other publications. IUA licensed publications may display the Concentric-Circles Symbol and the name "URANTIA."

Article 6: Quorum

A quorum of a national or local Association is one-third of its members. A quorum of any Association Governing Board or committee is a majority of its officers or members.

Article 7: Manner of Acting

The act of a majority present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the group, whether a meeting of the members of the Governing Board or an Association committee, unless the act of a greater number is required by law or these Bylaws.

Article 8: Informal Action by the Governing Board

Any action required to be taken at a meeting of the Governing Board or of any Association committee may be taken without a meeting if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by all the board members entitled to vote on the issue under consideration. Any consent signed by all the members of the Governing Board or the members of the Association committee entitled to vote shall have the same effect as a unanimous vote.

Article 9: Removal Procedure

No member shall be expelled from membership in a constituent Association unless, as adjudged by that Association, the attitude, conduct, or influence, of such member shall be prejudicial to the interests and work of that constituent Association or IUA generally. Once expelled, the former member shall cease to be a member of IUA and shall be disqualified for membership in any other constituent group of IUA. In the case of expulsion, appeal may be made to the Coordinating Committee for reinstatement as a member of the constituent Association and of IUA generally.

Article 10: Conflict Resolution

By the written request of an Association's Governing Board, unresolved issues affecting an Association or Associations can be brought before the Coordinating Committee, which will take such action as it deems necessary or appropriate in resolving the conflict. The Coordinating Committee may set the time and venue of special meetings in order to resolve conflicts between the interests of URANTIA Foundation and the activities of an Association or Associations.

Article 11: Fees and Dues

Each Association may require annual dues or other fees which will beset at the Annual Meeting of the Association.

Article 12: Meetings of the Members

There will be an Annual Meeting of each constituent Association. The date, time, and venue of the meeting will be set by the Governing Board of that Association. Notice, date, time, and venue must be reasonable given all the circumstances. Thirty days written notice shall be the IUA standard, although constituent Associations may adopt other standards.

Article 13: Meetings of Governing Boards and Committees

Meetings of the Governing Board or committees of an Association will be held when called by the President of the Governing Board or by the committee Chair or any other two officers of the group in question. Date, time, and venue shall be set by the officer or officers calling the meeting. Notice, date, time, and venue must be reasonable given all the circumstances.

Article 14: Governing Board and Committee Meetings by Telephone and Other Media

Members of the Governing Board and other committees may participate in a meeting by conference telephone or other communications equipment whereby all persons participating can hear each other, and participation in such meeting in such manner shall constitute presence in person at such meeting.

Article 15: Amendments to Bylaws

Amendments to a constituent Association's Bylaws require a two-thirds majority vote of the members within the constituent Association. Amendments to IUA's Bylaws require a two-thirds majority vote of the members within a national Association and a two-thirds majority of all national Associations, excepting Articles 4 and 15, which additionally require the consent of the Coordinating Committee, and excepting Article 18 which cannot be revised by IUA.

Article 16: Extra Votes

Each member of an Association acquires one extra vote for every three years of membership, up to a maximum of three votes.

Article 17: Transfer of Membership

Any individual who is a member of IUA has the right to transfer from one constituent Association to another, provided that the member has reasonable cause for such transfer (e.g., relocation due to one's job or other circumstances) and that the laws of the affected state or country allow such transfer.

Article 18: Dissolution

In the event of the revocation of the charter of a constituent Association, or the voluntary or involuntary dissolution of such an Association, all assets shall be turned over to IUA through the Chair of the Coordinating Committee. In the event of the dissolution of IUA itself, all assets shall be turned over to:

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Chicago, Illinois 60614 U.S.A.

*The International URANTIA Association is legally defined as the reader membership arm of URANTIA Brotherhood Association, an umbrella organization whose Directors are the Trustees of URANTIA Foundation. IUA enjoys a tax exempt status and other benefits by this legal relationship. Operationally, IUA's constituent Associations are self-governing groups linked together through their IUA Charter and Bylaws, readers' common membership in IUA, and shared tasks and functions. The Bylaws of URANTIA Brotherhood Association are available upon request.

® Registered Mark of URANTIA Foundation

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