It’s finally here! No, I don’t mean Spring — although the warmer, sunnier days are a gift. I am referencing the 2021 IU Trustee Election. Candidates are now certified, and their names and biographies are now located on the IU Trustee Election website. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 trustee election was canceled. Therefore, two alumni-elected trustees will be chosen in 2021. The candidate with the highest number of votes will serve the standard three-year term. The candidate with the next highest number of votes will serve an abbreviated two-year term. The election begins on June 1 and closes on June 30.

As we transition into election season, we need to remind ourselves and our volunteers about appropriate conduct during the campaign. We play an active part in encouraging alumni to both run and vote in the election, but given the close role the IUAA plays in conducting the election, we must take great care to remain neutral. Read a full copy of the IU Trustee Election Guidelines. Here are a few common situations in which our alumni leaders find themselves:

• Alumni leaders and groups are encouraged to invite trustee candidates to alumni events and engage in other activities that encourage fellow IU graduates to vote in the election. All candidates should be provided a fair and equal opportunity to participate in activities designed to raise awareness of and voting in the election. If you invite one, you need to extend the invitation to all.
• Communications that mention a particular person’s candidacy must also mention all other candidates’ names, and direct readers to the election website: http://TrusteeElection.iu.edu
• Speakers at alumni events, both virtual and in-person, may announce that a particular guest is running for trustee, but the speaker also must mention all other candidates prominently.
• IUAA employees, the Board of Managers, Executive Council and other IUAA-recognized alumni communities (affiliate groups, chapters, and constituent societies) must not formally endorse or support individual candidates for IU Trustee.
• IUAA employees and elected members of IUAA recognized groups may follow the personal social media pages of a given candidate. They should not endorse, follow, or “favorite” or “like” pages created specifically to advance the candidacy of a particular individual, since such actions can be construed as endorsement of a particular candidate. Expressed opinions regarding individual candidates must be qualified along the lines of, “This is my personal opinion, and does not represent the position of the IU Alumni Association.”

We are looking forward to a great race!