SRA General Meeting Monday, September 15

The General Meeting will begin at 12:00 p.m. in Room 224 of the Andrus Gerontology Center.  Lunch will be served at 12:15 p.m.  Reservations must be received by Monday, September 8.  Call (213) 740-7122 or e-mail emeriti@usc.edu.  The program will be a discussion of potential USC retiree housing PLUS a SURPRISE musical event.  Don't miss our first meeting of the 2008–09 year.  Featured speakers will be Michael Lehrer, AIA Award Winning Architect and Adjunct Faculty, USC School of Architecture, and Kristina Raspe, USC Associate Vice President for Real Estate and Asset Management.

Neighborhood Walkability Audit September 21

The USC Fall Prevention Center of Excellence will hold a Neighborhood Walkability Audit Sunday, September 21, at 1:00 p.m. in Culver City.  The event will be part of California's Fall Prevention Awareness Week, September 21–27, 2008.  Click here for more information.  Visit the Fall Prevention Center's Web site, www.stopfalls.org.

October Day Trip to the Egyptian Theatre

Please join your SRA colleagues on Tuesday, October 7, for a tour of the restored Egyptian Theatre in the heart of Hollywood, home of the American Cinematheque, dedicated to the screening of classic, documentary, foreign films, and short subjects.  We will also screen "Forever Hollywood," a feature-length film hosted by Sharon Stone with interviews of many Hollywood greats and many classic film clips. For complete details and registration form, click here.

Ron Violette Receives 2008 Leibovitz Award

Ron Violette is the recipient of the 2008 Leibovitz Award for Distinguished Volunteer Service to Seniors.  Ron retired from USC in 1991 after 15 years service in the Institute of Safety and Systems Management.  He has been an SRA board member since 1992.  In 1994, Ron published the first SRA newsletter.  Sixty-one issues later, he joined the "e-mail age."  After writing the first 33 issues, he and Len Wines have shared authoring the SRA E-Newsletter.  Ron also serves as "Bylaws Officer" for the SRA and volunteers on many SRA projects/events.

Q&A About Retiring from USC

The USC Emeriti Center, in conjunction with the USC Benefits Office, has produced a list of “Commonly Asked Questions” for pre-retirees and retirees alike.  Thirty-two frequently asked questions (FAQs) and the answers to them are divided into seven categories: the retirement process, retiree privileges, finances, health issues, Social Security, Medicare, and information about the USC retiree community.  This Web page also features links to the resources discussed.

USC Retirement Savings Program Web Page

The USC Benefits Office has created a series of Web pages providing information about the newly-instituted Retirement Savings Program.  Among the features are Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), forms for enrolling in the new program, and a resource library of videos and brochures.  Check out this page by clicking here.

SRA Arts and Crafts Exhibit

The SRA held its first Arts and Crafts Exhibit on June 4, 2007.  The exhibit took place in the Student Lounge of the Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center on the University Park Campus.  Click here to see photos and read more about this event.  [NOTE: The 10 photos on this page may make it slow to load, especially for those with dial-up Internet connections.]

Upcoming Events of Interest

Introducing the SRA

The USC Staff Retirement Association was founded to:

• Strengthen and promote ties between retired staff and the University in creative ways
• Develop and support programs of interest to retirees
• Help make retirement creative and rewarding
• Enhance the lifelong relationship of USC staff with each other and the University

Membership

All members of USC staff and their spouses/partners are eligible for membership. There is no age restriction. Active and retired staff are encouraged to join. Dues are as follows:

Single membership per year		$15.00
Joint membership per year		$25.00
Single life membership		$400.00
Joint life membership		$700.00

• Single membership: Any staff member or spouse/partner of staff member. Spouse/partner member may retain membership after the death of staff member.
• Joint membership: Any staff member and spouse/partner.
• Life membership is paid once and is non-transferrable.

Click here or at the left for an SRA membership application form in PDF format.

SRA Meetings, Programs, and Other Activities

The SRA holds three regular general meetings per year—September, December, and June. It also holds one annual Staff Recognition Luncheon sponsored by the Senior Vice President to honor recent retirees—usually in March.

Programs are included in each regular general meeting. In cooperation with the Retired Faculty Association, the Emeriti Center, and the Emeriti College, additional programs are held throughout the year. Click here to see examples of some recent SRA programs.

The SRA usually organizes two visits per year to places of interest in the Los Angeles area. There is normally a fee to cover expenses. Some recent day trips have included visits to the:

Disney Concert Hall
Getty Villa
Griffith Park Observatory
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

Special events are also held from time to time. The last special event was “Carousel,” a play presented by students from the USC School of Theatre.

Communications

The Staff Retirement Association reaches out to its members in several ways including the following:

• A committee sends cards to recognize members’ birthdays and other occasions.
• An email Newsletter is sent monthly to members who submit email addresses to our editors.
• An Emeriti Center email system is being set up for those who have email access and want to receive important information in a timely fashion. The lists will be designated for those who live close to campus or those who live at a distance so that information will be more appropriately disseminated.

Organization

A Board of Directors meets monthly (except the months with a general meeting).  There are opportunities for serving on the Board as an elected officer, a committee/event chair, or a member-at-large.  Service on committees and participation in coordinating events is also available.  If you would like to serve, contact SRA President Carole Gustin at cgustin@usc.edu.

Last modified: 25 August 2008