Rules of Business Practice for the 2005–2010 USP Board of Trustees

4. Meetings

4.01 Types of Meetings

Meetings of the Board shall be scheduled in accordance with Chapter VI, Section 4 of the Bylaws. Meetings may take place in which members are present in a single location (face-to-face meetings) or, as provided in Chapter VI, Section 5 of the Bylaws, in which all members may be present by teleconference, videoconference, Internet, or similar electronic means, provided that all members present are able to hear or perceive each other's comments simultaneously (telephonic meetings).

4.02 Participation by Telephone or Electronic Means

A member may participate via teleconference, videoconference, Internet or similar electronic means and be deemed to be present at a face-to-face Board meeting only if approved by majority vote of the Board. A member may not participate by such means in more than one face-to-face Board meeting per year, unless otherwise approved by majority vote of the Board. Anyone participating in a meeting by telephone, videoconference, Internet, or similar electronic means shall announce his/her entrance and departure from the meeting.

4.03 Attendance Policy

If an attendance problem exists regarding a member, the Chairperson will promptly contact the member to discuss the problem. The member's response will be shared by the Chairperson with the entire Board at the next Board meeting. In that meeting, the Board will decide what actions to take regarding the Board member's future membership on the Board, taking into account the reasons for the attendance problem. If the Board decides that membership should be terminated, the Chairperson may notify the member of the Board's decision and request a letter of resignation from the member. In the event the member refuses to resign, the Board may proceed to remove the member by two-thirds vote in accordance with Chapter VI, Section 25 of the Bylaws. An attendance problem shall be deemed to exist if: (i) a member has two consecutive absences for which there was no prior notification to USP of such absence; or (ii) a member has three consecutive absences, whether or not prior notification of such absence was provided to USP.