The Founding Assembly of the Astral Survey Research Union will take place on Saturday, November 7, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pacific Time. Members can attend in a rented meeting room in Southeast Portland or join by video call. The address and the link have been sent to every member by email.
After a year as an informal group, this is the meeting at which ASRU becomes a formal association. Members will vote on the bylaws and elect the people who will run the Union for the next two years. Every member has one vote, whether they attend in person or online.
Agenda
- Opening and roll call
- Adoption of the agenda
- Report on the founding year
- Adoption of the bylaws
- Election of the Council
- Admission of new members
- Work plan and budget for 2027
- Incorporation
- Any other business and close
Sirio Vega Luna will chair the meeting until the Council is elected, and I will take the minutes.
Candidates for the first Council
Nominations closed on October 17. There is one candidate for each office:
| Office | Candidate |
|---|---|
| President | Sirio Vega Luna |
| Vice-President | Theo Nakashima |
| Secretary | Owen McAllister |
| Treasurer | Hana Kowalczyk |
| Council member | Mareike Schulte |
Each candidate has written a short statement, which members can read in the shared drive. Even with one candidate per office, every position goes to a vote.
The bylaws
The final draft of the bylaws is online. It takes account of 31 of the 47 comments members sent during the summer. Members will vote on the text as a whole.
What happens afterwards
If the bylaws are adopted:
- membership opens to anyone aged 18 or over who agrees to our code of conduct. If you have already written to join@asru.org, we will reply in the week after the assembly;
- the new Council will start the process of incorporating ASRU as a nonprofit in Oregon;
- the record of the meeting, including the result of every vote, will be published on the Founding Assembly page.
For members
If you cannot attend in person or online, please let me know by Wednesday, November 4. If you would like help following the meeting in another language, tell us in advance and we will arrange it.
Questions about the assembly can be sent to support@asru.org.