RH Jones: Who got the Frequent Flier Miles?

From: RH Jones
Sent: Monday, December 05, 2005
Subject: Frequent Fliers

Dennis & John,

Last spring, having raised the question as to whether, or not, the frequently flying STRS Bd members ever turned their frequent flier miles back into the STRS, on behalf of all the STRS annuitants, I wonder if they may have kept them themselves? This should be known before Hazel Sidaway's trial.

As a follow-up, could either of you two ask STRS if they got these miles, or did STRS get them for sure? It is an important ethical point: If they got them, and then kept them to use themselves, is that not theft in office? And, if they did keep them, these frequent flier miles would have been an incentive for them to fly as often as they could get away with it. These miles could have then be used for free vacation flying anywhere in the airline's area of service.

Of course, turning the miles back into STRS was the right thing to do. The miles could have been used for STRS business travel; thus saving STRS funds.

RHJones