GSA Meeting Minutes - August 27, 2009

UGA Graduate Student Association

MEETING MINUTES

DATE: August 27, 2009

LOCATION: MLC 150

 1.             WELCOME & INTRODUCTION 

1.1    Meeting called to order at 7:00pm 

1.2    President Will Rooks welcomed all graduate students and guests in attendance.  Each executive officer introduced himself or herself.  William Rooks (President) is a second year Public Administration student studying policy analysis.  Robert Shostak (Vice President) is in his second year of his master's program in Public Administration with pursuing a specialization in policy analysis. Ashley Dean (Chief of Staff) is a second year master's student in public administration with a focus in health policy.  Jenna Drenten (Secretary) is currently a 3rd year PhD Student in the Department of Marketing and Distribution at UGA. 

1.3    GSA recently updated its website.  The new website is intended to be used as a vehicle for communication with graduate students and other interested parties.  The new website features video capabilities and the GSA blog.  The website can be found at www.ugagsa.org. 

1.4    The mission of GSA is to represent the over 8,000 graduate and professional students at the University of Georgia and advocate on their behalf.  GSA advances student rights and interests, holds exciting socials, organizes community service events, and keeps students informed about issues relevant to graduate student life at UGA.  GSA encourages students to get involved with GSA and take an active interest in their experience at UGA. 

2.       OLD BUSINESS 

No old business was presented or suggested.

3.       NEW BUSINESS 

3.1    HEALTH INSURANCE:  Recent changes to the health insurance policy at UGA were discussed.  Over the summer of 2009, Sam O’Dell, a grad student at UGA, contacted Will Rooks, GSA President, regarding a recent Board of Regents decision to increase the out of pocket cost for insurance.  Because of the latest move by the Regents, students now face a quadrupled maximum out of pocket limit ($10,000) and a lower maximum benefit for dependents ($50,000).  The previous out of pocket maximum was $2,500.  GSA responded by prompting administrators to inform grad students of the changes.  Also, media outlets, such as the Red & Black, the Flagpole, WUOG, and the Athens Banner Herald were contacted.  Will Rooks has been in touch with the Board of Regents, University Administrators, Higher Committees, and other graduate student organizations across the state of GA.  Compared to peer and aspirational institutions, UGA is does not provide comparable health insurance.  GSA encourages students to address the issue tactfully.  The changes affect one particular UGA student personally.  A video interview with Nicole Camastra, a doctoral candidate in English, was shown in which she discusses how her personal battle with cancer is impacted by the health insurance policy change.  The video can be accessed here:  http://www.ugagsa.org/news/view/182 

         The floor was opened for discussion.  A brief outline of the discussion is as follows: 

COMMENT:  It seems the main issue is lack of notice or short notice.   The abrupt change seems to be the main issue

QUESTION:  How does the university justify the decision to change the policy? 

GSA RESPONSE:  The University is not in charge of the decision.  The Board of Regents in the state of Georgia made the decision.  It has recently come to GSA’s attention that the Board of Regents insurance committee hasn’t met for a year.

Comment:  I am under the impression that the reason for the change is due to 12% increase from Pearce & Pearce (insurance company); I would suggest to board of regents that graduate students be allowed to purchase a higher level of insurance at a 17% increase per individual. 

QUESTION:  What are your hopes for solving this issue?  And why did this insurance change come about in the first place?

GSA Response:  Actually, the Graduate Student Association is responsible for even having insurance available in the first place based on advocacy years ago, so we do in fact have a lot of pull.  Right now, our hope is to keep the same policy as last year.  It would mean that each grad student would be required to pay $40 more per year.  From a strategic standpoint of the University, the grad student population needs to be grown.  Thus, this debate will be at the forefront.  

QUESTION:  Was this decision made on the basis of money/budget/timing?

GSA Response:  It was not made at the institution level.  We don’t know the date, time, logistics, attendees, etc. of the meeting where this decision was made. 

Question:  Are we just supposed to accept whatever Pearce offers or are there other options for insurance?

Right now, Pearce is the only option through the USG.  However, the USG opens bidding for insurance occasionally, but not every year.  When this happens, new service providers may be considered. 

Question:  Who is on the Board of Regents?

GSA Response:  Governor’s appointees – mostly CEOs, lawyers, doctors, etc.  It is a state run body.  

Question:  Will someone be able to get on the Board of Regents to represent our interests?

GSA Response:  We’re working with SGA bodies across the state and this issue will be raised with the Board. 

Question:  How many students are on with Pearce & Pearce?

GSA Response:  We don’t know. 

Question:  We’re state employees, so why don’t we have state insurance?

GSA Response:  National organizations of graduate students are asking these questions because insurance is such a huge issue, nationwide.  Originally, GSA asked for state insurance.  We are currently partnered with grad schools across the state through the Georgia University System, so we haven’t seen an economy of scale.  We’re considering whether or not it may be possible to separate from GA University System. 

COMMENT:  Student went to Website – no warning of changes to the insurance policy on the website.  The student had an experience in which a trip to the ER was required because the Health Center was not open. Pearce & Pearce said any ER would be covered; however, the student ended up having to pay for visit out of pocket over 6 months. 

COMMENT:  Pearce seems to be notorious for doing everything they can to not pay or delay payment of an insurance claim; doctors’ offices already expect issues with Pearce;  send notices to grad students in advance to be sure that Pearce will pay; Pearce should just suck it up and pay. 

COMMENT:  One student finds it easier to pay out of pocket and go back to home state of SC, rather than find a doctor here in Athens. 

Question:  Student fees for health center – can you waive out?

GSA RESPONSE:  You can waive out but you need to go to the Health Center to do so and there are some stipulations as to who is eligible for waiving student fees. 

Question:  What can we do?  Who do we write letters to?

GSA RESPONSE:  Join the GSA Health Insurance Committee!  This is incredibly important.  This committee will be in charge of researching and understanding any issues surrounding health issues relevant to grad student.  Note that any action taken should be careful and deliberate; this is a sensitive subject, so we are trying to appeal to logic and emotion.  You may also contact legislators and members of the Board of Regents.  E-mail addresses for members of the Higher Education Committee of the General Assembly can be found on the GSA website at http://www.ugagsa.org/news/view/182. 

COMMENT:  One student’s classmate at the Griffin campus is required to come to the UGA health center every three months because Pearce & Pearce won’t recognize any doctors in Griffin.

COMMENT:  Roommate had medical issues. She chose to get care at a facility, superior in care, but not covered by Pearce.  She actually decided to switch institutions because of insurance issues, among other things. 

GSA COMMENT:  We would like to get grad students’ stories on videos in order to create some momentum and put faces and names with the fact that this is affecting us.  Will has contacted various media channels already in order to get people talking about the issue and to raise awareness.  The fear is that a student would not be aware of these changes, go to the Health Center for whatever reason, and be slapped with a huge bill due to these policy changes. 

COMMENT:  Students may not understand the all of the jargon and terms used when describing health insurance – it’s too confusing.  We should somehow make it easier for students to understand.

GSA RESPONSE:  We completely agree.  Therefore, we would like to bring the discussion to your department by conducting town halls, departmental meetings, etc.  We want to be able to meet with as many students as possible to really explain the policy changes in terms that everyone can understand and to hear how this is affecting students in each of your departments on a personal level. 

QUESTION:  Is our ultimate goal:  Decrease out of pocket or get rid of Pearce?

GSA RESPONSE:  Other institutions use Etna or other providers.  In the short term, our goal is to push to restore the insurance from last year and reduce out of pocket.  In the long term, we would like to see bidding for other insurance companies opened. 

QUESTION:  Could we as grad students bid for a new provider, rather than the Board of Regents?

GSA RESPONSE:  Probably not. 

         Discussion was closed. 

3.2  INCREASED STUDENT FEES:  Recently, it has been rumored that student fees are to increase by $150.  GSA will be working to prevent increased student fees.  Instead, student tuition may be increased. 

         The floor was opened for discussion.  A brief outline of the discussion is as follows: 

Comment:  Reason for not raising tuition is due to comparison with other schools, but in reality, tuition is an artificial number because once you get here you have to pay a lot of student fees.  So minimal tuition equates to maximum student fees.  It’s misleading.

GSA RESPONSE:  True.  This is likely because it’s easier to raise student fees for the institutions than to raise tuition.  

Comment:  It’s a vicious cycle.  They keep raising fees and we keep taking out loans. 

QUESTION:  Is the goal to compare student fees of UGA with other institutions?

GSA RESPONSE:  Yes, right now the focus is insurance; however, we are well aware of the student fee issue and plan to work on it next.  We sit on every student fee committee at the university level; if you have concerns, please bring them to us 

         Discussion was closed. 

3.3    HERO PHILANTHROPY:  GSA has partnered with HERO for Children to raise money for children affected or infected with HIV and AIDS.  GSA plans to play a movie on Herty field as part of its philanthropic support of HERO.  If any grad student is interested in getting involved, he or she is encouraged to join the GSA philanthropy committee. 

3.4    ANIMAL HEALTH RESEARCH CENTER:  The AHRC operates under safe and secure conditions.  AHRC scientists study areas that affect animal and human populations. Research into animal and human diseases has become increasingly vital to both animal and human health. With the addition of the Animal Health Research Center to the University of Georgia, investigators have a new opportunity to contribute to this important area of research.  GSA has confidence in the safety and security of the AHRC.  For more information about the AHRC, visit http://www.vet.uga.edu/ahrc/ 

         The floor was opened for discussion.  

A student who works at the AHRC corroborates GSA’s confidence in the safety and security of the AHRC.  

         Discussion was closed.

3.5  TECHNOLOGY @ UGA:  Technology fees will play a large role in the coming years at UGA.  The university will eliminate WebCT as of 2010.  All courses will use eLearning Commons (Blackboard Vista).  

         The floor was opened for discussion.  A brief outline of the discussion is as follows: 

QUESTION:  Does eLC add to costs for students? 

GSA RESPONSE:  To our knowledge, no.  In fact, it should be more cost effective given that the university will no longer pay for WebCT. 

         Discussion was closed. 

3.6  PROVOST CANDIDATES:  Arnett C. Mace Jr. will retire as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost on Jan. 1, 2010.  The Provost Search Advisory Committee is has selected four finalists who will come to the University of Georgia for interviews.  The finalists are Mary Anne Fitzpatrick (Founding Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Carolina), Sallie Keller-McNulty (William and Stephanie Sick Dean, Rice University), Jere W. Morehead (Vice President for Instruction, University of Georgia), and Robert D. Newman (Dean of Humanities, University of Utah).  For more information about each of the potential provost candidates, visit http://www.libs.uga.edu/provost/ 

3.7    UNIVERSITY COUNCIL EDUCATIONAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE:  Recently, the University Council Educational Affairs Committee met.  Any graduate students interested in obtaining minutes from this meeting should contact GSA President, Will Rooks. 

3.8  The floor was closed for discussion of New Business. 

4.       FLOOR OPENED FOR GENERAL DISCUSSION 

4.1    The floor was then open for discussion and presentation of any new business items that meeting attendees would like to discuss.  The following items were presented from the floor. 

4.2    PARKING CHANGES:  Some students expressed concerns with the recent changes in parking on campus.  Some general concerns include rising costs, personal safety in remote or unsecure lots, and lack of parking availability.  A brief summary of the discussion is as follows: 

Comment:  Space is limited.  For instance, the W04 lot will not be available after the present semester.  

Comment:  Security is an issue.  For instance, according to one student, parking in the NO2 lot is scary and unsafe given the lack of adequate lighting.  Because graduate students are often on campus late at night, this is concerning. 

Comment:  Faculty gets first dibs on parking, but we, as grad students, get paid the least.  It doesn’t seem fair.  Also, parking services should at least mail our passes to us. 

Comment:  Space is limited.  For instance, only two graduates in one science department got parking assignments this year.  It just seems ridiculous that grad students don’t get first dibs on any lots on campus. 

Comment:  One graduate student mentioned being denied a parking assignment. 

Comment:  The lack of transportation on campus and campus transit on weekends in particular just adds to the issues of parking and transportation, particularly for graduate students living in Grad Housing. 

Comment:  Parking changes at Ramsey are also of concern.  The lots and parking deck near Ramsey have changed their policies.  It is unfair to students who would like to utilize the rec services and are honest in using the previous pay-per-space system.  Now, all students must park in the deck and pay a fee or take on campus transportation, which isn’t allows convenient. 

GSA RESPONSE:  Students should contact parking services with their individual specific questions.  Parking services does in fact work extremely hard to make on campus parking convenient, safe, and cost efficient.  Nonetheless, no system is without flaw.  The issues of space, cost, and particularly safety are certainly concerning to GSA.  Students are encouraged to continue bringing serious issues such as these to GSA’s attention. 

4.3    DEPARTMENT LACKS ENDOWED CHAIR:  A student expressed concern with the fact that his department has an endowed chair position that the department cannot currently fill. 

GSA RESPONSE:  This is an issue that needs to be presented to the Provost and discussed with him. 

4.4    VANDALISM DURING FOOTBALL GAMES:  A student whose department is housed in Peabody Hall expressed concern with the fact that the university building, located on North Campus, was significantly damaged last year during football games.  This year, the building has instituted a new key card entry system for game days; however, security is still of concern.  Better police controls should be present on North Campus, so as to protect the buildings, as well as the tailgaters. 

COMMENT: Maybe the Athletic department should be contacted.  Clearly, it has a lot of money coming in and it would make sense for the athletic department to contribute some funding for better security on campus, since the game is the reason people are coming to campus. 

4.5  The floor was closed for discussion. 

5.       GSA COMMITTEES 

5.1    GSA would like students to come to the general GSA meetings, but we would also love for students to join particular committees as well.  Each of the committees offers a chance to gain some practical experience and the more involvement that we have, the more that we can do.  Robert Shostak, GSA Vice President, briefly described each GSA committee.  Individuals are encouraged to sign up for a committee.  The committees are as follows:  

Standing:  Interdisciplinary Conference Committee, Health Insurance Committee, Philanthropy/Service Projects, Social Committee, Community Relations Committee 

Ad Hoc:  Issues and Concerns Committee, Fundraising Committee, Orientation Committee, Public Relations, International Student Affairs Committee 

6.       CLOSING 

6.1    ASSOCIATE DEAN INTRODUCTION:  GSA was fortunate to have special guest David Knauft, Associate Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Georgia, in attendance at the first GSA meeting of the year.  Associate Dean Knauft introduced himself to the graduate students and guests in attendance.  He is excited about the coming year and pleased to see GSA, GAPS, and the Graduate School all working so closely together already.  Also, he mentioned that the Graduate School was just as blindsided by the health insurance policy changes as graduate students themselves were.  The Graduate Student administration is devoted to supporting grad students and GSA this year. 

6.2    Meeting adjourned at 8:07pm.  After the meeting, individuals stayed to sign up for committees.