UCI  EMERITAE/I  ASSOCIATION  MINUTES

MEETING:   NOV 3, 2003  

 

 

Present:

Julian Feldman, Sam McCulloch, Kivie Moldave, Bob Montgomery,
Lyman Porter, Lorie Reed, Roland Schinzinger, Ann Stephens,

John Swett and Jerry Tobis.

 

 

The meeting was called to order by Chair Lyman Porter at 9:15 am.

      

 

I.    Minutes of the October meeting:  The minutes of the October meeting were approved as distributed.  Julian Feldman discussed the issue of the cost of the University Club.  He suggested the Emeritae/i Association pay the room charge, and the charge to the attendees be only the food costs.  Lorie Reed suggested we postpone further discussion of the University Club as she will have a spreadsheet available at the December meeting in which it will be easy to see what the charges have been.

 

II.  Treasurer’s Report:   Lorie Reed said she was not prepared to offer a complete treasurer’s report as she just returned from an out of town visit and has not yet received any new figures about the amount in each account.  Reed said the balance is about $2920 in the account, less the Sept and Oct expenses and plus the dues received. She had just received dues payments of about $1200.  Feldman said he would like to see a change made in the manner by which the monies are kept.  He told the group that none of the other campuses’ emeriti groups have this relationship with the foundation, they all keep their own books.  Porter suggested the treasurer take that under consideration, as there are pros and cons, and advise at a later time.

 

III.  Program Committee:  John Swett announced the reservation at the University Club for a holiday party on Tuesday, the 16th of December from 4 to 6 pm.  A mailing will be sent preceding the event with a tear-off coupon for a payment of about $16 per person.  Swett said the house wine will be served to eliminate the corkage fee charged when wines have been brought in. Swett also mentioned his frustration of dealing with the U Club, as they do not take and do not return phone calls.  McCulloch said the person who had been in charge is no longer employed there.  It was determined the club is not part of the university, but a separate entity.  Ann Stephens said she was appalled that tax is charged on the gratuity. 

 

Swett mentioned an idea he has about phoning the department heads on campus, seeking a speaker who might give a lecture on the topic of focusing on the discipline per se.  He is particularly interested in having such a talk from someone in the Humanities, Engineering or Computer Sciences.  He would like a talk concentrating on the issues most important to the academic discipline with which people are involved.   Porter agreed it would be good to have a speaker from another department other than science.  Swett welcomed suggestions.  Bob Montgomery mentioned Jeffrey Wolf of the English Department who had just published a biography of Nathaniel West.  West’s last book was The Burning of Los Angeles Swett said he will try to arrange the next event in February or March. 

  

Tobis said he was disappointed in the attendance at the executive board meetings and at the social events.  He felt this is embarrassing and it is necessary to find a way to reach out for more participation.  Schinzinger suggested a joint effort with the Forum which could be labeled as the Emeritae/i contribution to the Forum, and Feldman suggested welcoming the retirees.  Swett mentioned there might be a problem for room reservations with a larger attendance.  Stephens suggested bus trips to places such as LA to visit the Disney Concert Hall and the new cathedral.   

 

IV.  Newsletter Editor’s Report:   Bob Montgomery reported there had been a foul up in delivering the Newsletter to the Clone Factory for reproduction, only half of it was formatted and delivered.  As soon as this omission was discovered, the balance was taken to the Clone Factory and we were given a quick ‘turn around’ which allowed a second mailing to go out within a few days.  Stephens said she will write a short article for the next Newsletter.  It was announced a letter was received from Dennis Mull with his dues payment that could be included in the next issue.  Porter mentioned that one of the other campuses included a page in their newsletter with blank lines to be filled in by readers who could write something about themselves and return it for publication in the next issue.

 

 V.  Awards Committee:   Tobis reported a conference call between himself, David Easton, Ron Miller and Roland Schinzinger, in which they agreed on an annual award for mentoring to be presented with a plaque and a stipend which might hopefully be donated by the Chancellor’s Club or Advancement.  Tobis provided a summary of his understanding of this call and copies were distributed.  Tobis also said there was not unanimity about involving administrators    Reed suggested the committee study the proposal for further discussion at the December meeting.   Swett mentioned the difficulty in determining who is performing the mentoring and suggested any award be restricted to faculty.  Porter suggested to Tobis that he confer with the associate Executive Vice Chancellor Herb Killackey’s office before the December meeting to ask if there are any issues or comments we have not considered.  Reed brought up the point that a trial period might be helpful, and should no one be nominated, the plan could be dropped.  Swett said this award may add an additional burden to those who are asked to nominate mentors.  Schinzinger suggested the offering be submitted directly to the students through a student newspaper.  Tobis suggested obtaining the entire email addresses of the campus to send the information about the availability of the award.  It was also suggested that Tobis check with Carol Gardner about any duplications this award might present.

 

VI.  Retirees Report:   In the absence of Dennis Clark, there was no report on the retirees.

 

VII. Membership of Librarians:  In a copy of the report sent to Feldman by Nora Jones of UCLA, which was distributed, Porter called to everyone’s attention the indented paragraph of the UCLA’s present version of the UCLA by-laws in which members of the Librarians Association of the university are eligible for membership in the UCLA Emeriti Association.  Moldave asked for an explanation of who would qualify.  Montgomery suggested the UCI Emeritae/i Association adopt the format used by UCLA.  Reed was asked if she could forsee any problems with adopting the same format.  She did not.  Several people thought it might be beneficial to invite the head Librarian to an executive meeting where the discussion could continue.  Moldave preferred to wait until more discussion could take place among the members.  Porter suggested obtaining the by-laws of the Librarians Association.  Schinzinger offered the apparent history of the Librarians request, which originated when the Librarians negotiated a new contract and questioned placing themselves into differing categories none of which included the Emeritae/i Association.  

  

VIII.  New and Unfinished Business:  Feldman reminded the group of the Annuitant Benefits Fair upcoming November 6th  from 9 to 11 am.  He strongly suggested a good attendance.  Feldman was reminded the Emeritae/i Association has arranged a meeting with Joe Walsh, Healthcare Facilitator, on November 14th at the Student Center.  Feldman advised that Walsh may send a substitute to speak, as family illness may prevent his attendance. 

 

Feldman also announced that the Council on Faculty Welfare is going to review the staff housing issue so that the senior/retirement housing issue may arise in that concept.  He also advised that the federal government offered a long term care insurance for federal employees which may be an influential factor in the state’s consideration of long term care.  There is a bill pending in Congress about using the cost of this insurance being a deductible item on income tax forms.  There is a possibility that it could be extended to more than federal workers. 

 

 

 

The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 am

The next executive committee meeting will take place December 1, 2003