UCIEA Executive Committee Meeting Minutes of May
1, 2006
Present: Justin Call, Julian Feldman, Barbara Hamkalo, Stuart Krassner, Ann Heiney, Peggy Maradudin, Ronald Miller, Kivie Moldave, Bob Montgomery, Lyman Porter, Lorie Reed, Myron Simon, Ann Stephens, Jerome Tobis.
Call to Order: Meeting initiated by Chair Kivie Moldave at 9:15 a.m.
Treasurer's Report: Lorie Reed reported that the balance in the Foundation Account is $1478.54 and in the Academic Affairs account $839. We anticipate expenses for the May 19 and the June meetings at the University Club, expenses for printing and mailing the newsletter, travel expenses for the CUCEA meeting, and the $300 we allocated to the survey of benefits provided by schools and departments. It is hoped that Human Resources may support the cost of the survey mailings. It is very difficult for our Treasurer to have two separate accounts and particularly to have our primary account with the UCI Foundation since that precludes our paying our creditors directly as one would from a private checking account (as we understand is the case at Berkeley and Santa Barbara). Apparently we are the only emeritae/i association whose account is with the campus Foundation.
Program Committee: Julian Feldman reported the May 19 meeting (on how to talk with one's doctor) from two to 4 p.m. at the University club will have a panel of Andrew Reikes, Pam Lawrence, Laura Mosqueda, and Ron Miller. The June meeting that we hope will be a luncheon meeting held at the University Club will feature a talk on stem cells hopefully by Peter Donovan, open nominations, election of officers, and presentation of mentorship and outstanding emerita/us awards.
Newsletter: Bob Montgomery will call Ed Arquilla to obtain an obituary for Warren Bostick. Kivie Moldave will phone Jeri Frederick who could not be at the meeting today to arrange for hard copies of the newsletter to be sent shortly and for e-mail notices to all emeritae/i to indicate the newsletter is forthcoming and to announce the May 19 and June meetings.
The Committee on Faculty Welfare: Myron Simon reported the April UCI CFW meeting reviewed matters previously discussed. Julian Feldman reported the UC wide CFW discussed revisions to the Academic Personnel Manual (with a limit on accrual of sick leave for faculty), but provided relatively little discussion of cuts in retirement health benefits which were discussed in some detail at the CUCEA meeting to be reported below. Apparently the University wishes retiree contributions for health benefits to resume in July, 2007 but unions wish to discuss this matter when contracts are renegotiated in 2008, and there appears to be a stalemate. It has been advised that those intending to retire should resign before the end of June in order to get an inactive COLA 2% increase in perpetuity and then to retire in July or within 120 days.
School and Department Survey: Revisions to the survey questionnaire presented at the April 3 meeting have been made by Anita Iannucci, but decisions regarding mailing and follow-up mailings have not yet been made. Recall that we committed $300 to the Survey and that our financial status seriously limits further expense for the survey.
Nominating Committee: Nominees are needed for secretary and for program chair. Volunteers for either or both positions would be greatly appreciated. Thus far we have nominees for chair (Ron Miller), vice chair (Barbara Hamkalo), Treasurer (Stuart Krassner), and newsletter editor (Ted Quilligan).
Awards Committee:
Kivie Moldave read an
extraordinary letter of praise sent to David Easton as this year's Panunzio Award recipient.
There is to be an award ceremony on campus and presentation of a $5,000
honorary award. When Renée Hubert
received the Panunzio Award, EVC William Lilliman presided at a luncheon in her honor. Kivie Moldave will discuss this with the EVC and Provost. Kivie reported that
Jerry Tobis announced that Julian Feldman is this year’s recipient of the Daniel Aldrich Distinguished Service Award.
Lorie Reed reported the Committee has recommended, and the Executive Committee today approved the outstanding emerita/us award to Ann Stephens. Lorie also reported that there are approximately 10 nominees for the mentoring award and that the committee will meet to select one or possibly two.
Ethics Committee: The Committee was charged "to consider future ethical issues that may arise on our campus" and how the emeritae/i might assist in providing advice and/or in preventing ethical problems or in detecting them sufficiently early that harm to patients and/or research subjects is minimized and scandals avoided”. Barbara Hamkalo appropriately commented that we need to broaden the charge beyond minimizing harm to patients and/or research subjects. Kivie Moldave voiced concern that Emeritae/i would not be unbiased and suggested a committee of community members would be. In any event, the Executive Committee reaffirmed its prior recommendation that there be a committee and that it make recommendations to the Executive Committee. The committee members are Feldman, Hoffer, Miller, Moldave, Swett, and Tobis as chair.
Retirees: We are informed their association is reorganizing and hopefully will send a representative to our meetings next year.
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute: Peggy Maradudin reported that 43% of active faculty but only 1-2%
of retired faculty have taught for the Institute. She states doing so has been helpful to the
faculty as a sounding board for their research, but also that it is pleasant to
have a receptive, knowledgeable audience, and she would encourage greater
participation of emeritae/i. Peggy is a student of Russian history and is
currently teaching a course on this topic, and two emeritae/i are members of the class. Although the
CUCEA: Kivie Moldave reported that only three campuses reported a 30% return of bio-bibliography forms and that three campuses had failed to submit a report, but he was particularly embarrassed that UCI was one of the latter three. He stated only eight bio-bib forms were submitted by UCI emeritae/i. To encourage a greater participation, Kivie points out our treasury is unable to cover the $250-$300 necessary to send out stamped envelopes with the forms, and he has requested financing from CUCEA for this purpose.
Emeritae/i are to receive a 2.01% cost-of-living adjustment this year.
The UC Retirement System has $44.4 billion invested with an 11% return last year, 6.06% return the past five years, and 9.66% over the past 10 years.
Randy Scott of the Office of the President discussed possible cuts in retiree health benefits. Although Medicare beneficiaries currently pay nothing for HMO coverage there will be an increase in healthcare premiums, but the University will cap any increase in premium at 5% (the balance to be paid by emeritae/i). Julian recommended we voice our opinion about this which the Executive Committee approved after he read a letter he drafted for Kivie Moldave to send. He stated that the Regents' goal is reduction in benefit value and that no design or structural change in health plans is likely in 2007, but an increase in premiums is quite likely.
Three campuses of the University have free parking for emeritae/I, and we should request this as well.
Unfinished Business: Apparently there are two emerita/us librarians, and we should request one to be on our Executive Committee. We agreed today that only emeritae/i librarians, not all retired librarians, should be invited to be members of the UCIEA.
Ron Miller asked whether the Executive Committee wishes to continue to meet at 9:15 a.m. on the first Monday of each month or whether it would wish to change the time or the day of the week (e.g., to accommodate Mark Hoffer). No change was recommended.
Kivie Moldave wishes to have the Bylaws sent to all members of the Executive Committee for discussion and revision at a meeting in the fall. He also reported that he would speak with Ken Janda regarding an Academic Senate Cabinet member as liaison to our Executive Committee.
It will be helpful to discuss with Ms. Frederick how best to arrange for our minutes and agenda to be sent out each month, how best to pay our bills (in view of the complex status of our accounts), and how to make arrangements for meetings such as our June meeting. In addition, at the last meeting, it was recommended that she ask Audrey Wicks and write all then members of the UCIEA Executive Committee to request copies of newsletters and other relevant information from 2000 and 2001 (the time period she indicated William Shiu was unable to find adequate information that would allow completion of our files so that the History Committee could resume completion of its work). Miller also pointed out that the October CUCEA minutes stated that Norah Jones, archivist, offered "to assist campus archivists to organize their material". We should take advantage of this.
Time did not permit discussion of:
1) the mentoring of transitional students by emeritae/i or the teaching by emeritae/i recommended by Sharon Salinger and Spence Olin, though Kivie Moldave believes an article by Salinger was prepared for the Newsletter,
2) we await a list of all emeritae/i in order to recommend new members for the Executive Committee (we need to request Human Resources to present a form -- as done at UCLA -- to all retirees to obtain their permission to provide their names to Emeritae/i and Retirees' Associations so that each year we may invite them to join),
3) David Easton had recommended on April 3 that the Executive Committee discuss Myron Simon's concern that faculty input to the UCI administration is waning,
4) we await identification cards for all emeritae/i (for parking, events discounts, etc.),
5) an easier access link to the UCIEA on the UCI web site would be helpful. Currently there is a direct link if one goes to the Senate web site, but from the UCI web site one needs to click faculty, then Senate, then UCIEA. Even if one types in a search for UCIEA or for emeritae/i, one is not linked to the UCIEA. In addition, the web site needs to update the Executive Committee list and the list of newsletters.
Minutes prepared by Ronald B. Miller, M.D., May 2, 2006.