SC 10/18/06 Minutes
Approved 11/15/06
Staff Council (SC) Minutes: October 18,
2006
Inlow Hall 375 (“IH 375”) / 3:00 - 5:00 pm
Agenda
Item I: Call to Order: Susan J. Martin (SC President, 8.6128,
sujmarti@indiana.edu).
Herrell, sitting in for Susan Martin, called the meeting to order at
3:03pm.
Agenda
Item II: Adoption of the Order of Business for the Day.
The order of business was adopted as the order of business for the day.
Agenda
Item III: Remarks from the Executive Vice
Chancellor and Chancellor Dean of Faculties / The Academic Plan: Uday Sukhatme
(Executive Vice and Dean of Faculties, 4.4477)
Sukhatme briefed the SC on the proposed Academic Plan for
IUPUI (http://www.iupui.edu/administration/acad_affairs/actionplan.html). The Academic Plan centers on four goals: Excellence in Teaching and Learning; Excellence in Research, Scholarship and
Creative Activity; Excellence in
Civic Engagement; and Enhancement
of the Resource Base. “Striving for
the first three goals will further enhance IUPUI’s reputation as one of the
best urban research universities in the country. The fourth goal is an
essential tool which will enable attainment of the first three goals. Each goal
has been broken down into several sub-goals, followed by a list of action items
for consideration and possible implementation in a spirit of collegiality and
trust. Small task forces (up to five
members of the student body, faculty, and staff) are being staffed to address
each sub-goal. Staff members are
strongly encouraged to submit feedback on the plan via the Academic Affairs
website (linked above).
Feedback submitted at meeting time included: the
introduction of the exploration of more quality of life issues, specifically:
campus food services (quality, nutrition, management); a commitment to explore
the feasibility of offering short-term disability coverage for staff; and the
lack of maternity leave available to staff.
Agenda
Item IV: Report from the Chancellor's SC Administrative
Designee: Robert Martin (Vice-Chancellor for Administration and Finance,
4.4511, rmartin@iupui.edu).
Vice
Chancellor Martin could not attend, but will update the SC at future meetings.
Agenda
Item V: [ACTION ITEM] Minutes for SC 9/20/06:
Up for Approval.
Hearing no
objections, the SC minutes of September 20, 2006 were accepted, with one minor
spelling correction. and entered into record.
These minutes are available online at
http://www.iupui.edu/~scouncil/documents/minutes/2006-2007/9-20-06.htm
Agenda
Item VI: Report from the President: Susan J. Martin.
Martin, who
was out for surgery, could not attend the meeting.
Agenda
Item VII: Open Enrollment: Susan Brewer
(University Director of Health Care and Welfare Program
Services).
Brewer briefed the SC on Open Enrollment [for university benefits]. Detailed information about Open Enrollment is
available online at http://www.indiana.edu/~uhrs/benefits/2007/openenroll_2007.html.
For those
who would like to learn more about plans and changes may attend any one of
multiple information sessions planned. The timeline for Open Enrollment is as
follows:
Full-time, appointed faculty and
staff will receive an open enrollment packet in campus mail.
First open enrollment information
session
Effective date of changes made during
open enrollment
Mid- to late-January, 2007
ID cards mailed by health care
vendors. New dental ID cards will not be issued.
In closing, Brewer went over
plan-specific changes for 2007, which include:
IU Dental Plan
·
Coverage
will be enhanced by removing the age limit for reimbursement of sealants for
teeth; current age limit is 14.
Medical Plans
·
IU
PPO-Plus and IU PPO $900 Deductible plans prescription drug changes:
o
The
threshold for determining ‘high cost’ brand (Tier 3) prescriptions will
increase from $60 to $65. As a result some prescriptions will move to the lower
Tier 2 copay.
o
Mail
order (up to a 90-day supply) copays will increase to the amounts shown below.
|
Member Mail Order Prescription
Copays |
||
|
|
2006 |
2007 |
|
Generic/Tier
1 |
$12 |
No change |
|
Brand/Tier
2 |
$34 |
$36 |
|
Brand/Tier
3* |
$70 |
$75 |
|
*Includes specialty
drugs |
||
·
IU
PPO $900 Deductible Plan
o
Coverage
of urgent care facilities and providers will be subject to the deductible and
10 percent coinsurance.
·
M-Plan
HMO – no plan changes
·
Blue
Preferred Primary POS – no plan changes
Agenda
Item VIII: Commuter Options: Maggie
Stimming (HRA Work/Life).
Stimming
briefed the SC on opportunities and incentives for car- and van-pooling,
ride-sharing, alternative transportation, and the use of mass transit. Stimming offered the following information,
via hand-out (also available to view at http://www.iupui.edu/~scouncil/documents/commuter_info.htm).
IUPUI Commuter Information
General Information - (For more information, see the
brochure we’ve provided.)
IUPUI is an official partner employer of Central Indiana
Commuter Services (CICS – called “kicks”).
They try to promote alternatives to driving alone. Alternatives include:
§
Car
pooling
§
Van
pooling
§
Riding
the bus
§
Walking
§
Bicycling
Why use an alternative mode of
transportation?
§
It
cuts down on air pollution
§
It
can save you money
§
It
can be fun to ride with others and enjoy the conversation
§
If
you bike or walk, you can get more exercise and be healthier
§
It
cuts down on traffic congestion
§
It
can decrease your stress
CICS services are for employers and employees in the
following counties:
Morgan
Hendricks
By visiting www.327ride.net
our staff, faculty and students can access:
§
A
car pool matching service – You decide whether or not to call those on
the list you
receive
§
Information
about van pools
§
IndyGo route and bus riding information – You can also call 635-3344 and they
can help you plan out your route.
§
A
commuter cost calculator - Figure out what the real cost of driving is
CICS Emergency Ride Home (ERH)
program
Faculty and staff who regularly walk, bike, take mass
transit, car pool or van pool to work and who register with CICS qualify for CICS’s Emergency Ride Home program. Details are at www.327ride.net under the “Commuter”
section.
Upcoming Meetings about Van Pools:
There are already van pools (basically an enlarged car pool
with an outside contractor providing the van that one of the poolers drives) from Bloomington and
Cloverdale/Greencastle, but there seems to be interest in starting another van
pool from Bloomington (leaving slightly later in the morning than the current
one) and one from the Terre Haute area.
Other information about van pools can be found by going to www.327ride.net and clicking on “What’s
New.” If interested in van pooling,
contact Ruth Reiman of Central Indiana Commuter
Services (CICS) at 327-7433. CICS is holding several van pool meetings over the
next several weeks to inform commuters about prospective/existing
vanpools. All these meetings are open to the public.
Hendricks
Morgan
Take a Ride on the Reading
The Red Line Circulator is a FREE bus that runs through the IUPUI
campus and connects to downtown Indy.
See the map I provided for a map of the stops. The Red Line Circulator runs every 15 minutes
from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
It also connects into the Blue Line which is the free downtown
circulator. Just think of the
possibilities now that parking is not a concern! On your lunch hour, you could:
§
Pick
up some chocolates at Circle Center Mall
§
Go
to the Wednesday farmer’s market at City Market
§
Lunch
with a bunch of coworkers at a downtown restaurant
§
Visit
a museum
§
Meander
around
§
Just
take a walk
§
And
much more
IU’s Pre-Tax Commuter Benefit
Did
you realize that IU employees (not students) who have costs associated with using
mass transit or van pooling can reduce their income taxes by using the Pre-Tax
Commuter Benefit? It’s true. This
does NOT pay for the actual cost of your bus ticket, but taking advantage of
this pre-tax plan DOES save you money by lowering the amount of federal, state
and local income taxes you pay.
Here’s
an illustration based on an annual salary of $34,000. Tax savings will
depend on one’s individual tax rate – the lower the income, the lower rate of
tax you’re paying so the lower the savings, but it still can be a sizable
savings.
|
|
Not Using Pre-Tax Benefit |
Using Pre-Tax Benefit |
|
|
|
|
|
Cost of bus passes for one year |
$480 |
$480 |
|
Income taxes paid on that $480 |
$167 |
$ 0 |
|
Amount you must earn to pay for bus
passes |
$647 |
$480 |
|
Amount of savings |
$0 |
$167 |
So, if you make $34,000 a year and your bus passes cost you
$480 per year, you could get $167 worth of tax savings. That would be
about $41 every three months (since you file for the reimbursement quarterly).
Every three months of the calendar year, you can fill out
the Pre-tax Mass Transit Expense Claim Form, attach the receipts for whatever
mode of mass transportation you use and send it to University Human Resource
Services;
Visit http://www.indiana.edu/~uhrs/benefits/commuting.html
and carefully read all the details, then click on the item under “Forms” in the
menu on the left to get the reimbursement form.
These mass transit pre-tax savings are not related
to the IU Tax Saver Benefit (TSB) plan.
Note: At IUPUI, if you pay for parking by payroll
deduction, the university automatically takes that out pre-tax (which saves you
money). You do not need to complete any additional forms to make that
happen.
Other Related Information
Biking
Visit the Central Indiana Bicycling Association’s
Web site at www.cibaride.org
. Bicyclists offer their personal
bicycle commuting routes.
The city’s bike route map is
available online by doing a search using Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning
Organization and then, when the MPO’s Web site comes
up, click on “maps” in bar at top, then choose “general maps.”
The city and state are both working to provide more
greenways, BikePorts, bike parking information and
events. Check out http://inbikeport.org/index.cfm
.
The Greenways Foundation here in
Parking
Donald Shoup, a UCLA faculty
member and expert on parking and why alternatives to driving alone are so
important, visited
Bus Riders
The two IUPUI Campus Card Services
offices sell IndyGo passes.
IUPUI Sustainability Initiative –
Transportation Subcommittee
There is a Transportation Subcommittee that is part of the
IUPUI Sustainability Initiative. It’s a
fairly new group. If you are interested
in attending the Transportation Subcommittee meetings, contact Steven Jones (jonessg@iupui.edu
).
How to Keep Up on IUPUI Commuter Information
If you would like to be kept up to
date on biking, buses, car/van pooling and the like, you might want to be on
the Work/Life e-newsletter list. To be
added, contact Maggie Stimming at mstimmin@iupui.edu. You can also contact Maggie for more copies
of the Red Line map and CICS brochures.
Agenda
Item IX: United Way Campaign: Joan
Isaacs.
Isaacs, of
the
Agenda
Item X: Reports from Standing Committees.
Communication Committee Co-Chairs Troy Barnes and Michelle
Hurst reported that their committee would meet next on October 24th.
Membership Committee Chair Delana Gifford could not attend
but disseminated her report electronically prior to the meeting. Read it
online at http://www.iupui.edu/~scouncil/Docs/Membership_10-06.htm.
Special Events Chair Karen Best reported that her committee
would meet immediately following the SC meeting. They are currently planning the SC’s December
meeting/holiday program.
Staff Affairs Co-Chairs Becky Thacker and Jason Burnham gave
their report, available to read at http://www.iupui.edu/~scouncil/Docs/StaffAffairs_10-06.htm. In closing, the Staff
Affairs Committee, they noted, is also keeping a close eye on and commitment to
pursuing in-depth discussion and exploration of the possibility of short-term
disability coverage.
Agenda Item XI: Call for Reports from Other Committees.
No report.
Agenda Item XII: Report
from Human Resources Administration: Ellen Poffenberger (Assistant Vice-Chancellor for Human
Resources / Chancellor’s
SC Administrative Designee Alternate, 4.8932, epoffenb@iupui.edu).
On behalf of Ellen Poffenberger, Theresa Martin reported
that the annual IUPUI Health & Benefits Fair will be held from
9:00am-3:00pm on Thursday October 26th in the
Agenda Item XIII: Reports from the Chancellor's SC
Academic Designee: Paul Galanti (Former President, IUPUI Faculty Council,
257.6826, pgalanti@iupui.edu).
Galanti briefed
the SC on the following updates from the IUPUI Faculty Council (“IFC”)
including:
·
The
passage of a resolution requiring that “IUPUI” or “Indianapolis Campus” appear
in the name of funded Signature Centers established according to Dean
Sukhatme’s Academic Plan.
·
The
proposed reorganization or decentralization of the Division of Labor
Studies. Learn more about the Division
of Labor Studies issue online at http://www.iupui.edu/~fcouncil/DLS/DLS.htm.
·
Work
continues to define and clarify IUPUI’s approach to General Education in response to a charge by the
Trustees [made to all IU campuses].
·
Faculty
have been encouraged to familiarize themselves with new data protection laws in
Information about the IFC is available on its website at http://www.iupui.edu/~fcouncil/.
Agenda
Item XIV: Old Business (Unfinished or Pending).
No discussion.
Agenda
Item XV: New Business / Announcements.
Herrell led the SC through items of New Business:
o
Representative
Christopher Brown informed the SC that a new spam filter has been launched
university-wide. As the server initiates
the new filters, Brown cautioned, the amount of spam may appear worse than
before; however, after this induction period, the filters will improve
spam-filtering on campus. More
information is available on the UITS website at https://kb.iu.edu/data/spam.html.
o
Secretary
Amy Jones reminded the SC of Campus Day (October 22nd) and acknowledged
the involvement of staff in the important event.
o Jones also reported that the IUPUI Office for Women is researching and reviewing professional development opportunities available as a part of a larger discussion of the advancement of female staff and faculty on campus.
o An Al-Anon chapter is now available on campus. "Al-Anon is for ANYONE affected by an alcoholic whether they are the spouse of, child of, parent of or friend of the alcoholic. Al-Anon does not strive to 'fix' the alcoholic, but rather to serve as a shared community for those affected by someone who is an alcoholic. All participants are expected to maintain high standards of confidentiality.
There will be no dues. Staff, faculty and students are all
welcome. You are welcome to bring your lunch with you. This will be led
initially by two current Al-Anon members. No one from HRA Work/Life or HRA, in
general, will be present at the first or later meetings.
The
group will meet each Tuesday from 12:05 p.m. until 12:55 p.m. (except on
December 19th) in the
The SC thanks Maggie Stimming and a collaborating Al-Anon member for their leadership in establishing this chapter.
Agenda
Item XVI: Adjournment.
At 5:03pm, Martin adjourned the meeting, which was followed
by break-out sessions for each SC standing committee.
.
Minutes prepared by Staff
Council Coordinator Molly Martin
UN 403 / 274-2215 / Fax: 274-2970 / scouncil@iupui.edu / http://www.iupui.edu/~scouncil
Attachments:
Agenda for October 18, 2006
Staff Council Meeting.
[Attachment
for SC 10-18-06 Minutes]
Wednesday October 18, 3:00-5:00pm, Inlow Hall Room 375
(“IH 375”)
A G E N D A (SC: October 18, 2006)
Call to Order. Sue Herrell for Susan J.
Martin
(SC President, 8.6128, sujmarti@indiana.edu)
Adoption of the Order of Business
for the Day. Sue Herrell for Susan J.
Martin
Remarks from the Executive Vice Chancellor
and Uday Sukhatme (Executive Vice
Chancellor
Dean of Faculties / The Academic Plan. and Dean of
Faculties, 4.4477)
[POSTPONED]Report from the Chancellor's Robert Martin
SC Administrative Designee. (Vice-Chancellor
for Administration and Finance,
4.4511, rmartin@iupui.edu)
[ACTION ITEM] Minutes for SC 9/20/06 (distributed electronically). Sue Herrell
for Susan J. Martin
Report from the President. Sue Herrell for Susan J.
Martin
(4:00) [INFORMATION
ITEM] Open Enrollment. Susan Brewer
(University
Director - Health Care
and Welfare Program Services,
5.8381, subrewer@indiana.edu)
(4:15) [INFORMATION ITEM] Carpooling Options. Maggie Stimming (Director – Work/Life)
(4:30) [INFORMATION ITEM] United Way Campaign. Mary Myers
Reports Submitted by Standing
Committees.
A. Bylaws. Amy Jones, Chair
B. Communications.
C. Membership Delana Gifford, Chair
D. Rewards
& Recognition. Lorna
G. Special
Events. Karen Best, Chair
H. Staff
Affairs. Jason Burnham & Becky Thacker,
Co-Chairs
Call for Reports from Other
Committees. Sue Herrell for Susan J.
Martin
[POSTPONED]Report from Human Resources Administration. Ellen
Poffenberger
(Assistant
Vice-Chancellor for Human Resources /
Chancellor’s
SC Administrative Designee Alternate,
4.8932,
epoffenb@iupui.edu)
Reports from the Chancellor's SC
Academic Designee. Paul Galanti
(Former President, IUPUI Faculty Council, 257.6826, pgalanti@iupui.edu)
Old Business (Unfinished or
Pending).
New Business / Announcements.
A. Hot Topics: Share concerns & comments from your unit
Adjournment.
CIVIC
ENGAGEMENT UPDATE: If you have cell phones that you are no
longer using, why not donate them to the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic
Violence (for reprogramming for emergency use
by victims)? You need not include chargers or accessories of any kind. Contact Representative Becky
Thacker at rthacker@iupui.edu or
the SC office at molmarti@iupui.edu to arrange for
pick-up. Many thanks!
Next Staff Council
Meeting: November 15, 2006 from 3:00-5:00pm in Inlow Hall Room 100
Agenda prepared by Staff
Council Coordinator Molly Martin: UN 403 / 274-2215 / Fax: 274-2970 / scouncil@iupui.edu / http://www.iupui.edu/~scouncil
Staff Discounts URL: http://www.iupui.edu/~extaff/perks.htm
SC Account # with IU Foundation: 32-P000-12-1 (give online at https://www.indiana.edu/~iuf/oga/app/og_engine_1.cgi
)