IUB Professional Council

Business Meeting Minutes

Kelley School of Business, Room 3055

November 17, 2010

Council Members in Attendance: Margaret Baechtold, Jennifer Brooks, Greg Buse, Jennifer Chaffin, Rosanne Dye, Tiana Iruoje, Peter Kaczmarczyk (CWA Ex-officio), Eric Love, Maryanne McDonnell, Patricia Moser, Rich Nourie, Liz Peck, Grant Simpson, Patrick Smith, Kelly Thacker, Michael Thompson, Dee Verostko, Doris Wittenburg.

Proxies: Liz Peck for Cindy Boyd.

Members Not in Attendance:  Tracy Bee, Craig Dethloff (BFC Ex-officio), Terry Lenn, Suzanne Ryan (UHRS Ex-officio), Mark Trotter.

Guests:  Rob Aspy, Office of Affirmative Action; Joe Lovrinic, VP Public Affairs & Government Relations; Dan Rives, University Human Resource Services.

Meeting Minutes

A motion to approve the October, 2010 minutes as written was made, seconded and passed.

Old Business

Bloomington Faculty Council (BFC) Healthcare Sub-committee – Jennifer Brooks

Some issues discussed thus far by the sub-committee have been:

• Privacy
• Fairness Campus morale Sharing fairly versus penalizing some individuals Is there evidence of a cost savings?
• What is the long-term effect on recruitment?

This continues to be a work in progress, but it is moving forward quickly.  A report has not yet been submitted to the full BFC.

At today’s business meeting, Jennifer Chaffin announced that a university employee healthcare advisory committee is being formed.  Jennifer Brooks will serve on this committee.

BPC Website Management

The BPC was recently contacted by a 21st Century Scholar who is interested in working with the Council’s website.  The student is a sophomore Journalism major, focusing on public relations.  Jennifer C. will coordinate this with the Communications and Marketing Committee.

Auction 2010-11

All BPC members are reminded that donations for our upcoming auction can be taken at any time, the earlier the better.  The Professional Interests Committee has suggested that a “Show your Love for the BPC” theme might be appropriate if the auction were held just prior to Valentine’s Day, January 31-February 11.  Donations could be “re-gifted” items from the holidays.  Teresa will check with Dan Ondrik at UITS to see if these dates would work.

A suggestion was also made to set up a display of auction items so that bidders could view items for sale. 

New Business

Policy IT-03 Revision Draft

The BPC was notified of a proposed policy revision that would make slight changes to eligibility for use of IT resources.  The change would affect spouses/domestic partners of deceased faculty/staff.

Standing Committee Reports

Executive Committee – 11/08/10

The Executive Committee met in Wells Library 043A.  In attendance were:  Jennifer Chaffin, Chris Enstrom (Proxy for Patrick Smith), and Teresa Spiegel.  The following items were discussed:

• Auction – A suggestion was made to set aside a time to physically display items up for bid.  The Executive Committee will look into this to see if this is feasible and what location would be most suitable to set up such a display.
• Perks Page – Reviewed the current policy for allowing businesses to display information on the Perks Page.  IUB’s policy differs from IUPUI in that only those businesses with a physical presence in the Bloomington/Monroe County area are allowed access to the Perks Page.
• Bloomington Faculty Council – Jennifer Brooks will be the BPC representative serving on the BFC’s healthcare sub-committee.
• A holiday reception will be held at the December meeting.
• The agenda for the November business meeting was set.  Dan Rives will address the BPC at 4:00 p.m.

Communications and Marketing Committee

All BPC members are encouraged to send a member bio to Teresa at tspiegel@indiana.edu if you have not already done so.

Outreach and Advocacy Committee

There was a good turnout for both of the Jordan Greenhouse tours on November 10 and November 11.  The next Know Your Campus event is a behind the scenes tour of the IU Auditorium.  There will be two tours offered, both on December 14.  Up to 40 people may attend each tour.

Professional Interests Committee – 11/09/10

Discussion of PIC Commitments (15 minutes: 12:00-12:15pm)

• Silent Auction Timeline
• We suggest setting the Spring Auction to the two-week period immediately preceding Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) and are thinking of themes such as:
• “Show your Love for the BPC”
• Dates of Auction: January 31st to February 11th
• Donations:
• We would like to suggest an item for the December BPC newsletter encouraging staff to: donate left over/unwanted Christmas gifts for the Spring Auction. A “re-gifting” period would be designated during the first two weeks of January
• Past grant winners will be contacted and asked to contribute as they indicated they would in their applications

“No Print Day” – Thursday, November 18 (15 minutes: 12:15-12:30pm)

• Publicity:
• November BPC Newsletter (Typo: says Tuesday, Nov 18 but should not be a problem)
• E-mail from Teresa to all professional Staff on Monday (Nov 15) with event enrollment information
• Request to BPC members to send additional emails to their own colleagues to boost participation sure we all take part and e-mail our own fellow office staff to encourage participation

**Note:  As of today’s business meeting, 88 people had registered for “No Print Day.”

Professional Staff Development Lunch (20 minutes: 12:30-12:50pm)

Theme: “Professional Development on a Budget”

• Possible Dates: Thursday, March 3 / Tuesday, March 8 / Thursday, March 10
• Final Date will depend on how best IU Human Resources can accommodate this event which they seem interested in partnering with us.
• Event details:
• Extended lunch hour (12 to 1:30pm), employees bring their own meals.
• short presentations by three recent BPC Professional Development Grant winners
• short presentation by IU Human Resources on Topic Relevant to Staff
• Mini “resources fair” where participants could visit tables to collect material or speak with representatives from Human Resources, BPC, UITS and other resources
• Additional features to encourage participation:
• Free cookies or drinks?
• Short musical performance by local/campus group?

Ad-hoc and Campus Committees

Bloomington Faculty Council (BFC) – Jennifer Chaffin, Grant Simpson

There were two BFC meetings this month. At the November 2 meeting, there was a vote on the education policy pertaining to Living-Learning Centers (LLCs).  A measure was passed stating that academic LLCs should be led only by those individuals holding academic appointments.

**At today’s BPC business meeting, there was some discussion as to whether this new measure would affect those already in teaching positions within LLCs who do not currently hold academic appointments.

At the November 16 meeting, the VP for Capital Projects gave an update on the status of various building projects on campus, including Union Street Center, Athletics Education Center, Informatics, Assembly Hall roof replacement, Cinema, the Education Center at Wylie House, Briscoe Quad, and the International Studies Building.  The Old Crescent Academic Working Group is looking at the possibility of moving all administrative offices out of the Old Crescent area.

Staff Merit Awards – Christina Lirot

We have reviewed our applications and have met to decide the final 4 for the PA awards. We will be conducting interviews this Friday for the final two. There were a lot of excellent candidates!

Sustainability Advisory Board – Patty Moser

A green team has been established in Environmental Health and Safety.  It is focusing on use of double-sided printing, turning off lights when not in use, using real plates and utensils instead of plastic or paper, and encouraging office recycling and curtailment of junk mail.

Search and Screen/Review Committees

College of Arts & Sciences Dean – Dee Verostko

Airport interviews have been conducted.  References are being checked.  The next step will be to invite finalists to campus.

Vice Provost for Enrollment Management – Eric Love

The committee expects to send its top three recommendations to Provost Hanson next week.

Special Guest:  Dan Rives, University Human Resource Services

Dan began his discussion with some background information on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which was signed into law in March, 2010.  The implementation of PPACA will result in changes for both employers and employees, beginning immediately and carrying forward into the year 2018.

Items of interest regarding this year’s open enrollment (university-wide):

• Individuals enrolling in the high-deductible plan doubled from last year, increasing to about 1,400.
• There were 793 individuals who enrolled in the Clarian Quality Partners plan, 325 of those in Bloomington.
• The remaining plans did not see any major enrollment changes from last year.

There are two action items for employees to be aware of concerning the new Health Engagement Program:

• A tobacco non-use affidavit must be signed by January 1.
• All biometric screenings must be completed by February 28.

Dan announced the formation of the Healthcare Advisory Committee.  This committee replaces the Healthcare Commission that existed from the mid-1900s to 2003.  It will convene in December.

Jennifer C. referred Dan to several questions submitted by BPC members and prior to today’s meeting.

q.     What evidence can IU present that the Health Engagement Plan will actually result in savings? There seems to be an assumption based on the language on the health engagement web site:

“IU believes employees who understand their health status, take meaningful steps to improve their health, and follow physician guidelines are more likely to use health care in a more efficient way. That‘s the foundation for the IU Health Engagement Program and IU‘s strategy to keep health care affordable for both IU employees and the university in the future.”

On the surface, the logic seems sound but my understanding of the spike in health care in the US has at least as much, if not more, to do with the policies of health researchers and insurers as it does consumers. The cost of R&D, malpractice insurance, rising profits for health insurers are commonly cited as major factors in health care costs. I support more personal responsibility for individuals in maintaining health, but feel that if IU is going to make significant changes it ought to be based in evidence, not suspicion. Please elaborate on specific savings….

r.      The inception of this plan came out of research performed by the Blue Ribbon Healthcare Committee, composed of experts who have performed quantitative studies.  The biggest weight is given to tobacco use.  The Health Engagement Program should not be viewed as a way to cut costs.  Rather, it should be seen as a way to contain costs through healthier lifestyles.

q.     Salary for professional staff on a college/university campus typically lags behind the private sector but the quality of benefits often mitigates the salary decrease. How does IU expect to hire and maintain high caliber professional staff when the value of benefits decreases?

r.      Although IU is not 100% competitive on salaries as compared to the private sector, the retirement and PTO plans offered at IU lead the market.  Healthcare benefits are ahead of the market, and fee courtesy is not typically available in the market.  If healthcare benefits erode, this could be a concern in the future.

q.     We discussed that some folks received an email confirmation of receipt of the physician biometric while others didn’t.   I received this email, completed the tobacco affidavit, and the questionnaire (which is now obsolete) but when I look at the online enrollment it shows $80 as additional premium even though my required info is complete and it should show $40.  Is this just for informational purposes or is it something to be concerned about?

r.      The reduction will not be seen until the first of the year.  If you want to verify your submission, go to Clarian Health Results https://www.clarianhealthyresults.com/sso/loginIU.aspx to verify that your tobacco non-use affidavit has been received.  The biometric piece should be added here soon.

q.     I would like to know if the University has actively considered adding new programs to help IU employees afford the every rising cost of higher education (?).  Coverdell savings accounts and 529 plans are each options which would allow pre-tax contributions to allow employees to save for tuition and other fees.  Indiana University could allow IU employees to contribute to state sanctioned 529 plans, or plans from other states, or the Independent 529 plan.  Having a program which allows the contributions to be handled in the benefits/deductions process would encourage more families to save. 

r.      IU has no plans to add these programs.  Individuals can enroll in 529 plans independent of Indiana University.

q.     What about using staff time for the Health Engagement Program?

r.      The Health Engagement Program should be viewed as a means by which to contain costs.  It is not intended to be a workplace wellness program.

Announcements

The next professional development grant application deadline is Friday, December 3.

Our December business meeting will be held in Kelley School of Business, Room 3055, on December 15, from 3:00-5:00 pm.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:05 pm.

Meeting minutes respectfully submitted by Teresa Spiegel.