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Minutes
of the General Assembly Meeting of the Council of Graduate Students, University
of Minnesota, Twin Cities, September 4th, 2003 REPRESENTATIVES: Please use the minutes to make sure your constituents are getting all of the correct and important information when you report to them. It is recommended that you make your report to your constituents no later than one week after the General Assembly meeting, unless otherwise advised by the General Assembly of Executive Committee. Quorum met. 5:00pm, Social Time 5:15pm, Social Time Part Two: Food. Late, but lots of it. 5:30pm, Meeting called to order/Welcome to COGS! Thank you all for your interest in and dedication to improving the experience of graduate students at the University of Minnesota. It means a lot to us that you are here, and we are counting on it meaning a lot to the University in the near future. You are no doubt aware of the challenges we face this year at the hands of unprecedented budget cuts. We have already seen changes to our health insurance, some of us have experienced tougher conditions of employment, and some may have had their assistantships or even departments cut outright. To be clear, we are not alone in this. The budget cuts have hit every sector of the University hard, from increased tuition for undergraduates to salary freezes for the faculty and conditions for staff that may soon result in a strike. We understand that everyone will have to make sacrifices, some more than others. COGS will do whatever it takes to ensure that the sacrifices made are fair to all parties involved, that everyone is aware of the issues and decisions, and that our voice is heard. With your support and dedication we can make this happen. The September meeting was unusual in that we had to conduct so much official business (elections). We promise that future meetings will be less about internal housekeeping and more about getting you the information you need to make informed decisions about your experience at Minnesota, and the resources to take action. 5:35pm, Agenda Item One: What Is COGS? The Council of Graduate Students (COGS) is the official governing body representing graduate students at the University. We represent almost 10,000 students, and with GAPSA, of which COGS is the largest council, we represent over 15,000 students. COGS provides opportunities for graduate students to participate actively in University and Graduate School administrative and policy decisions. Graduate students in each degree-granting program are entitled to elect one representative to serve on COGS. These representatives bring to COGS input from their departments, and bring to their departments input from COGS (see this page for more information). COGS also recruits student representatives for the Graduate School Policy and Review Councils, the University Senate, and many College of Liberal Arts and University-wide committees. In addition, COGS assists in providing ombuds services for graduate students and disseminates information, primarily through the Gradletter, the EXTRA! (graduate student listserv), and through general meetings held throughout the academic year. Information on University governance and grievance procedures is available from the COGS office. 5:50pm, Agenda Item Two: Committees Executive Vice President Britt Johnson discussed the various committee positions open this year. As we have discussed elsewhere, this is a crucial year for COGS to represent well in committees, since all will be effected by the budget cuts. For a list of committees and position openings, click here: http://www.cogs.umn.edu/committees.html To join a committee, contact Britt Johnson (john5677@umn.edu) 6:10 pm, Agenda Item Three: Elections All elections took place in accordance with the bylaws and Robert's Rules, save for the use of ballots (since all elections were unopposed). Vice President for Internal Relations: Elizabeth Oliva, Developmental Psychopathology and Clinical Science, oliv0136@umn.edu Senators
(there is one position still open): Senators should review the information on this page: http://www1.umn.edu/usenate/ . This page (http://www1.umn.edu/usenate/calendars/senmeeting03-04.html) provides the schedule. Check this with your own schedule and make arrangements with alternates as soon as possible. Policy
and Review Council Chairs P&R Chairs : You are now part of the extended COGS Executive Committee and the Graduate School Executive Committee. Review the information here (http://www.cogs.umn.edu/prcouncils.html) and here (http://www.catalogs.umn.edu/grad/gen/intro.html). The Executive Committee's fall meeting is on Tuesday, November 25, from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Make sure you can make it. 6:25 pm, Agenda Item Four: Health Insurance Q & A with Dean George Green Associate Dean of the Graduate School George Green came by to answer questions about recent changes to and future prospects of the Graduate Assistant Insurance Plan. COGS stresses the importance of having qualified and engaged student staff the GHAC and SHAC committees this year so that our rights and interests are properly defended. If you are interested in either of these positions, please contact Britt Johnson (john5677@umn.edu). Executive Vice President and member of last year's GHAC Britt Johnson discussed the process that culminated in changes to the health plan. Essentially, it boils down to this: our insurance was superb - among the best in the nation for graduate students - but when the budget cuts were coming down, cuts to the GA insurance plan had to be made. These were necessary for various reasons, including the fact that it would have been unfair to expect only the staff plan to take cuts in their plan. Because the process began late, with major changes being proposed around finals week and after, when most students were gone, graduate students were in large part locked out of the process of discussing options, even though students in the committee and Dean Green did what they could. The recommendations of the committee went up to the provost, and nothing was decided until July. Changes to the plan: The proposed and accepted changes were as follows: Grad students will pay 5% of the premium (as compared to 10% for staff), have a $10 office visit co-pay, and pay extra for drugs. Also, dependants on the plan are now only covered 60%. The ER co-pay is now $40. As of the first week of school, the Graduate School decided that since it had made contractual obligations to students it would be unfair to make them pay new, higher fees for health insurance. As such, no graduate student will pay the 5% premium this year (2003-2004). However, all other changes still apply, and next year we will have to pay a percentage of the premium. Q: Do students have to pay the office co-pay on the spot, or can it go to an account? A: Pay on the spot. The only exception would be if you are using Boynton, you can charge your so-pay to your STARS account. Q: Will we have to pay the increased student services fee for Boynton? A: No, yo will get a refund for $66 from your student activities fee. Q: Can't we just pay the increased Boynton fee instead of the premium? A: No, the Boynton fee supports the student health insurance plan that is available for undergraduates and other students who do not have insurance through their parents or significant others. This is the plan that you are automatically enrolled on if you do not enter your insurance information when you register for classes. The GA insurance is much better insurance than the student plan, so switching would be silly. The plans are also not able to commingle. So, it is not possible to apply the Boynton fee to the GA insurance policy Q:Do we have to go to Boynton? A: No, the GA plan is a Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan, and 98% of doctors in Minnesota are registered. Q: There have been reports of international students being assessed a ~$600 fee for insurance? A: If this student is enrolled in the GA plan, this charge should disappear, and if it does not, contact the GA Insurance Office. It is true, though, that all international student must be covered by some US health insurance that is approved by the University. If the international student cannot provide proof of such insurance (including the GA insurance plan), s/he will be automatically enrolled on the student plan. on the University plan now. The $600 charge is for students who are not on the GA plan - that is the fee for the student plan. Q: Can anything be done about the office visit co-pay? Is it final? A: Yes. It is final. Q: What next? A: Students should expect to pay a percentage of the premium next year, and as such will need excellent representation on the committee to make sure this is fair. This is also a year in which the University is soliciting RFPs (Requests for Proposals) from insurance companies, or, rather, looking into getting a new plan or renewing the current plan. Graduate students must be active participants in these proceedings. The Graduate Student Health Insurance Advisory Committee makes decisions as to what the University can afford and what best suits the needs of graduate students. The RFP process will begin to evaluate new RFPs in November, and will also meet in February or March to interview finalists, and then after these interviews to decide who gets the proposal. [Ed.: this will be a busy yet vital committee). Some people in the administration are looking to merge the Graduate Assistant Plan into the University (staff plan). This is problematic because, as a whole, graduate students are younger and healthier than those enrolled in the staff plan, and doing so would cause an increase in our premiums. Thus, if this were to happen, it would be as some sort of sub-plan. This is another point on which COGS must be heard. 6:45pm: Meeting Adjourned We always
end at 6:45 no matter what, meaning that a larger discussion of COGS
goals for this semester will happen next month. Some people stayed after
to continue to talk to Dean Green about the health plan. Other students
stuck around to take home the remnants of the Greek food. |
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Council of Graduate Students | 405 Johnston
Hall | 612.626.1612 | cogs@umn.edu
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