Action
GEO's First Letter to Professor
Theobald Dear Professor Theobald: The Graduate Employee Organization (GEO) of Indiana University appeals to
you,
on behalf of the Student Academic Appointees (SAAs) and other graduate
employees here on campus, to review and reverse the health care budgetary
decisions made in the last year. The reduction in benefits for SAA heath care
will have a detrimental effect on our ability to teach, research, and
build IU's status in the Big Ten. Graduate students who have dependents are being burdened with further costs
that they are unable to afford on their SAA salaries. If these SAAs have to
take second jobs or tap into welfare, Indiana University's image will be
negatively affected. Surely the University can afford to give these workers,
who have given so much of their lives to the pursuit of education-for
themselves and for the undergraduates on this campus-the basic benefits
necessary to take care of their families. Those workers who don't have dependents will also struggle with the new
insurance plans. Co-pays, higher deductibles, and limited coverage may not
seem like much on paper, but to an SAA with a salary of $12,000 a year (and
many SAAs make less), they add up. Basic healthcare should not be a burden to
the workers who teach the undergraduate population and work toward important
research findings. The appointment of a GEO representative to the Health Care Benefits
Subcommittee was a welcome first step in giving us a voice in our own
healthcare. However, the restrictive budget the committee was given to work
with meant harsh cuts had to be made, no matter how the numbers were crunched.
We
ask that, as you assign a committee to review health care option for this
coming year, you give it the benefit of a stronger budget to work with-one that
will allow us to return to our previous level of coverage-with, ideally, the
addition of dental care. You also have a second option at your disposal-the Graduate and Professional
Student Organization's (GPSO) 50% FTE plan for SAAs. The plan is found in
detail
on the GPSO website, at http://www.indiana.edu/~gpso/news/news.php. The plan
proposes that the Board of Trustees of Indiana University apply 50% of the
sum allotted to full-time employees to all SAA individual, spouse, and
dependent health insurance premiums, thereby aligning graduate and professional
students' benefits with their status as part-time employees. Indiana University is unique in the Big Ten-its beautiful campus, dedicated
faculty and opportunities for graduate students are outstanding features.
However, IU is also unique in that it is the only Big Ten school without dental
insurance. Why should Indiana University lag behind these other schools?
Dental insurance for all SAAs would not unduly burden the University's budget
and would improve the quality of life for all with coverage. We urge you to place yourself in our shoes. We want IU to succeed, and we
are
an integral part of that success. Help us make IU a better place. Sincerely,
The Graduate Employees Organization