Online Thank You Instructions
How to take action now
Most of you are probably aware of the announcement by Indiana University's administration regarding the establishment of an "employee health clinic." Very little information has been released, but the Herald Times reports IU Human Resources Associate Vice President Dan Rives as claiming that the proposed clinic would feature: primary care, preventive care, a lab, a pharmacy, and dental care. Rives's announcement came as a surprise to many of us at Indiana University. Indeed, a number of the administration officials involved with the Student Academic Appointee Health Care Committee were entirely unaware that such an announcement had been planned. This suggests that the announcement was made under pressure of some sort, most likely in response to the growing discontent of graduate students and a wide range of Indiana University staff.
The Graduate Employee Organization is optimistic about the positive opportunity this proposed clinic offers for graduate students. At the same time, we are disconcerted by the uncertainty surrounding the announcement. No concrete details have been released about the clinic: nothing about whether it will improve care for employees' dependents, whether and by how much it will reduce health care costs, or whether it would be staffed by licensed professionals or by medical students.
As a result, it is extremely important that we be as vocal as possible about making sure that the final outcome of this proposal is one that significantly benefits graduate students and all other IU employees. Please join the GEO in our campaign to make the most of this golden opportunity to improve our working conditions. We need to let the administration know that we will be unsatisfied with an outcome that simply replicates the existing situation. In order to do that, we have to show them that we have a concrete idea of what specific features we expect to see in this new employee health clinic. Help us with this campaign by taking the time to fill out our new dental survey and by taking part in our click-to-send drive to let Dan Rives know our demands.
If you would like to take a more active role in our campaign or would like more information about the Graduate Employee Organization's position on this proposed clinic, please email us at geo@indiana.edu