UIC Chapter of SUAA Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting November 16, 2005

Members Present: Mary Bartucci, Marsha Borders, Kathleen Crittenden, Merrill Gassman, Nancy Hirsch, Dick Johnson, Irving Miller, Geraldine Piorkowski, and Larry Poston

Members Absent: William Jones, Jacob Starks, Frank Tachau, and Wally Wadycki

Guest: Judy Curry

The meeting was called to order at 10:10am by President Miller.

1. Approval of Minutes: Minutes of the meeting held on October 17, 2005 were approved.

2. Discussion with Judy Curry, past member of the State SUAA Board: UIC-SUAA has lost representation on the State Board since Judy Curry's appointment expired last year. Judy was invited by the Board to speak to the importance of maintaining representation at the State level. In recent years she explained, the State SUAA Board has evolved into a force that is now assisting chapters; however, most people are unaware of what the State office does. To better understand the State Board's role, it is essential that communication be maintained. She further emphasized the importance of staying connected because of the shift towards more political action. Staffing issues limit the number of activities and events that can be coordinated by the State office. Although centralized, the staff is small, consisting of Don Naylor, Executive Director, and a part-time staff assistant. SUAA does not have the money or structure to lobby effectively in Springfield on behalf of its constituents but does have the advantage of the services of Paula Perdue, who has been retained as a part-time lobbyist. Paula previously served 19 years as a lobbyist for NEA; she is well respected and knows the ropes and people in Springfield.

Further, Judy expressed concern about the distribution of representatives on the State Executive Committee. Currently, the Committee is heavily weighted toward community college membership; their priority is insurance. It is the responsibility of the Executive Committee to make sure that representation of the membership is balanced between community colleges and universities. The Executive Committee is also charged with taking a strong political stance on the organization's identified priorities. Clearly, there needs to be broader university representation on the Committee.

The UIC Board of Directors will lobby the Executive Committee for endorsement of a UIC candidate.

3. Legislative Report (Dick Johnson): Dick reported that the legislative session at the Fall statewide SUAA meeting consisted mostly of reports. The delegates voted to approve the nomination of candidates that were slated by the Executive Committee to fill vacant positions on the State Board. There was discussion regarding the role and responsibilities of the Executive Committee. A number of inquiries pertaining to this subject were tabled pending review of the State Bylaws. For example, clarification was sought on the relationship between the State President and Executive Director. Dick was unable to address the question directly but explained that the Executive Director is hired by the Executive Committee. The chapters elect the Executive Committee from nominees selected by the Committee. Chapters are empowered to make recommendations if modification to the existing structure is desired.

At the Fall meeting, Don Naylor gave a report on his accomplishments as Executive Director. These included centralizing the collection of membership dues, increasing the budget, computerizing the office, hiring a part-time assistant, revising the State website, hiring lobbyist Paula Perdue, and increasing communication with the local chapters.

4. Report on the November 15th Chicagoland PIC meeting: Eight schools were represented at the 1st regional meeting to develop a Political Involvement Committee (PIC). The meeting was led by Paula Perdue. Fifteen people attended; of those, five were from UIC, and six were Executive Committee members. A major portion of the session was devoted to lobbying efforts and how to go about setting up a PIC. It became clear that Chicago had its own political issues and structure that differed from downstate districts. The decision was made to organize an interest group focused on key legislators in the State Senate and House as well as committee members who have connections with these representatives. A key priority identified for the Chicago UIC-PIC is to set up a listserv that is organized by district and zip code to reflect where our constituents reside.

5. Membership (Geraldine Piorkowski): Gerry reported that she obtained a list of members who had died; however, the numbers could not be reconciled with the current membership list. The discrepancy is thought to have resulted from lifetime members who are not being counted. In addition, 52 unknown members were also identified and are thought to be listings without a street address.

Separately, she reported that the two mass emailings that were sent to employees in July and October have generated few new memberships. A mailing is yet to be sent to those who retired in the last five years.

6. PIC Development (Dick Johnson): Dick felt that UIC-SUAA should take the initiative to establish a Political Information Committee (PIC). The PIC would be an independent entity that reports to the Board. A goal of the committee would be to enlist wide representation by college areas. Membership would be open to all interested UIC faculty and staff. A number of Board members as well as others have already volunteered to serve on the PIC once established. Dick indicated that the PIC needs at least one individual informed on health policy and one knowledgeable about benefits. John McCrosky was recommended as a possible person to approach following his retirement from TIAA-CREF. There was strong support for the PIC.

A motion to establish a Political Information Committee was approved.

7. Newsletter Update (Larry Poston): Larry presented three mock-ups and asked for Board feedback. One of the three was selected, with the stipulation that it be resubmitted to the designer for changes. Recommendations for improvement included a request to reduce the emphasis on heavy black lines, addition of a single color to liven up the copy, and inclusion of photographs whenever possible. The editorial board will try to limit the newsletter to four pages in order to keep mailing costs low.

8. Holiday Planning (Nancy Hirsch): The Board decided to forgo the December meeting that is usually scheduled just prior to the Holiday gathering. The President will try for a January meeting.

9. Update on Constitution and bylaws revision: President Miller announced that he plans to seek a replacement for Wally Wadycki who has been unable to fulfill his duties as Treasurer due to a long-standing illness.

10. Email Problem: Merrill informed the Board that AOL is rejecting email from the UIC Listserv a sporadic basis. Gerry and Jake reported that they were affected by the problem. Merrill encouraged AOL subscribers to use another address if possible until the problem is remedied.

11. Long Term Care Insurance: Feedback from the membership indicated that the UIC/SUAA-endorsed Long Term Care Insurance is not competitive with other companies. The Board agreed to review the current arrangement with Elsie Eisenmann to determine if the policy offered is still appropriate for our members. In the meantime, Kathy Crittenden and Judy Curry have agreed to seek out other companies that offer LTC options.

12. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 11:50 am.

Respectfully submitted by Marsha Borders, Secretary

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