UIC Chapter of SUAA Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting June 1, 2005

Members Present: Mary Bartucci, Marsha Borders, Kathy Crittenden, Merrill Gassman, Nancy Hirsch, Dick Johnson, Geraldine Piorkowski, Jacob Starks, and Frank Tachau

Members Absent: William Jones, Walter Wadycki

The meeting was called to order at 10:01am by Irving Miller, President.

1. Approval of Minutes: Minutes of the meeting held on April 14, 2005 were approved with minor corrections.

2. Introductions: The Board members introduced themselves.

3. Membership report (Gerry Piorkowski): Dr. Piorkowski indicated that there was a significant increase in membership over last year's numbers. The current membership stands at 1,220 individuals. She noted that the recruitment letter had been delayed because of the SURS policy that prohibits external agencies from receiving mailing lists of retirees. Mailing labels must be directed to a third party such as the UIC mailing service. If this route is required, individual letters cannot be personalized. It was suggested that Gerry contact Jacqueline Berger for a list of retirees. In the meantime, Irv agreed to follow up on the matter with Don Naylor at SUAA to determine if there is any flexibility in the policy.

A draft of the recruitment letter had been circulated to the members of the Board last week for their input. In light of the recent pension legislation, it was agreed that the letter should be reworked to include a paragraph about the outcome.

The category of family membership was approved at an earlier meeting. Gerry will add this option on the paper membership form, and Merrill will update the website to reflect this change. The State organization will be informed of the arrangement and consulted as to how the UIC chapter dues payment can be credited for family memberships when automatic dues deduction is elected.

4. Legislative Report ( Dick Johnson): Dr. Johnson expressed his frustration with the University administration throughout the pension proceedings, including its lack of participation in the pension hearings. He emphasized the need to strengthen, diversify, and grow the organization by stepping up recruitment efforts to reach current employees as well as recent retirees. Building alliances with sister institutions, eg. UIUC and UIS, as well as unions, such as SEIU, was proposed. He recommended that we co-sponsor a forum or town meeting in the fall to inform the campus community of the implications of recent pension revisions. Gerry and Dick agreed to find a speaker for the occasion. Dick will move forward on setting up a meeting with UIUC and SEIU to talk about collaborative efforts. Dick further commented that SUAA's thrust as an organization should be focused on protecting benefits rather than on full funding of the pension plan.

Discussion ensued over the need for SUAA to increase its presence in Springfield and to have a stronger voice. It was felt that collaborative efforts with other chapters would increase the chances of making a significant impact with respect to having our voices heard.

Dick announced that PIC training sessions will be held on September 10, 11, and 12, 2005 at Morraine Valley Community College for SUAA members located in Chicago and South Cook County. Board members are urged to attend the sessions.

5. Planning Calendar for 2005-2006 (Nancy Hirsch): Nancy reported that Michele Thompson has been invited to speak at the Chapter's Fall meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday, September 27, from 10 am to 2:00 pm at the Student Center East (SCE). She is following up on the details.

Three brown bag seminars are scheduled for the year: one in Fall and two in Spring. Edward Suntrup has agreed to present the first program on Thursday, October 27 from 12 noon to 2:00pm in Room 603 SCE. The topic is entitled: A Full-Time Career after Academic Retirement and After 65. Bill Jones has planned a presentation of history of the campus; it may be considered for the month of February since there will be no meeting scheduled in January. For the third seminar, the committee will consider holding an AARP Driver Safety program, which has been successful in years past.

The SUAA Annual Holiday Party is scheduled for the second week in December at Costa's in Greektown

6. Planning for the Statewide SUAA meeting: Irv Miller, Marsha Borders, Merrill Gassman, and Frank Tachau will attend the annual SUAA meeting on June 8 and 9 in Springfield. Charles Wheeler of UIS will be the keynote speaker. The schedule of activities has been shared with the Board.

7. Update on Amending the Chapter Constitution and Bylaws: Discussion on this item was tabled due to the absence of Wally Wadycki, who is responsible for presenting the revised documents for Board review.

12. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 11:38am.

Respectfully submitted by Marsha Borders, Secretary

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