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Daily Bulletin

Who's on strike Profs and librarians at Memorial University of Newfoundland York University contract faculty and TAs Maybe soon: plant staff at Western

Board approves two benefit cuts

The changes are two of the three proposals that were aired at public meetings in late September:

• The health plan will pay only $6 of the dispensing fee for each prescription that's covered. ("UW will provide a list of pharmacies [preferred provider network] that have agreed to charge low dispensing fees to Plan members.")
• Dental examinations will be covered once every nine months, rather than five months as at present. ("There is no clinical evidence which supports any one interval of recall exam, and many dental plans specify a 9-month interval. More frequent visits for a specific medical condition [e.g., periodontal disease] are not affected.")

From the P&B committee's report to the board meeting yesterday:

Over the 20-month period from May 1999 to December 2000, premiums have increased by 46% for Extended Health and 25% for Dental. Annual costs are up by about $2 million over the 20 months, and there may be further increases when these coverages are renewed in January 2001.

The Pension and Benefits Committee has been grappling with these cost issues. The Committee believes that it is very important to maintain strong health and dental coverage, but that continued cost increases of this magnitude are not sustainable in the University's funding environment. If more money has to be allocated each year for benefits, there will be less for faculty and staff positions, salary increases, and many other necessities.

Over several meetings, the Committee worked . . . to examine data on claims and possible steps that might be taken to control cost increases. Three possible changes were identified as ones that would have minimal impact on the quality of health and dental care, and where Plan members could make personal choices to avoid significant additional costs. . . .

Generally, the Committee received two types of comments: those dealing with the specific changes being proposed, and those expressing opposition to any reduction in benefits. The latter often cited low salary increases and higher workloads over the past several years. They felt that savings should be made in other areas of expenditure, and that reducing benefits should be the last resort.

Others asked for detailed comparisons with benefit plans at other universities and major local employers. They expressed concern that our benefit plans are not competitive, and that we should be improving them. The Committee is compiling comparative information, but this is not an easy task owing to the wide variety of benefit plans and co-payment provisions. Also, many employers have different benefit plans for different employee groups negotiated as part of their overall compensation packages, whereas UW has the same plan for all employees.

Those who commented on the three specific proposals were generally supportive, although there were some negative comments about each of them.

At a meeting on October 16th, the Committee decided to recommend two of the three changes, but not to recommend elimination of semi-private hospital coverage. It is the Committee's view that the two proposed changes are reasonable and should be implemented to help control large cost increases. Even with these changes, costs to the University will be much higher than in 1998-99.

This has been an extremely difficult matter for the Pension and Benefits Committee to deal with. Identifying specific changes to reduce costs is not easy, and every such change will provoke negative reactions from some of those affected. It may be better to maintain or improve benefit coverages but ask employees to pay part of the premium increases.

The Committee recognizes that there are still serious cost issues to be addressed, and it will continue to struggle with these issues over the coming months. How much is it reasonable for the University to spend on benefits, and what cost increases are manageable? The Committee is not in a position to answer these questions, and would welcome advice as to how it should proceed.

Low tax encourages smoking, study says -- from a UW news release

During the past year, the provincial government has initiated a major renewal of the Ontario Tobacco Strategy, say the authors of the report, but the province's tobacco tax rate is still the lowest in the country. A carton of cigarettes costs only $31.68 in Ontario, compared to $41 to $50 in Canada's western provinces and almost $60 Canadian in New York state.

"We need to attack smoking on several fronts simultaneously in order to have a more dramatic reduction in the number of smokers," says Roberta Ferrence, director of the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit in U of T's Faculty of Medicine and senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. "While we applaud recent initiatives by the province, the overall effectiveness of our efforts will continue to be compromised unless we make cigarettes more expensive and give people fewer places to smoke."

Exposure to second-hand smoke remains a major concern for blue-collar, service and clerical workers who face fewer restrictions on smoking at work than those in professional or managerial occupations. "Province-wide legislation regarding smoking bans in all enclosed work areas is the only effective solution to this disparity," says one of the study's co-authors, Paul McDonald of the research unit at UW.

"In addition to protecting workers from second-hand smoke, greater restrictions would also encourage smokers who want to quit or cut down, prevent relapse among quitters, and provide a health-promoting environment for youth who are entering the workforce for the first time."

Other findings of the Monitoring the Ontario Tobacco Strategy report include no change in youth smoking since 1995, a slow decline in the proportion of adults who smoke daily, substantial differences in smoking rates by region and increasingly favourable public attitudes toward tobacco control.

Homecoming This weekend brings UW's Homecoming celebrations, including the Naismith Classic basketball tournament, the 16th annual fun run around the ring road, a family skating party on Saturday afternoon, alumni gatherings, and "Flashing Lights" at Federation Hall on Saturday night. And for the first time this year, Homecoming includes virtual reunions on the Web for alumni who can't make it back to campus. The Bulletin will have more Homecoming information tomorrow and Friday.

The talk of the campus

Full-time undergraduate students who will be on campus in the winter term can pick up their class schedules starting Wednesday, November 8, the registrar's office says. Check today's Gazette for pickup locations, or watch the Bulletin early next week. Part-time students, students who are currently away on work term, and students in independent studies will get their winter schedules in the mail next week.

And students who will be on campus in spring 2001 should preregister for their courses this week. "Students should see their department/faculty advisors," says a note from the registrar's office about preregistration, November 1-3.

"Festival 2000" runs today and tomorrow in the Student Life Centre -- an event that used to be the annual fall craft fair, but has now expanded to include "crafts, music, entertainment, raffle draws and silent auction. We would like to take this opportunity to invite all students, faculty and staff to come out and support this event. Money raised will go to the Student Life Centre Management Board Bursary Fund." Hours for the festival: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days.

I was away over the weekend, but I hear that things went well for the You@Waterloo Day open house. "The weather was fantastic," says Tina Roberts, director of undergraduate student recruitment, "the day was well organized, and each of you made our visitors feel welcome and well taken care of." Roberts adds: "At this point we are still trying to determine how many visitors attended. It was definitely more than last year." She's estimating between 2,500 and 2,700.

Despite losing to Laurier's Golden Hawks 26-18 on the weekend, the football Warriors will play in the OUA semi-finals this Saturday, against the McMaster Marauders. Tickets for the game (to be played at 1 p.m. in Hamilton) are available from the UW athletics department -- or there's a game-plus-bus package for $12 that's for sale only from the Federation of Students office in the Student Life Centre.

Reporting the other day on the opening of Browsers coffee shop in the Dana Porter Library, I said it was going to be the only place on campus where Clearly Canadian beverages were for sale. Huh, said an e-mail message from a sceptical student. "I just bought a bottle yesterday at the Math C&D." I've raised the matter with the food services department, which has clarified the original claim: Browsers will be the only food services outlet that sells Clearly Canadian, but they don't keep track of what's available at other food venues on campus, such as student-run C and D stands.

Date book for today and tomorrow

Offered today in the career development seminar series: "Career Research Package", starting at 10:30. The career resource centre in Needles Hall has details about the series.

The second of two talks on Enhancing Self-Esteem", by Tom Ruttan of counselling services, will be given at 12 noon today in Doug Wright Engineering room 3522.

A 12:30 concert at Conrad Grebel College presents Lakshmi Ranganathan, "master of Veena, from the Royal Court of South India". The music happens in Grebel's chapel; admission is free.

Steve Draper of the University of Glasgow is on campus and will give a talk this afternoon about two "campus-wide learning technology initiatives" at his home institution, including "computer supported collaborative lecture notes" and basic computer training for students. He'll speak at 2:30 in Dana Porter Library room 428.

Kandiyan Sapna of Wilfrid Laurier University gives a seminar in the department of statistics and actuarial science at 3:30 (Math and Computer room 5158).

Environmental studies alumni in Toronto are invited to a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at Stop 33 atop the Sutton Place Hotel on Bay Street.

The East Asian Festival based at Renison College continues. Tonight at 7:00 in Davis Centre room 1304: a showing of the film "The Man Who Might Have Been", a documentary about Canadian diplomat Herbert Norman. Tomorrow, the festival includes an "academic showcase" in the Davis Centre, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and a talk at 1:30 by Ashley Poy on "Caring with an Open Heart: The Contribution of Eastern Traditions".

University of Iowa music professor Edward Kottick is in town to give a pair of lectures: "Types of Early Stringed Keyboard Instruments" at 7:00 tonight (Wilfrid Laurier University, Aird Building, room 221) and "The First 50 Years of the Piano" at 8:30 tomorrow morning (Conrad Grebel College room 150).

Author M. T. Dohaney reads from her new novel A Fit Month for Dying at 7:00 at the Wilfrid Laurier University bookstore.

The women's volleyball team hosts Brock at 8:00 tonight in the Physical Activities Complex.

Oh, and today's the registration deadline for the staff association's Winterfest skating party on December 3.

Tomorrow should be a busy day too:

• The personal safety advisory committee will meet at 9:15 a.m. in Needles Hall room 3043.
• The drama department will present the first event in its new Silversides Theatre Artists Series, as playwright Michael Healey will appear at the UW bookstore from 12:00 to 1:30.
• Artist Doug Kirton, whose work is currently on display in the East Campus Hall gallery, will lecture at 1:30, also in ECH.

CAR

Editor of the Daily Bulletin: Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
credmond@uwaterloo.ca | (519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
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