Phone: (814) 227-2420 www.apscuf.org November 2018 Executive Committee: President – Ray Feroz; Vice President – Joyce Overly; Secretary – Christopher McCarrick; Treasurer – Linda Lillard; Delegates – Ray Feroz, Jennifer May, Annette Rosati, Barry Sweet, Lorie Taylor; Alternate Delegates – Ellen Foster, Cristin Ketley, Jacqueline Knaust, Karl Sprenger, Jonathan Touster; Coaches President - Sean Esterhuizen; Coaches Vice President – Al Modrzejewski; Coaches’ Grievance Chair – Eric Laughlin; Venango Campus Rep – Renee Bloom; CAP – Joseph Croskey; DRC – Mary Buchanan; Grievance – Mark Kilwein; Health & Welfare – Amy Shannonhouse; Legislative – Jonathan Touster; Membership – Paul Klenowski; Negotiations – Ray Feroz; Nominations & Elections – YooJin Ha; Social Justice – Amy Conner-Love; Public Affairs/Relations – Christopher McCarrick; Student Liaison – Naomi Bell O’Neil; Rules & Bylaws – Carey Childers; Mobilization Co-Chairs – Jackie Knaust & Andy Lingwall; State Temporary Faculty Committee – Michael Hissam; State APSCUF Executive Council – Joyce Overly; Meet & Discuss Team: Ray Feroz; Barry Sweet; Joyce Overly; Adam Roberts; Mark Kilwein; Jennifer May; Mary Buchanan The President’s Message… Dear Colleagues, We are 2/3 through the semester and snow is beginning to arrive. I hope all is well with you. Special recognition and thanks to our veterans as we mark the 100 th anniversary of the war to end all wars, on the 11th month, 11th day and 11th hour of 1918. Nancy Koutris, APSCUF’s Director of Membership Services, was here last Thursday meeting with faculty. This is her farewell tour, as she is retiring in December after 36.5 years with ASPCUF. Clarion APSCUF gave her a little token of our thanks for her help to our Clarion faculty colleagues across the years. Nancy’s successor, Bim Arthum, has already began working at APSCUF for a transition. The Venango Task Force is due to present its recommendations Monday November 19 th. They have worked diligently and we are looking forward to their recommendations. SAVE THE DATE: Our end-of-semester Holiday Party will be held at the Clarion River Brewing Company on December 13th from 4-6 pm. Heavy hors d’oevres will be available and a cash bar. Please plan to join us as we put a cap on the fall 2018 semester! As we near Thanksgiving, let us more deeply appreciate our colleagues and all of life’s blessings. In solidarity, Ray November, 2018 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 1 FALL 2018 MEETINGS (Please mark your calendars!) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EC) (Rhea Conf. Room @ 3:30 pm) Tuesday, November 27 Tuesday, December 11 DEPARTMENTAL REP COUNCIL (Rhea Conf. Room @ 3:30 PM) Tuesday, November 13 Tuesday, December 4 Fall 2018 MEET & DISCUSS @ 2:30 pm Friday, November 30 (Pre-Meet) Friday, December 7 (Meet & Discuss) LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLIES February 7-9, 2019 (Wyndham, Gettysburg) April 25-27, 2019 (Williamsport) May 17, 2019 – Leadership Day (Slippery Rock) The Clarion APSCUF office will be closed Thursday and Friday, November 22nd and 23rd in observance of Thanksgiving weekend. The office will reopen on Monday, November 26 at 8:00 am. HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!! SAVE THE DATE: Join us at the Clarion APSCUF’s Holiday and End-of-theSemester Celebration at the Clarion River Brewing Company, Thursday, December 13, from 4-6 pm. Please feel free to bring your spouse or a significant other! Please do make plans to join us and help celebrate the holiday spirit! 2019 STATE APSCUF SCHOLARSHIP: For Family Members of APSCUF/APSCURF Members Only State APSCUF is now accepting applications for their annual scholarship program. The scholarship award of $3,000 will only be presented to one (1) eligible applicant in his/her higher education career in August 2019. An eligible applicant must be a “family member” of an APSCUF/APSCURF member in good standing or an APSCUF staff member and must be enrolled at one of the fourteen (14) state-owned universities. Deadline for application is March 1, 2019. For more information on eligibility and to download the complete application, go to https://www.apscuf.org/wpcontent/uploads/2018/10/APSCUFStateScholarshipProgram2019final.pdf TENURED ANNOUNCED: CONGRATULATIONS to Eric Lewis of the Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics in receiving Tenured effective in January 2019!! WELCOME New APSCUF Members!!  Timothy Bock – Social Sciences  Thomas Conway – Education November, 2018 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 2 Have you recommitted to OUR union yet? Have you signed your updated membership form? In late August, you should have received a recommitment letter and application from OUR faculty and coaches union, the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties. If you are already a member, your status hasn’t changed, but our goal is for all members — existing and new — to complete and mail back the postage-paid cards as a show of solidarity, to meet legal requirements after Janus, and to update our records. If you’ve already returned your card, THANK YOU!! A double THANK-YOU if you have initiated or increased your contribution to APSCUF’s Committee for Action through Politics (APSCUF/CAP), the political voice for APSCUF faculty and coaches. If you accidentally disposed of the mailing, please contact our local office manager, Jan Walters, to obtain a new card as soon as you’re able. Thank you! Adjunct Update newsletter launches Our union is one of only a few across the country that represents ALL faculty — whether they are tenured, tenure track, or adjunct. APSCUF is proud to announce the debut of the Adjunct Update, a new APSCUF newsletter composed with and for adjunct faculty members. The first edition published via email Nov. 6. If you are an adjunct member of APSCUF and did not receive the newsletter, which APSCUF aims to publish in October, February, and April, please let Jan in the APSCUF office know. Or you can go into the Members Only site to view this newsletter. (login required). The semester/holiday break is almost here! For those who will be traveling and/or shopping over the break, APSCUF wants to remind you that APSCUF’s Special Services offers some discounts that you might want to take advantage of such as rent-a-car discounts, amusement park discounts, Working Advantage Discount program for tickets/shopping, etc. etc. To get more information about these discounts, go to www.apscuf.org and click onto the “Members Only” section. NOT REGIESTERED FOR THE MEMBERS ONLY SITE? To get yourself registered, go to www.apscuf.org. Here is the direct link to the registration page: http://www.apscuf.org/membersonly/membership-registration/. There you will find all the information on APSCUF’s Special Services such as discounts on magazines, rental vehicles, amusement parks, Verizon Wireless, etc. etc. REMINDER: Enhancements coming soon to the Healthy U member experience. Highmark Blue Shield recently announced a new partnership with Sharecare, who will be replacing WebMD as their wellness rewards partner. As a result of this upcoming transition, Healthy U will have a delayed start date of January 1, 2019. During the coming months, watch your university email for exciting details on the transformation of the Healthy U member experience. November 2018 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 3 On November 6, Clarion University recognized our fellow faculty members who received tenured or were promoted effective for the fall 2018 semester. They were recognized for their achievements and honored with the selection of a book or other information resource added to the university's Libraries. CONGRATUALTIONS AND JOB WELL DONE!! Promoted to Full Professor • Dr. Chunfei Li Promoted to Associate Professor • Dr. Renee C. Bloom • Dr. Leah M. Chambers • Dr. Paul Klenowski • Dr. Douglas S. Knepp • Dr. Joyce A. Overly Tenured Faculty • Ms. Natalie T. Armstrong • Dr. Gwyneth A. Price PHOTO LR: CU President Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehresson, Dr. Gwyneth Price, Dr. Joyce Overly, Dr. Paul Klenowski, Dr. Renee Bloom, Dr. Leah Chambers, Dr. Natalie Armstrong, Interim Provost Pam Gent Thinking about retiring? Check out APSCUF’s “Pre-Retirement Checklist” in this newsletter on pages 5 & 6!! PLEASE NOTE: This checklist should only be used as a guideline. All faculty/coaches contemplating retirement should consult with their retiree handbook from either SERS or PSERS. Those enrolled in TIAA-CREF should have their portfolios in order. In addition, faculty/coaches should have a copy of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between APSCUF and the State System of Higher Education and the current State System Employees Benefit Booklet to consult as a reference in making this decision. For additional information about retirement, go to http://www.apscuf.org/members/forms-and-benefits and scroll to the very bottom of the webpage under the heading RETIREMENT. EMERITUS STATUS PROCEDURES: Nominations for Emeritus Status should be initiated by member(s) of the appropriate department/unit and announced at a department/unit meeting, normally within one year following retirement. The nominating member(s) of the department/unit shall forward a one-page summary of the significant accomplishments made by the nominee to the Dean and appropriate Vice President. The Office of the Provost and Academic Vice President will be responsible for the implementation of this policy and its procedures. The above procedures for departments to follow to request emeritus status for retiring faculty in departments are taken from the Clarion University of Pennsylvania Policy on Emeritus Status. A copy of the entire policy is available from the APSCUF office. If you have faculty who are retiring at the end of the fall or spring semester in your department, please follow the procedures in this policy to request emeritus status for the nominee. November 2018 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 4 APSCUF’S Pre-retirement checklist Getting ready to retire? Check out this checklist to get prepared!           Select an anticipated date of retirement and begin to contemplate pension options. Check beneficiary information. Contact your retirement counselor and/or investment counselor o SERS members need only to contact 1-800-633-5461 (toll-free) to be connected with their local counseling center. The SERS website is www.sers.state.pa.us. o TIAA-CREF members can call 215-587-8530. TIAA-CREF’s website address is www.tiaacref.org. o PSERS members need to contact 1-888-773-7748 (toll-free). PSERS’ website address is www.psers.state.pa.us. Visit APSCURF's web page, www.apscuf.org/members/apscurf, for direct links to a variety of different sites including the Social Security Administration's website which provides answers to quite a number of questions. Visit the APSCURF page for an abundance of information on retiring and retirement! Contact your human resources office. Confirm “credited” years of service. Certify any outstanding qualified service time while in active status. No payment is required to purchase the value of this service during active service. The amount owed can be subtracted from the pension. CBA health retirement requirements to retain lifelong health benefit coverage include one of the following: o 25 years of “credited” service at any age o 10 years of “credited” service at superannuation age (60 years of age) (applies to those hired prior to the fall semester of 1997) o 15 years of “credited” service at superannuation age (60 years of age) (applies to those hired for the fall semester of 1997 through June 30, 2004) o In addition, “credited” service for those faculty members hired for the fall semester of 1997 and after will only include Commonwealth and/or State System service. o Those hired on or after July 1, 2004, "20 years of “credited” service at superannuation age. o Please Note: Your spouse and/or eligible dependents are only entitled to your State System health benefit package as long as you are alive. The Surviving Spouse Act provides the right to purchase your package from the State System for your spouse only. ALL annuitants must draw a pension check (annuitize) from their retirement plan in order to receive the health benefit coverage. Those retiring on or after October 20, 2005, are permitted to waive enrollment under the retirement health package IF THEY ARE COVERED UNDER ANY OTHER HEALTH INSURANCE. If the health package is waived at retirement, retirees may enroll during an open enrollment period or upon loss of their current coverage. ALL annuitants must draw a pension check (annuitize) from their retirement plan as one of the criteria to be eligible to obtain sick leave buy-out benefits. In addition, the member must be retiring at 60 years of age or more with five years of Commonwealth/State System service or under 60 years or age with at least 25 years of Commonwealth/State System service (may include periods in other positions other than a faculty/coach position). November 2018 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 5        PA Faculty Health and Welfare Fund benefits will terminate on the last day of the next month in which you retire. Schedule any services for which you are eligible prior to the termination date (Dental, Vision, Hearing, etc.). Those retiring on or after November 1, 2005, may qualify for COBRA coverage. Coaches dental and vision plans will terminate per the Management Supplemental policy. Check with the local Human Resource office about COBRA rights. All eligible APSCUF members joining APSCURF has the option to enroll in APSCURF’s dental and vision plans. Visit APSCURF's page for more information Employer purchased life insurance will terminate upon your retirement. If desired, you may want to check into your conversion rights under this policy with the local human resources office. Basic health plan coverage. Until you reach Medicare eligibility, coverage will be the PPO plan. All health plans carry the same Medco RX drug plan. On the first day of the month in which you become Medicare eligible, Medicare Part A and B become your primary insurance carrier. The CBA provides you with supplemental coverage under Highmark Blue Shield's Medicare Complement Plan, an your RX coverage will be under the Major Medical plan where you purchase your prescription and manually submit them to Highmark for reimbursement. Those who retired on or after July 1, 2005, will have an employee health contribution assessed on their health plan premium in retirement based on the date of retirement per the collective bargaining agreement provisions in place at that time. Please note that if you are Medicare eligible or will be at retirement, you will need to enroll in Medicare 3 months prior to your retirement month so that Medicare is in place when your annuitant health plan begins. Check with your local HR office to determine the date where your active coverage will transfer to the annuitant Medicare Complement coverage. o The PASSHE decided not to include the health care reform mandates under the annuitant health plan so the benefits vary somewhat when you are transferred to the annuitant PPO plan. The main change is that if you have dependents between the ages of 19 and 25 who are not enrolled as a full time student, the dependent(s) will lose their eligibility under the annuitant health plan. Contemplate purchasing a long-term nursing care policy. The benefit package provided to you does not cover custodial, intermediate or assisted-living services. APSCURF has a recommended plan and check with your insurance agency for comparisons. Visit APSCURF's page for more details about the retired association benefits and other useful links. Annuitants can only return to Commonwealth service for a period of 95 days under the Emergency Hire guidelines. This checklist should only be used as a guideline. All faculty members contemplating retirement should consult with their retiree handbook from either SERS or PSERS. Those enrolled in TIAA-CREF should have their portfolios in order. In addition, faculty should have a copy of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between APSCUF and the State System of Higher Education and the current State System Employees Benefit Booklet to consult as a reference in making this decision. November 2018 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 6