Office Phone: 814-227-2420 www.apscuf.org April 2017 Executive Committee: President – Ray Feroz; Vice President – Joyce Overly; Secretary – Karen Bolinger; Treasurer – Linda Lillard; Delegates –Ray Feroz, Karen Bolinger, Barry Sweet; Jonathan Touster, Uraina Pack Alternate Delegates – Nancy Clemente, Ellen Foster, Jennifer May, Karl Sprenger, Lorie Taylor; Coaches President - Al Modrzejewski ; Coaches Vice President – Sean Esterhuizen; Coaches’ Grievance Chair – Eric Laughlin; Venango Campus – Paul Klenowski; CAP – Joseph Croskey; DRC – Mary Buchanan; Grievance – Mark Kilwein; Health & Welfare – Marilyn Howe; Legislative – Jonathan Touster; Membership – Rhonda Clark; 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 – Dan Clark & Lorie Taylor; State APSCUF Executive Council – Joyce Overly; State Adjunct Committee – Michael Hissam The President’s Message… Retrenchment Redux Dear Colleagues, Here we go again. The first retrenchment was part of the 2013-14 Workforce Plan and the massive departmental reorganization and dissolution of the College of Education. It was a disaster and student enrollment has been negatively skewed ever since. Now we have Retrenchment II on the table. To be fair, the Article 29 notice does not mean that faculty layoffs will happen, and we take the administration at their word that they will work diligently with us to avoid retrenchment. Be assured that we will fight retrenchment with great vigor. APSCUF believes that retrenchment, employed as a cost-saving measure, actually harms future enrollment and will perpetuate the downward admissions spiral that we have seen during Dr. Whitney’s tenure. CU enrollments are down 30% at CU since 2009. Faculty numbers are down 22% since 2009. Management numbers have increased 14% since 2009. Given the abysmal performance of Clarion in terms of student enrollment, the real focus for review and cost savings should be on management and contractual services. And what responsibility does the Council of Trustees bear for allowing this slow-motion disaster to continue? Do they realize that they have a fiduciary responsibility to the university? Their inaction harms the entire community – both Clarion and Venango. As Eldridge Cleaver said: “Either you’re part of the solution, or you’re part of the problem.” In solidarity, Ray April 2017 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 1 SPRING 2017 MEETING DATES (Please mark your calendars!) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EC) (Rhea Conference Room @ 3:30 pm) Tuesday, April 18 (Spring Elections) @ 4pm Tuesday, May 2 Thursday, May 4 Legislative Assemblies Spring 2017 *April 27-29, 2017 Toftrees, State College SPRING 2017 MEET & DISCUSS (M&D) Thursday, April 13 - Pre-Meet & Discuss Friday, April 21 – Meet & Discuss FACULTY RETIREMENT RECEPTION: The Faculty/Coaches Retirement Reception will be held on Tuesday, May 2 at 4:00 pm in Moore Hall. Please plan to attend and wish your retiring colleagues well as they begin this new phase of their lives. Funding for this event is generously provided by the Office of the President and Clarion APSCUF. OFFICE CLOSING: The Clarion APSCUF Office will be closed on Friday, April 14 in observance of Good Friday and the Easter holiday. 20/26 ANNUAL PAY OPTION WINDOW Nine-month pay faculty who are interested in changing their pay options from 20 to 26 pays or vice versa may do so during a window period from April 1, 2017 to April 30, 2017. The change will be effective for the first paycheck of the Fall 2017 semester which is September 15, 2017. (See insert letter from State APSCUF President Ken Mash.) If you so choose to change your option, please complete the 20/26 Pay Option form and return it to our Human Resources office in Carrier. Please note that this is the only opportunity to make this change during this academic year. The 20/26 Annual Pay Option form is inserted in this newsletter or is available in our Human Resources office. Attention PASSHE Highmark PPO Blue Members: DON’T WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE TO COMPLETE YOUR PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS FOR HEALTHY U! The participation deadline of the Healthy U wellness program is May 31, 2017. Both you and your covered spouse/same-sex domestic partner (if applicable) need to accumulate a minimum of 70 Healthy U points each by the deadline of May 31, 2017. There are a wide variety of activities and programs that individuals can choose from to earn Healthy U points. Everyone is REQUIRED to complete the Wellness Profile (worth 30 points). If you attain 70 points without completing the Wellness Profile, you still must complete the Wellness Profile to qualify for the premium incentive. You can access Healthy U at www.highmarkblueshield.com. Log in with your Highmark user name and password, and select the “Rewards Program” link to get started. Don’t wait till the last minute to participate! Deadline is May 31, 2017. Need More Information or Assistance with Healthy U? • Call Highmark’s Member Services 1-888-745-3212 for general assistance • Call Highmark’s Technical Support 1-877-298-3918 for website or login issues • Contact our university’s Human Resources office for Healthy U information and resources April 2017 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 2 REMINDER: In conjunction with the Faculty Senate Elections, the spring general elections for APSCUF Offices & Committees and positions on University-wide Contractual Committees will be held on Tuesday, April 18th from 9 am till 4 pm in the Carlson Library and from 9 am till 3 pm in Suhr Library on the Venango Campus. Please be sure to bring your ballots with you when you come to the polls. If you do forget to bring your ballots, yes, we will have extras at the polls. NOTE: Absentee Ballots are due by Monday, April 17th by NOON in the APSCUF office. Retiring soon? Please read. For those who may be thinking about retirement should be aware of the changes in the new CBA to Article 21 pertaining to Health Care Benefits. A number of changes to faculty health care began on January 1, 2017. Some increased expenses (e.g. in-network deductible, increased co-pays for medical and RX), others were an improvement (e.g. hearing benefit). There were a number of other changes. If these are a significant factor in your decision to retire, please note how retirement on or after July 1, 2017 will affect your healthcare plan benefits when you are not eligible for Medicare: Prior to June 30, 2017: Eligible faculty members who retire between January 1 and June 30, 2017 and are not eligible for Medicare (and/or their spouse/dependents who are not Medicare eligible), will be enrolled in the Annuitant Health Care PPO plan for pre-Medicare annuitants with the same PPO plan design in effect for active faculty members on December 31, 2016 (no in-network deductible and lower co-pays) until one reaches Medicare eligibility. Please note that the eligibility rules for dependents are different under the annuitant health plan as the PASSHE opted not to follow the health care reform mandates for the retirement plan. Dependents are eligible for coverage under the annuitant health plan up to age 19. Those 19 to 25 years of age are only eligible if they are enrolled full-time in a qualified school. Effective July 1, 2017: Annuitant healthcare plan benefits for eligible faculty members who retire on or after July 1, 2017, and are not eligible for Medicare, shall be those in effect for active employees, and will change as active employee benefits change. If you have questions, please contact Shelly Williams, Manager of Employee Services, in our local Human Resources office in Carrier Hall or Nancy Koutris, Director of Membership Services at State APSCUF to obtain more information. April, 2016 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 3 APSCUF SPECIAL SERVICES: APSCUF Members, are you registered for APSCUF’s MEMBERS ONLY site? If not, go to www.apscuf.org and register today! Here is the direct link to the registration page: http://www.apscuf.org/membersonly/membership-registration/ . In the Members Only site you will find all the information on APSCUF’s Special Services such as discounts on magazines, rental vehicles, amusement parks, Verizon Wireless, AT&T etc. etc. Included in this newsletter is a list of companies and special programs that will save you $$. APSCUF SPECIAL SERVICES: APSCUF/CLARION UNIVERSITY Union Members now have access to our best deals ever on unlimited plans. Plus for a limited time, New and Existing members enrolled in the AT&T Signature Program will receive a $25 credit when activating or upgrading a new smartphone on AT&T Next®. Yes, you read that correctly, this offer is good on New Activations and Upgrades!!! If you could please share this great offer with all of your members, I would greatly appreciate it. Union Members should bring this email, mention the discount FAN # 2846787 and proof of employment to any AT&T retail store to activate new service, or upgrade their existing AT&T mobility plans. when they buy a new smartphone on AT&T Next® with an unlimited data plan from AT&T.* Additional plans also qualify. *Avail. only to consumers enrolled in the AT&T Signature Program. Req’s elig. svc (voice & data). Savings is a $25 credit applied w/in 3 bill cycles. After 22GB of data usage, AT&T may slow speeds. Additional speed, usage and other restr’s apply. See below for details. Additionally, as a union member of APSCUF/CLARION UNIVERSITY you could qualify for benefits with the AT&T Signature Program.º ºAT&T Signature Program provides various wireless service related benefits to qualified employees, students, military, and organization members of qualified AT&T enterprise or business customers Go to att.com/get25 for more details. To find the AT&T storeˆ closest to you, visit: att.com/find-a-store ˆIf you visit a local AT&T store, please have proof of eligibility. Mention Signature Code: FAN 2846787 April, 2016 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 4 Special Services for full dues-paying APSCUF members Updated: January 2017 All full dues-paying APSCUF members are eligible to use the Special Services program. Information on these programs (including links and access codes) are available 24/7 to members who provide the necessary sign-up information for the members-only area of the State APSCUF website. If you are a member and have any questions about any of these benefits or services, please contact State APSCUF's director of membership services, Nancy Koutris, at 800-9320587, ext. 3021, or email her at nkoutris@apscuf.org. Preferred group vehicle insurance If you are a full dues-paying member of APSCUF/APSCURF and qualify for insurance under Nationwide’s Affinity, you may be able to purchase vehicle insurance at a lower cost than your present carrier. If you have not received a Nationwide quote recently, you may want to check them out again to see if you can save money on your insurance. Homeowners/renters insurance If you are a full dues-paying member of APSCUF/APSCURF and qualify for insurance under Nationwide Homeowners, you may be able to purchase insurance at a lower cost than your present carrier. Scholarship awards (local and state) Each local APSCUF chapter has a scholarship fund and its own regulations governing the disbursement of scholarship money. State APSCUF will match each local's funds up to a maximum of $1,000. For more information, contact your local APSCUF office. State APSCUF has an annual scholarship program. Information about the scholarship normally is announced in October with the deadline for application/essay materials being the first Friday in March. The recipient typically announced in August. Visit the Forms and Benefits page to download a complete packet containing eligibility rules and guidelines or pick up one from your local APSCUF office. Vehicle pricing program (new and used) Any full dues-paying member of APSCUF/APSCURF may contact the director for membership services to obtain pricing information for new and used vehicles. State APSCUF maintains current software from N.A.D.A. The new vehicles software provides MSRP and invoice prices on April, 2016 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 5 almost all new models and factory-installed options. The used vehicle pricing system provides different levels of pricing such as trade-in, loan, and retail for vehicles based on the year, model, and some options and mileage. Discount magazine program The Quality School Program (QSP) has been taken over by Great American Opportunities. Pricing and subscription information is updated on APSCUF’s website in the members-only area. Members can order subscriptions via mail or online. Each local APSCUF office as well as the state APSCUF office had a supply of the brochures, order forms, and the instruction sheets. Theme park discounts Seasonal discount tickets for various amusement parks are available in the members-only area. Some of those amusement parks are: Tickets at Work (Formerly Adventure Club. One Club – nine parks: Adventure Island, Aquatica, Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Tampa Bay, SeaWorld San Diego, Orlando, San Antonio, Sesame Place, and Water Country USA), Universal Fan Club, Dorney Park, and the Six Flags/Adventure Parks. Alamo and National rentals Alamo and National provide discounts on rates as well as special promotions and coupons. Members that are interested in this service can check it out in the members-only area. A hard copy of the coupon discount must be printed out and presented when picking up your vehicle. Wireless phone discount program APSCUF members can enjoy an 18 percent discount off their current or new Verizon Wireless account. Discount applies to accounts costing more than $34.99 a month. Members interested in this service can visit the online APSCUF retail store in the members-only area or contact the director of membership services at State APSCUF. AT&T offers members a discount. Members must apply online though AT&T. Members who are interested in this service can check it out in the members-only area. T-Mobile offers discounts and special promotions. Members who are interested in this service can check it out in the members-only area. April, 2016 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 6 April, 2016 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 7 April, 2016 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 8 April, 2016 www.apscuf.org/universities/clarion 9