MSU RETIREES ASSOCIATION
BOARD MEETING MINUTES
January 4, 2012
The meeting of the MSU Retirees Association was held on Wednesday, January 4, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. in 125 Nisbet Building.
Present: Stephanie Barch, Nancy Craig, John Forsyth, Gail Gower, Jerry Hull, Tony Kleibecker, Al LeBlanc,Marilyn Rothert, Patrick Scheetz, Joan Smith, Ron Smith, Brenda Spackman, and Gordon Williams.
The meeting was called to order at 10:00 a.m. It was moved that the December meeting minutes be approved.
There was no Treasurer’s report because the Treasurer was not in attendance.
There was no Budget and Finance report because there was no Treasurer’s report.
President’s Report: AROHE, the Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education has contacted MSU for its annual renewal of membership. In the past MSU has been a member, although the contact was primarily through the Faculty Emeriti group. That group has confirmed it will pay to continue membership in AROHE. MSURA discussion revealed that it has little in common with other AROHE members in that many are very small schools, private institutions, and/or large state university systems which participate in their individual state public employee pension plans.
Patrick Scheetz asked board members to look at the MSURA Operations manual with regard to the duties associated with their own board position and to send suggested changes to Patrick. He also asked that we review the December 2011 new retiree list and make personal contacts on behalf of MSURA with those individuals whom we know.
Vice President Report: Ron Smith reported that approximately 70 members attended the December program with Head Hockey Coach Anastos. After a brief discussion, it was decided that we could wait until nearly September to make a decision about whether to move 2012-2013 meetings to the MSUFCU on-campus branch, which is currently under construction or to remain at the MSUFCU headquarters building on West Road.
Human Resources Update: Tony Kleibecker will get back to MSURA regarding whether all MSURA retirees have retiree life insurance and whether the Funeral Planning Service information sent to some retirees was authorized by the University. (Tony confirmed since this meeting that the Funeral Planning Service is a benefit for MSU retirees who receive the life insurance benefit from Prudential insurance.)
Health Benefits Report: The committee did not meet as there was no reason to do so. Board members discussed the sometimes very long waiting time at the MSU Clinical Center for the pick-up of prescriptions. Members also have heard comments about the lack of privacy in the event one must speak with a pharmacist. Finally, members spoke about the lack of sitting and waiting space at the MSU Clinical Center for individuals who must wait for their prescriptions. MSURA decided to request a meeting with Human Resources and the University Physician’s Office to discuss these issues in an effort to find mutual solutions. MSURA is aware that a significant renovation of technology and facilities is underway and that there have been some staff changes at the Clinical Center Pharmacy. It was suggested that a newsletter article could follow with suggestions on how retirees could utilize the MSU Clinical Center pharmacy most effortlessly.
Office Management Report: The calendar seeking MSURA office coverage volunteers was passed around and Gale Gower reported that she has had good support in that area. She is ordering office stationery and envelops and asked for suggestions for updating those items. Brenda Spackman was provided with the November and December new retiree labels so that she could prepare welcome letters. John Forsyth reported that he had downloaded and given Rosemary Pavlik a listing of Florida retirees for invitations to the March upcoming Florida retiree meeting. John was complemented on his diligence in working with Human Resources staff to make the transition of downloading MSU retiree data from the HR data system.
Membership Committee: The committee meets next week to review and finalize new member brochure changes. The committee expects to bring the final draft to the February Board meeting.
Newsletter Report: The next newsletter deadline is February 17, 2012. Please be sure to get items to Al LeBlanc and Stephanie Barch as soon as possible, but definitely by the stated deadline. If nothing comes in until the deadline and then some items are late, it is impossible for Al, Stephanie and our printers to meet the publishing schedule.
A motion was made, seconded and approved to pay the $165 registration fee for Stephanie to attend the MS Publisher training course offered on campus.
Website: Patrick Scheetz reminded everyone to participate on the MSURA Facebook, and mentioned there are 76 members who have responded with “Like” at this time.
eNotices, eNews: Gordon Williams shared a depiction of MSURA Communications with members. He explained how MSURA media (newsletters that go to all members; newsletters that go to paid subscribers, the MSURA web-site, eNotices, Facebook viewers and Facebook friends) each play a “push” or “pull” role in getting information to members. Currently the eNotices reach approximately 73% of our members seventeen times per year, our “international” newsletter reach 100% twice per year and our paid subscription newsletters reach 25% of our members an additional five times per year. We are not measuring our website usage and Facebook usage is small at this time. This information can be tracked over time.
United Way Report: None
Old News Boys Report: Brenda Spackman indicated initial totals appear to surpass last year. She will have more information at the next meeting.
Next Meeting: The next meeting of this group will be Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 10 a.m. in Room 125 Nisbet Building. The meeting adjourned at 11:12 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Joan G. Smith, Secretary