November 18, 2012
Pension Amendment Defeated
VOTERS
REJECTED Constitutional Amendment #49 on the
Nov. 6, ballot, which could have eliminated the State of Illinois’
Constitutional protection of the pension benefits of University and other
public employees.
ALTHOUGH
ABOUT 56% of Illinois voters who weighed
in on the measure on their ballots cast a “yes” vote for the amendment, the law
required either a yes vote from 3/5 (60%) of the people voting on it, or 50%
plus one of the total number of votes cast in the election. The amendment
received neither.
IF
PASSED, the amendment would have required a
3/5 majority of a legislative body to increase benefits, but only a simple
majority to reduce benefits that currently are protected from reduction by the
State Constitution.
“ARTICLE XXX,
Section 5 of our State Constitution (adopted in 1970) had as its purpose the
safeguarding of the pensions of public employees,” said Ann Lousin, a faculty member at the John Marshall Law School and
outspoken opponent of the amendment. She added that the change that was “proposed
by this Amendment appears to be an attempt to circumvent or abolish those
protections. For example, it is possible that a cost-of-living adjustment could
be eliminated if this Amendment” passed.
SHE NOTED the
amendment would have done “nothing for the State's pension-funding problem,”
and, if approved, would have been “a catastrophe for Illinois.”
“THE OVERT
and covert danger of this proposal may be over but we should expect more
attacks on our pension benefits when the Illinois General Assembly reconvenes
for the veto session in late November and early December, as well as in the
opening days of the next regular legislative session in January,” said Merrill L. Gassman, President of UIC
United, the UIC chapter of the State Universities Annuitants Association. “The
legislature will be filled with a significant percentage of ‘lame ducks’ who
have nothing to gain or lose by supporting ‘pension reform.’”
Six CAPE Awards Presented at Employee Recognition Awards Program and Ceremony
 |
David Taeyaerts, Director, Campus Learning Environments,
was congratulated
by Chancellor Paula Allen-Meares for receiving a CAPE Award.
|
THIS
YEAR, the
Chancellor decided to award six CAPEs, instead of the customary four. The
awards were presented at the Employee Recognition Awards Program and Ceremony on
Nov. 1. William S. Bike, CAPE Awards
Subcommittee Chair, read the citations.
RECIPIENTS
WERE Monica L. Carney, Director of Human Resources, Office of the
Dean, College of Pharmacy; Jackie L.
Finch, Interim Associate Dean for Finance and Administration, Office of the
Dean, School of Public Health; Mark R.
Martell, Assistant Director, Office of Career Services; Sharon Ann Sanders, Assistant to the
Head, Department of Public Administration; David
Taeyaerts, Director, Campus Learning Environments; and Susan Teggatz, Director, Campus Housing.
ESTABLISHED in 1988, the CAPE Award recognizes the demonstrated excellence of Academic Professional staff, encourages their professional development, and indicates the institution’s high regard for the contributions of this key segment of the academic community.
Two From APAC Earn Awards of Merit
 |
Provost Lon Kaufman (left) and Chancellor Paula
Allen-Meares (right) congratulate
former APAC Member Catherine Foley-DiVittorio on her
Award of Merit.
|
 |
Current APAC
member Jacqueline Berger (center) also earned an Award of Merit. She was
congratulated by Vice Chancellor for Research Mitra Dutta (left) and Chancellor
Allen-Meares.
|
THE
AWARD of Merit recognizes outstanding
Academic Professionals and support staff employees for sustained excellence in
performance and commitment to their jobs.
President to Speak to Senate; All Invited
 |
President Robert Easter.
|
APAC Meetings Scheduled; All Invited
ALL APs are
invited to the monthly APAC meeting at 12:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of
the month. Meetings are held either in Room 5175 of the College of Medicine
Research Building, 909 S. Wolcott, or Room 2750 of University Hall on the East
Campus.
NEXT MEETING is
Dec. 12 in Room 5175 CMRB. For information, call (312) 996-0306.
APAC PROFILE
 |
Jennifer Anderson.
|
By Lucia Gonzalez
JENNIFER
ANDERSON is the first Graduate Assistant that APAC
has ever hired. Her new position will allow her to help organize the monthly
APAC meetings, as well as the APAC subcommittee meetings. She is also available
to the APAC board members for special projects, website updates, and anything
that can relieve them from some of the administrative duties resulting from
their volunteer positions.
ANDERSON
IS fascinated by the work that APAC does. “I am
learning so much about the public higher ed system and I feel this education
will be vastly useful for me in my future endeavors,” she explained. For
example, Anderson is learning about the intricacies of State and University
policy; every day, they become less foreign to her.
HER
GOAL is to organize the new Graduate Assistant post
to the point that APAC can run as efficiently as possible. She wants to
establish an easy-to-follow protocol for the monthly tasks so that APAC board
members can transition smoothly to utilizing her assistance.
“SINCE
THIS is a new role,” Anderson said, “I hope APAC
members will feel comfortable reaching out to me if they need help with
something they are working on. I am at your service ten hours a week, so
please, utilize me as needed.”
OUTSIDE
OF her work APAC work, Anderson is in her first
year of the Master’s of Public Health degree program, concentrating in Maternal
and Child Health. She currently also works as a lactation consultant. Prior to
that, she worked in non-profit administration.
ANDERSON’S
WISH is to leverage her MPH degree and return to
non-profit administration with a focus on maternal and infant nutrition. She
currently is working with a team to establish a donor human milk bank in the
Chicagoland area to serve local neonatal care units.
“I
RUN the local chapter of my International Board
of Lactation Consultant Examiners professional association,” Anderson noted.
“It is really quite comforting to see that many of our concerns overlap with
those of APAC members, despite it being a very different industry.”
ANDERSON
DOES not have a lot of spare time because she has
two young children, work, and school. However, she particularly enjoys running
and cooking. She has a passion for many food-related activities, such as
gardening, trying new types of foods, herbs, spices, and learning more about
cooking.
CONTACT
ANDERSON at jander72@uic.edu.
MEET THE CHANCELLOR’S COMMITTEES
By Lucia Gonzalez
THE MEMBERS of the Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Persons with Disabilities (CCSPD)realize that there is a diverse community at UIC that includes individuals withboth visible and non-visible disabilities. Their mission is to include and
empower these individuals at the University. Their work is fueled by the belief
that people with disabilities are assets to the University and in no way are
liabilities.
STAFF AND faculty at UIC are encouraged to become members of the CCSPD. Co-chair Lisa Cushing said, “We try to stay abreast of issues that directly or indirectly relate to us and advise the Chancellor to the best of our ability.”
THE CCSPDis constantly attempting to be a visible and welcoming presence on campus.
Employees of the University are invited to attend any of the events and
functions that are held or co-sponsored by the CCSPD.
FOR EXAMPLE, in April 2012 the CCSPD co-sponsored the Digital Accessibility Expo, which focused on improving the access to digital materials for everyone, including those with disabilities. During this expo, the UIC campus showcased current resources that
it has available to promote accessible information technology and assistive
technology.
TO LEARN more about CCSPD or its events, e-mail ccspd@uic.edu, or Cushing at lcushing@uic.edu
or Mark Goedert at mgoedert@uic.edu. For more information,visit the CCSPD website at www.uic.edu/orgs/ccspd/index.htm.
AP RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT
UIC Offers Red Car Service, Off-Hour Paratransit Service
THE UIC Red Car/Off-Hour Paratransit Service is an escort service that provides transportation to University employees, students, visitors, and other authorized individuals between University facilities and from University facilities to points of public transportation, or to private residences within a designated area.
THE VEHICLE used for this purpose is popularly known as the "Red Car" and operates within the following general boundaries:
SERVICES
ALSO are extended to include the
Chemical Engineering Building and the Access Living location at 614 W.
Roosevelt Road.
TO REQUEST service call (312) 996-6800.
THE UIC Red Car/Off-Hour Paratransit Service is an escort service that provides transportation to University employees, students, visitors, and other authorized individuals between University facilities and from University facilities to points of public transportation, or to private residences within a designated area.
THE VEHICLE used for this purpose is popularly known as the "Red Car" and operates within the following general boundaries:
- Halsted Street on the east
- Western Avenue on the west
- Eisenhower Expressway on the
north
- Roosevelt Road on the south
TO REQUEST service call (312) 996-6800.
- Red Car Service hours of
operation: 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Red Car Service operates seven
days per week, including holidays.
- In order to provide prompt and
efficient service a one-hour lead-time is requested (but not mandatory)
for customers requiring Paratransit Service.
- Proof of residency may be requested
when providing service to private residence.
- UIC identification (i-Card) must be presented to driver when boarding.
.
BENEFIT BEAT
WEBSITES TO KNOW
THE CONTINUING CRISIS
Editor’s Note:
“The Continuing Crisis” is a section of APAC News which links to news pertinent
to the state budget crisis and other financial matters as they affect the
University and Academic Professionals. These news outlets
are not affiliated with or endorsed by APAC.
GOVERNOR QUINN wants pension deal during lame-duck
session. See Progress Report, Nov.
12: http://tinyurl.com/coowu3g.
Vol. 5, No. 10, November 2012
ISSN 1946-1860
Editor: William S. Bike
Staff: Ivone De Jesus, Lucia Gonzalez, Monica M. Walk
Vice Chair: Ahlam Al-Kodmany
Chair: Michael Moss
Secretary: Kathleen Engstrom
Treasurer: Virginia Buglio
Web Chair: Jeff Alcantar
Web Chair: Jeff Alcantar
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