September 23, 2014
UIC Staffer Forms Tech Group to Work on Pension Crisis
 |
Dennis Roarty may be
wearing a DePaul shirt, but he is a former staffer for the UIC College of
Education and now consults with UIC. He has formed a tech group to work on
Illinois’s pension crisis.
|
DENIS ROARTY was looking for an educational topic to
explore when he first attended an “Open Gov Hack Night” at the technology
start-up 1871 Technology Center in the Merchandise Mart. Instead, as a “future
retiree,” he decided to start a group that is examining Illinois’s pension
problems.
THE OPEN City organization (www.opencityapps.org) hosted the event,
and hosts other Open Gov Hack Nights as well. Open City is a group that creates
apps with open data to improve transparency and understanding of government.
Open Gove Hack Nights (http://opengovhacknight.org/)
are for individuals interested in building, sharing, and learning about civic
technology.
A FULL-TIME software developer for the College of
Education at UIC until earlier this year, Roarty now is a consultant for UIC
and has begun his own company, Co-Knowledge.org.
“I WANT to see the pension problem solved in a sane way,” Roarty said.
Right now, the pension reform is so complex that it needs close examination in
various ways. “It is hard for people – pensioners, taxpayers, to make any sense
of it all,” he added.
“ALL WE WANT to do is create a model that is
acceptable to both sides of the debate,” Roarty said. “We want to bypass all
the complex formulas and rules that don’t really mean anything to those
people.”
“OUR GOAL is through this modeling, taxpayers and
pensioners can see clearly what portion of this $80 billion in debt is going to
fall into their laps,” he added. The group is downloading data, largely
actuarial reports, that are available online. By using the data, people will be
able to model their own pension figures or look at the State as a whole.
ROARTY PITCHED the idea to the Open Gov group about six
weeks ago in the tech center, and now has a number of collaborators. An
economist, a lawyer, two data scientists, and two programmers have joined his
team. Additional members are welcome to attend the sessions at that begin at 6
p.m. Tuesdays in the 1871 Technology Center in the Merchandise Mart’s Suite
1212.
FOR THE pension analysis, Roarty said, “We can see that as a good use
of public data.” If the group has difficulty obtaining information, it will
file Freedom of Information requests. Once all possible online information is
collected, the group will move on to do models of current pension plans,
proposed pension reform plans, and plans from other states. Membership guides
and other outside sources will be searched. “At some point, we need to start
consulting with experts,” he said. “We know that is going to be a very complex
process.”
“WE WANT this to be agnostic of political views”
when the group reaches its conclusions, Roarty said. “Repairing
the underfunded system will impact current pensioners and taxpayers as well as
future pensioners and future taxpayers. Our goal is to create a context that
simplifies the complex formulas and lets pensioners and taxpayers draw their
own conclusions and understandings so they can inform the political debate, not
us.”
A RESEARCH assistant professor in UIC’s School of
Public Health, Alexander “Sasha”
Gutfraind also is a participant in Open Hack Night.
“THE OPEN Gov Hack group
is unique in serving valuable public missions, while at the same time helping
the hackers network and master powerful analytical tools,” Gutfraind said. “I
have not found a project yet, but generally I am interested particularly in
work that is relevant to public health, which is the area of my research at
UIC. Perhaps I will start a new project to lead this work.”
OPEN GOV Hack Night is organized by Open City and
documented by the Smart Chicago Collaborative. On a recent Tuesday, more than
50 people, most under 40 and most men, met at 6 p.m. for the opening session
with free pizza. They heard a presentation from a group that explained how data
has been mined for revealing which City lots will be sold for $1 to current
residents of two impoverished neighborhoods. At 7 p.m., the group broke up into
smaller gatherings such as Roarty’s which had a half-dozen in it.
FOR NEWCOMERS, Christopher
Whitaker each week leads an orientation session to teach what civic hacking
is all about. Others teach programming. Various aspects of transportation,
education, the environment, and social service delivery are among the topics
being probed.
FOR MORE information about the pension group,
contact Roarty at droarty@uic.edu or droarty@yahoo.com. Gutfraind is at
agutfraind.research@gmail.com. Open Gov Hack Night details are at www.opengovhacknight.org.
APAC Coordinates Town Hall with President Easter
 |
APAC will coordinate a
Town Hall meeting with President Robert A. Easter.
|
PRESIDENT EASTER will discuss the state of the University.
THE EVENT is open to all staff, faculty, staff and
students, and you will have an opportunity to submit questions for President
Easter during registration.
A BRIEF additional Q&A will conclude the event.
THE EVENT is coordinated by APAC (http://uicapac.blogspot.com/) and will be
webcast at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/uic-apac.
FOR QUESTIONS, contact Michael Moss, APAC Chair, at mmoss2@uillinois.edu.
Kamm Leaves APAC
DON KAMM, Assistant Director of the Office of
Access and Equity, has resigned as an APAC member “due to increased
work-related demands in OAE,” said Michael
Moss, Chair of APAC. “Donn has played a vital role getting our Professional
Development Committee established and we very much appreciate his service to
APAC and the campus.”
BENEFIT BEAT
By Katherine Vega
DISPUTE RESOLUTION Services (DRS) is a resource available
to all staff, as well as faculty and students, that provides interpersonal
counseling services for those facing conflicts in the workplace or the
classroom.
“DRS PROVIDES private consultation, facilitation, and
mediation services to faculty, staff, and students on a wide variety of
issues,” said Kathy Irving,
Assistant Equal Opportunity Officer. They work by exploring the concerns of the
affected parties, meeting with the parties together, and ultimately helping the
students, faculty, or staff members come up with a solution to their problem.
DRS IS a proactive program that aims to help
solve problems before they grow bigger. “Its purpose is to bring parties to a
mutually agreeable resolution of differences before they escalate into formal
time-intense grievances, charges, or costly lawsuits,” said Irving.
PEOPLE CAN contact DRS in a wide range of
situations, but early intervention is encouraged. “It is suggested that as soon
as an individual believes there is unresolved conflict in the workplace, they
should contact DRS for an initial consultation,” added Irving. Common issues
that DRS mediators address are interpersonal conflicts, lack of communication,
toxic work environments, and unclear job expectations.
DRS ENSURES that all inquiries are handled on a
case-by-case basis, so there is no “typical” solution to any problem. “Because
each inquiry is different…the appropriate handling of an inquiry is best
determined only after an initial consultation,” concluded Irving.
AP RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT
 |
The Women’s Leadership
and Resource Center and Campus Advocacy Network are located north of Roosevelt
Road and east of Halsted Street just north of the UIC Forum.
|
THE WOMEN’S Leadership and Resource
Center/Campus Advocacy Network has found a new home in Room 286, 728 W.
Roosevelt Rd. The new location is
spacious and accessible.
THE FACILITIES have a comfortable lounge,
work stations, Wi-Fi, gender neutral bathrooms, a lactation relaxation room, a
library, a kitchen, a conference room, and programming space with a projector.
THE CENTER and network are open
Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
CALL (312) 413-1025 for assistance or
information
THE WOMEN’S Leadership and Resource
Center helps educate and empower the UIC campus on women's issues, and provides
a safe environment for women-identified people. See
http://www.uic.edu/depts/owa/.
THE CAMPUS Advocacy Network is the
confidential campus resource for staff, students, and faculty regardless of
social identity who have been victims of sexual assault, domestic and dating
violence, stalking, and hate crimes. Advocates will identify all of the options
available based on each individual's unique experience with interpersonal violence,
and then assist the individual with those options he or she chooses to pursue.
For an appointment, call (312) 413-8206. See http://www.uic.edu/depts/owa/advocacy.html.
Vol. 7, No. 8, September 2014
ISSN 1946-1860
Editor: William S. Bike
Staff: Neal Lorenzi, Gail Mansfield, Susan S. Stevens, Katherine Vega, Monica M. Walk
Chair: Michael Moss
Vice Chair: Ahlam Al-Kodmany
Secretary: Mary Berta
Treasurer: Colleen Piersen
Web Chair: Jeff Alcantar
Web Chair: Jeff Alcantar
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)