September 15, 2016, Minutes

Moraine Valley Community College Annuitants Association

Annual Fall Meeting

Thursday, September 15, 2016

2:30 P.M., Room M202

MINUTES 

Attending: Bentley, Brennan, Devine, Duren, Feehan, Gehrke, Glickman, Hessler, Hodkowski, Koscielniak, Krajacic, Kuropas, Lebre, Machon, McGinnis, Moore, Phelan, Razor, Samuelson, Sobol, Stewart, Strzelczyk, Toth, Tyler, Walstrom, and Walztoni

Welcome and Call to Order (Peggy Machon, president): The meeting was called to order by Dr. Machon at 2:30 p.m.

Greeting from MVCC President Dr. Sylvia Jenkins: Dr. Jenkins greeted the group and thanked the group for their continued support of the college. Dr. Jenkins also shared some remarks with the group, including:

  • The college is doing great!
  • Students often come to MVCC with a lot of need; MAP Grant money was finally dispersed in May 2016 for the 2016-17 academic year; but has not been funded for FY18.
  • Retention and completion continue to be college initiatives.
  • Dr. Jenkins acknowledged Rick Brennan and staff for their efforts. The college received a Beautification Award from the City of Palos Hills. The college has received a City of Palos Hills Beautification Award 10 years running.
  • The State of Illinois owes MVCC millions of dollars; Dr. Jenkins will host a legislative breakfast in October to showcase the college.
  • Dr. Jenkins acknowledge the efforts of the faculty and staff.

Approval of Minutes from Spring 2016 Meeting (Sue Phelan, secretary): Steve Lebre updated the minutes to include the Treasurer’s report from March, 2016. The updated minutes were approved and accepted as amended.

Treasurer’s Report (Steve Lebre, treasurer): Balances on hand (9/15/16): Checking $1,150; Savings $2,315.54. Expenditures included $900 to support attendees at The SUAA Annual Meeting in June 2016.

Membership Report (Nancy Bentley on behalf of the MVCCAA Membership Team including Nancy Bentley, Karen McGinnis, Doreen O’Brien, and Jane Corradetti who serves as coordinator): Membership total:  219 (July 2016). Added two members and dropped two members. The MVCCAA Chapter typically has about 220 members.

Six members who had not renewed were sent reminder letters; several expressed to Jane that they had trouble renewing at SUAA website, which she reported to SUAA.

Marketing efforts to current employees included:

  • 111 letters were mailed to MVCC employees with 10 to 40 years of service to the college. Nancy acknowledged the efforts of Jane Corradetti and Karen McGinnis on this project.
  • Karen McGinnis made contact with about 15 current MVCC employees to encourage them to come and attend our meeting today.
  • The MVCCAA Chapter will have a table at the employee Benefits & Wellness Fair again this year to attract current employees to our membership.

Web Report (Joyce Tyler): Joyce reported the Think You’re too Young to Join SUAA?  Think Again! and SUAA Emergency Assistance Fund Information was posted to the MVCCAA website.

Joyce also reported technical difficulties associated with the MVCCAA website, possibly due to plugins added during a recent update. Joyce will work with the person who created the website to address the issues.

SUAA Report (Nancy Bentley):

  • MVCC Annuitants Association is a chapter of SUAA (State Universities Annuitants Association), which is made up of all the two-year and four-year public higher education institutions in Illinois.
  • Peggy Machon, Sue Phelan, and Nancy Bentley represented our chapter at the summer meeting in Springfield, IL, on June 21-22, 2016. Some highlights:
    • Refinement of the SUAA bylaws, which were passed in summer 2015.
      • No major changes, but there was some attention to areas that needed to reflect major changes to the preceding bylaws. The changes primarily focused on maintaining fair representation for leadership positions such as between two-year and four-year schools and regions across the state.
      • In addition to the bylaw revisions, a state-appointed SUAA committee will create a new Policy Manual since none currently exists for the state office and its staff, as well as any further revisions of the bylaws.
    • Elected state officers: we have two people in our region who serve on the SUAA Executive Committee: Karl Harrison (GSU) representing retirees from four-year institutions and Pat Wenthold (Harper College) representing retirees from two-year institutions.
    • Presentation by Eric Madiar (Madiar Government Relations) and Aaron Maduff, SUAA attorney:
      • Represented SUAA in the Illinois Supreme Court decision that ruled in favor of SUAA (and in favor of other teacher and state employee groups) protecting our current pensions and ruling that our pensions cannot be diminished.
      • “Negotiated changes” are a possibility in the future, but stressed that these would be difficult to establish as the state would have to negotiate with ONE representative organization (Union) and at present, no state organization exists that represents both those retired and those still working.
      • Possible diminishment of future health care benefits is a greater concern. Members are asked to inform the MVCCAA leadership team or directly contact the SUAA office if they are experiencing any problems with health/medical/dental programs.
    • A new, online service through Illinois State Central Management Services (CMS) will provide education about health care provider choices during the Open Enrollment period. The site was scheduled to go live on September 1, 2016, and can be viewed at Illinois Department of Central Management Services. The site provides information on the College Insurance Program (CIP) and TRIP for four-year state employees/retirees.
    • Andrew Matthews, the Chief Operating Officer of SURS, also presented information regarding the expected state funding of SURS during the next fiscal year, which will be at 100%. Matthews pointed out that the SURS average monthly retirement is $3,172, and that 55% of monthly retirement annuities are $2,706 or less.
    • Presentation by Bob Gaydos, CEO of Connected Benefits:
      • SUAA has partnered with Connected Benefits, a full-service, online insurance agency, to bring new benefits to SUAA members and their families. SUAA will receive a small percentage for anyone who signs up for benefits. Connected Benefits provides access to products and services which are not currently offered by the state programs, such as individual life insurance and disability insurance, as well as health insurance, and dental and vision plans. Some programs/services are currently available and some appear to be in development such as pet insurance, telemedicine, travel insurance, and ID theft protection. The portal for the link to Connected Benefits is posted to the home page of the SUAA website: https://www.suaa.org/.
    • SUAA meets twice a year, in June and in October. Members are encouraged to consider attending these meetings to learn more about our organization on a state level.

Guests:

Kristy McGreal, Executive Director MVCC Foundation, shared information on the following events:

  • November 15, 2016–about 11:30 a.m. The Foundation is graciously hosting a luncheon for all MVCCAA members. The remodeled Building G and the Student Success Center will be showcased.
  • February 24, 2017–Georgios Banquets, Orland Park, IL–Celebration of MVCC’s 50th anniversary! A contest is ongoing to create an alma mater for MVCC, and the winner will be announced at this event.
  • April 2017: Alumni weekend on campus.

Kristy also shared the following opportunities to support the college:

  • January 2017 (Specific dates TBA)–Thank-A-Thon. Volunteers needed to staff a phone bank to phone volunteers and other supporters of the college to thank them for their support.
  • Shakespeare Garden Legacy Campaign–MVCCAA members are invited to purchase a brick as part of the Shakespeare Garden Legacy Campaign. The cost per brick is $150.

Lisa Eaton Wright, Wellness Coordinator, MVCC, reported on the Wellness and Benefits Fair scheduled for 10/19/16 (W) 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., as well as the changes to the Retiree Wellness Screening scheduled for 10/20/16 (Th) 8 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. with registration deadline of 9/26/16.

  • New vendor–HealthCheck 360°
  • New this year: Retiree Wellness Screening specifically for retirees is scheduled separately from current employees
  • Blood work results will be available on the portal, which also provides access to wellness activities
  • Given certain gender and age parameters, thyroid tests will be available to female retirees; PSA will be available for male retirees; HbA1C will be available to all retirees if fasting blood sugar exceeds 126 mg / dL.

Mary Beth Walsh, professor/Meetings, Travel and Special Events

  • Is interested in planning a trip for retirees, but is in need of some data
  • Mary Beth will schedule a brainstorm session during fall 2016
  • Possible travel dates – end of July / beginning of August

President’s Report (Peggy Machon, president):

  • Members were encouraged to refer to the MVCCAA website for information on the organization: https://mvccaa.morainevalley.edu/
  • The SUAA emergency fund grant was highlighted; $1,500 in relief is possible / members must belong to SUAA for five years to qualify. Additional information is posted to the MVCCAA web site under the ‘News’ tab.
  • Members were encouraged to take and post a Higher Education Creates Jobs sign
  • Peggy reiterated Kristy McGreal’s invitation to the Foundation luncheon on November 15
  • Reminded the membership the next meeting will be in spring 2017

Legislative Report (Ricky Moore): Ricky Moore introduced our guest speaker, Senator Bill Cunningham.

Guest Speaker: Bill Cunningham, Illinois State Senator, 18th Senate District

Senator Cunningham shared some insights and reflections on the status of the State of Illinois budget and the impact on higher education budgets.

 Meeting adjourned at 3:55 p.m.