Graduate Student Concerns
The GSU Council exists so that graduate student concerns can be addressed. The GSU has members that regularly attend meetings of various university committees such as the Faculty Senate or the Graduate Council. This means we have the capability of making the graduate student voice be heard! However, we cannot represent graduate students well, unless we know what graduate students are thinking. What do you like about Notre Dame? What are your concerns? What could be improved? Post your comments here and let your voice be heard!
Summer mail
I too have had bad problems with my mail not being sent to the right address... I emailed the office and they said it was changed, but I am still not receiving mail. I think there needs to be a person hired just to address this issue! it is frustrating having to drive to pick up paychecks!
summer mail
I've perpetually had trouble with getting my mail sent to my local address; various university offices continue to send my mail to my parents' house despite numerous requests for them to use only my local address. If you are having a similar problem, contact: address.1@nd.edu. I did this, and it didn't help, but perhaps if enough students complain repeatedly, they'll actually address the problem.
Graduate students need
Graduate students need 1+)
Graduate students need
1) better health insurance
Reasonable health insurance for families!!! $3,994 for spouse, and $2,109 for children, are you kidding??? Who can afford it from the grad stipend. (And this is the cheaper plan...)
2) International student wives are often here with F2 visa, so they not allowed to work - they are bored, and the family can't really live from the single grad salary. There are ways to offer jobs for hers in the University, but they are usually refused, because the University doesn't want to bother with the paperwork.
3) better parking options
or at least better transportation from/to parking lots, UVillage.
6) more copies of commonly used books at the library
It's not so important as other concerns, but it happened to me as well, that the professor uses the only loanable book, and the library refuses to buy more because_the_book_is_a_textbook.
more detail
While your answer was simply NO, I will try to be a bit more specific maybe you will have a better chance to help:
My concerns:
* Health insurance is not an insurance, because it's not sure they are paying. We have serious issues with it.
* There is a plenty of paperwork after each physician visit. Obviously they will find a mistake in the paperwork thus they will have a possibility to refuse to pay.
* In the paperwork they are asking for medical history. We don't have such a thing, while we're Europeans. It's always a good reason to refuse to pay.
What I would need as a help from GSU:
* suggest me health insurance policies which are just paying always without paperwork. Then speak about the price/coverage/deductible/benefits and 'are they answering the phone calls at all'?
I really welcome the new health insurance policy, but 3000$/spouse is still not an option. So it's not helpful me at all.
Why is it so much more expensive? Because of delivery? Than give a plan without delivery. Delivery is covered by MedicAid anyway. Also, what if a spouse is actually male?
Thanks
In response
Kristof,
Before you didn't mention the issue of your bills not getting paid, that's why Caitlyn and I didn't address that particular issue. If your claims are being rejected, you need to speak with Connie Morrow: Constance.J.Morrow.22@nd.edu. She was added to the Health Services staff last year as a student advocate on insurance issues, and the students I have spoken to who have sought her help have found it very beneficial. Before coming to ND, she worked in the health insurance industry, so she is very familiar with the "lay of the land" so to speak and how to deal with denied claims, stalled payments, and so on. If an appeal needs to be made, she can help you with that as well. She may be able to give you advice on how to find the health history information that was requested, but I doubt there's anything she can do to get around supplying any sort of information. It's a legal requirement mandated by ALL insurance companies. Welcome to the U.S.
Unfortunately, health care is expensive for everyone in the U.S., not just for students. I've attempted to find cheaper and/or more comprehensive coverage for myself, but I couldn't find any private plan that measured up in price/benefits with the student plan. For spouses/dependents, as we mentioned in our previous post, we received info. about some outside plans other students have recommended, and you can find information about those on our "health resources page". Group health plans are priced based upon a calculus that takes into account the beneficiary pool and their likely claims. The insurance companies price the plans to make some margin of profit. Thus, if you were attempt to negotiate two different plans - one for women and men, the chances are the former would cost exponentially more than the spouse plan already does given the average cost of maternity (which is more than the cost of any of the annual plans - see the FAQ sheet we prepared and posted for more detailed information about this). If you want something with more specifically limited coverage (e.g. no maternity), you'll have to get a private plan. The university negotiates these plans with the intent to cover as much as possible for as little cost as possible. Not everyone has access to the government programs to which you refer, and the University has to account for the majority needs (which, includes maternity). If this explanation still isn't clear, I recommend talking to Connie, who can perhaps explain it better than can I given her professional experience.
In regard to spouses with f-2 visas working, the federal statute Caitlyn referred you in her previous post suggests this is forbidden, so the university can't do anything about that. Thus, if there are indeed other non-citizens working, it is almost certain they have a different visa. If you have any evidence that other spouses have been able to work on campus, tell them to contact us. We can't find this information out ourselves due to privacy restrictions. Thus, we can't advocate this particular issue further without more information; so far all we have is hearsay.
In conclusion: now, to be cheeky for a moment: you don't want to fill out tons of paperwork for your insurance, but it's okay for you to demand that the University fill out tons of paperwork in respect to jobs. Consider the double standard you're demanding, Kristof! :)
I hope these responses are helpful. I do take issue, however, with you saying that we only said "no, no, no" to your previous questions. It would have been easy for me to respond and simply say "no" - it would have taken only a few seconds! Rather, we considered your questions and took time to offer full explanations/responses with offers for more help. Give us some credit, please; we're doing our best!
Cheers,
Rebecca
Responses to continued discussion
1)The issues of health insurance and costs are covered in the Health Insurance Forum. I will briefly summarize some of the points there but I advise to read through the postings there for more information. I agree that the health insurance options for a dependent is cost-prohibitive. However, it is my understanding that the health insurance company loses money on the dependent health care plans (they pay out more in health expenses than they collect in premiums), so it is unlikely that those cost will come down. The GSU has begun to offer wellness programs for dependents such as flu shots and immunizations for children to curb some of health care expenses. If we are able to continue to get financial support from the graduate school, we hope to expand these programs in the future and your input on future programs is always appreciated. I also will direct you to the Family Life page on the GSU website. Jamie O'Hare's Notre Dame Family Life blog contains a lot of information about health resources for families.
2) I don't know much about the provisions of visas for spouses of international students. However, The ISSA website says that persons visiting on F-2 visa are not permitted to work under any circumstances (http://issa.nd.edu/immigration/working-in-the-us). I would need more information from you to understand this additional paperwork that you describe. I do understand that being unable to work would be a challenge both financially and professionally.
3)I need to understand what exactly you would like when you ask for better parking options. Having parking closer to academic buildings is unlikely. If you look at the University architect's campus master plan, you will see that parking will become more limited and further from the center of campus. On a personal note, only a fraction of students at my undergraduate college were able to get parking passes on campus, so that fact that there is so much parking on Notre Dame's campus is really nice.
I do like your idea about the transportation between campus and University Village. I believe the Transpo sweep goes between Notre Dame and University Village (http://www.sbtranspo.com/routes/TRANSPO-SWEEP.pdf).
6) Unless the book is put on reserve, you are able to recall the book even if a professor holds it.
-Caitlyn Shea
GSU Co-Vice President
Responses to continued discussion
So your answer for the serious issues are
1) no.
2) no.
This was very helpful. Let me detail my problem a little bit such a way that maybe you have a chance to help:
Our concerns:
* Health insurance is not an insurance, because it's not sure they are paying. We have serious issues with it.
* There is a plenty of paperwork after each physician visit. Obviously they will find a mistake in the paperwork thus they will have a possibility to refuse to pay.
* In the paperwork they are asking for medical history. We don't have such a thing, while we're Europeans. It's always a good reason to refuse to pay.
What I would need as a help from GSU:
* suggest me health insurance policies which are just paying always without paperwork. Then speak about the price/coverage/deductible/benefits and 'are they answering the phone calls at all'?
I really welcome the new University plans, but 3000$/spouse is still not affordable so it not helps at all.
Thanks.
Responses to Kristof
1. We did not say that graduate students and their families don't deserve affordable health insurance, nor did we say that the GSU is not working towards this goal. Just because the premiums for families are still expensive does not mean that we are not lobbying for lower rates.
2. Again, this is a regulation set forth by U.S. Immigration. It is not up to the University. I sympathize with your situation because I am an international student myself. However, millions of people around the world would like to work in the U.S. too and it would be unfair for them, many of whom have been waiting for years.
3. With regards to health insurance bills, it is not uncommon for insurance companies to deny claims. Remember, they are in it for the profit, not for the goodness of their heart. In other words, they hope that the majority of policy holders do not use their benefits.
In any case, the university added Connie Morrow to the staff last year. Connie will help you dispute claims that should be covered under the university plans. In addition, I can and will never vouch for an insurance company that will approve all of your claims without asking for additional paperwork because none exists. Health care is a national problem in the U.S.
We have put together a list of alternative plans. You can find it under the Health Care section. If you would like a maternity-less policy for spouses, you can also find one in some of the private plans we listed. It is not feasible for the university to offer a maternity-less policy because (i) the cost for the plan that does include maternity will skyrocket and (ii) the premium is better because this is a group plan. An individual plan that is tailored to you would be extremely cost prohibitive.
5. As for documentation, I had the same difficulty. I lived in both Asia and Europe, and I even had medical records in French! That said, it is your responsibility to provide this type of documentation.
Tam Chantem
GSU President
additional info.
Hi Kristof,
Briefly, in addition to Caitlyn's points, I'd like to note that we've also attempted to gather information about non-University sponsored plans for students/families that other graduate students have used in the past and recommend. Those you can find in the results of the survey the GSU conducted last year, the results of which are posted here: http://www.gsu.nd.edu/?q=node/244.
In regard to books and their availability: last year the library started enforcing more strongly their recall policy in an attempt to respond to concerns such as yours - that is - individuals keeping a single copy of the book indefinitely. If anyone - student or faculty member - keeps a book beyond the recall due date - their library privileges are revoked and stiff fines assessed.
In addition to recalling a book, you can also get books (and articles) via Inter Library Loan. If it's a book that our library has a copy of, you'll need to email/talk to ILL and tell them why you need this book via ILL (e.g. you've recalled the copy and it hasn't been returned, you need the book ASAP). I've had excellent experiences with our library's ILL system - it's free, and frequently, those loan requests for books and/or articles are fulfilled in a matter of days. The nice thing about the electronic loan system is that if you need only a chapter of a book or an article, they can have it delivered electronically, and then it's made available to you online, where you don't have to be on campus to access it.
best,
Rebecca
Co VP
More health resources
For more health resources, visit our health care page: http://www.gsu.nd.edu/?q=node/33
Graduate students need 1)
Graduate students need
1) better health insurance
2) better parking options
3) cheaper, on campus housing (with single apartment option)
4)more social events
5) we need our own meeting space and building (a kind of "LaFortune for grad student"
6) more copies of commonly used books at the library
7) greater sense of identity on campus (no more second class citizenship)
More details please
1) better health insurance
The GSU is constantly fighting for better health insurance. This year is the first year that graduate student health insurance has been subsidized 50% and that dental discounts have been included. The GSU will continue to work for better health insurance for graduate students.
2) better parking options
Could you elaborate on what would help specifically? Do you want parking closer to a specific building? Would parking closer to your building in the evening help?
3) cheaper, on campus housing (with single apartment option)
Rebecca has been meeting with a group from the Student Affairs office to discuss the future of on-campus graduate housing.
4)more social events
The GSU sponsors a picnic at the beginning of the school year, a Halloween party in October, Thanksgiving brunch in November, and an Ice Skating activity in December. Information on current and future social events can be found on the Social Chairs' website and on the calendar (right side of this webpage). They are currently asking for suggestions for Spring semester social activities. Potential events include hot chocolate social, cricket, joint St. Patrick's Day event, Easter brunch, 1/2 price concert, and the charity gala.
As far as parking is
As far as parking is concerned, access to the library lot and to the faculty lot by DeBartolo would be great. Perhaps that could be available to grad students further along in their program.
GSU events don't seem to be publicized enough. Perhaps they could be mentioned in the Observer. It would be great if there were some kind of graduate student lounge or center where all of this could be posted.
The library should give graduate students the option of paging books and holding them at the circulation desk. I really don't have time to go searching for the books and journals I need on multiple floors. Back in California when I was in college I never had to roam around the library searching for books. They paid people to take care of that. They also need another book scanner in the first floor, more computers, and more printers
paging books
Paging books: I believe that the faculty have this privilege. I will pass along this suggestion to Kasey Swanke, the Academic Affairs Chair who sits on the library committee.
Scanner's, computers, printers: there is a new group that is focusing on upcoming renovations (previously scheduled, if I am correct, to start in spring 09 but now pushed back to spring '10). The needs you mention are things that Teresa O'Byrne, our representative on that committee, has passed along to those in charge. In the meantime, the GSU is working with OIT to secure a 2nd printer for our graduate student space on the 10th floor of Hesburgh library as well as some additional machines that would be equipped with basic word processing/internet capabilities in addition to those machines/printer in our lab on the 11th floor of the library. If you don't have access to those labs but wish to, here's how:
1. 11th floor - obtain a key from Donna Frahn, GSU administrative assistant, in the GSU office in LaFortune. There is a $10 deposit, which goes to a fund for maintenance and upkeep of the cluster.
2. 10th floor, simply visit the circulation desk, present your graduate ID, and they will give you the numbers for the door code to access both those rooms (or email me, and I'll give them to you - rmccumbe@nd.edu).
Please let us know if you have other comments/suggestions.
Rebecca
response about parking, etc.
Dear student,
John Schmitz, our Quality of Life Chair, is our advocate on the Parking Committee, and something we bring up every year is our wish to have allocated spots in those faculty lots, and in particular the library lot. Every year, that wish is not granted. I'm with you - I'd love to be able to park there, but I don't mean to be fatalistic when I say it isn't going to happen anytime soon, especially given that there are faculty who also want better parking. I'm not sure how long you've been here, but my first year here, parking in the library lot was available to some TA's. However, that is when there was an additional faculty lot, where the Jordan Hall of Science is now located. So, when that faculty lot was eliminated to make way for that fantastic new building, then those displaced faculty from that lot were given passes to the library/B lots, and hence, the few graduate students who did park in the library lot previously were no longer granted access. I also don't mean to be alarmist when I say that as the campus grows, the parking situation will probably change further still, but we need to have some perspective about our "parking plight" compared to horrific conditions some people have at other universities. So, all I can say is, yes, we know everyone wants to park closer, and we always voice that concern, regardless of the fact that we're not hopeful that we can reasonably expect it to change soon.
Now, I heard a rumor that if you get to the library lot before 8 am, the gate hasn't yet been lowered, and thus, you can park there. I can neither confirm nor deny that is the truth.
In the meantime, what John has been focusing on are some specific complaints students have voiced about, in particular, after hours access to campus lots that are closed during the day (e.g. for lab work). He also looks into other concerns about parking violations, general parking lot safety, so on.
Please let us know if you have further questions or suggestions about specific parking issues that we might be able to affect. Until then, I'll be rubbing my magic lamp with you hoping for a spot in the library circle right next to Fr. Hesburgh's (I'd settle for the library lot)!
best,
Rebecca McCumbers
Co Vice President
Publicizing GSU events
To publicize events, the GSU
1) posts events on the webpage
2) sends out a weekly listserv e-mail summarizing events and
3) published a monthly newsletter.
Graduate students are supposed to be automatically added to the GSU listserv when they come to the university, but it doesn't seem to work all the time. Anyone who would like to be added to the listserv can send me an e-mail at kholling At nd Dot edu, and I'll add you.
I'll bring up your other suggestions at the next GSU council meeting in December.
Publicity and the Observer
As much as I would love the Observer to cover the events of the GSU, the GSU is not a priority of the Observer staff. The Observer is an independent student newspaper run by the undergraduates at Notre Dame and St. Mary's College. Naturally, they are focused on the stories and issues that pertain most to undergraduates. We have always extended an invitation for them to attend and report on our GSU meetings.
Purchasing advertising through the Observer is also cost prohibitive. Instead we focus our advertising effort on flyers, listservs, monthly newsletters (as mentioned before) and updates from Department Representatives.
-Caitlyn Shea
GSU Co-VP
poster printing
One thing that I think is nice about the Engineering Library is that we can print posters there for only $15. The same size poster printed at Kinko's would cost $75. The service isn't perfect... I printed off a poster that was created on a Macintosh and one of my borders didn't show up, and they wouldn't reprint it. So I would definitely recommend making your poster on Windows if you're going to use the service. I would like to see if their service could be improved by accepting a University account number for payment, or even charging money from a Pharos print quota; right now they only take Domer Dollars.