MINUTES OF THE COUNCIL OF UC EMERITI ASSOCIATIONS UC SAN FRANCISCO

1:00 - 3:00 PM OCTOBER 27, 2005

ATTENDING:

CUCEA Officers: Dericksen Brinkerhoff (R) Chair; John Craig (SF) Past-Chair; Louise Taylor (B) Chair-Elect; Lyman Porter (I) Treasurer; Marjorie Caserio (SD) Information Officer; Larry Waldron (B) Secretary; Norah Jones (LA) Archivist.
CUCEA Representatives/Alternates: Alan Goldfien (SF); Errol Mauchlan (B, EA Chair); Jack Fisher (SD); Mary Corrigan (SD); Down Miller (SB); Dick Walters (D, EA V. Chair); Charles Hess (D, EA Chair); Kivie Moldave (I); David Sprecher (SB); Dorothy Rice (SF, EA Chair); Janice Corriden (SC)
Retirement Center Director: Shelley Glazer (B)

CONVENING

CUCEA Chair Dericksen Brinkerhoff convened the meeting at 1:00 pm.

Approval of the Minutes of the April 28, 2005 meeting

The minutes of the April 28, 2005 meeting at UCSD, prepared by Charles Berst, were presented. The Chair, and Secretary Larry Waldron who could not attend the meeting, expressed gratitude for the excellent account prepared by Charles Berst. The minutes were approved.

Chair Brinkerhoff, referring to subjects raised in the minutes and questions submitted to him, brought forward the issue of differences among campuses of privileges accorded to emeriti. For example, some campuses may provide free parking (rare) and free gymnasium access to emeriti. At the Spring meeting we might try to compile a record, although Chair Brinkerhoff expressed concern that administrators at the more generous campuses might see in such a compilation that they are missing opportunities to collect money.

Panunzio Award

Charles Berst, in reviewing the history of the Award, pointed out that since 2002, university and public service has been included as a criterion in the Constantine Panunzio Distinguished Emeriti Award. Such inclusion is appropriate because Panunzio, who retired in 1951, brought beneficial attention to the issue of pensions and attempted to organize a national emeriti association. He fully intended that a long record of service be a requirement for the Award. Berst asserted that the requirement that candidates come from social sciences and humanities is quite rigid, in accord with Panunzio's wishes.

CUCEA information Officer Marjorie Caserio said that she regularly posts the announcement of the Award on the CUCEA web site, but never receives information for an adequate public announcement. She suggested that someone on the winner's campus (Dean, Department Chair, Emeriti Association) be responsible for writing up a decent press release, a suggestion enthusiastically supported by archivist Norah Jones. When the winner has come from LA, Jones remarked that the Emeriti newsletter has always published a column-length article about the winner and why they won. But no information is forthcoming when the winner is on another campus. Berst suggested that Archivist Jones ask the UCLA Dean's office to provide a write-up for the CUCEA archives.

Spring meeting

Chair Brinkerhoff announced that next CUCEA meeting will be held on Thursday, April 27, 2006 at UCLA, in accord with our usual north-south rotation.

Joint meetings with CUCRA

Chair Brinkerhoff asked for consideration of the frequency of joint CUCEA/CUCRA meetings such as was held this morning. Joint meetings provide a larger forum for OP representatives to make their presentations, justifying in-person presentations rather than less satisfactory tele-conferencing. (Compare the rather stilted telephoned presentations at San Diego with the interactive presentations of OP representatives at this morning's meeting.) It is also more economical of time and transportation costs for OP personnel to make one presentation to both groups.

Motion: It was moved, seconded and approved that joint half-day meetings with CUCRA be regularly scheduled, with the afternoons reserved for separate Association meetings.

There was discussion of the timing, e.g. Fall vs. Spring. The final arrangement will of course depend on what CUCRA members decide.

Treasurer's report

Treasurer Lyman Porter distributed four documents: CUCEA Dues Payment Schedule; CUCEA Cash Flow 9/1/04 through 8/31/05; CUCEA Net Worth; CUCEA Budget.

Dues income (2004-05) is down about $300 (from $1900) due to non-receipt of dues from one campus, and an over all decrease in the numbers of dues-paying members. However, we are in good financial shape; our net worth is up to $23,000. (We should avoid going over $25,000 for IRS considerations.) For the very first time our Treasurer has submitted a budget (per the new by-laws) showing income totaling $4000, and expenditures of $2850. The income anticipates $1500 from the Academic Council as in the past.

Chair Brinkerhoff, remarking on the decline in dues-paying members, called for attention to recruiting of newly-retired faculty

Information Officer and Web-Manager's report

Information Officer Marjorie Caserio distributed lists of CUCEA officers, CUCEA representatives/alternates, and CUCRA Officers. She keeps this information current on the web site. She appealed for all present to confirm correctness or supply email addresses, and advocated more use of electronic communication and less mailing. (Most address given by members are home addresses, not campus addresses.) She has many phone numbers, but has avoided their wide distribution for reasons of privacy.

Web-manager Caserio has brought the web site up to date, including posting of Panunzio Award information and information sent by the Historian and Archivist, and minutes of meetings. Bio-bib information is also to be posted. She presented copies of the new 10-campus CUCEA logo, although she could not produce on paper the 3-dimensional on-line version.

There is still junk email coming through SD, a hangover from intrusion on the former cucealist.

Chair Brinkerhoff informed us that there is now one emeritus from Merced, but he has joined the Riverside Association!

Shelley Glazer (Director Berkeley Retirement Center) expressed concern that lists of names sent by email are not necessarily secure, citing a recent surprising lapse in the UC system. Norah Jones noted that HR at UCLA presents a form to retirees permitting release of their names to Emeriti and Retiree Associations. It was proposed that at our next meeting campuses report on the conditions for obtaining lists of retirees. Charles Hess reported that a listing of Emeriti Associations in New Dimensions stimulated several phone calls to him about membership. There followed a general discussion of the usefulness (or lack thereof) of the UC on-line directory.

Archivist's report

Archivist Norah Jones began by announcing that the CUCEA Archive is 10 years old and the guide to its use is now posted on the CUCEA web site. She distributed copies of the Guide to the Archive of CUCEA as well as a guide to the UCLA Association Archive. Each campus Association should maintain its own archive. UCLA has maintained one for 15 years. She conducted a quick survey around the table to determine which campuses do maintain archives. Yes: Berkeley, Davis (including oral DVD interviews), Irvine (incomplete), Riverside (needs organizing), San Diego, Los Angeles. No or unknown: San Francisco (trying to find), Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz.

Jones expressed willingness to assist campus archivists organize their material. Her offer was greeted with appreciation.

Historian's report

Our long-time Historian, Ralph Nair, is not able to continue his duties and suggested to the Chair that the Archivist might well assume his position. John Craig made this year's tabulations, year by year, of the elected CUCEA Officers, the campus representatives and the campus meeting locations. He distributed copies of these tabulations, and seconded Ralph's suggestion that the Archivist take over this task.

Norah Jones, recognizing the logic of combining the two positions and obviously drawing on her great sense of responsibility for maintaining institutional memory, agreed to take on the additional responsibility. John Craig agreed to continue to up-date the lists that Ralph had prepared.

Nominating Committee

Members of the Nominating Committee to present a slate of candidates for the Spring meeting are: John Craig, Louise Taylor, Larry Waldron and Carl Zytowski.

Campus reports

Berkeley - The Berkeley EA holds five luncheon meetings during the academic year, the first of this year was held in September in which our speaker's subject was auditory research. Coming topics are the physiology of the E. coli bacterium, childhood obesity, historical reflections in stained glass, and stem cell research. We are beginning to get responses to the bio-bib survey, have sent out the call for Panunzio Award nominees and for our own Berkeley Distinguished Emeriti award. Declining membership is being addressed by a newly designated Membership Secretary who is sending invitations to emeriti who have not joined. There is a continuing problem with the campus administration's lack of awareness of emeriti, although the recent revision of space policy did give a nod to the importance of emeriti.

Santa Cruz - 60 members have paid dues and there has so far been a 26% response to the bio-bib survey. We have four luncheons and sponsor three public lectures each year.

Davis - The Chancellor has approved a $96,000 budget and planning is proceeding for a retirement center. The planning committee includes the UCDEA Chair. It is hoped that the center will be located in the new hotel-conference center. The Association distributes a handbook to new emeriti. Five hundred persons attended the Chancellor's dinner for emeriti. We enjoy very good support from our administration.

Irvine - A Retirement Center with a Director has been established. The Center recently sponsored free flu shots for all retirees. Retirees have joined in the celebration of the 40th anniversary of UCI. The Association urges CUCEA to deal with issues that seriously impact emeriti, such as the future of the defined benefit pension and retiree health benefits.

Los Angeles - The LA Association has found that personal audiences with the Chancellor have been very effective in raising emeriti issues and recommend this approach to other associations. Chat up your Chancellor!

Riverside - With the bio-bib questionnaires we enclosed business return envelopes that save the price of a stamp on those not returned. If the response is much less that 100% (< 79% assuming a 37 cent stamp), money is saved even with the extra 10-cent charge on those actually used. So far we have had about a 26% response. We have introduced $10 annual dues, causing a precipitous drop in membership numbers.

San Diego - Interviews with the Chancellor have been published, Membership numbers are steady, but there is a lack of energy among them that we hope to arouse.

Santa Barbara - The Association sponsors annually an undergraduate essay competition with a $500 first prize. We have a half-time secretary and shared office space and conference room. We have three luncheons a year with lectures and performances. . Emeriti still enjoy free parking.

San Francisco - We have four luncheons with speakers a year. The administrative assistant we formerly had has been transferred to Mission Bay!


ADJOURN- 3:06pm

Respectfully submitted,
Larry Waldron, CUCEA Secretary