Newsletters

August 2007

From our President's Desk

YES!!!!!! Thanks to the persistent effort of MURA leaders and the support of Chancellor Brady Deaton and former President Elson Floyd, the Board of Curators approved a 2% pension adjustment for individuals who retired on or prior to August 31, 2005. The number of MURA members and their monetary and other ongoing contributions to the University were a part of each conversation with the University administration and the Board of Curators as the case was made for the increase.

In addition to the Executive Committee meeting with the Chancellor and thePresident once each semester, retiree representatives from the four campuses met with Curators Don Walsworth and Warren Erdman prior to the vote on the UM budget to discuss the pension adjustment. These two Curators agreed to meet with retiree representatives each semester to discuss concerns of retirees and additional ways retirees can serve the University. Also, the MURA Board voted to send representatives to meetings of the Board of Curators.

A monthly program at the Old Alumni Center is a new benefit of MURA membership. John Parker, chair of the planning committee, has reserved a room at the Old Alumni Center for the breakfast and program on the first Tuesday of each month, beginning September 4. This will be another opportunity to learn, share a meal, and visit with other retirees. (See related article on page 6.)

Sinclair Home Care has offered to provide a flu vaccination clinic for MURA members. The Program Committee is trying to schedule it prior to the Fall Information meeting on November 17. Sinclair Home Care will bill Medicare for the vaccine. The cost will be $35 for those not on Medicare. Details will be provided through e-mail and at the Fall Social.

Last year MU and UM retirees living in the Columbia area contributed the highest percentage of divisional goals to United Way. When you receive your pledge card this year, please give serious consideration to assisting other mid-Missourians through Columbia Area United Way. (See the list of agencies served by U-Way on page 5.)

Please join me in giving Rod Gelatt, Board members, and committee members your appreciation for their hard work last year to make your life more rewarding. MURA can do even more for retirees this year if we have more members. I challenge each of you to participate in MURA activities and to obtain two new members to join MURA. The cost is only $7.50 per year. Please bring a prospective member or two with you to the Fall Social and the Fall Information meeting.

Jo Behymer

Celebrating Service: Chancellor's retiree of the year awards

Community Commitment

More than 600 MU retirees gathered in the Hearnes Center April 30 to celebrate their years of service to the University and get reacquainted with former colleagues. The annual event is a time to catch up on the activities of old friends and co-workers, rehash a few stories about the good old days, and enjoy a tasty lunch.

The luncheon also is a time to honor two retirees, one a faculty member and the other a staff member, for their service activities during retirement. Max Miller, who retired in 1994 from Extension/4-H Youth Programs, received the faculty retiree award. Gary Smith, who retired in 2000 as director of admissions and registrar, received the staff retiree award.

Since retiring, Miller has volunteered extensively with Habitat for Humanity and received the 1,000-hours of service award from the group last year. Miller also volunteers with the Boone Electric Community Trust, belongs to the Columbia Downtown Optimist Club, and co-manages that group’s Christmas tree lot. He also works with the Show-Me State Games, is active in the Community United Methodist Church, Rainbow House, Camp Hickory Hill Diabetic Camp, and state and local 4-H programs.

Smith has been described as “the go-toguy” who serves tirelessly across a spectrum of community and University life. Since his retirement, he has continued to serve on boards that include the Alzheimer’s Association, Boone County Cancer Society, Boone County Historical Society, Boy Scouts of America, United Way, and the Columbia Kiwanis Club. At MU, he is a member of the campus campaign leadership team for the For All We Call Mizzou campaign and serves on the boards of Jefferson Club, MU Retirees Association, and the University Club. One highlight of this year’s luncheon was the viewing of a new MU promotional DVD, The Mizzou Story. Chancellor Brady Deaton applauded retirees for their many years of service to our University. “You are the Mizzou story. It’s wonderful to see the ongoing commitments you make.”

The long-term contributions by retirees were underscored by the announcement that retirees have contributed a recordsetting $1,097,257 to the For All We Call Mizzou campaign over the nine-month period that ended March 31. Since the campaign began in January 2000, retirees have contributed more than $23 million of the $30 million raised in the It’s My Mizzou campaign—the faculty, staff, and retiree portion of MU’s $1 billion capital campaign.

“It’s My Mizzou is not only the name of our campaign, it’s how we who work here feel about our University,” Smith said.

UM benefits news

by Mike Paden

In this report, I want to make certain that MURA members are aware of four important issues that might affect them:

The UM Board of Curators has approved a 2% increase in pension benefits for all retirees (or their surviving beneficiaries) under the UM Retirement, Disability, and Death Benefit Plan who were in receipt of benefits on 9/1/05. The 2% increase will be effective 9/1/07 with monthly benefits paid on 9/30/07. This increase results in a $17.4 millionincrease in the plan’s liabilities. Since 1994, pension adjustments for retirees have increased the liabilities of the plan by $104.7 million.
Retirees should have recently received an announcement regarding an opportunity to purchase identity theft notification and protection services/coverage through Experian Consumer Direct. This offering is being made available through an agreement between UM and Experian Consumer Direct at a monthly cost of $3.46 for the Triple Alert Product. Retirees interested in this coverage can obtain detailed information regarding the product at the following website http:// www.umsystem.edu/ums/departments/hr/ benefits/credit.shtml.
Effective 1/1/08, Conventry Health Care will replace United Health Care as administrator of the UM Choice Plus Point of Service Program. This program provides coverage to UM retirees and dependents prior to attaining eligibility for Medicare. The name of the program, effective 1/1/08, will be UM Choice Health Care Program. This change in administrators will not change the benefits of the program. Since there is a high degree of overlap in the networks of both vendors, this change should have minimal, if any, impact on established physician/ patient relations. Additional, more detailed, information will be made available in upcoming weeks.
UM Faculty and Staff Benefits is scheduled to move from the Heinkel Building to 1000 W. Nifong, Building 7, Columbia, MO 65203 effective 9/1/07. All services for retirees will be provided from this new location. The surface parking lot surrounding this building will allow for easy access for retirees. Our offices will be located on the second floor.

Charles Cramer named MURA historian

Charles Cramer, former MURA president and the go-to guy for years about matters having to do with MURA history, its constitution, and related parliamentary procedures, has officially been named our MURA Historian. He accepted the appointment at our July 5th MURA Board meeting. Our thanks go to Charlie for his past, present, and future service in this important role. I hasten to add that Charlie graciously provides copyediting of each and every issue of our newsletter. For this I am personally grateful.

On behalf of our MURA membership...

President Rod Gelatt read the following proclamation at our May 16 spring picnic:

“In recognition and celebration of Professor Emeritus Raymond Schroeder’s leadership and tireless efforts in the development of our University of Missouri’s benefits program, we hereby proclaim that this—and future picnics held by MU Retirees Association—be known as Ray Schroeder Picnic.

In other business, our ‘committee on weather’ has been continued through the period including our May 14, 2008 Ray Schroeder Picnic.

MURA seniors golf tournament

by Rex Dillow

The 14th annual MURA Columbia Seniors invitational Championship golf tournament was played on July 14 & 15. Competitors included defending champion Dee Sanders, who qualified for the 2007 U. S. Seniors Open and four other former Columbia senior champions. All local clubs and golf courses were represented in the 38 participants, contributing to the high level of interest by the local news media.

Dee Sanders and John Weston, a two-time Columbia Champion, were tied at 1-under par following the first round, with Doug Solliday one stroke back. In the second round, Weston shot a 2-under par to win by 4 strokes. Sanders was the runner-up, and Solliday, who has been runner-up 3 times, won 3rd place for the 5th time. Jerry McCarty, a 3-time winner of the tournament, won the Super-Senior (i.e., over age 60) championship. Past MURA president Gary Smith presented tournament awards in a ceremony at Gustin following the 2nd round.

The self-supporting tournament is sponsored by MURA as a contribution to the quality of life of seniors in Columbia. Our age-50 and over learning community annouces its fall program of twenty-four courses. Just to mention a few offerings:

How Michelangelo and Da Vinci achieved uniqueness in portraying the human figure
Sustainable nuclear power is not a contradiction in terms
Issues that presidential candidates don’t want to talk about
The game of bridge no. 1
Tours to a winery and along Route 79’s 50 miles of art.

Open house is scheduled for Tuesday, September 11, 10 a.m.–3 p.m., 3215-B LeMone Blvd. Tour our facility and have the opportunity to register for fall courses. And, look ahead to winter, spring, and summer calendars.

Chancellor's Retiree Advisory Committee

by Allen Hahn

John Bauman decided to retire yet again, so he and Tom Freeman asked me to follow John in his role as Newsletter reporter for the Chancellor’s Retiree Advisory Committee. I agreed to do so. If you wish to learn of this committee’s charge and its composition, please visit http://committees.missouri.edu/retireeadvisory/index.php. Current MURA members on the committee include John Bauman, Doris Littrell, Marge Leavine, and myself. As detailed on page 6 of our March newsletter, this committee has been restructured so that now one-third of the committee consists of retirees with full voting rights. We trust that this will stimulate more activity in the future.

If you have comments, suggestions, and/or items you would like to have discussed by our committee, please let me know. My e-mail address is hahna@missouri.edu. I can also usually be reached by phone at 573-474-4037.

The aging front

by Ann Gowans

The Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging heard reports from the Office of the Governor, presented by Eric Feltner, aide to the Lt. Governor, and from a representative of the Division of Senior and Disability Services, among others.

A comprehensive system for long-term care is being developed by the Governor’s office and proposes to offer Missourians an array of choices when deciding where their dollars shall be spent. For example they might choose among communitybased, in-home, residential, or institutional services. Information and assistance about such differing services would be available to all citizens and their children.

Hopefully, a delivery system would be devised that is efficient, reduces duplication, and streamlines access to multiple funding sources and programs regarding care. Improvement of the quality and oversight of the system would be studied and considered. Also under study are ways in which citizens can gain information they need from a single source.

Members of the large (overly so, to my way of thinking) and comprehensive committee would be chosen by the Governor. The Lt. Governor, or his or her designee, would serve as chair.

The committee would include representatives from the Area Agency on Aging; inhome care profession; residential care facilities; assisted living facilities or continuing care retirement communities; nursing facilities; the office of the state ombudsman for long-term care; and Missouri centers for independent living.

Also included would be representatives from services for seniors or the disabled (with expertise in Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia); a county developmental disability board (including the hospice care profession); the home health care profession; the adult day care profession; a gerontologist; and two representatives from the aged and blind population.

Also, directors of departments of social services, mental health, and health and senior services, or their designees, plus one member of the House of Representatives and one member from the Senate would be asked to serve.

Of interest also is a statewide universal information and assistance system that is integrated into the web-based electronic patient health record that can be accessed by phone, in person, via MO HealthNet providers and on the Internet. A consumer should be able to choose independently from a full range of home, communitybased and facility-based health and social services as well as access to services meeting individual needs and preferences for their provider of choice. Starting in July 2009, and for three years thereafter, the subcommittee on single-entry point shall provide a yearly update on progress made toward implementing the comprehensive entry point system.

Other legislative bills that apply to seniors include HB 952, Fire Safety in Long-term Care Facilities. All existing residential care and assisted living facilities with more than 20 residents must install and maintain an approved sprinkler system by Dec. 31, 2012.

HB 453, Tax Credit for Donations to Food Pantries. SB 333 increases the penalty to a Class D Felony for a provider, or any of their employees, who fail to make the required abuse, neglect, misappropriation, or falsification of documents known to the appropriate state agency. If any provider fails to report known abuse by an employee, he or she may be subject to a one-thousand-dollar per abuse violation and administrative penalty by the Department of Health and Senior Services. This bill also modifies the offense for individuals who misappropriate funds and fail to pay for the care of an elderly or disabled person after placing that person in a residential facility. This applies to family members as well as to providers.

So grinds forth the business of making laws and whatever else comes to mind. If any of you have interest or expertise that might be helpful to this large body of deciders, step right up. And, good luck.

New MURA activity

Beginning Tuesday, September 4, and thereafter on the first Tuesday of each month, MURA will host a breakfast and educational presentation. Each program, which will run 8:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m., will be held in the Fireplace Room of the Old Alumni Center, which is on the south side of Stadium Blvd. just west of the clubhouse of Gustin Golf Course. Lectures will include presentations by university people, both retired and active, and other community members. Cost will be $9.00, including tax and gratuity. As Dr. Jo Behymer, President of MURA, stated, “Getting together monthly for social interaction will allow us to keep abreast of our professional colleagues, plus enlightening us with subject matter of both historical and current interests.”

On Tuesday, September 4, Bob Priddy, News Director of Missouri Net and popular speaker, will weave ‘a mosaic of Missouri history’ and attributes of Missourians to accentuate the uniqueness of bothour state and its people.

On Tuesday, October 2, the speaker will be Professor Shakir Hamoodi, who will address the topic, ‘Living Perspectives of Iraq’—relating how Iraq has changed from his boyhood days up until now.

In order to have a count for MU Catering Services, please reserve for September and/or October meetings by completing and mailing the form below. Please, do not send money with your reservation form. You can pay at the door. Park in the Gustin Golf Course parking area.