THE NEW PERSPECTIVE Thursday, December 9, 2004
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Volume 28, Issue 6
Features
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http://newperspective.cc.edu
Arts & Entertainment
The bus, page 7 Thrifty gifts, page 9
Allister,page Name, page#11 Name,breaks, Study page # page 12
Sports Sledding, page 14 Basketball, page 16
The Student Newspaper of Carroll College
Carroll’s faculty unites to form a union Amanda Bothe Editor-in-Chief
A petition to form a collective bargaining unit of Carroll faculty was filed with the National Labor Relations Board on November 17 by a group of Carroll College professors known as the Faculty Council. The petition is the first step in a movement to vote on the creation of a union comprised of faculty at Carroll. This act comes after a long battle between Carroll faculty and administration over governance at the college. The National Labor Relations Board, NLRB, is the federal board needed to approve the formation of collective bargaining units. Should the union be approved by the NLRB, Carroll College would be the first private college in Wisconsin with a unionized faculty. “We’re unionizing because of our lost voice in governance,” said Dr. Paul Rempe of the history department. The faculty has been reduced to an advising role only, in the operation of the college, according to Dr. Deidre Keenan of the English department and member of the Faculty Council, especially in the last eight years, to the point
where their advice is not even considered. “The division has been deliberately created by the president and implemented by the administration,” said Keenan. After trying many avenues to bridge the gap between the faculty and administration, unionizing is the “last recourse.” “A union is a way to bridge that gap,” said Rempe. “We look forward to a collective bargaining unit to bring us all to the table again,” said Keenan. “I believe we need more of a voice, and it will be a better college when faculty have a voice again in governance,” she continued. The process is not expected to take long. The hearings began the first week of December. The administration stated their case first, and then it was the faculty’s turn to present their case. Once the hearings are over, briefs of the cases are submitted by both sides and reviewed by the NLRB regional director who will make a decision based on the testimony from the hearing and the briefs. Then the NLRB will decide whether or not the Carroll faculty is eligible to form a union. If the faculty is eligible, a vote will be See Unionization Page 3
Decked out Divas
Sing in the Holiday Spirit
Photo submitted by Professor Timothy Cloeter
Sophomore Ryan Scheunemann, freshmen Erika Schwane and Ryan McEldowney, sitting in front of Madrigal Dinner King, Communications professor Pete Settle, take a break from their singing for a photo opportunity during the Madrigal Dinner this past weekend, December 4 and 5.
Students need insurance Jennifer Wright Staff Writer
Photo by Jamie Slewinski
Senior Steward Koskinen revved up the stage with a holiday spirited costume during the Deca Diva pageant, Friday, December 3.
Today, over 45 million people are without health insurance, and almost 50 million more are under-insured, including college students. College students, particularly those over age 18, may not be covered by their parents’ insurance policy once they leave home. Others are not covered because a requirement for many health insurance companies is that the student be enrolled at full-time status (12 credits or more). And still others are no longer covered under their parents’ plan if they take off a semester or once they graduate. The end results are healthy, young college students suddenly finding themselves without health insurance. At Carroll College, fulltime students are required to have health insurance. Students either must show proof they have outside health insurance or must purchase insurance through the school. For domestic students, insurance starts at $365 annually and $243 for the spring and summer terms. The
cost for international students to receive health insurance through Carroll starts at $450 annually and $300 for the spring and summer terms. According to the Carroll College Student Injury and Sickness Insurance Plan pamphlet, the insured person “will be covered for any sickness diagnosed or injury sustained while so covered.” For the full list of coverage benefits and premium rates, please refer to the Student Injury and Sickness Insurance Plan pamphlet. Students at other college institutions may decide to go without health insurance because the cost to buy a plan is just too expensive. This means that too many students are not getting adequate health care. A college student away from home without health insurance can easily spend hundreds of dollars on medical care for an influenza outbreak, and the cost of a broken bone would almost bankrupt a student. College students are no different than the masses of people covered by employer plans, state and federal plans and community care plans. They are active
people, juggling school, work and trying to maintain a life away from their families. They are prone to viruses and illness and are susceptible to injury because they are constantly on the move. However, college students are young and, for the most part, healthy. Health care utilization is generally less. A major issue in the 2004 presidential election was health care. Medicare, Medicaid and prescription drug coverage were echoed throughout the campaign. These are important aspects of the health care crisis; however, these areas generally do not pertain to college students. Much of today’s health care is geared towards preventive maintenance. This usually means a yearly checkup to ensure one’s health is okay. The ability to have a health care provider tell students they are healthy means a lot, just as early detection of something is equally important. For more information on student health insurance through Carroll, contact the Walter Young Center at 262524-7335.