With recent budget cuts having quick, drastic effects on the UA campus, graduate students are worried about how they will be affected by cuts and furloughs.
At the Graduate and Professional Student Council meeting on Wednesday, council members voiced their concerns about the impact of furloughs on graduate teaching assistants and associates.
GTAs are subject to mandatory furloughs just like any other faculty and staff paid by the state.
“”To take a furlough of two or three days even would be devastating to some of us, considering we make about $70-$80 a day,”” said GPSC President Stephen Bieda.
Bieda said the inequality of the furloughs caused some opposition among faculty.
“”Some people just make more than others … and unfortunately the State Legislature isn’t making it any easier for us,”” said Bieda.
Also at the meeting, GPSC passed a motion to keep the Aetna Student Health insurance plan for prescription benefit costs.
“”We’d rather have something in place to protect some individuals rather than having no prescription benefit whatsoever,”” said Campus Health director of administrative services Kris Kreutz.
Students who pay over $1,000 in prescription expenses qualify for this insurance as long as they don’t already have a prescription benefit as part of their current health insurance plan and meet the other requirements as well.
“”They can, in fact, receive medications for very little cost or for free,”” said Kreutz.
A main concern among GPSC representatives was the communication issue between Campus Health and students who may not know they qualify for this program.
“”It’s a personal responsibility of the individual participant to keep track of their pharmaceutical usage,”” said Kreutz, “”You assemble that information and if you hit the $1,000 mark, submit those receipts.””
Kreutz said it is very hard to communicate this information to every student unless they inquire after it themselves.
“”What I would offer to you is that we will be soliciting input on how to better communicate (this information)”” said Kreutz. “”We want you to know this information, it’s not like we want to keep it from anybody.””
