The Michigan Daily-Thursday, May 15, 1980-Page 3
Local Scenesm
Health fee s
expected to
increase with
Regents' vote
By MITCH STUART
Beginning this fall, University
students will likely be paying a $31.50
per term Health Service fee, an in-
crease of $8.50 over the current fee.
The decision to increase the fee will
be considered by the Regents at their
meeting today or tomorrow. Approval
of the hike seems likely because it
represents the final step in a five-year
program that phased out University
general fund support for the health ser-
vice program.
BEFORE THE fall of 1976, health
service fees were not assessed to
students; the program was supported
entirely by the general fund, which is
derived mainly from state ap-
propriations and tuitions. Since that
time, however, a state legislative man-
date forced the University to bill
students for health services.
State Rep. Gary Owen (D-Ypsilanti),
who initiated the legislative action that
prompted the fee hike, said yesterday
"We (the legislature) told the Univer-
sity we wanted those (health) services
accounted for in a separate manner.
"The only thing we asked (Michigan
colleges) to do was set up an accounting
for the service," but the colleges were
not directed by the state to raise their
fees to compensate for the loss of
general fund revenues, Owen said.
OWEN SAID deciding between
raising fees, cutting service, or making
other provisions for more income was
left up to the individual colleges.
The reasoning behind the state
request for a separate health service
accounting was that "there's too much
disparity between the institutions for us
to fairly fund them," Owen said.
Henry Johnson, University vice-
president for student services, will ask
the Regents to approve the increase
today or tomorrow. According to the
action request Johnson submitted, the
final stage of the five-year fee hike con-
stitutes a $5.89 reduction per student
per term in University general fund
support and a $2.61 increase in
operating expenses.
Johnson said the University basically
had no choice but to raise the student
fee. "With the reduction in general fund
support from the state, we have to in- z
crease the student fee to compensate,"
he said yesterday.
Dr. Anna Davol, director of health - A
services, clarified the state's mandate: ' ' qitA h
"In effect, what they did was say 'the U.S. Rep. Charles Diggs (D-Detroit) announced yesterday he would give up
money you get from the state must go his committee chairmanships, not vote in the House for the rest of the con-
for instruction.' They really didn't give gressional term, and not seek reelection. Diggs was convicted in 1978 of
us much of a choice (but to raise the defrauding the government of $66,900 in a payroll kickback scheme. See story,
fee)." Page 18.
GEO asks Regentsfo
temporary agreement
By BONNIE JURAN GEO President Dave Kadlecek, would thing you have to do is find out if tha
The Graduate Employees Organiza- call for the Regents and GEO to act as if will prejudice the case," Brown said.
tion has asked the Regents to enter into they were subject to the Public Em- The other seven Regents could not b
a temporary structural agreement until ployees Relations Act (PERA), thereby reached for comment.
a Michigan Employment Relations ensuring the University's recognition of
Commission judge determines whether GEO asa collective bargaining unit. According to Kadlecek, GEO decided
graduate student teaching assistants to propose the interim agreement
are students or University employees. THE UNIVERSITY has consistently because members feared continuing
The interim agreement, according to maintained that teaching assistants are litigation over the status of teaching
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Dorm energy use
* down in past year
By JOYCE FRIEDEN
The University has been making
significant progress in reducing its
total energy consumption in dor-
mitories in recent years, according to
the energy management engineer for
the Housing Division.
George San Facon said recently that
statistics from the Housing Division's
1978-79 energy report show that while
dormitory utility costs have risen from
$1 million to $2.9 million per year over
the past six years, actual energy usage
has decreased 26 per cent.
THE INCREASED cost is largely due
to inflation, San Facon said.
Housing's effort to reduce energy
consumption is being concentrated in
four areas, San Facon explained. In the
equipment area, for example, workmen
have been installing systems designed
to use less energy, such as economical
shower heads and lower-level lighting.
San Facon is also working on revam-
ping a "preventive maintenance"
See ENERGY, Page 6
students, not employees, and therefore
not subject to the provisions of PERA.
Regent Paul Brown (D-Petoskey)
said he did not know whether the
Regents were planning to discuss the
proposed agreement at their meeting
today and tomorrow, but added it was
quite likely that they will.
Brown said he personally would be
willing to discuss the proposal with the
GEO executive board as long as he was
assured by University attorneys that
such a discussion would not interfere
with the pending MERC litigation.
"WHEN YOU'RE involved in
litigation and suddenly one party com-
nunicates with another party, the first
assistants would prevent any amicable
settlement before the end of the year.
The interim agreement would ensure
"both sides agree to bargain with each
other in good faith," Kadlecek said.
The case, presently being decided by
MERC Administrative Judge Shlomo
Sperka, will determine whether
graduate teaching assistants are sub-
ject to PERA and are thus to be con-
sidered by the University as unionized
employees as well as students.
If Judge Sperka decides in favor of
GEO, teaching assistants would then be
given input into setting wage levels,
determining class sizes, and deciding
on the nature of the work they will do,
according to Kadlecek.