THURSDAY,APRIL10,2003
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 3A
GTAC, University work to improve health plan coverage
By Nikki Overtfelt
noverfelt@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
If all goes as planned, graduate teaching assistants and graduate research assistants at the University of Kansas will receive more health care coverage starting Fall 2003
Last month, the Board of Regents and Health Care Commission approved the Graduate Teaching Assistants Coalition's request to increase the University's and other Regents universities' contribution to insurance coverage from 50 percent to 73 percent - like other state employees, said Dan Carey president of GTAC and member of GTAC's Health Insurance Task Force.
The University is speculating that the new plan will take effect in the fall semester, but it is awaiting confirmation from the Health Care Commission, said Ola Faucher, director of human resources for the University.
"This increase makes us a little more competitive and improves our health insurance a little bit more," he said. "It could be better, but it's a step in the right direction."
While negotiating its contract with the University, the Health Insurance Task Force began looking at health insurance coverage of other universities for GTAs and compared that coverage to the University's coverage. Carey said.
versity's national peers, the University earned a D in health care coverage for GTAs, said Amy Cummins, member of GTAC's Health Insurance Task Force.
"Problems include the premium costs, coverage and University contribution to the premium," she said.
All of the peer institutions had better plans, and most of them included dental and vision plans. too, Carey said.
As part of its contract with GTAC, the University worked
with the GTAs to get the changes approved by both the Regents and the Health Care Commission, Lynn Bretz, director of University Relations, said.
"The University was part of the negotiation because we wanted to improve GTAs' benefits and salaries," she said.
The GTAC and the University originally sent a letter to the Health Care Commission asking for this increased coverage in February. GTAC president Carey said.
The Commission then
requested the GTAC and the University send a letter to the Regents because this would affect all the regent schools. And in the middle of March the Regents approved that this benefit be extended to all the regent institutions, Human Resources Director Faucher said.
Other regent institutions include Kansas State, Wichita State University, Pittsburg State University, Emporia State University and Fort Hays State University.
— Edited by Amber Byarlay
Journalist, professor talks about international reporting
Carlos Sariol, international journalist and professor at the University of Puerto Rico at Carolina, reads demographic and geographic facts about Cuba, his native country, to students in a Media and Ethics class. Sariol visited classes for the past three days and talked about mass media communications in Cuba and shared his experiences as a journalist with students.
By Kellev Weiss
Kelley Weiss/Kansan
by katy Weiss
kweiss@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Carlos Sariol, international journalist and professor, says international knowledge and experience is imperative for good journalism.
Sariol, during the past three days, visited journalism, Spanish and business classes to discuss mass media communications in Cuba.
Sariol said he had reported from 15 different countries and recently had done freelance work for the British Broadcast Channel. He is the chairman of the Department of Graphic Arts and Public Information at the University of Puerto Rico at Carolina.
Sariol had two specific criticisms of the American media sensational coverage of crime and inadequate international coverage.
Sariol said the international coverage was insufficient. Sariol estimated that 95 percent of American news was from American journalists, which, he said, made Americans uninformed about world issues and could allow biases.
"The war coverage is very bad," Sariol said. "We need to give the other face. War has blood — 90 percent of deaths are civilians and only 10 percent military."
He said a "best news is bad news" philosophy had made the press sensationalize violence and crime stories so much that it had desensitized and dehumanized the effects of crime.
The reporters embedded in Army forces in Iraq compromise the independence that Sariol said is important for journalism.
"I don't like journalists in the Army because they need to remain free," Sariol said. "We are going to war as a PR army."
Understanding other cultures and having accurate international news coverage is important. Sariol said, because we are living in a piece of the world that is close to others.
The negative image of Americans across the world, specifically in Latin America, is something Sariol said he wanted to help diminish.
"I like to help change the image
of Americans as being seen as stupid," Sariol said.
Linda Davis, associate dean and associate professor of journalism, helped coordinate Sar-
iol's schedule for his stay in Lawrence.
"It's been very successful." Davis said. "He does inspire fabulous questions by students, and
people are fascinated by Cuba and especially Carlos because he is so warm."
Chris Quackenbush, Olathe junior, listened to Sariol speak in
his Ethics and Media class Tuesday morning and said he had enjoyed hearing the international viewpoint.
“It's cool to have a perspective from a different culture,” Quackenbush said. “It's good to get an outside perspective because even though teachers tell us classes aren't biased, they are.”
Sariol said he enjoyed meeting students and talking to classes, and his experience visiting with students at the University of Kansas had given him hope for the future. The students' reactions at the University, he said, has further proven to him that Americans are open to new perspectives and welcoming to him.
And in contrast to other cities Sariol has visited, Lawrence has left a unique impression on him.
In general, college-aged students are Sariol's favorite kind of company, he said.
"I like to be around the young people," Sariol said. "Not the old people who talk about retiring and other problems."
- Edited by Amber Byarlay