Ca sum ne Th ex zox Inc S or a
CAMPUS AND AREA
Benefits are key for Classified Senate
By MARY CARTER Staff Reporter
Page 10
Improving retirement benefits for classified employees is a priority this year for the Classified Senate, the senate president said this week.
"We are looking at any way to enhance it," said Joe Collins, the president. "Last year was the first year that anything was done. There are other ways of improving the retirement program, which we definitely need to do."
Classified personnel are state civil service employees. The 30 classified senators, elected by their co-workers, represent the interests of admitted employees to the University administration in Kansas Legislature and the governor
DAVID LEWIN, DIRECTOR of personnel services, said that a study of state employee benefits compiled late last year by the Assembly of Governmental Employees showed Kansas as being "notably uncompetitive" in retirement benefits.
In a Sept. 10 memo to Richard Mann, director of information systems and personnel services, Lewin pointed out several aspects of the program that could be improved, including the amount the state received each employee and the formula used to calculate retirement benefits.
Classified employees participate in the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System, a defined benefit retirement system. In a defined benefit system, a specific percentage of an employee's salary is guaranteed the employee during retirement.
THE STATE CONTRIBUTES an amount equal to 4.5 percent of an employee's salary to the employee's retirement fund. That money, combined with the employee's contribution of 4 percent of wages, is reinvested from the investment is added to the employee's retirement fund.
Kansas had the lowest contribution rate in the study. Lewin said. Contribution rates for all other states
are between 4.94 and 23.47 percent.
But Marshall Crowther, executive director of KPERS, said comparing contribution rates was not a good way to compare retirement systems.
Some states have not invested retirement contributions soundly and must contribute more money to provide the benefits guaranteed by their programs, Crowther said.
"THE STATES THAT have been reckless in what they have done are needing almost everything they take in to pay for current benefits," he said. "Kansas has a pretty fully funded system, so that when people retire, the money they have put in will be there for them."
Lewin said that the state contribution rate was only one area of concern for classified employees.
"The real test is what type of income retired employees are re-entitled to."
In the memo, Lewin recommended modifying the formula for calculating retirement benefits.
The amount of benefit is determined by multiplying a specific
percent — called the multiplier — by the number of years an employee has worked and the employee's average salary. In the last five years before retirement
Lewin said his recommendations were not an attempt to criticize the state.
IN 1882, THE Legislature raised the KPERS multiplier from 1.25 to 1.4 percent. Lewin said the multiplier should be increased to about 1.7 for Kansas to compare favorably with other states.
"We're not blaming anybody," he said. "We're just saying 'Hey folks, we need to attend to this and to work together on it.'"
Collins said Classified Senate committees were working on position papers, which they would present to the Legislature. He said the papers would suggest increases in the multiplier and the contribution rate.
"We're not asking for a giant, humongous increase." he said. "We're not asking for the best. We just want to stay up with the average."
Woman's death shows transplant difficulties
By United Press International
KANSAS CITY — The problems encountered by Clara Sallaz, the heart transplant patient who died yesterday at the University of Kansas Medical Center, represent the magnitude of the transplant endeavor, doctors said.
"The KU Medical Center offered MRS Sallaz the most comprehensive and advanced services available." said Thomas J. Bixler, head of the heart transplant team "Mrs. Sallaz succumbed to the overwhelming
complications she experienced. These complications can potentially exist in any transplant patient. They fully expected and anticipated.
THE 46-YEAR-OLD Turner woman on Aug. 10 became the second person to receive a new heart at the medical center. She had suffered cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle. Without the operation, she had a life expectancy of only a few months. Bixler said.
Doctors said family members were with Sallaz when she died shortly after midnight yesterday.
Bixler said Sallaz experienced three serious episodes of rejection of her new heart. Immediately after the operation, she began receiving medications that suppress the body's immune system, which is responsible for rejection and for fighting infection, he said.
Physicians administered higher doses of these same medications to treat the serious rejections, Bixler said. During these episodes, Sallaz was monitored in the intensive care unit.
"THE INCREASED DOSAGE of immuno-suppressant drugs made
her body more susceptible to in fection," Bixler said.
He said that during the past weekend, Sallaz developed pneumonia with aspergillus, a rare fungal infection. The infection was treated with other medications.
Bixier said the aspergillus fungus was common in the environment but did not usually cause infection in healthy people. This infection usually occurs only in immuno-suppressed patients and is usually fatal in such a setting, he said.
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Milroy didn't think there is a substantial savings on any of McColum's or Stouffer's utility bills.
"We ran a water line from the panels' storage tank and from McColmll. "Milroy said. "Now it preheats all the cold water before we turn on the pipe and McColmll residents get hot water than normal."
The solar panels were originally
"NASA did a report five years after they installed the panels." Milroy said. "The panels could heat hot water when the sun was out on the panels just didn't produce what NASA thought they would."
NASA monitored the project, recording information every five minutes, but a later study showed that they were not contributing to substantial amount of difference.
Hall has hotter water when the sun shines
Bill Dollars, chief engineer for Lennox Industries, Dallas, predicted in September 1978 that the solar panels would provide 65 percent of the energy needed for heat in the winter and 55 percent of the cooling in the summer.
Six solar panels, which have been serving building one of Stouffer Place since 1978, were connected this summer to heat at McColum, said Dean Milroy, assistant director of housing.
McColum Hall residents get hotter water than they normally would, but only when the sun is shining.
Although the project was scrapped, the panels continue to heat water in building number one Kutter Place and McColum Hall.
By CHRISSY CLEARY Staff Reporter
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