COLUMBUS -- Ohio State University Board of Trustees heard plans Friday (5/5) for up-to-date technology resources, enhanced student health insurance and other student-related recommendations, all aimed at improving the quality of student life.

Approval for Student Technology Fee Requested

Ohio State plans to assess a $50-per-quarter student technology fee to all students not currently paying a technology fee, pending approval by the Ohio Board of Regents and the Ohio Controlling Board. If the fee is approved, the university pledges to limit the increase in resident undergraduate tuition and general fees to 5.5 percent for the next academic year.

"We feel a responsibility to provide specialized computing technology resources and skills for our students, but with the rapid changes in technology and required skills, it's not possible to expand our efforts to meet these needs without assessing this fee," said Edward J. Ray, executive vice president and provost.

Trustees on Friday (5/5) approved a resolution requesting approval for exemption from the resident undergraduate state fee cap of 6 percent because the technology fee combined with other increases next year would exceed the state cap.

University officials noted that Ohio State ranks ninth in total fees charged to undergraduates among four-year institutions in Ohio.

Ray also asserted that state funding has not kept pace with the increased demand for computing technology that Ohio institutions must provide to equip students with skills and access they require to be competitive in the work force.

The colleges of Engineering and Business, the School of Public Policy and Management, and the Department of Computer and Information Science (for non-engineering majors) already have implemented technology fees, with the approval of the Board of Trustees.

The per-quarter fees for full-time students are $85 for undergraduates and $120 for graduate students in the Fisher College of Business; $110 for undergraduates and $120 for graduate students in the College of Engineering; $120 for graduate students in the School of Public Policy and Management; and $73 for non-engineering undergraduates and $80 for non-engineering graduate students in computer and information science.

Trustees hear recommendations on student health insurance

The university's student health insurance plan could undergo some major changes if trustees accept recommendations made Friday (5/5) by the Student Health Insurance Committee. Suggestions from the committee include providing students with a "medical only" insurance plan option at lower premium rates and implementing a minimum credit-hour requirement for plan eligibility, effective 2001-2002.

"We want students to have access to affordable health insurance through Ohio State," said Mary Daniels, assistant vice president for student affairs and committee member. "When students don't have to worry about health-care costs or where they will need to go with their health concerns, they have a better chance of staying in school and making progress toward a degree."

The Ohio State Student Health Insurance Program is totally financed by student premiums, Daniels said. The comprehensive plan offers four enrollment categories with the "student only" category comprising 94% of plan participants. Premium rates are calculated on a quarter/semester basis with more than 50,000 policies sold in the 1999-2000 plan year.

In addition to Daniels, the committee consists of 10 student representatives appointed by their respective student governments; five faculty and staff members; and four non voting resource personnel from across the university.

The committee's recommendations also included retaining Koster Insurance Agency as the underwriter and administrator of the commercially insured PPO portion of the plan for 2000-2001. The group also suggested managing increases in premium rates by shifting more individual health-care costs to the user by adding a 10 percent in-network co-pay, offering domestic partner benefits at no additional premium charge, increasing the annual out-of-pocket limit for non-network services to $4,000 and offering an improved dental benefit package.

After hearing the report, Tami Longaberger, trustee and chair of the Student Affairs Committee, said her committee would accept all recommendations except the provision for domestic partner benefits.

"My fellow trustees and I are convinced that establishing benefits for domestic partners at this time would put our state support at risk," Longaberger said. "Until the state of Ohio signals its acceptance of the provision of benefits for domestic partners, it is unlikely that the board will put the financial security of the university at risk by taking action in this area."

Trustees are expected to vote on the student health insurance recommendations at their June 2 meeting.

I-QUE Report presented to trustees

A report on professional graduate education at Ohio State recommends increased clinical experiences for professional students and improved diversity in the professional colleges.

The report, presented Friday (5/5) to trustees, includes recommendations resulting from a survey conducted for the Inter-Professional Council Quality of the University Experience (I-QUE) project. Eric Ley, president of the Inter-Professional Council (IPC) and fourth-year medical student, presented the report, which suggests specific areas for improvement using the results of the I-QUE survey, professional college specific surveys and the insight of individuals connected to the colleges.

The report also includes four more recommendations from the survey: support the growth of professional students, better define professional students, improve the structure and appearance of the IPC college facilities, and improve access and security in the IPC colleges.

The I-QUE survey was administered in April 1999. Surveys were collected from 649 students from all five professional colleges on campus, which include the colleges of medicine and public health, law, optometry, veterinary medicine and dentistry. Students were asked to rank each item's quality and importance on a scale from 1 to 5. The report reflects the results of the initial survey, Ley said.

"We want professional students at Ohio State to get the best possible education in and outside of the classroom, and this report outlines how the university can begin to improve on already strong academic programs," Ley said. "Cutting out some of the red tape and increasing support services will allow professional students to concentrate more on their studies, better preparing them for their future careers."

The report proposes a variety of ways to fulfill the recommendations, including:

· Reserving $20,000 annually to allow IPC to fund eligible professional students through a professional development fund and allow IPC to take part in the distribution of these funds.

· Redefining post-undergraduate students in the colleges of architecture, business, nursing and pharmacy as professional students and include them as constituents of two proposed administrative positions in the Office of Academic Affairs: a vice provost of professional colleges or an assistant vice provost of professional studies.

· Providing funding annually to each IPC professional college to bring hygiene and maintenance up to OSHA and individual college clinic accrediting/certifying agency standards.

· Increasing communications between students and public safety officials by having University Security Services staff some building sites and install access control systems to permit secure after-hour building access for students and faculty.

· Providing resources, including staff, student recruiters and travel funds to increase minority recruitment on all Ohio and other national culturally diverse undergraduate campuses and at national student association meetings.

· Increasing funding to IPC colleges to provide reduced fee health services and promote public service as a career choice.

Student Recognition Award presented

Trustees presented a student recognition award to Stephanie Beier of Swanton. Beier, a nursing major with a minor in women's studies, is a member of the College of Nursing's first group of honors students. As a nursing student, she has developed clinical skills in the area of intra- and postpartum care for women, infants and families. She has been working part time at The Ohio State University Medical Center as a student intern in Women's Health Services, where she assists in the writing of grant proposals, develops cost analyses for the Osteoporosis Prevention Program and Women's Half Day of Health, and provides basic nursing skills in the Women's Wellness Center. As a student, she assists with college activities and events, helping with tours for prospective students, and the sophomore orientation program. Beier is the student ombudsperson this year, acting as a student advocate and liaison between students and faculty and assisting students with concerns related to their academic program. She was selected as the junior representative to the College of Nursing Alumni Board last year and has continued in that role this year, attending meetings and participating in alumni activities. She is also a member of several honorary groups, Sigma Theta Tau in the College of Nursing, Romophos, and Bucket and Dipper and is also involved with the St. Thomas More Newman Center on campus. She is the recipient of the Distinguished Scholarship for National Merit and Achievement Scholars, the Ohio State University Freyman Scholarship in Nursing, and an Ohio Academic Scholarship. Outside the college, she is executive director for the Women's Studies Undergraduate Forum. Beier plans to graduate this spring.

Miscellaneous business

In other business, trustees approved an average 5 percent increase in health services rates, retroactive to April 1, consistent with a health services financial plan recently developed. Though the academic Medical Center has aggressively sought to hold down costs and rate increases in the last five years, the rapid rise in health care costs above inflation necessitates the higher fees.

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