Graduate Labor Alliance members saw a significant victory in their campaign for affordable health insurance yesterday after University officials said they would recommend that the Board of Visitors create a $900 per person annual subsidy for graduate student coverage.
If passed when the Board meets at its June meeting, the University officials' proposal would provide coverage for nearly 2,000 teaching and research assistants who earn at least $5,000 per year from the University. This would cover about 60 percent of the graduate student population.
The University has about 3,300 graduate students, none of whom receive University-subsidized health insurance.
"I am delighted that we may be able to offer this benefit to our graduate assistants," Provost Peter W. Low said in a statement. "Members of my staff have been working with the deans, graduate-student representatives and others for nearly a year to find a way to address this issue."
The subsidy would provide enough money for graduate students to buy the minimal coverage of QualChoice, the University health care plan many students use. Students also could apply the $900 stipend toward an extended benefit plan or family coverage if they choose.
The coverage would cost the University $1.8 million annually. The funds would come from earnings on the University's unrestricted endowment, indirect cost recoveries from research grants, tuition and fellowship funds.
The proposal stems from the University's desire to attract high-caliber graduate students from around the country and to offer health insurance packages similar to those found at the University's peer institutions, said Colette Sheehy, vice president for management and budget.
Although many graduate students see the proposal as an important recognition of their concerns, some say it is not enough and want to see coverage extended to 100 percent of graduate students and their dependents.
Led by Justin Gifford, Graduate Labor Alliance members are planning to organize a rally in front of Old Cabell Hall on April 18 during President John T. Casteen III's State of the University Address. The group aims to alert community members of their concerns.
The Graduate Labor Alliance is a group of University graduate students campaigning for better pay, stipends and insurance coverage.
"On one hand, [the University] has a responsibility to its workers," Gifford said. "On the other hand, if [the University] expects us to be producing the kind of work that we're here for as scholars and thinkers, we have to remain healthy, and so the University has an obligation to keep us that way."
The organization also plans to write letters to Board members, explaining their position and informing members that if their demands for health insurance are not met, some graduate students are prepared to boycott QualChoice.
Because the University has a monetary stake in QualChoice, the boycott could pose a threat. About 200 graduate students signed a petition saying they would boycott and use other insurance companies such as Golden Rule or Trigon. The 200-student boycott would result in a revenue loss of $200,000 for QualChoice, Gifford said.
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