Student Health will refund the monthly fee they charged graduate students not enrolled in summer classes, largely as a result of the efforts of the Graduate Labor Union and Graduate Student Council.
This year, Student Health began charging a summer use fee of $32.00 a month because of a change in the health insurance offered to graduate students, according to Dr. James Turner, executive director of the department of student health.
During previous years, the health insurance the University offered to graduate students prohibited Student Health from charging summer fees. The current health insurance plan through the Chickering Group, adopted last year, does not carry that restriction.
The graduate student groups objected to fact that Student Health did not inform students about these fees.
"There were sudden fees that no one had been told about," GLU Vice President Brian Glover said.
Student Health announced the fees in an e-mail sent on June 9, after many students already had complained about being charged unexpectedly.
The GLU, which originally formed during the effort to make health insurance available to all graduate students, began a campaign to have the fees refunded. In addition to writing multiple letters, representatives of the GLU and GSC met with Student Health officials.
"The most convincing reason we gave them was that the fee was unannounced," Graduate Student Council President Ken Wilbur said.
On July 23, Student Health officials decided to refund the fees.
Turner acknowledged that many students would have taken care of routine physical examinations and other non-pressing medical concerns prior to the start of the summer had they known of the fees.
"Out of fairness to the Chickering enrollees, we are refunding these fees immediately," Turner said.
Refunding the fees does not indicate a change in policy, Turner noted. Student Health relies on these fees to help cover costs during the summer months.
"We can't operate for free in the summer," Turner said.
Although they may be necessary for the operation of Student Health, some graduate students claim that the fees are prohibiting them from attending to their medical problems.
Dave Richardson, an Environmental Sciences graduate student teaching a summer session course, said that he has not seen a doctor about injuries sustained during a recent bike accident due to the fees.
"I would probably go right away if I knew I didn't have to pay the fee," Richardson said.
While Student Health cannot waive the fees in future summers, a committee will form this fall to consider how to best deal with summer use fees for graduate students, according to Wilbur. One goal is to find a way to satisfy Student Health's financial needs while still addressing the medical concerns of graduate students.
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