CU Connections

Fashion statement falls flat

It caught my eye in the sports section that the Buffs had commemorative jerseys and helmets (for the Wyoming game).

How much of the money that we don’t have did this cost? We are all tightening our belts, some layoffs, some furloughs. Couldn’t they have bought patches?

Diana Warren
University of Colorado Denver

Feedback deserves prominent place on site

I appreciate the attempt to fill the void many of us feel now that we no longer see the Silver and Gold in our buildings. While it may not be possible to replace a print newsletter with an electronic version, nor will having insufficient staff to cover various events and meetings meet the needs of the faculty and staff, we should try to cooperate with this effort.

In this spirit of cooperation, I would like to suggest that the Newsletter have a prominent section similar to the headings “In this issue…” or “Stories” that is hyperlinked. My suggestion would be “Letters to the Newsletter,” but perhaps just “Letters” would suffice. This could highlight your attempts to facilitate communication and encourage feedback.

L. Michael Glodé, MD
Professor of Medicine

Editor’s note: We’ve added a standing link to Letters on the site. The Faculty and Staff Newsletter welcomes letter submissions from current or retired University of Colorado faculty and staff about issues of interest to the university community.

Insurance companies shouldn’t punish prevention

Two medical news items in the Aug. 19 Newsletter garnered my attention. First, the record-breaking SOM class is good news for the university and a key part of the solution to help contain health care costs while increasing availability of care. It takes more doctors to accomplish these two objectives.

Second, the expanded state funding for the Colorado Colorectal Screening Program is literally a life-saver. While a hands-down best-use of public dollars, it also points out the less-than-stellar state of health insurance coverage. And I’m not just talking about those without. As a university employee I have always opted for the default high-deductible coverage (currently Anthem, formerly Great West). In both cases, preventive care coverage includes colonoscopies and is covered 100 percent with one huge exception: If a polyp is found, the procedure is not covered as part of the preventive care coverage. Instead, it becomes an outpatient surgical procedure subject to the deductible. This is wrong and absurd.

I have had two colonoscopies under each company and in both cases I had to fight to get it covered under the preventive care category. I am certain many other CU employees have faced the same battle; I encourage them to contact me so that I can document this shameful practice. My hope is that CU can obtain this benefit through future negotiations with the insurance company so that individuals don’t have to go it alone.

Barry Northrop
Assistant Director of Policies and Procedures
Accounting and Business Support
University of Colorado at Boulder

Branding

To the editor,

If the university can afford to spend more than $700,000 on “new campus logos,” but can’t fight to get its employees a pay increase, then there is something seriously wrong. We read the news, too.

Bryan Walker, CU-Boulder

Campus logos

To the editor,

If the university can afford to spend more than $700,000 on “new campus logos,” but can’t fight to get its employees a pay increase, then there is something seriously wrong. We read the news, too.
—Bryan Walker, CU-Boulder

Branding complexity

To the Editor,

I am amazed by the apparent complexity that has developed during the “new” branding process of the university. Even though the whole university and all campuses are under one administrative umbrella of a president and the Board of Regents, it appears that each campus should have the common University of Colorado (UC) designation. Then the individual campuses should each have their own identity:

• UC Colorado Springs
• UC Denver
• UC Aurora
• UC Boulder

It makes no difference that UCD and UCA have combined administrations to make one administrative urban university.

Now, that took me 10 minutes to develop so my fee is $7.85 (or $78.50 if I wanted to really push it), which could save our university $784,992.15.

Jim Stevens
Pathology, UC Denver

What business is CU in?

May 21, 2009
( Sent via e-mail)

Dear editor:

President Benson and at least one of the regents said that the university is not in the business of running a newspaper.

One might well ask, “What business CU is in? Football? Sweated labor? Country-club perks for the few? Commercial research? Self-serving administration?”

Paul M. Levitt
English, CU-Boulder

Not in the business?

Dear editor:

President Benson and at least one of the regents said  that the university is not in the business of running a newspaper.

One might well ask, “What business CU is in? Football?  Sweated labor? Country-club perks for the few? Commercial research? Self-serving  administration?”

Paul M. Levitt
English, CU-Boulder

(Sent via e-mail)