June 2,2003

Dear Colleagues:

Many thanks to the 23 MSCA delegates who took the time to represent their colleagues at Saturday's MTA meeting in Boston. We were very discouraged and angry to hear Arline Isaacson's report that an amendment to preserve our health insurance premiums at 85/15 was not filed in the Senate after a promise to do so was made to the public employee labor union coalition by Senator Marian Walsh. This practically guarantees substantial increased costs for health insurance for most, if not all, of our full-time and salaried part-time members. We will provide more information in the upcoming issue of the MSCA Perspective.

The Senate completed debate and adopted its budget on Friday. A complete report on the status of the budget as it enters the conference committee is expected early next week. I believe that the conference committee will begin its work on June 9th.

The legislative hearings on higher education reorganization (House 3902) have been rescheduled for Tuesday beginning around 11:00 am in Gardner Auditorium in the basement of the State House in Boston. This hearing is open to the public. Jean Stonehouse and I will be there to represent the MSCA. My thanks to Frank Minasian for his willingness to represent us at the hearing's originally scheduled time on Monday.

The MSCA Board of Directors will hold its last meeting of the academic year on Friday, June 6th, in the Trustees Room, 11th Floor, Tower Building, Massachusetts College of Art. The last meeting of the Board of Higher Education this year will be held on Wednesday, June 11th, beginning at 9:30 am in the Blue Lounge, Student, Center, Worcester State College. Both meetings are open to the membership.

Pat Markunas
MSCA President

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6/2/03