New AUSU Executive Elected
AUSU elected a new council in March and now it has a new executive council which may be familiar to Voice readers. While AUSU executives are elected for two-year terms, last year council replaced the executive half way through the term due to the early departure of the VP External and the resignation of the President. To facilitate matters, the VP Finance voluntarily resigned and ran for re-election to allow council to hold a full executive election.
After half a term in their respective offices, the current executive all ran again for the positions and were re-elected by their fellow council members for the current term. Lisa Priebe of Calgary remains President, Lonita Fraser of Hamilton remains VP External and Karl Low of Calgary remains your VP Finance.
Special thanks to AU’s Acting Vice President Academic, Dietmar Kennepohl, for collecting and counting the votes for this election, on behalf of AUSU.
Health Plan for AUSU Members – Announced
Finally, AUSU members can save on health and dental benefits in Canada!
Your council has struck a deal with Student Benefits Administrators, an affiliate of Ingle International and Imagine Financial Ltd., to provide great rates to AUSU members on their commercial insurance products. The program offers a range of a-la-carte insurance services that include coverage for prescriptions, dental work, eye care and more. This program differs from those offered by other universities and students’ associations in these key areas:
? the plan is available not only to AUSU members, but to all members of their families;
? the coverage can supplement other health and/or dental coverage you have in place with different providers. For example, if you have 50% dental coverage through another plan, you could ?top up? your total coverage to 100% of your dental expenses;
? the coverage is flexible, to meet the needs of mature students and students in different locales;
? the plan will not be administered by your students’ council, rather coverage will be set up directly through Ingle International and Imagine Financial Ltd. and Group Medical Services, who will also provide access to 1-800 support and customer service;
? this is an opt-in plan. No one is required to purchase coverage.
AUSU members who sign up for this program within 30 days of enrolment, or by May 31, 2006, are guaranteed coverage. If you opt out now but later decide you want the plan, you and your dependents (if applicable) will be asked medical questions and also have restrictions placed on your coverage should you qualify. Because this is not the limited, mandatory plan offered by many universities our rates may not be quite as low as some school plans, but our coverage options are considerably more extensive. While standard university plans are designed to provide coverage for single people in their late teens or early twenties all living in the same locale and beginning and ending studies at the same time, this plan can accommodate families and persons of all ages who study year round and live across Canada. Actual rates will vary depending on your age and location. Please visit our Health Plan web page at http://www.ausu.org/services/healthinsurance.php for more information and for all relevant contact information.
If you do not find your age group or location listed on the online rate sheets, or if you want additional coverage not listed with any of the plans, please call the insurer’s toll-free line (the number is on the page listed above) and ask for more information about services not listed.
*AUSU has arranged for special rates for members. Tuition for AU undergrad courses includes an AUSU membership fee to cover the duration of the course plus six months. AUSU assumes no responsibility for the sale or administration of insurance services.
