Health Insurance reform

The Government Relations Staff at CU has asked for input from graduate students regarding a bill that could have a huge impact on health insurance provided by CU.

Next week the state congress committee on education will be having a first reading of a new bill that will allow universities to self-fund their insurance plans. This could potentially be hugely beneficial for us in terms of allowing for cost savings, increased plan customizations, freedom to tailor the plan to meet our student's needs, the potential to implement wellness programs to cut costs and increase efficiency, along with other benefits. A very small number of students will be testifying at this hearing, and our Government Relations Staff has asked us to get anecdotes from students about health insurance problems in order to give them to congressman to build a stronger case.

It would be great for anyone who has gold insurance to take 20 minutes and write a short anecdote about their experience with our health insurance. These anecdotes could be about the cost of insurance being too high or prohibitive for yourself or other students, the plan missing specific coverage you think would be helpful (i.e. dental), or other things you have heard from other students about the plan. If you are interested in incentivizing wellness you could also write about that. Anything that is relevant to your experience with the current health plan or previous health insurance plans.

Please send your responses to UGGS at uggsinfo@colorado.edu. We will need these by Sunday (4/22) afternoon at 6p. This is HUGELY important - please take time to do this if you are able.

CU email is changing, tell OIT what you want

The current CU-Boulder email system (CU Link) is being replaced. Students previously voted to adopt Microsoft Office 365 as our official student email platform. Given that student technology preferences may have shifted since this decision was made, the United Government of Graduate Students (UGGS) and the University of Colorado Student Government (CUSG) have created a survey so you can share your opinions with the Office of Information Technology (OIT). UGGS, CUSG, and OIT are eager to hear your opinion on student email.

Please click here to take the survey. It takes less than one minute to complete.
Please respond and make sure the decision made reflects the needs of our current student body. The survey will close at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 27th. If you have any questions, please email us at uggsinfo@colorado.edu.

Grad Student Appreciation Week events!

In honor of Graduate Student Appreciation Week, UGGS has put together some really great social events to celebrate the work that you do, the time you put in, and the stress we know you endure!

**Wednesday, April 4th from 2-4 pm: FREE BEVERAGE at Pekoe Siphouse**
Grab your lab mates and swing by Pekoe for a free coffee on us! Look for the UGGS table out front to get your $3 drink ticket.

**Friday, April 6th from 9pm-2am: VIP NIGHT at the Absinthe House**
As the grand finale of appreciation week, we are having GRAD STUDENT VIP NIGHT at the Absinthe House in downtown Boulder! VIP night is open to current graduate students only and will include exclusive access to the Absinthe House's VIP lounge, a private dj for your listening pleasure, a glass of champagne on us (while limited supplies last), and exclusive VIP drink specials at the VIP lounge bar. Rally your department, dress to impress, and get ready to shake your tail feather!

UGGS Office Coordinator position open

The United Government of Graduate Students (UGGS) is seeking a graduate or professional student to fill the position of UGGS Office Coordinator. This position provides support to the UGGS organization and plans major UGGS events.

For more information and application instructions, please read the official announcement.

Happy Hour!

Please take a break this Thursday (3/22) and come to the Catacombs! From 4-6pm there will be free food and drink specials, so grab your torch and a friend with a good sense of direction and we'll see you there!

Sittercity.com

CU has struck a deal with Sittercity.com, a website that provides listings of pre-screened baby sitters, pet sitters, nannies, tutors, and many other services, for no cost access to CU affiliates!

View a flyer here: Sittercity info flyer
Or go directly to the Sittercity website to activate your membership and search for someone to watch your beloved pet crocodile while you travel over spring break: Sittercity.com/CU

Need office space?

Did you know that there is office space reserved in Norlin Library specifically for graduate students in need? Carrels can be reserved for a semester and offer a quiet desk space with power outlets and lockable storage cabinets.

For more information check out the library's page: Graduate Study Suite: Carrels & Lockers

Rec Board opening

We are currently looking to fill an open seat on the rec board. There's no better time than now to join up and help give grads a voice toward rec center renovations. By also joining the steering committee you can help extend our influence over rec center decision making. Send UGGS a message if you are interested.

Spring assembly meeting Schedule

Happy New Year!
The following is our schedule for the Spring 2012 semester. Meetings will start at 5:15pm in the rooms designated. Please note the slightly later than usual start time and the room changes.

• Jan 18 - Atlas 1B25
• Feb 1- Atlas 200
• Feb 15 - Atlas 229
• Feb 29 - Atlas 229
• Mar 14 - Atlas 229
• Apr 4 - Atlas 1B25
• Apr 18 - Atlas 1B25
• May 2 - Atlas 1B25

We hope to see everyone on the 18th!

Grad Student Skiing at Eldora

UGGS is hosting a GRADUATE STUDENT SKI DAY at Eldora Mountain Resort on Tuesday, January 10th. Rally your lab mates and colleagues for a fun day of snow and sunshine before the spring semester kicks off!

Tickets are $25, which includes a lift ticket and coupon for food. Tickets will be available for purchase at the UMC (look for the UGGS table) from 12-3pm on January 3rd, 4th, and 5th. Tickets can also be purchased from 9-11am at Eldora the morning of the event (January 10th).

First-time skiers/boarders- this is the perfect opportunity to try it out! You wont be alone... Eldora rents equipment as well. Hope to see you there!