In reference to your Op-Ed article Tuesday (Oct. 2) in the IDS, “Cleaning House”:\nThe statement that the GPSO was responsible for getting graduate students dental insurance is flat-out wrong.\nNot only do we not have dental insurance, but the insurance we do have is one of the worst plans in all of the Big Ten schools (I have done the statistics and presented them to the trustees and the committee on health care for graduate students on behalf of the GEO). The GPSO has done nothing for graduate students; in fact, it is an echo chamber for the administration – feckless and nugatory. Consider the following facts:\n1. When was the last protest organized by GPSO for better health coverage for grad students? NEVER!\n2. Our health care coverage has declined since I have arrived in 2004.\nThere have been decreases from $500,000 to $250,000 for maximum lifetime benefits.\nThere have been decreases from $250,000 to $100,000 for the benefits of dependents.\n3. All graduate students that are on the SAA plan must pay for prescriptions and health care provider visits up front. Have your credit card ready, and don’t expect to get reimbursed within six months.\nThe fact of the matter is health care is expensive – this we admit – but so is the exponential expansion of the University.\n1. Simon Hall: $1 trillion\n2. Cyber infrastructure building – $1 trillion\n3. Multi - disciplinary science building – $1 trillion\nAll of these projects are good for the University as a leader in research, but at what expense? Doesn’t the University have a responsibility to the people who actually run these research labs?
Jon Hobbs\nGraduate student
