The monthly meeting of the MSU Faculty Emeriti Association Steering Committee was called to order at 1:35 in Room 302 in the International Center by Chairman John Forsyth. Attendees: Adams, Birdwell, Forsyth, Gliozzo, Greenbaum, G. Hudson, Nelson, Rivera, Shaw, Sparrow, Stapleton, Stone.

1. The minutes of the meeting of 17 June 2009 were approved.
2. Shaw will try to post Cindy Young’s paper so that only the Steering Committee members will have access and notify the members how to access it. Check the FEA web site for MSU travel information for retirees.
3. The library program for retirees which developed from one of our seminars has been very successful and there will be an invitation from the library for new, more targeted themes in the fall.
4. There was no update on the oral history project.
5. Gliozzo will confirm dates and other information regarding the fall magazine collection. Funk will send an e-mail notice.
6. An invitation to consider docent training at Kresge was offered. Greenbaum explained the training program which is expanding from an audience of school children to include more adult audiences including a program for Alzheimer’s patients. Cari Wolfe is the person to contact at Kresge about the docent training program. Greenbaum will ask Wolfe to check and update the information about training. There were also comments about the possibility of the docents doing a program at the museum for retirees or the museum personnel doing one of our seminars or both. Parenthetically, Gliozzo mentioned that retirees might consider the WKAR reading for the blind program as another way to volunteer services to MSU.
7. Academic and Faculty Councils will meet next week. Currently the FEA voice without vote permission must be renewed each year. This will probably be made permanent under the new bylaws; however, since they have not yet been passed, it was suggested that Forsyth contact Jackie Wright to request that the motion for this year be made at the 25 August 2009 meeting. There followed a discussion on Health Care Task Forces. The generic prescription program will probably have a start date in early 2010 to allow time for people to discuss the consequences with their physicians. The basics are: if there is a generic in use now, there is no problem; if a brand name is in use now and there is no generic, also no problem; if a brand is in use and there is an available generic, you must change or pay the difference; if the brand name has no generic, however, there is a similar less expensive group of drugs, you pay the difference or it is the responsibility of the physician and patient to appeal and each appeal will cost MSU 30 dollars. DAW (dispense as written) marked on a prescription does not permit the pharmacist to change to a generic. This also needs to be discussed with the physician so appropriate changes can be made prior to the start date. Possible themes for future task force discussion include: smoke free campus, health risk assessment, consumer driven health plans, centers of excellence, and partnering with a health team.
8. Adams reported that the next Board of Trustees meeting will be 11 September 2009.
9. Forsyth reported that the MSU Retirees Association is trying to do a retirees’ handbook.
10. Forsyth reported that Funk is still working to perfect the email lists.
11. will try to obtain International Center rooms for future meetings, but suggests that 209 Olds be reserved as a backup; Shaw encouraged support of Fill the Busses program.
12. The meeting was adjourned at 2:50.

Submitted by Linda Nelson