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BY HANNA KOZLOWSKA

In print | Published October 1, 2009 — Updated October 07, 2009 17:04

Worth considering co-pays

As a part of a broader discussion about Worth Health Center, some council members raised the issue of requiring a co-pay for prescription drugs. Every year, Worth buys tens of thousands of dollars worth of prescription drugs, and at the end of the year it is left with a big stock of unused medications that it has to throw out.

Council members discussed that the money put into buying the drugs that end up in the trash could be spent in different ways. With the budget crunch and the possibility of drugstores delivering the medications to the campus, Worth has proposed to institute co-pays. It would be more efficient for students to use their health insurance, if possible, to cover prescription drug costs.

Doctors’ appointments would stay free, and, according to Student Council Secretary Stephan Lefebvre ’11, the Student Council would “ensure that treatment for serious health-related problems is available regardless of ability to provide co-pays.” They would have to discuss which medications to keep in stock and which to order upon request.

The Council also wants to work on advertising Worth’s services, especially to new students.

Board of Manager luncheon

The Board of Managers met with the Student Council at a luncheon last Friday. The board members, especially new ones such as Jorge Munoz, were very curious about the issues on campus and are very eager to meet with students and faculty. Student Council President Rachel Bell ’10 stressed that that the Council also wants to create lines of communication between students and the board.

Student Council members wanted to know the reason for the absence of students on the Ad Hoc Financial Planning Group. The group was formed to adjust the college’s budget to the realities of the economic crisis. The Board emphasized that the Financial Planning Group is a temporary body, created to deal with emergencies, which is why students were not included. Other topics discussed at the luncheon included occupational diversity on the Board of Managers and President’s Rebecca Chopp’s open hours.

According to StuCo members, most of the conversations were productive. However, the council would like to see more structured conversations with the Board in future meetings. It was suggested that future meetings have to create separate “topic tables,” such as a sustainability table or a financial aid table, to allow representatives from both sides to discuss these issues.

Wharton C Basement storage

Across the archway from the Wharton C basement lounge, there is a room which currently serves no purpose. The basement was brought to the administration’s attention when President Chopp was touring the college with Dean of Residential Life Rachel Head and discovered this messy space. The room’s floor is covered with rolls of old tapes, clothes and trash.

The Student Council decided to take initiative and create a storage space for campus groups in the room. Vice-President Nate Erskine ’11 proposed to purchase and install lockers in the room. StuCo members agreed that there is no storage space for groups on campus. “Things like the frisbee team cooler cannot be kept in the team member’s room,” said Lefebvre.

The issue of ventilation would have to be solved if the sports clubs kept their equipment in the room. Cleaning out the space would be a student council project. The clothes could be donated to Goodwill.

Textbook rental issues

The Library has received $10,000 to purchase textbooks and has suggested that the college could benefit from a textbook rental program.

The Council Financial Policy Representative Dan Symonds ‘11 researched the program’s efficiency and found that textbook rental is very expensive and complicated. It would only work if departments used the same books for at least four to six semesters, which rarely happens at Swarthmore.

Symonds put forward a few propositions for spending the money: getting electronic book licenses, buying the cheapest textbooks, or purchasing books that professors tend to keep, such as introductory textbooks or literature.

A more expensive venture that could be efficient in the long run would be buying an ebooks printer that allows students to print and bind a book in two minutes. It costs around $30,000.

The Council is considering creating an Amazon account to enable students to get free shipping when purchasing books.

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