Response letter to the Provost

April 9, 2009

Richard Lariviere
Strong Hall, room 250
1450 Jayhawk Boulevard
Lawrence, KS 66045-7535

Provost Lariviere:

On behalf of the nearly 400 members of the Endacott Society this letter is to formally protest your decision announced on April 1 to eliminate retiree benefits. You will recall that on Monday, March 30, George Crawford, chair of the SENEX Committee on Retiree Rights and Benefits (CRRB), and I met in your office with you and Vice Provost Mary Lee Hummert at the request of CRRB. Our agenda for that meeting was to further inform you about the Endacott Society; express concern about loss of retiree benefits in earlier years; and, to discuss a proposal to create a retiree volunteer corps, which we have dubbed the Grayhawks.

We were both quite disappointed when you informed us that later in the week you would announce your decision to terminate the last real vestige of retiree benefits by eliminating complimentary Lied Center tickets for retirees. For many years retirees were given two tickets to all Lied events. Later, the popular Broadway series was eliminated from the complimentary ticket program. Following that, a few years ago the number of tickets was changed from 2 to 1, and with your recent action they are eliminated entirely.

We do understand and appreciate that these are unusually tough financial times for the university, and expenses must be cut where significant compelling economies will be realized. However, the complimentary Lied ticket program does not represent a significant, compelling expense to the university. Unlike the athletic ticket program there is no line item transfer of funds to the Lied budget to support the ticket program. The only arguable financial advantage to the Lied is the possible sale of those formerly free tickets to retirees or to others. Your office reported the value of those tickets at $63,233 -- the face value of the tickets. Indeed, the real value is significantly less for events that are not sold out, which is frequent.

In your memo of April 1 you state: “We cannot in good conscience lay off additional employees in order to maintain this discount.” If that were the case, we would agree. However, no employees are injured by the retiree complimentary ticket program for the Lied. Your argument seems disingenuous. Tim Van Leer told us he did not address this issue with the Friends of the Lied Board. Accordingly, his failure to question your decision seems to make the director of the Lied Center supportive of your decision. Our meeting with him on Monday, April 6, did not change that view.

Tim is aware that most of his volunteer usher staff are retirees. He is also aware that more than 100 Friends of the Lied contributors are retirees. According to KU Endowment, in this past year retirees contributed more than $1.2 million to the various programs of the university. It is partly because of the Friends of the Lied program and its predecessor, the Swarthout Society, that the Lied Center even exists.

So that there is no misunderstanding about how we intend to proceed, we outline it for you here. First, we will be contacting members of the Friends of the Lied Board for a hearing of our complaint. We believe that they should understand the broader ramifications of an arguably shortsighted decision. Second, we will be suggesting to our Endacott members that they consider adding restrictions to their contributions to Friends of the Lied to be used only on reinstatement of a retiree ticket program. Third, we will be soliciting retirees to consider adding restrictions to other contributions to the university. Fourth, we will work with university SENEX to make current faculty and staff aware of this breach of faith with retiree benefits. Fifth, we will work with the Alumni Association to make it a priority concern for that organization. Sixth, we will work with the new incoming administration to reverse your decision. Finally, there will be no further action on the creation of a retiree volunteer corps.

The bad will that has been created in retirees will be long lasting. Its greatest impact will be felt long after you have left the university.

Jerry Niebaum, Ph.D., president
KU Endacott Society
Retired Asst. Vice Provost for Information Services
Past member, Friends of the Lied Board


Cc
Chancellor Hemenway
Vice Provost Mary Lee Hummert
Dale Seuferling, Endowment
Kevin Corbett, Alumni Association
Tim Van Leer, Lied Center
George Crawford, chair of CRRB
Vic Wallace, president elect, Endacott Society
Marianne Berry, SENEX