After a semester spent responding to University-imposed restrictions on the Debasement Bar and speculation over the possible location for a sixth residential college, graduate students have taken a proactive stance on another issue — securing dental benefits for University employees.
The charge has been led by Graduate Students for Local Activism — a group that earlier this month held a rally in Firestone plaza during which 149 students, faculty and staff pledged their support for the dental benefits campaign.
According to Karthick Ramakrishnan GS, the group's president, no University employees are granted dental care under their health benefits plans. "We're working to get dental benefits for all. Undergraduates could purchase into a plan once it is available," he said. "We're hoping to get faculty and employees on board."
Too expensive
The University blocked past efforts to secure dental coverage because it was deemed too expensive, Ramakrishnan said. He added, however, that the University's recent record-breaking fund-raising campaign should help absorb the costs.
"It's strange that Princeton portrays itself as cash-strapped when it's getting millions every day. Making sure the quality of life for employees is good is just as important as putting up a new building," he said.
GSLA has estimated the annual cost of providing dental coverage for all employees at $500,000 based on information provided by insurers, Ramakrishnan said. "That is a sizable amount, but you're talking about an issue of basic health," he said.
"It's disconcerting to see this University — the wealthiest in endowment per capita — be so stingy in benefits to employees and students," Ramakrishnan added.
Vice President for Finance and Administration Richard Spies GS '72 noted that the issue came up at a U-Council meeting a few years ago, and the council decided to concentrate on improving the University's medical coverage instead. "It was a judgment call. Our decision involved discussion with graduate students," he said. "Our first priority was to get a good medical plan in place and make it as affordable as possible."
Spies explained that it would be very expensive for the University to provide a good dental plan, adding that dental care has always been more manageable to afford on an individual basis.
Though the University has no plans to add dental coverage, Spies said the current benefit plan is not set in stone. "I would welcome a continued discussion with the graduate students," he said.
Other schools
Ramakrishnan said Princeton employees are not alone in their lack of dental benefits. Cornell University offered a dental benefits plan, but discontinued the program after one year, according to a nurse at Cornell's health center who asked not to be named.
Though Brown University offers dental benefits to its faculty and staff, graduate students do not receive coverage, Brown spokeswoman Tracie Sweeney said.
Ramakrishnan said though many other universities do not provide dental benefits, "It shouldn't be a race to the bottom. Princeton has taken the lead on other issues, financial aid for example."
During the rest of the semester, Ramakrishnan said he hopes to increase awareness of the campaign and build support links within the faculty. "We'll have a realistic shot of getting something done in the fall," he added.
GSLA member Marion Carter GS said she is less optimistic about the group's chances for success. "There's no outrage. It would be different if every other university had it," she said. "Health insurance is a bigger issue. This is preventative care. The nature of this issue is to its disadvantage."
"I do not expect that the University is going to turn around and offer us dental benefits, but there's a lot to be said for making this an issue," she said, adding that the money necessary to pay for dental care means "a lot more to me than to Princeton University."
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