Professors discussed fringe benefits, health care and the tuition concession policy at a University Senate forum hosted Oct. 9.

Eleven members of the university staff attended the meeting hoping to find answers to their questions. This was the second session available to university faculty and staff to meet with Senate representatives; the first was last year.

Senate member Dana Hutchens, a recruiting coordinator for Career Services, led the meeting and took questions from the floor. Larry Daniel, Senate president, Ralph Pederson, director of human resources, and Dale Dagenbach, chairman of the senate fringe benefits committee and professor of psychology offered their responses to the issues brought up.

According to Hutchens, the issues that were discussed at the meeting were the ones the senate expected to come up. "For the small number of people we had in attendance, we had some very good questions," Hutchens said. "These issues are at the heart of staff concerns, and this is an opportune time to get them in the open."

Senate members discussed the high cost of on-campus meals and the policy of mailed solicitations to employees. Other concerns included the problem of parking on campus and problems with the tuition concession policy, which provides tuition funding at other universities to the children of university employees.

"The Senate wants to try to get data regarding faculty comparable to cross-admit universities," Dagenbach said. "The Senate can't change what the administration does, but we can make information available to the administration relating Wake Forest to other institutions."

Perhaps the biggest concern that surfaced was the replacement of the university healthcare provider, Qualchoice, in May. Issues regarding fringe benefits also dominated the meeting.

Another issue brought up at the meeting was the power of the University Senate.

The senate is a body of faculty and staff representatives from the college, the school of medicine, the Calloway school of business and accountancy, the graduate school, the school of law and the Babcock graduate school of management. The Senate advises the university administration and the board of trustees regarding long-range planning issues.

"The administration does pay attention to us," said Daniel. "Our voices are heard. It's a good way to get our ideas to the administration."

Senate meetings are open to all university staff members, and employees are encouraged to voice their opinions by contacting senate members or via the senate's website, http://www.wfu.edu/senate.