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Next pageTHE RETIREES' NEWSLETTER
The Faculty and Librarian Retirees' Association, University of Windsor
Number 7, Apr/May, 1994
AN EDITORIAL
ASSOCIATION'S FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
I looked over old copies of the Retirees' Newsletter, and I noted that this year's Fall general meeting will be the Association's fifth Annual General Meeting. The first took place on November 28th, 1990. Shortly thereafter, the first issue of The Newsletter came out.
The scope and activities of the Association have come a long way since then. Dismissed by some at first as simply another "pressure group", The Retirees' Association has shown itself to be a responsible entity, playing a meaningful role in the lives of its members. It has evolved along two lines.
First, it has bridged a serious potential communications gap between the growing group of retirees and the University itself. With direct representation on crucial committees, including the Faculty Committee on Pensions and Benefits and the University's Retired Members' Pension Committee, the Association is where they turn when they need to know the position of University retirees. Similarly, information important to retirees is conveyed on a regular basis through this Newsletter and meetings.
Secondly, the Association has a social side. Our Entertainment Committee arranges a variety of pay-as-you-go outings which, for sheer enjoyability have won over even the most reluctant and skeptical, including your Editor. Again, for many, a gap is closed that might otherwise exist. And, speaking of outings, don't forget Sunday, May 1st, the trip to see Turandot by Puccini, presented in Detroit, announced on page 4 of this issue.
Now, as we enter our fifth year, the membership is considering steps to provide direct assistance to students at the University. Whatever the outcome of this initiative, and however modest the sums it may eventually involve, this is a significant step. It adds an external dimension to the Association's concerns, a clear indication that The Retirees' Association is passing from its early fledgling stage toward maturity.
FURTHER NOTES FROM THE EDITOR...
Poring over our list of members recently, I was impressed by the fact that 21 of the current 72 members live outside of Windsor and Essex County, in various parts of Canada and the U.S., and as far away as Spain and Israel. We value your membership, all of you out-of-towners, and hope you value it too. I would like very much to hear from you. If you have questions, let me know and we'll try to get answers in the next issue...Speaking of the next issue, I am now planning to publish The Newsletter bi-monthly, five times a year skipping the summer months. Thus it will come out in Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/Jun, Sep/Oct, and Nov/Dec...I regret the small type in most of this issue. It does put a strain on the bi-focals . You might see future issues going double-sided. We'd be able to get more on one sheet of paper and still stay within reasonable postage limits...Parsimony at all costs!...Norm Shklov is thinking of doing a sequel to his brief on Min Guarantee vs. Money Purchase pensions, which is in this issue, using actual data for past years on changes in c-o-l and in pension fund returns. ..So far we have been mailing copies of The Newsletter to all retirees regardless of membership. Unfortunately, mailing costs are rapidly making this prohibitive, if we are to keep membership dues at their currently low level. Thus it may become necessary to limit future mailings to current paid-up membership...To get onto the new schedule, the next issue will be in JUNE.
Bill Phillips. Editor