Smoke-free University

In February 2007, the Trustees and President Herbert mandated that smoking and the sale of tobacco products would be prohibited on all university property no later than January 1, 2008. By this date, each IU campus is to have an individually tailored policy that provides for a smoke- or tobacco-free campus. Civility and respect are expected by all members of the university community during the transition to these new policies.

Indiana University is concerned about the toll that smoking and tobacco use has on the health and well-being of the university community. As a public institution of higher education with units that research and treat the effects of smoking and tobacco use, IU believes it has an obligation to exercise leadership by promoting a healthy, smoke-free environment for its students, employees, and visitors. To date, the following campus policies have been established:

• IUPUI tobacco-free in August 2006
• IU East smoke-free in August 2006
• Kokomo, Northwest and Southeast tobacco-free in August 2007

Employee Medical Premiums

The Mercer Human Resource Consulting firm conducts a survey of employer-sponsored health plans each year. The survey provides comparative information for employers across the U.S. For 2006, the survey of nearly 3,000 employers shows that the average, annual employee contribution for PPO medical plans is $1,020 for individual coverage and $3,468 for family coverage.

Annual Employee Premiums for a Traditional PPO Deductible Plan

In comparison, IU employee premiums for 2007 are $12 for individual coverage and $151 for family coverage. It should be noted that many PPO plans in the survey have a deductible of less than $900.

Fidelity Reduces Its Holdings in Companies with Ties to Sudan

Fidelity Investments has been the target of social activist groups and investors in a divestment campaign to divest its shares in oil companies with ties to Sudan. The oil industry and the revenue generated for the Sudan government has been linked by some to the funding of genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.

In May, Fidelity Investments reduced its U.S. holdings of PetroChina Co. by more than ninety percent and Sinopec by ninety-nine percent. PetroChina and Sinopec have ties to the oil industry in Sudan through their parent company, China National Petroleum Corp.

New Nyhart Web Site

University Human Resource Services has arranged with Nyhart, the administrator for the IU Tax Saver Benefit Plan, to have an exclusive Web site for IU employees. The new site is now available and replaces the old nyhart.biz site! It provides IU-specific information and additional tools and resources for employees to access information about their TSB account quickly and easily. The enhanced Web site includes the following features:

• Online claims submission
• Detailed year-to-date account summaries
• Current and prior year account balances
• Expanded expense eligibility table
• Downloadable forms

To access the new site, visit iutsb.nyhart.com or OneStart and log on using your 10-digit Employee ID as the username. The password to log in is the last four digits of a participant’s Social Security Number. A password can be changed to a more personal one after initial login. Employees who currently use Nyhart Web services can continue using the same PIN as the password on the new Web site.

The Employee ID is located in the left-hand corner of the pay advice. For questions about online accounts or passwords, please contact Nyhart at 800-284-8412.
Participants should update bookmarks with the new site iutsb.nyhart.com!