April National Community College
Month
Apr. 26 Diversity Day, Western Campus
Apr. 27 Diversity Day, Metro Campus and UTC
April 28 Diversity Day, Eastern Campus
Apr. 29 Diversity Day, District Office
June 25 Employee Day
I-X Indoor Amusement Park :
Discount tickets available for the 16th annual event, which takes place March
25 through April 17 at the I-X Center.
Call Laura Hardy at 216-265-2657 or
800-897-3942 for more information.
Conrad’s Total Car Care & Tire
Center : Coupons are available for $10 off each tire when you purchase four tires; a free brake inspection; $20 off each fluid exchange; and $10 off any service over
$50. Call Judy Karpowicz or Jeanette
Totten at extension 3485 for coupons.
CESA card and directory: Call extension 3485.
A new training program at Tri-C will educate managers about employment law by teaching them effective methods to address problematic employee workplace behaviors and avoid personal liability in handling workplace issues. All managers are strongly encouraged to enroll in one of the four-hour sessions, which begin in
April.
The training will be conducted by the
Office of Affirmative Action and
Diversity, and will be available throughout the coming year. For additional information, visit the Human
Resources Web site or contact
Gia␣ Adeen␣ at extension 4789.
A series of programs and special events are planned for each of the
College’s campuses and the District
Office in celebration of Diversity Week.
Programs and activities will vary by location, but will include opportunities for faculty, staff and students to learn about and celebrate the diversity of the College family. The Human Race
Machine will make a repeat appearance at each campus. This machine lets viewers age their faces, see themselves with simulated facial anomalies, combine couples to see their offspring, and see themselves with characteristics of six different races.
The featured program at the
Western Campus will be “Faces of
America,” a one-person show that examines issues of ethnicity, gender, religion and sexual orientation.␣
At the Metro and Eastern Campuses, the featured speaker will be Daryl
Davis, author of “Klan-Destine
Relationships,”␣ which talks about a successful,␣ yet controversial, method of forming friendships between sworn␣ enemies.
The District Office will␣ host Lorna
Tychostup, a photographer who will present “Looking into the Eyes of the
Enemy: The War You Won’t See on TV.”
She currently is on her fourth trip to
Iraq, and will present her photographs of the country and its people, before and during the war.␣
The celebrations are scheduled as follows:
•␣ Tuesday, April 26: Western Campus
•␣ Wednesday, April 27: Metro
Campus and UTC
• Thursday, April 28: Eastern
Campus
•␣ Friday, April 29: District Office
Watch for information on times and locations of all activities.
Questions? Call (216) 987-4838
• 1

The Office of Affirmative
Action & Diversity is happy to present Diversity Café. This regular column will feature national, regional and local news on diversity issues affecting politics, education, art and entertainment.
“Diversity Café will provide the reader with an opportunity to become a little more educated on issues such as culture, background and experiences that make all of us who we are,” said André
Burton, director, Affirmative
Action and Diversity. “Diversity
Café is an entrée of inclusion and informational tidbits.”
Two-thirds of all persons
age 65 and older depend on
Social Security for more than
50% of their income, according to the American Association of
Retired Persons (AARP).
Higher-earning women are marrying at higher rates, according to the University of California, Los Angeles.
Among Caucasian women, for every $10,000 a year increase in income, the likelihood that a woman will marry that year jumps by 6.6%.
Among African-American women, a $10,000 income gain increases the likelihood of marriage by
8.2%.
Women will be awarded
774,000 bachelor’s degrees and
293,000 master’s degrees in the
2004-05 school year. The U.S.
Census Bureau says this means women will earn 57% of the bachelor’s and 58% of the master’s degrees awarded this year.
The total buying power of the
U.S. gay, lesbian and bisexual adult population in 2005 is projected to be $610 billion, a
5.2% increase over 2004, according to the latest analysis by Witeck-Combs Communications and Packaged Facts.
In 2003, the total number of active duty women in the military was 215,243, compared with 1.2
million men. Of that total,
34,796 women are officers,
178,428 are enlisted and 2,019 are enrolled in military academies, according to the U.S.
Census Bureau.
2 •
HR Connection • March/April 2005

Well-being plays an important role in student success in and out of the classroom. With that in mind,
Tri-C’s Wellness Center offers a unique student wellness program called Invest Well. The program allows students to create a Personal
Wellness Portfolio by exploring the six dimensions of wellness and making investments in their health and wellbeing.
Last fall, almost
1,000 students participated in the
Invest Well program.
The program was supported by 68 faculty members who incorporated it into their classrooms.
Here’s what
Teresa Daniels students have experienced as a result of the Invest
Well program:
* 69% of students who participated expressed more satisfaction with their educational␣ experience at
Tri-C.␣
* 67% said they had more success in the classroom.
* 71% say their morale/attitude improved.
“Participating in the
Wellness Program has helped me understand that good nutrition and regular exercise are not just good for me, but that they actually make me feel better. My energy level is much higher and I am more focused.
Participating in the weekly fall weight maintenance program has assisted me in being more conscious of nutrition intake, calories and exercise. Because of the program, I not only maintained my weight, I lost weight. I am living a healthier lifestyle.”
“I have met many wonderful people through the Wellness
Program. I like the fact that, no matter your age, there is a program that will enhance your life for the better and the opportunities are numerous.
Staying active all through life is one of my top priorities and the Wellness Program has kept me on track!”
In addition to achieving a healthy lifestyle, each student who completes a Personal Wellness
Portfolio is eligible for a drawing to win one of three wellness scholarships given at each campus.
The scholarships – one valued at
$500 and two valued at $100 –can be used toward tuition and books.
Here are the observations of those who won $500 scholarships:
“The program was a great way for me to get back into an exercise routine that had fallen by the wayside. The money will be a great help with spring tuition.
Don’t just sign up for the program, follow through and turn in the paperwork.”
Mary Ruffing
Cuyahoga Community College • Office of Human Resources
• 3

Full-time faculty and lecturers can now report absences for personal and sick leave electronically, thanks to an expansion of InfoAccess, the College’s intranet.
“The paper method of leave reporting, which demanded many resources and much effort, is essentially retired,” said Marvin
Pflaum, manager, Human Resource
Information Systems (HRIS).
The new process went into effect
March 28 and is similar to the electronic time entry component of
InfoAccess. Faculty members report leaves during the pay period in which the leave occurs. A three-day grace period allows leave reporting to occur up to 11 p.m. of the Wednesday following the end of the pay period.
Help screens are available to provide information about how to access and complete the leave reports. Additional screens show examples of leave situations and the hours to be recorded. Convenience features such as leave hour replication are available to speed the process and offer faculty greater convenience.
As leave reports are approved, the leave balances of faculty members are immediately updated and appear in
InfoAccess’ Leave Balances page. They also continue to appear on paychecks, but the balances shown are always two weeks behind.
In order to implement the new feature, HRIS staff gathered and entered information needed to have leave reports approved. They also wrote reports to monitor leave reporting and to provide information for complying with College procedures.
4 •
HR Connection • March/April 2005
Office of Human Resources
700 Carnegie Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
Pioneer Waterland and Dry Fun Park is the new location for Tri-C’s Employee Day picnic, scheduled for Saturday, June 25.
Located on 75 scenic acres in Chardon,
Pioneer offers two parks in one. The traditional picnic park includes special attractions such as bocce ball, horseshoes, a practice putting green and a children’s play area.
The Waterland is home to spiraling water slides, a lazy inner tube ride, paddleboats on a six-acre natural lake, batting cages and much more.
There is sure to be something for everyone to enjoy. Watch for additional information, including details on ticket prices and availability.

The September-October issue of
For Your Benefit shared information on medical benefit financial trends at the College. This issue updates that information with full year results from 2004.
This chart shows the actual medical costs per employee for all plans offered by the College, including Kaiser. The figures include all expenses related to the plans, such as medical care, prescriptions and plan administrative fees.
“This was another year of very significant cost increases,” said
Lillian Welch, director, Benefits.
“Our cost per employee increased by $1,404 last year, a much larger jump than the $600 increase that was predicted.”
She added that employees can help minimize costs for themselves and the College through careful use of their benefits.
• Use primary care physicians rather than specialists when possible.
• Make use of nurse call lines before going to the doctor.
• Use in-network health care providers as often as possible.
• Participate in wellness programs, which have been shown to reduce␣ health care costs.
The total cost of prescription drugs for those covered by Medical
Mutual and QualChoice rose in 2004 to $1,552,575. The amount you pay via copayments, however, has dropped to just 14% of the total
$1,600,000
$1,400,000
$1,200,000
$1,000,000
$800,000
$600,000
$400,000
$200,000
$0
Annual Medical Costs Per Employee
(includes Medical Mutual, QualChoice and␣ Kaiser Participants)
(Based on actual Tri-C member data)
$8,000
$6,000
$4,000
$2,000
$0
$149,252
Annual Prescription Drug Costs for Medical Mutual and QualChoice Participants
(Based on actual Tri-C member data)
■ Rx Member Cost
■ Total Rx Cost (Ingredient+Dispensing)
■
Member Rx copays as % of Total Cost
$841,639
17.7%
2000
$4,778
2000
$982,795
16.5%
$162,474
2001
$5,029
2001
15.8%
$176,694
2002 cost (down from 17.7% in 2000). This decline is a result of the fact that copayments and plan design have not
$5,488
2002
$1,120,500
$5,949
$197,329
2003
$1,329,157
14.8%
2003
$7,353
2004
$1,552,575
55.0%
14%
$216,931
2004
50.0%
45.0%
40.0%
35.0%
30.0%
25.0%
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0% changed over the years, despite dramatic increases in the cost of prescription drugs.
Continued on flip side
Cuyahoga Community College • March/April 2005

14,000
12,000
10,000
8,000
22,000
20,000
18,000
16,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
Continued from front
Although the cost of prescription drugs rose last year, overall medical costs increased at a much greater rate. This caused a decline in the cost of drugs as a percentage of total medical costs from 25.7% in 2003 to 22.4% in 2004.
35.0%
30.0%
25.0%
20.0%
15.0%
Prescription Drug Utilization for Medical Mutual and QualChoice␣ Participants
(Based on actual Tri-C member data)
10.0%
5.0%
■
# Scripts
■ # Scripts per Member
14,198
10.35
15,377
11.06
16,140
11.62
17,954
12.30
20,382
12.66
25.0
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
0.0%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
21.4%
2000
Prescription Drug Cost as a
Percent␣ of␣ Medical Costs for Medical Mutual and
QualChoice␣ Participants
(Based on actual Tri-C member data)
23.4%
2001
24.6%
2002
25.7%
2003
The total number of prescriptions filled for Medical Mutual and
QualChoice participants rose by more than 2,400 last year to 20,382.
Covered individuals received an average of almost 13 prescriptions each in 2004.
22.4%
2004
A useful tool is available on the
Human Resources Web site to help you make decisions if you need hospital care. It’s the “Consumer Guide to
Hospital Quality,” produced by The
Community Healthcare Coalition.
The guide analyzes the hospital care for a number of common conditions. It ranks the hospitals based upon their performance as compared to the average performance of all hospitals in Ohio.
The conditions and procedures analyzed include abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, cardiac catheterization, carotid artery surgery, coronary artery bypass surgery, heart attack/angioplasty, colon surgery, hip and knee replacement, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia.
Quality indicators used to rank the hospitals are:
• Volume (the number of times a treatment is performed)
• Mortality (deaths that occur during treatment)
• Major complications
• Failure to rescue (deaths after a major complication)
The rankings also take into account the age of the patients and the severity of the cases.
The guide is just one tool that can be used to help you make informed decisions. If you need hospital care, talk to your doctor about the results in the guide and use the doctor’s advice, the guide and other sources of information to choose a hospital that’s right for you.
You’ll find the guide in the
Benefits section of the Human
Resources Web site. Just look for
“Consumer Guide.”
Cuyahoga Community College • March/April 2005