At a Faculty meeting earlier this month, Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 agreed to withdraw the proposal and resubmit it after several faculty members had voiced objections to the language and substance of the proposed change.
According to the amended proposal, the dean of the College may place a student on "Leave of Absence for Medical Reasons" in situations in which "the student poses a direct threat to the health or safety of the student or others, or has seriously disrupted others..., and the student's behavior or threatening state is determined to be the result of a medical condition, or the student refuses to Benefits Committee Yesterday's Faculty meeting also included an interim report presented by Professor of Sociology Peter V. Marsden on the activities of the FAS Committee on Benefits and the University Benefits Committee (UBC). Marsden reported that the University has approved two recommendations made by the UBC to increase the retirement benefits for faculty and staff. The first change reestablishes the level of Harvard's annual pension contributions for faculty members under 40 years of age at 5 percent of salary, up from the current 4 percent. In 1994, the University reduced its contribution to all faculty pension plans by one percent. Marsden said the UBC thought the 1994 cut was disproportionately harsh on younger faculty members. The second change provides cost-of-living adjustments to faculty and staff retirees covered under the 1950 Pension Plan. Marsden said the original plan, which did not include cost-of-living adjustments, seriously eroded the purchasing power of retirees under the plan. He also reported on the UBC's review of the health care benefits the University provides to faculty and staff. Marsden said the University will soon make changes to the health care options it offers in response to the mergers of several major health plans. But he said the committee, at the request of several faculty members, will attempt to preserve and expand options in the plan that offer physician choice. Marian J. Hennessy-Fiske contributed to the reporting of this story.