Stupid policies: continuing the annoyance of university series.

I'll use just this one example that is very representative and also very contemporary to my current situation.

I work at a university where I am also a student. It's always been mandatory that students have health insurance. You have to sign a special waiver in fact to opt out of the university plan that is automatically charged to your student account.

Over the last year I've worked as a graduate assistant. The experience and environment has been very educational and valuable to me in so many ways. Obviously one of those is that my tuition is waived as part of the deal. I also earn decent money for the time I put in and the experience is going to be invaluable when I leave to seek a job in the Real World. So one would think that I have basic health insurance too since I work on campus, take classes at a full time load, am in good standing and have my student account in proper order. Well you would be wrong. And why is this? It's because of a stupid policy. i.e.

If a student takes only online classes regardless of their program status (on campus or online are your options, and I have always been an on campus student) they magically become ineligible for the health plan.

So the rub here is that since starting graduate school I have taken all online classes. Now, I'm still an on campus student I just happen to be taking my class selection in the online format. I discovered that this is a much easier way to learn this sort of material for me anyway because I could set my own pace and not be saddled to a physical meeting twice a week (per class). In total I could spend 6 extra hours a week on campus sitting in lectures. That's quite a time savings to me and also in the fact that in drastically simplifies my travel arrangements.

So basically I work on campus as a GA (which I would have to assume is the sort of position a truly online student could not hold much less perform as one has to physically go in to work), I am listed as an on campus student in my program, and this status has never been changed. The only thing that is different is the "flavor" of the classes I am taking.

I talked with the provost's secretary about this matter after being informed about the problem at the GA orientation where only then did they warn us that taking online classes exclusively would result in the system dropping you from the health plan. The provost's secretary said that they had had in depth consideration of the criteria and requirements for students to be enrolled in student health plans and that that was the best way they could work it. One of the semi-irrational specific reason/scenarios was that an out of state citizen without insurance and a costly preexisting condition could enroll at the university and soak our health plan for their medical bills. My response to that was, "okay, but I work on campus. I'm physically here 4 out of 7 days. I live 20 minutes from campus by bus, and that has been exactly the case for the preceding 4 years. Isn't there some other consideration outside of simply online or on campus?" Her answer: NOPE.

So that gets a gigantic WTF people. I have also been informed that there is no way to change it or make a special case for me. Part of me wonders if I shouldn't take this to my union (yeah, I'm techinically in a union but I don't have health insurance. What. The. Fuck.)

And that's just one little stupid policy story. There are sadly many more. Perhaps some day I will write of them too. Cheers for now folks. Watch out for those bureaucrats.