Retirees' Association

Up Next: Lunch at the Iron Griz; tour of the Maker Space, Missoula Library

 NOTE: An email sent out during the last week of February had the wrong date for the lunch at the Iron Griz. That event is scheduled for March 25. More information on the Activities and Event page on this site, as well as our FB page.

As events are scheduled for the year, they will be listed on our Activities & Events page. So far we've had a Fall Picnic, Fall Highway Cleanup, lunch at Missoula College, a tour of the new Montana Musuem of Arts and Culture and tickets in the President's Box for the Northern Colorado vs UM basketball game and a visit (well-attended) to the Missoula Butterfly House. Coming soo

  • March--lunch at the Iron Griz
  • April--tour of the Maker Space at the Missoula Public Library

More information is provided on the Activities and Events page and on our FB page [University of Montana Retirees' Association].

The University of Montana Retirees' Association (UMRA) is open to all retirees from the University of Montana-Missoula and Missoula College. Our members are former faculty, staff, and administrators who wish to stay in contact with friends and colleagues. We offer activities to retirees throughout the year, including the Annual Retiree Celebration at the end of the spring semester and ongoing opportunities such as mahjong, cycling, classes, and social gatherings. We will post notice of upcoming events and activities on this page, as well as continuing ones on our Activities & Events webpage. We thank the UM Office of Alumni Relations for helping us send out notices and announcements, as well as coordinating some of the activities we offer.

 

Complimentary parking permits for Lifetime Retirees discontinued

The following letter was sent to the UM President's Office on October 23 by the members of the UMRA Board. 

Re: Retiree parking on campus

In the first week of August 2023, a member of the University of Montana Retirees’ Association Board was notified by a retiree that he had been unable to renew his complimentary parking pass. This was the first notice received by the UMRA Board that the long-held privilege was being withdrawn. We write today to register our concerns about the decision to remove a perk that was promised to retirees decades ago and also about the process that was followed.

Termination of parking privileges. We realize that the decision has been made to withdraw parking privileges for retirees, but we reiterate that this action breaks a promise to longtime retirees. Retirees with 15 years of service have been provided free parking permits for decades. This has enabled said retirees to be active on campus. Given the messages that we have received since August, some retirees use their permits for visits to the Recreation Center, others use them for occasional lunches with former colleagues, and many use them when they volunteer on campus. Many retirees are active on campus, some faculty continue their research efforts, and many donate their time and money to UM regularly.

We have been told that more than 300 retiree permits were in place, but that no one can determine how many are used on a daily basis. Parking has a record of the holders of each of these permits; a survey of the permit holders could have revealed a picture of their use, both with respect to the frequency of use and also the reasons a retiree might have been on campus. It’s not too late to conduct such a survey.

We are also troubled about the rationale given for terminating parking privileges. One explanation is that student enrollment has increased. We are delighted that students are coming to UM in greater numbers, but enrollments remain smaller than a decade ago. In Fall 2023 10,227 students were enrolled at the Mountain and Missoula College campuses. The smallest number of enrolled students in the recent past was 9,808 in Fall 2020. In Fall 2015, enrollment was 13,043.

Another argument is that more students and employees are applying for permits than in the past because of the rising cost of housing near the university. None of us can solve that issue immediately and we appreciate that UM is trying to use its space more effectively, but were alternatives considered? Many are expensive, but others may be more fruitful.

Lack of communication, consultation, and going forward. With regard to the process, NBC Montana reported a university spokesperson saying that when university leadership made the decision about terminating the parking privilege for retirees, neither the Alumni Association nor UMRA was consulted, as they are not part of the university’s cabinet-level leadership team. This is accurate, but we are disappointed that no one informed the UMRA in advance that the step was being contemplated, nor were we asked about how to spread news of this change. When we heard about the termination of permits, we asked that Mr. Donovan meet with our Board but were told that he did not have time to do so. Kelly Webster and Leann Layton graciously attended a meeting at our invitation to hear our concerns.

As others have written, many retirees have expressed that they feel disrespected despite their years of dedication to UM during and after their employment. UM might consider other ways to address the present circumstances. With respect to parking, we offer several alternatives, some specific to retirees and some others that would apply to everyone.

·       Provide affected retirees with a small set of daily permits for the remainder of the academic year.

·       Reserve a number of the daily spaces for retirees who are on campus for volunteer work.

·       Issue regular volunteers with daily permits each week or month for their use.

·       Rather than eliminate, restrict complimentary retiree parking passes to certain hours of the day where parking is less a problem (say, before 9:30 AM and after 2:30 PM).

·       Restrict retiree parking to 2 hours maximum per day.

·       Add parking spaces by reconfiguring the space near Facilities Services.

·       Lease space or negotiate a contract with Eastgate Center for parking.

·       Re-negotiate the parking restrictions in the University neighborhood where possible. This may be a non-starter given the court case when such restrictions were established, however.

UMRA members feel great allegiance to the University of Montana and want students, faculty, and staff to succeed in their endeavors. Many of us donate our time and funds to support events and activities on campus, such as lecture series, mentoring, and scholarships for students. We wish to continue this relationship and hope that the parking issue does not continue to sully positive feelings. We appreciate the events that include retirees, ranging from open invitations to lectures, plays, and art exhibitions, the support UM gives to MOLLI courses that many of us take, and the opportunity to watch the Griz compete in athletics.

Thank you for your attention and consideration.

Basketball tickets available

Lifetime Retiree complimentary basketball tickets available beginning on November 1 through the season

UM Lifetime Retirees are entitled to two free Griz and Lady Griz basketball tickets for each home game. GSA membership is not required. One month's worth of tickets will be available at the beginning of each month starting November 1st . You will need to show your Lifetime Retiree Griz Card in person at the GrizTix window in the lobby of the Adams Center. These complimentary tickets are not available online, but can be picked up in person or ordered by phone, once GrizTix has seen your Griz Card. For more information go to www. GrizTix.com or call 406-243-4051