UC Santa Barbara Retirement Association Report
October 2020 Report
Submitted by Robert Mann, CUCRA Representative
Membership (including recruitment and marketing) The current membership fee is $15 per year, however, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, renewals for 2020/21 have fallen to 145 (compared to 369 at this time last year), so we are putting together a digital marketing campaign detailing the many benefits of joining.
Association's activities (picnics, luncheons, lectures, etc.) The Association's activities usually include a wide range of functions, such as: monthly breakfast and afternoon speaker meetings, tours of local places of interest, Spring and Fall lectures (held jointly with the emeriti), a reception for new Retirees (held in May), as well as a June Members' barbecue (and AGM) and a Holiday Luncheon in December. The Annual Holiday Luncheon in December and June Members' barbecue also provide fundraising opportunities, as our attendees donate artworks (some crafted by our own members) and "gently-used" treasures. These are raffled off to help raise money for the Santa Barbara Scholarship Foundation and UCSB's Guardian Scholars Program. In addition, Holiday Luncheon attendees bring new unwrapped toys for distribution to local homeless children by the Fire Department.
Sadly though, we have had to cancel all these activities since March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, however the board has recently resumed Zoom meetings, and started planning webinars & podcasts, hopefully on a monthly basis.
Member Benefits (parking, discounts, etc.) Membership benefits include free parking on campus, access to the university library, discounted use of the Recreational Center, as well as discounts at the UCSB Bookstore and discounted tickets for many off campus activities. As might be expected, few of these benefits have been utilized since the Covid-19 pandemic arrived in early 2020.
Status of the Retirement Center (if you have one) We have a "Center Coordinator" position and access to a campus room on campus that is designated as the "Retiree/Emeriti Meeting Room", but we don't have assigned space for a Retirement Center.
Plans for the next year or two.
The Association plans to continue working towards making retirement a more meaningful, rewarding and stimulating experience for its members. However, with the close of the campus since mid-March due to the Covid -19 pandemic, this has become a more challenging task. Nevertheless, our Center Coordinator has continued to communicate with members through on-line newsletters and direct e-mails, and we have started exploring ideas for some outside get togethers. We also plan to continue working with the emeriti through our Enrichment Committee to broaden the scope of programs and activities offered at UCSB.