UC Santa Barbara Retirement Association Report
April 2021 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 fell last year, and we currently have 178 members (compared to 369 in April 2019).
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 2020 due to the Covid- 19 pandemic, however the board resumed monthly meetings last Fall (by Zoom), and has started planning for the offering of future webinars & podcasts. The first of these is scheduled for May, 2021 and more will be offered in the near future.
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. The Association also supports the award of two scholarships each year to needy students at UCSB.
Status of the Retirement Center (if you have one)
We don't have assigned space for a Retirement Center at UCSB, but we do have a 50% time "Center Coordinator" position and access to a campus room designated as the "Retiree/Emeriti Meeting Room".
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 last year due to the Covid -19 pandemic, this has become a more challenging task. Nevertheless, our Center Coordinator Karen Rasmussen and Association President Sandy Camp have continued to communicate with members through on-line newsletters and direct e-mails. The Center Coordinator has also re-vamped the Association's website during the Covid lockdown, 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.