Penn State fines employees $100 a month over questionnaire

So, Penn State is telling their employees to fill out a questionnaire that requires them to reveal very personal information about themselves or they face a $100 fine per month. The college claims that privacy concerns should not arise since the college will not be looking at the information... if that is so, then why have the questionnaire?

Penn State Employees protest health quiz

Penn State violating personal privacy?

Professor urges civil resistance to Penn State's health questionnaire

What do you all think?

reply to post by ProfessorChaos

I think it's time someone sue Penn State and see this up to the Super Court.

They aren't Harvard. They don't have private school status to do whatever they like. It's a publicly funded institution, as far as I know...and they're now saying that intrusive questionnaires for fishing expeditions are basically a required condition of employment/ability to earn a living?

Ahh.. Yes... Penn State.. Home of the baby rapers. They REALLY needed more bad P.R. right about now, didn't they? I think the school needs a MAJOR regime change across their entire board and management level. Apparently the pedophile scandals didn't teach them a thing about thought before action to perception.

The second page asked about illnesses like, arthritis, cancer, depression, colon polyps, and migraines. The third page examines medical procedures including colonoscopy, digital rectal exam, and prostate screenings. The fourth page queries diet, tobacco use, drinking and my favorite “How many times in the last 6 months did you drive when you had too much to drink?”

Hey that's not too bad, let's just see.

1. Depression, and migraines - Yep coming on strong now.
2. Tobacco use and drinking - Plead the 5th.
3. How many times in the last 6 months did you drive when you had too much to drink? - None of course, when I have too much to drink I usually can't find my car.
4. Employees are asked about using illegal narcotics - I never inhaled.

Give them the answers they want. Plead faulty memory for all mistakes.

In reading the first linked article, I noted that there was a $75 penalty for tobacco use. I personally quit long ago when I went in the military. The Financial Penalty makes me think this may be something that the fed Obamacare might be hiding in HHS Regulations being written. There could be penalties for being overweight or just about anything not healthy. Right now, I have no evidence that the federal health care regulations have any penalty structure other than not having insurance, but the fact they can penalize you for it makes me think that they can write regulations with other Financial Penalties. Seems pretty slick way of taxing the public, financial penalties, not taxes.

I think that I'd go with the Professor's idea and give all kinds of crazy answers, otherwise I'd lose money according to their policy and would have to rely on the courts to get it back, and we all know that that doesn't always work out and would take a LONG time.