The University of California Board of Regents, the governing body of the UC, discussed the cost of attendance, UC advocacy in state and federal government and student housing at UC Berkeley and UCLA, among other items, on the second day of its board meeting at UC San Francisco.
Academic and Student Affairs Committee
- The committee approved amendments about professional degree supplemental tuition, which would require programs to justify needs for tuition increases and make changes more predictable.
- The committee approved amendments to the faculty code of conduct which clarify the Chancellor’s responsibilities in responding to alleged violations of the code and give the Chancellor more time to file disciplinary charges.
- The committee also approved proposals by representatives from UC Berkeley’s Master of Civil and Environmental Engineering and UC Irvine’s Master of Urban and Regional Planning to establish professional degree supplemental tuition for the first time in fall 2017.
- Christopher Carter, UC legislative director for research, presented the results of a recent survey on the cost of attendance, which found that aside from tuition and fees, costs have increased 4 percent across the UC system.
- The survey found that the cost of food and rent has increased while the cost of books and transportation has decreased.
- Regent Monica Lozano announced plans to create a working group comprised of representatives from the Regents, student affairs, all the offices of the chief financial officer and the UC Student Association to investigate how to address rising costs.
Finance and Capital Strategies Committee
- Steve Olsen, UCLA chief financial officer and vice chancellor, and Pete Angelis, assistant vice chancellor of UCLA Housing & Hospitality Services, presented five possible sites for construction of new residence halls and apartment complexes for undergraduate students.
- Regent Hadi Makarechian asked why UCLA wanted to wait until 2021 to finish building the units since they are self-financeable and there is a demand for the buildings. Olsen said because the construction would impact highly-congested areas, campus officials need to think through all the issues and discover whether some sites are more cost effective than others.
- The committee also discussed the housing situation at UC Berkeley. It also approved the creation of a nonprofit organization associated with UC Davis that would allow the camous to sell its wine, since the UC cannot hold an alcohol license.
Public Engagement and Development Committee
- The committee heard updates from UC officials about the impacts of the Affordable Care Act and the Republican replacement bill, the American Health Care Act, on UC medical centers. Officials said repealing the ACA and implementing a replacement would jeopardize $4.6 billion in premium subsidies to more than 1.2 million Covered California enrollees. UC Health also said it will seek to ensure the continuation of affordable, comprehensive health coverage and protect academic medical centers’ capacity to treat patients.
- Officials also updated the committee on the state budget process. They expressed support for many proposals within the governor’s January budget proposal, except one that would phase out the Middle Class Scholarship program. They said higher education funding proposals could change in the May revision.
- The committee also recommended that the Board of Regents endorse The Campaign for UC San Diego, which seeks to raise $2 billion to increase undergraduate scholarships, update teaching facilities and increase the number of endowed chairs.
Governance and Compensation Committee
- The committee approved an amendment to the Regents’ Conflict of Interest policy that outlines requirements for documentation of conflicts of interest and training to avoid conflicts of interest.
- The committee also approved an amendment to UC Health market reference zones, which determine the competitiveness of pay for executives at UC medical centers.
Contributing reports by Dina Stumpf and Ryan Leou, Daily Bruin staff