After California voters passed Proposition 1D earlier this
month, the University of California will receive funding to improve
campus structures as well as telemedicine at five UC campuses. Of
the $890 million the UC will receive, at least $73 million will
come to UCLA.
The monies awarded to UCLA will work toward constructing the
Life Sciences Replacement Building and improving UCLA’s
telemedicine facilities. UCLA will be using $38 million to fund the
Life Sciences Replacement Building that will replace the Hershey
Annex and $35 million to refurbish telecommunication technology for
the Medical Center.
The Life Science building is set to be completed in fall
2009.
There is little objection to building a new, updated research
facility on campus. But there is some debate over whether it will
be useful to UCLA’s undergraduate population, as it will
house research labs rather than classrooms.
The current Life Sciences building was constructed between 1954
and 1964, and, because it was never remodeled, has become outdated,
said UCLA Vice Chancellor Steven Olsen.
“It’s obsolete and there are safety concerns in
terms of handling chemicals and equipment,” he said.
The new building will contain up-to-date lab facilities for
researchers and graduate students.
But since the building is intended for research, it will contain
no classrooms or teaching labs, so many undergraduates will never
use the building, which is projected to cost $138 million.
The building had already been approved and was set to receive
$100 million in previous bond measures and state monies.
Proposition 1D will provide the extra $38 million for expected
costs.
Olsen said he acknowledges that the Life Sciences Replacement
Building is not focused at undergraduates but still believes that
the building is relevant to the UCLA campus because it will further
UCLA’s main goal.
“The primary focus at UCLA is a close integration of
research and teaching,” he said.
Sona Doshi, a third-year biology student, said that while she
wishes more money could be put into programs helping undergraduates
find research opportunities, she understands why the new building
would be research-oriented.
“UCLA isn’t just for undergrads. It’s a school
based on research,” she said. “Besides, plenty of
undergraduate students are working in labs doing research. The
building will still be useful to them.”
The Life Sciences Replacement Building has already been
designed, and UCLA will be reviewing construction companies in the
near future, Olsen said.
Construction is expected to begin in April 2007 and is targeted
for completion in fall 2009, UCLA spokeswoman Lauren Bartlett
said.
The $35 million slated for improvements in UCLA’s
telemedicine facilities will provide doctors with teleconferencing
technology so they can consult on cases at hospitals in underserved
communities, Olsen said.
The new equipment would reduce the cost of treatment and prevent
sick patients from having to leave their communities for medical
care.
UC officials said that passing Proposition 1D will provide
greater access and higher quality health care for many
Californians.
“Through the expansion of telemedicine and other
innovative efforts, the funding in Proposition 1D will make a real
difference for Californians who need better access to health
care,” UC President Robert C. Dynes said in a press release
shortly after the proposition passed.
UCLA has yet to determine the specific allocation of funds
within the telemedicine budget, Olsen said.