University of California officials say they plan to reach out more extensively to students in the coming weeks, after a teleconference meeting Monday that was punctuated by protests and included an unusually long public comment period.
Students, faculty and staff members of the UC community went to one of four sites to attend the teleconference meeting, including UCLA.
Public comments have traditionally been limited to 20 minutes, but were extended for Monday’s meeting to allow for more public input, said Ricardo Vazquez, a spokesperson for the UC Office of the President.
The UC has faced strong public backlash in recent weeks in response to police actions at UC Davis and UC Berkeley. After public comments concluded, Sherry Lansing, regent chair, said she plans to visit campuses in the coming weeks to facilitate further cooperation with university students.
“I would like your help in continuing the dialogue between regents and students,” Lansing told Student Regent Alfredo Mireles Jr. during the meeting.
Lansing also said she wants to complete some campus tours before Christmas break, said Dianne Klein, a spokeswoman for UCOP.
While he has shared his schedule with Lansing, no definite plans for campus tours have been made, Mireles said.
Jonathan Bonilla, a third-year psychology student who attended the meeting, said he did not think the communication between students and regents at the meeting was adequate.
“Yes, (administrators) came to speak to us afterwards,” Bonilla said. “But it felt like they just want to seem like they’re cooperating while not really answering any of our questions.”
Mireles said that while regents are beginning to reach out to students more, there is still a long way to go.
“There were a lot of students prepared to come and speak their mind at the (original meeting),” Mireles said.
“This teleconference wasn’t the ideal situation, but we heard from more students who could attend different sites.”
During the meeting, the regents approved a budget request for $2.8 billion from the state next year, $500 million more than the state provided this year. The funds will account for enrollment growth and inflation, provide greater compensation and benefits for faculty and improve the overall quality of the university, UC President Mark Yudof said in a statement.
The budget request will be sent to Gov. Jerry Brown’s office for revision early this month. A second draft of the expenditure plan will be discussed at the January regents meeting.
The board also approved salary increases of nearly 10 percent for three high-level state-funded UC employees, including Steven Olsen, vice chancellor and chief financial officer. Olsen is taking on greater responsibilities at UCLA, including chairing a newly formed UCLA Investment Company to manage UCLA’s cash resources and campus debt and directing the establishment of a campus treasury, according to the compensation report.
His role in asset management and administrative restructuring is also expanding, according to the report.
Klein said that although the UC is in a difficult financial situation, salary increases are necessary to retain the UC’s top employees.
“Some salary raises were delayed for several years,” Klein said. “We need to retain our best, most experienced employees.”
The regents also took action to increase contributions to the UC Retirement Plan. Starting in 2013, UC contributions will rise from 10 to 12 percent, and employee contributions from 5 to 6.5 percent.