Regents to look at UC budget

In contrast to past UC Regents finance committee meetings, which focused on student fees, this month’s meeting will center on the UC budget, following last week’s state budget proposal.

Patrick Lenz, UC vice president for budget, is scheduled to give a presentation on the proposed UC budget for 2010-2011 at the meeting, which will take place at UC San Francisco from today until Thursday.

“(Lenz) will provide an update on the budget, taking into account the governor’s proposed budget as well as fiscal pressures currently facing the state,” said Steve Montiel, UC Office of the President spokesman.

In his presentation, Lenz will discuss what the proposed changes will mean for UC students in terms of class sizes and admissions, said Jesse Cheng, student regent-designate for 2010-2011.

The vice president will also speak about the constitutional amendments proposed by the governor, and what directions students should take in terms of political activism, Cheng added.

The meeting will also feature a presentation on the long-range plan for the UCLA campus to give members of the University Committee on Educational Policy more detailed information about the university, according to the UC Regents Web site.

Additionally, the agenda includes the release of the application data for next year’s freshman class, including the numbers of students from low-income backgrounds and the racial diversity of the applicants, Cheng said.

“The numbers show that this year’s applicants were much more diverse than before, with a jump in the numbers of African Americans, Pacific Islanders and Hispanics,” he said.

The regents will also vote on a proposal to construct new graduate student apartments at UCLA on the corner of Weyburn Drive and Weyburn Place. The plans include the construction of 500 studio apartments, which would cost an estimated $121.5 million, according to the regents’ Web site.

Although student fees have dominated the past few regents’ meetings, they are expected to be absent from this month’s agenda.

“Hopefully, there won’t be anything more about student fees until next year,” Cheng said.