The UC Board of Regents met at UCLA in September to discuss development projects, climate change action and artificial intelligence in higher education.

The meetings were held in person and livestreamed from Sept. 19 to 21 at the Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center.

In the Investments Committee meeting on Sept. 19, the board heard public comments from several members of Unite Here Local 11, a hospitality and hotel workers union, as well as American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, a UC employee union. Audience members called for an end to UC’s investment in Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort and Spa because of continued labor and strike disputes, including the hiring of Black temporary workers during strikes despite a lack of Black permanent employees.

In the committee, members of the public also voiced their concerns about university worker protections, affordability and pay raises for UC workers.

[Related: Hotel workers march across LA in ongoing strike for increased wages, benefits]

Jagdeep Singh Bachher, chief investment officer of the UC Office of the President, said total UC investment assets are currently valued at $164 billion, nearly $70 billion of which has been added since 2014. Satish Swamy, a senior managing director of UC Investments, said that while federal interest rates have increased to 5.5%, UC investments have continued to yield high returns on their bonds

On Sept. 20, the Finance and Capital Strategies Committee and the board held a joint meeting where they began with public comment. The board heard from United Auto Workers Local 2865 – a UC academic workers union whose members expressed frustration with allegedly unfulfilled contract requirements. After negotiations with the UC concluded last year, some workers reported a delay in receiving mandated raises.

[Related: UAW ratifies contracts for graduate student workers, ends historic UC-wide strike]

Advocates from other groups emphasized the need for bilingual staff in university hospitals, support for students without legal status and increased resources for student parents. Thyra Cobbs, the transfer student representative on UCLA’s Undergraduate Students Association Council, also called for a permanent UC-wide $1 billion endowment for the recruitment of and programming efforts for Black students.

During public comment, Regent John Pérez said he would work to mediate negotiations between Laguna Cliffs Marriott and union workers from Unite Here Local 11. However, at the conclusion of public comment, many advocates chanted “Let us speak,” after being cut off because of time constraints.

UC President Michael Drake then announced that U.S. News and World Report ranked all UC campuses in the top 40 public universities nationwide. UCLA and UC Berkeley were tied at No. 1, while UC Merced moved up 11 places in public university rankings from last year to 28th, Drake said.

[Related: UCLA named No. 1 public university in the US for 7th consecutive year]

Drake also said the UC has granted $2.7 million to fund its Native American Opportunity Plan to provide tuition assistance for students who are enrolled in a federally recognized tribe. He added that UC Health is attempting to expand screenings for cancer, diabetes and long COVID – which is the long-term or recurring symptoms of COVID-19.

Pérez requested that public comment be reopened for five additional individuals because of delays in admissions to the meeting and lengthy waits for advocates. After his motion was approved, several Unite Here Local 11 members spoke about unsatisfactory wages, alleged abuses against strikers and urged the board to negotiate contracts with more protections for hotel workers.

The Finance and Capital Strategies Committee voted to approve $843 million in funding to demolish and replace UC Hall at UC San Francisco – a building that currently houses a health and sciences building and is a category 6 seismic risk – with a 320,000-square-foot research center. The committee also voted to approve a housing development project by UC Riverside in collaboration with Riverside Community College District to create apartments with 1,568 additional beds, three recreational fields, and a fitness center for UCR and RCCD students.

The Academic and Student Affairs Committee met to discuss allocations for the $185 million in state funding the UC received for climate change research and the UC’s role in mitigating teaching faculty shortages in public schools with CalTeach – an undergraduate program offering preparation and credentials for K-12 teaching.

The Public Engagement and Development Committee held a meeting to review and discuss protected speech during protests and movements throughout the UC. UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman said he felt the approaching 2024 presidential election necessitates a promotion of free speech and expression of ideas on campuses.

Kathleen Fullerton, an associate vice president at the UC Office of the President, said the UC is opposed to Assembly Constitutional Amendment 6 – which would require that UC employees be covered by the same regulations as other state employees – because the UC believes it is not aligned with the state’s employee standards. The UC reversed its opposing position on Senate Bill 525, which would give a $25 hourly minimum wage for all healthcare workers and will take full effect in 2026, Fullerton said.

On Sept. 21, the board began with public comment, where it heard from advocates from Opportunity for All – a campaign focused on advocating for the hiring of students without legal status – requesting faster implementation of working opportunities for undocumented students after the board’s approval of a working group in May.

Richard Leib, the chair of the board, said the board hopes to have recommendations prepared to address working opportunities for students without legal status in the coming weeks.

Celene Aridin, the UC Student Association president and a fourth-year student at UC Davis, called for the board’s support of Cobbs’ proposed $1 billion endowment for Black students, increased healthcare options for those without the UC Student Health Insurance Plan and continued collaboration with students.

The board also heard from Ryan Manriquez, a graduate student in public policy at UC Berkeley, who shared the experiences of students with disabilities at the UC. He said he was unable to evacuate his campus housing during a fire drill, which raised concerns about accessibility on campuses. He added that he believed the UC should ensure safe housing and increase collaboration with students with disabilities.

The UC Presidential Working Group on Artificial Intelligence – which was established in 2020 – presented its recommendations to establish a council to regulate the use of AI in the UC, develop risk and impact assessment tools, and integrate AI into university procedures.

The next UC Board of Regents meeting will be held Nov. 14 to 16 at UCLA.