The University of California Board of Regents approved a budget for the Geffen Academy and heard updates and testimonies on student food insecurity on the last day of its bimonthly board meeting at UC San Francisco. It also voted to limit the number of board positions outside the UC held by senior management and regents.
Joint meeting: Committee on Finance and Committee on Grounds and Buildings
The committee approved the budget for UCLA’s David Geffen Academy following a discussion on Tuesday. The committee did not vote earlier because Regent Richard Sherman recused himself during the vote. His positions as the chief executive officer of the The David Geffen Company and board member of The David Geffen Foundation present possible conflicts of interest. This caused the committee to lose its quorum, or minimum number of members to make the proceedings of the meeting valid.
The committee approved the construction plan for the UC Merced 2020 project, which would significantly expand UC Merced’s campus starting in October. The Committee on Finance also approved the budget for the project, which would require about $103 million annually until completion.
Committee on Educational Policy
UC President Janet Napolitano shared the results of a systemwide student survey on food insecurity. She said 19 percent of the nearly 9,000 undergraduates who completed the survey experienced reduced food intake at times due to limited resources and 23 percent reduced quality, variety or desirability. She added 57 percent of food insecure students were experiencing food insecurity for the first time.
Napolitano said the Office of the President dedicated $3 million to address food insecurity over the next two years, which will be allocated toward expanding food pantry storage and access, increasing state and county collaboration to register students for CalFRESH benefits and establishing campaigns for students on support services and food access awareness, among other efforts.
Board chair Monica Lozano said she thinks the data from the survey should be disaggregated by campus so policy can address disparities in food insecurity between campuses.
Regent Charlene Zettel said she thinks the UC Global Food Initiative should look into creating farms and gardens on campuses so students can grow their own food.
Varner said several grocery companies have expressed interest in donating their excess food to UC campuses.
Committee on Compensation
The committee approved a motion limiting the number of outside boards on which senior management and regents can serve to two. The policy also evaluates the amount of time spent serving on boards to determine whether it interferes with university work, actual or perceived conflict of interest and whether serving on a board damages the UC’s reputation.
Sherman opposed the motion.