Student fee increases and sponsorship of ethnic-based events are among the high-profile items to be discussed next week as the UC Board of Regents gathers for a regular meeting July 16 and 17 at the UC San Francisco-Laurel Heights campus.

Increases of 25-30 percent for 2003-04 student fees were proposed this month by UC President Richard Atkinson in an effort to offset state budget cuts to UC. Further cuts threaten the university's ability to ensure students a quality education, he said (see budget story on page 1 and 2).

Also, Regent Ward Connerly is expected to ask the board to adopt a policy that would forbid university sponsorship of activities targeted to individuals of specific racial, ethnic or gender-orientation groups. This would include, but not be limited to, freshman orientation events and graduation ceremonies and celebrations. The issue was raised previously in 1998. The proposal is described at http://www.ucop.edu/regents/regmeet/july03/re38.pdf.

In addition, regents will consider adoption of the Academic Senate's recommendations regarding freshmen admissions testing. Starting with students taking the tests in 2005, the recommmendations would make UC's test requirements consistent with the newly revised SAT I and ACT. And regents also are slated to vote on the proposed revision of the Faculty Code of Conduct with respect to faculty-student relationships.

Other items on the agenda include a 2003-04 budget update, an overview of the UC schools of medicine, appointment and salary approval for Pete Nanos as director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, an update on the UC-managed national laboratories, establishment of schools and colleges at UC Merced, and a discussion of the UC's potential acquisition of the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

The full meeting agenda is available at http:// www.ucop.edu/regents/regmeet/july03.html.