UCSC aims to be a leader in "green" energy and sustainable practices, according to Chancellor George Blumenthal.
The chancellor listed several ways the campus is working to accomplish that goal at last week's Spring Open Forum, in addition to answering questions from staff about contracts, salaries, the state budget, long-term plans, and more.
On the environmental front, Blumenthal said, "We're greener than ever--but not with envy."
The campus has:
- Released a sustainability report that showed, among other achievements, that water consumption per capita on campus has fallen 40 percent since the 1980s;
- Been identified for the second year in a row by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the sixth-largest campus purchaser of "green power" in the country;
- Made progress in reducing car trips to campus, using programs such as vanpools, bike shuttles, and the Zipcar car-sharing service. Zipcar recently ranked the UCSC program as the most well-utilized and fastest-growing car-share of any of its university programs in the nation;
- Added a new bike shuttle that leaves from University Inn & Conference Center.
"All of these measures are aimed at reducing our carbon footprint on campus," said the chancellor.
Blumenthal also updated the 200 or so staff members who attended the forum on various campus achievements.
- Faculty members Claire Max, professor of astronomy and astrophysics, and Thorne Lay, professor of Earth and planetary sciences, have been elected to internationally renowned academic societies.
- UCSC acquired the complete archives of the Grateful Dead, to be housed in Special Collections at McHenry Library. "This was really a coup for the campus," said Blumenthal, noting that both UC Berkeley and Stanford University had also vied for the collection.
- Phase I of Ranch View Terrace is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, with 45 homes to be finished between September and December. Forty-two of those residences have deposits on them, said Blumenthal.
With the upcoming change of command at the top--new UC president-designate Mark Yudof starts work June 16--Blumenthal said he anticipates a number of changes. The president will likely make state-government relations a priority, he said, devoting time to interacting with the legislature, particularly on budget issues.
UC faces significant cuts in the governor's proposed 2008-09 budget, which falls $417 million short of the amount requested by the UC Regents to fund enrollments, pressing program needs, and salary needs.
The revised state budget is due out May 14. Though he is not sure yet what specific effect the budget cuts will have on UCSC, "we as a campus are undoubtedly going to face some difficult and painful choices," Blumenthal said.
Members of the AFSCME service unit again attended the forum and implored Blumenthal to help them attain a new contract with better wages.
"I certainly agree all of you should be paid an appropriate wage," Blumenthal said. "I believe in that. I do not have the power to give you a contract, but I do have the power to advocate for appropriate wages for all workers."
UC's president and the Board of Regents are the decision-makers on contracts, said Blumenthal.
Other questions from staff covered topics including UC's long-term planning and whether merit raises will keep up with inflation.
Another question, submitted anonymously via email, noted the irony of welcoming the archives of the Grateful Dead--a band often associated with the drug culture--while repudiating the recent "4/20" marijuana-celebration event, in which thousands of people around the nation converge in open areas such as UC Santa Cruz to communally smoke marijuana in an expression of support for the reform of marijuana laws.
Officials sent out an email message before the event saying the University did not condone, support, or otherwise sanction the event. They also closed or restricted campus entrances, restricted parking, and halted bus and shuttle service on campus that weekend.
"As far as I know, the Grateful Dead is not contrary to state law; smoking marijuana is contrary to state law," Blumenthal said in response to the question.
"The Grateful Dead archive is an academically important part of our library," he continued. "I see it contributing to the academic mission of our university. People smoking pot on the Porter College lawn are not."
The Spring Open Forum was the last forum for the 2007-08 academic year.
Contact the author at gwenm@ucsc.edu.
