Trustees to attend retreat, meeting

The IU board of trustees will meet this week for the first time in the school year to discuss new construction and appointments and to revisit old business.\nVice President of Trustees Stephen Ferguson said he plans for a smooth first gathering.\n"I don't anticipate this being a very controversial meeting," Ferguson said.\nThe meeting will begin Wednesday in Nashville, Ind., with two "retreat sessions," when trustees will be updated on the status of the athletics budget and enrollment. \nThe athletics department has been building debt for the last few years due to poor football attendance and budgetary mismanagement, while University officials have claimed a decrease in new enrollment this semester.\nTrustees will settle into the Indiana Memorial Union Thursday and advance to new business. \nThe board is expected to appoint four new members to the Riley Children's Foundation Board of Governors, including former IU Interim President Gerald Bepko. The new members will serve three-year terms beginning Nov. 17 of this year.\nThe facilities committee will submit two construction projects for the approval of the board.\nFirst is renovation of the Main Library, where the committee proposes to build an "information commons loft" on the second floor of the west tower. That project carries an estimated cost of $690,000.\nThe committee will also submit a replacement proposal for Residential Programs and Services' 35-year-old refrigeration system in the Halls Food Stores building. According to the trustee agenda, the old refrigeration system is outdated because it was previously used for meat processing and ice cream making but is now the central food storage unit. The renovation, funded by RPS, is estimated to cost $820,000.\nIU Architect Bob Meadows and Vice Chancellor for Auxiliary Services and Programs Bruce Jacobs will give a presentation about a new development with student housing. Jacobs would not comment on the presentation, except to say "it's regarding the future of housing on campus."\nThe meeting will be the first for two new trustees. Dr. Clarence Boone, of Gary, was appointed to the board by the governor this June. According to the board of trustees' Web site, Boone, an IU alumnus, is the cofounder of the Neal-Marshall Alumni Club. Also jumping on board is IU alumnus Jeffrey Cohen, of Indianapolis.\nFerguson said the additions are familiar pieces of the trustee puzzle that should fit snugly.\n"We've all worked with Clarence a long time, and I've known Jeff through other associations through the years," he said. "Both are very good people who will make a major contribution to the board."\n-- Contact senior writer Rick Newkirk at renewkir@indiana.edu.