Alcohol advertising and marketing will be banned from campus if the Board of Regents, the University’s governing body, adopts a proposed amendment to the campus alcohol policy Friday.

The amendments to the current policy, which has not been amended since 1974, include prohibiting the University from accepting alcohol advertising and sponsorship at campus venues and in its publications, which do not include the Daily.

University trademarks, trade names, service marks, logos, slogans, mascots and other official identifiers or symbols are also banned from use in alcohol advertising, promotion, marketing, distribution and sales, according to the policy draft.

The board also will move to add an education and counseling principle emphasizing the University’s commitment to alcohol-related education, prevention and counseling.

Dr. Tracy Toomey, director of the University’s Alcohol Epidemiology Program, said she has been working to affect the policy changes for years, and that it is important to regularly review alcohol policies on campus.

“It’s really great that the regents and others are looking at alcohol policy before the stadium goes into effect,” Toomey said.

Molecular building renovation
The Audit Committee and the Finance and Operations Committee will present operational work plans and budgets to the board in Thursday’s meeting.

The Facilities Committee will request a $2.1 million amendment to the fiscal 2007 capital budget for the renovation of the molecular cellular therapeutics building on the St. Paul campus.

The money would be spent on the creation of a new biotherapeutic protein production facility and the active protein ingredients project.

The project’s new facility will be used for the production of biotherapeutic proteins that can be used in clinical research focusing on multiple sclerosis and cancer.

Employee programs
The Faculty, Staff and Student Affairs Committee will present and update the Board on the UReturn program created in November 2005, which provides services to all employees who experience occupational and non-occupational injury or illness.

David Fuecker, associate director for Disability Services, said creating a global program allows employees to take advantage of broader University resources.

“Transitional employment is the next step to maximize impact,” Fuecker said about increasing employee productivity during and after chronic illness. “We are trying to move away from the legal floor and move to what can be done to preserve human capital.”

Joe Kelly, chief of staff to the vice president for the Office of Human Resources, said the move to eliminate the twoñyear wait period for the faculty retirement program is “tied to recruiting and retaining world-class faculty.”

Also, University President Bob Bruininks will propose to the board his biennial budget for 2007 for a vote in October 2006.