The UH System Board of Regents met on Feb. 19 at the Hilton UH Campus Hotel for its first 2025 quarterly meeting.
Across the UH System, $1.1 billion is being allocated for construction projects, according to senior associate vice chancellor and associate vice president of facilities and construction management David Oliver.
Several students and parents spoke during the open forum asking for more safety on campus and open communication.
Similar to the previous BOR meeting, Students for Justice in Palestine HTX organized a protest demanding divestment.
Campus safety, parental concerns
Pamela Hidinger, a mother of a UH freshman, spoke at the open forum.
The student is living in on-campus dorms and Hidinger said she represented a group of concerned parents following the recent streak of violent crimes on campus.
“Many parents feel anxious, frustrated, helpless and afraid,” Hidinger said. “Our children are afraid.”
Hidinger said the group appreciates the University’s efforts to increase security but believes they are insufficient.
“When it comes to safety, zero incidents should be the target,” Hidinger said.
The parents called for emergency funding for immediate improvements, transparency, better communication and both short and long-term safety solutions.
Their specific requests included more security cameras, increased lighting across campus, additional security guards including full-time guards and surveillance at parking areas, dorms and METRO stations.
Some students advocated for UH to divest from practices they believe are funding the war against the Palestinian people.
“The money going to genocide and suffering across the world is money that is not going to the needs of our students,” said Arkady de Castro, founder of UH Students for a Democratic Society. “These investments come at the cost of our safety and our community.”
Students also voiced concerns about campus safety and questioned the efficiency and budget of the UH Police Department.
“Despite enrollment only increasing by 2% since 2021, crime has increased by 77%,” said Deeds not Words at UH member and public health senior Mina Vuong.
Renovations, new construction discussed
A $36 million renovation of Charles F. McElhinney Hall is set for completion by July 2025, making it the new home for the College of Education, which is currently housed at Stephen Power Farish Hall.
As part of UH’s centennial project, Farish Hall will be demolished.
UH Sugar Land is adding a $65 million building for the College of Engineering’s technology division.
Construction is scheduled for completion by the end of summer 2025, after which the program will relocate to the Sugar Land campus.
Once construction at Sugar Land is complete, the Technology Annex building will be demolished as well.
Apart from this, the work on the $72 million Innovation Hub will also begin in summer 2025, with an expected completion date of Nov. 2026.
The hub will house the Dakri Center for Economic Inclusion, an Aspire Institute and faculty and staff offices.
“This one-of-a-kind building on our campus is focused on maker space,” Oliver said.
Agnes Arnold Hall has entered the second phase of its $61 million renovation, focusing on security and access control.
This phase is projected for completion by the end of 2025. The third and final phase, which includes interior renovations, is expected to be finished by winter 2027.
A $31 million building at Texas Medical Center will include UH Population Health. The facility will have counseling spaces, multipurpose and wellness areas and research and teaching laboratories. Construction is set to begin in March 2025 and finish by the end of 2026.
The centennial project is scheduled for completion by 2027.
Campus lighting project update
The expedited timeline for the $18 million Campus Lighting Project was also discussed. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of the year.
Priority lots include parking areas near student living facilities, including Lots 3A, 3B, 4A and 6A, with an estimated completion of Nov. 2025.
Additional lots where UH is expediting the project include Lots 12A, 15H, 16B, 16C, 16D, 16E, 16F, 21A and 21B, with an estimated completion of Dec. 2025.
SJP protest
SJP organized a strike and a march to the BOR meeting in collaboration with several organizations, including Deeds Not Words at UH and UH Students for a Democratic Society.
Protestors were encouraged to skip classes and sit in at the Student Center South until marching to the meeting at 1 p.m.
During their march to the Hilton UH Hotel, they recited several chants. At the Hilton, protestors drew in chalk on the sidewalk before being stopped by UHPD.
“Free, free Palestine. Long live Palestine. We won’t stand for genocide,” protestors chanted.
Some members of SJP were allowed into the meeting, while others sat outside. SJP members were not allowed to chant in the building and were told not to hold up signs while in the BOR’s meeting.
“We have to take action using the only thing we have left on campus, which is class. So we have to use it to fight back against them,” an SJP member said. “A degree that comes dipped in blood from the militarism UH invests in is worth less than nothing.”
