At its regularly scheduled meeting today (May 9), the Assembly of the University of California’s systemwide Academic Senate voted against adopting RE-89, which would restrict the University from accepting funding from the tobacco industry.

The 61-member Assembly is the top legislative body of the Academic Senate. In January, the UC Board of Regents requested that the Assembly take an “up or down” vote on RE-89.

The motion before the Assembly today was to oppose RE-89, and the vote in favor of that motion was 43 in favor, four opposed, with three abstentions. This vote will be reported to the Board of Regents by the Chair and Vice Chair of the Assembly, Professor John B. Oakley of UC Davis and Professor Michael T. Brown of UC Santa Barbara. Chair Oakley and Vice Chair Brown serve ex officio as Faculty Representatives to the Board of Regents. The Board of Regents meets next week at UC San Francisco’s Mission Bay campus.

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