The Board of Regents approved nearly $10 million for University projects, increased presidential power and reformed the Regents Exam policy during its Wednesday meeting.

The board allocated about $4.6 million for improvements to infrastructure in two locations on campus, said Danny Sniff, associate vice president for facilities planning.

Some of the money will extend campus steam lines from South Campus to East Campus, Sniff said.

“It will provide chilled water and steam to East Campus,” he said. “It’s a cheaper way to heat and cool buildings.”

Steam lines are cost-effective because all buildings are connected, Sniff said.

The rest of the money allocated by the board will “start extending the same types of infrastructure to the northwest precinct,” Sniff said.

The infrastructure, which includes additional steam lines, will be built on Lumpkin Street, in front of the area that now houses fraternities and where the University hopes to build academic buildings.

“We are trying to plan in advance,” Sniff said.

The University intends to build the pipes by 2008, he said.

The BOR allocated funds to build facilities for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

“It was initially a $5 million small capital request,” said Kevin Kirsche, assistant director in the facilities planning office. “After design and planning costs, we will have $4.1 million for construction.”

This $4.1 million will be divided into two projects: $3.85 million will be used for construction on the Double Bridges Farm, while the remaining $250,000 will be used to upgrade the dairy farm.

With this money, the Double Bridges Farm – currently 237 acres of pasture land and pine forests – will contain a classroom, a dry field lab, a “modest” apartment for a farm manager and barns for sheep, cattle and swine, Kirsche said.

The Double Bridges Farm, located on Highway 78 across the street from the dairy farm, will be used by the Animal and Dairy Science Department for research and education, Kirsche said.

The board passed measures to give presidents of state institutions more authority in hiring and receiving gifts.

“The board is trying to make sure decisions are being made at the lowest appropriate level,” said Diane Payne, the publications director for the BOR.

The board also changed its policy to allow institution presidents to make employment decisions, to call any council, faculty or committee meeting at any time and to veto any decision of councils, faculty or committees with a written statement submitted to Chancellor Erroll Davis.

Payne said the change passed with no discussion.

The BOR also gave institution presidents more authority in accepting gifts.

“It used to be that gifts over $100,000 had to be approved,” Payne said.

“Now, presidents can approve all gifts except real property, which is real estate. There are things that need to be checked out.”

She said the BOR wants to assess property because poor real estate decisions could pose future problems.

The board also discussed the Regents Exam and passed a measure allowing board members to exempt a small number of students, Payne said.

The board’s recommendations regarding the exam included encouraging students to take it in the second semester at the University, exempting those who scored 560 or higher on the SAT writing test and providing specialized remediation for those who fail the exam multiple times.