By Brandon Farmer

Tuesday’s Board of Trustees Finance Committee meeting reviewed and addressed the university’s financial performance and proposed changes that will make the environment, as well as UK’s budget, a little greener.

One of the key points of the meeting was to bring attention to the amount of energy consumed by the campus. One proponent the Energy Saving Performance Contract, FCR2, highlighted that the university consumes $19 million in electricity costs alone, and insisted on cutting down 15 percent of energy costs through improved lighting and the installment of low-flow toilets in buildings and dorms.

To achieve this goal, the committee proposed adopting a ‘Behavior Modification Program,’ which would educate students and faculty on the importance of conserving energy and helping the campus “go green.”

Though the meeting primarily focused on the university’s fiscal condition and cost-saving measures to improve the budget, it also underlined the university’s achievements in the field of research and academics. It highlighted six patents that offered groundbreaking research in the fields biomechanics, agriculture, and pharmacy, including new information on potential cures for disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease.