UC San Diego is on the brink of taking a series of initiatives to provide a more healthy environment for students, improve their access to the World Wide Web, and assist their efforts to reach out to less fortunate students in San Diego high schools.

Because high academic aspirations, heavy study loads, and the stress of part-time jobs sometimes result in students neglecting their physical well-being, Joseph W. Watson, vice chancellor for Student Affairs, says UC San Diego has designed a new program to inform students of the dozens of healthy lifestyle opportunities available to them. For instance, a weight room with state-of-the-art equipment has been added to the main gym on the Muir campus, and sixty students will be selected each quarter for a physical condition assessment, fitness counseling, and sessions with a professional trainer.

As soon as a student referendum gives its approval, work will begin to expand the eleven-year-old Price Center, which is used by some 20,000 people every day. The expansion will add an extra 55,000 square feet, double the number of meeting rooms to better accommodate the 304 student organizations on campus, provide new restaurants and seating for an extra 600 diners, and house a theater for undergraduate students.
UC San Diego is also aiming to provide each student with a personalized Internet presence complete with his or her own home page. Useful information, such as academic requirements, will be fed into these pages; students will be able to apply for financial aid and transcripts over the World Wide Web; and faculty will be able to monitor a studentís progress.

With the help of computers equipped with Webcams, stud-ent volunteers will interact directly with the K�12 classes they tutor in San Diego schools. Plans are also underway to place Webcams in studentsí homes, so that they can obtain homework assistance directly from their UC San Diego mentors in the evenings and weekends.

Looking toward graduation, Watson says Student Affairs will initiate a ìcocurriculum transcript,î which graduates can use when applying for jobs. In addition to an academic transcript, this would detail the studentís experience in five areas outside the classroomóleadership, community service, cultural diversity competency, health and wellness, and campus life and activities.

And beyond graduation, several new initiatives also will be offered. One provides recent alumni with an opportunity to check the UC San Diego Career Services Center when they are looking for jobs or seeking admission to graduate school. Another new online service will track the postgraduate career outcomes of UC San Diego students.