In an address to the Academic Senate Feb. 13, Chancellor Albert Carnesale assured faculty that UCLA is not in any danger of being deprived of electricity, but at the same time urged continued conservation.

"Our problem is not that we're going to be subject to blackouts or brownouts," Carnesale said. UCLA's cogeneration plant generates 85% of the electricity needed, with the remaining 15% coming from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. "Our problem is that our cogeneration plant runs on natural gas - the price of which has quintupled in recent years.

"Recently, it has been costing us about $1 million to $1.5 million more per month than it used to cost to produce the same amount of electricity," the chancellor explained. "And that's where the problem lies."

On a positive note, Carnesale said, electricity usage at UCLA has not grown very fast. Over the past five years, it's risen less than 2% per year, despite growing enrollment and several new campus buildings. But conserving energy is key, he emphasized, not only to reduce UCLA's bill, but also to demonstrate good citizenship: The less electricity UCLA uses, the more DWP will have available to serve other areas threatened by blackouts.

Other highlights from his address:

• The California NanoSystems Institute - a partnership of UCLA and UC Santa Barbara, selected as one of three California Institutes for Science and Innovation - was ranked first on the merits of its scientific contribution.
• Campaign UCLA has now raised more than $1.4 billion, 88% of its $1.6-billion goal. With 80% of its time elapsed, the campaign is set to end June 30, 2002.
• Faculty are working on three campuswide initiatives that embody themes identified as the "Frontiers of Knowledge": society and genetics, society and information technology (IT) and UCLA in Los Angeles. For example, faculty working on the first two initiatives are examining the cultural and social changes occurring as a result of the revolution in genetics and IT.