Changes in room and board charges and an update on state appropriations will be among the topics addressed at the University Board of Trustees meeting being held today and Saturday at Hershey Medical Center.

Room and board charges will increase this year, said Ken Martin, president of the Graduate Student Association and a non-voting student representative to the board.

"I would anticipate them to be within a reasonable rate of inflation," Martin said. He added he will be surprised if the increase is less than 4, or more than 6.5 percent.

The average University student now pays $740 for a room and $855 for board, totaling $1,595 per semester. Martin's estimate would mean the average student living in the dorms would pay between $64 and $103 more per semester for room and board during the 1990-91 school year.

An update on the status of the University's request for state funding will also be discussed at the meeting, said Trustee Walter Conti.

The University asked the state for a 12.7 percent increase in funding this year. Gov. Robert P. Casey's proposed budget offered Penn State an overall 2.8 percent increase.

The state House and Senate must both review the budget and offer a final proposal to the governor. During this process, the University may receive a greater increase than was offered by Casey.

Martin said the trustees will also hear an update on educational partnership programs designed to establish ties with minority students in state middle schools. The University has such programs in Reading and McKeesport. The University may add a third group of middle schools in the Philadelphia area, but they first hope to better establish the current programs, Martin said.

A report on academic and library computers is also expected to be presented to the board, Martin said. The administration has been considering instituting an annual computer fee between $70 and $105 for all Penn State students.

The idea of a computer fee was first introduced to the board at its meeting last July.

However, Executive Vice President and Provost William C. Richardson said earlier this month the computer fee will not be discussed again by the trustees until at least the board's May meeting at University Park.

Trustee Edward P. Zemprelli, who was arraigned Wednesday on charges of mail fraud and conspiracy, is expected to attend this weekend's meeting. Zemprelli was released on his own recognizance.

Conti said Zemprelli's status on the board will not change because of the charges related to a $57 million real estate scheme.

"I'm a little disturbed that this has already become an issue," Conti said. "That's everyday life. There are suits brought against all of us."

Zemprelli serves as head of the board's committee on Hershey Medical Center and sits on the Trustee Presidential Selection Committee.