The Penn State Board of Trustees will meet today to consider room and board rates for 2006-07 and hear reports on financial aid and enrollment.

Penn State spokesman Tysen Kendig said the major agenda items impacting students are the setting of next year's room and board rates, the unveiling of the official 2005 enrollment numbers and an informational report on student financial aid.

Luke Adams, Undergraduate Student Government (USG) vice president, said he expects the committee on campus environment to be an important discussion because he would like to discuss the controversy surrounding Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland.

"That would be the only part of the agenda that I foresee [USG President and Board of Trustees member Galen Foulke] or I talking about," Adams said. "That would be the big thing."

Adams said he might raise the Portland issue tomorrow if the trustees do not mention it.

"They'll probably tell me to shut up, but hey," he said.

The trustees will not discuss the Portland controversy, Kendig said.

The committee on campus environment will include an informational report called "Preparing Citizens for a Diverse World," led by Vice President for Student Affairs Vicky Triponey.

"Students are going to graduate and get jobs and work places that aren't like the hometowns they grew up in," Kendig said. "It's important we prepare students for that environment, and the initiatives that come from this meeting will help us do that."

Triponey was not available for comment by press time last night.

Trustee Steve Garban said it was not appropriate for him to comment on how much room and board rates might be raised until after the meeting is over.

Other trustees could not be reached because they were in transit to State College.

Adams said he would not be able to bring up tuition issues at the meeting because tuition is not a part of the scheduled agenda.

"It's not the proper forum," he said. "You can only talk about what's on the agenda."

Kendig added that other items on the agenda included appointing architects for the Material Sciences Building and the Henderson Building addition, and reviewing construction projects at University Park and the Hershey College of Medicine.

The meeting is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. at the Nittany Lion Inn and is open to the public.