Amid student outcry, CU defends hosting, paying for GOP debate

[angka]

Source: Boulder Daily Camera

University of Colorado Chancellor Phil DiStefano is defending his decision to host — and foot the bill for — the Republican presidential debate on campus this month after students loudly criticized the number of tickets available to the CU community...

The left-leaning group ProgressNow Colorado, however, believes that having a large student presence in the audience is important.

Amy Runyon-Harms, the group's director, called on debate organizers to make 1,000 additional seats available to students.

Last week, Congressman Jared Polis called the number of seats available to students "insulting."

"This is about misusing the reputation of Colorado's flagship university," Runyon-Harms said. "We support hosting this important debate on the University of Colorado campus. But using CU to boost the credibility of these candidates while excluding CU students from participation in this debate is simply wrong."

Read more: http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-news/ci_28936724/amid-student-outcry-cu-defends-hosting-paying-gop

[uawchild]

1. this

"We support hosting this important debate on the University of Colorado campus. But using CU to boost the credibility of these candidates while excluding CU students from participation in this debate is simply wrong."

well said and to the point

[niyad]

2. not a lot of respect for CU--still have never forgotten bill mccartney and his "promisekeepers"

and how CU paid off his contract, even though he quit.

[certainot]

3. best way to 'burnish CUs brand' to millions is to reject the global warming deniers

that would be the way to attract thoughtful new recruits and professors and researchers.

how can an institution of higher learning give these global warming deniers any credibility?

and if brand is so important how can cu justify being one of 90 major unis that broadcasting sports on 270 limbaugh stations? cu is also one of the 90 universities that rents their mascots and logos to the global warming denying racist sexist liars.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. "CNBC is hosting and organizing the debate" - so why aren't they paying?

They'll get advertising revenue during the coverage. No university, public of private, should be subsidising a political party and a commercial network.

[Fred Sanders]

5. Control of the media, control of the perception, control of the audience...that is the GOP plan to

avoid being rightfully harassed and mocked for their insane and idiotic and generally ignorant comments and positions.

[FairWinds]

6. I am a Univ. of Colorado alum . .

and I am not happy at all about my donations being used to
subsidize the Republican Party.

Let Chancellor DiStefano pick up the tab himself for the whole
she-bang: hall rental, extra cops, "entertainment," everything.

The student government should have been able to vote on this.

Breathtaking arrogance on the part of the admin.

I hope the young'uns get wild in the streets.

[lakercub]

7. CU is an interesting place

And not always in a good way. The students are pretty liberal, as is much of the faculty. Boulder is one of the most liberal towns of its size in the country. But the Board of Regents is elected statewide for the whole university system and that leads to conservatives in administration positions pretty often. It also leads to students and faculty often having major problems with the administration.

I went to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and the administration constantly put in in Boulder would actually fit much better here. UCCS, as one can imagine being in Colorado Springs, has a much more conservative bent. There are a bunch of liberal profs here but they are voices in the wilderness moreso than in Boulder.

It's a shame for Boulder that what should be a great progressive campus is constantly hamstrung because of the rest of the state.

[Democrats_win]

8. Indefensible! CU pays for event student's can't attend.

Well, at least the students will get a valuable lesson in how our nation works. Instead of working for you, our leaders will help themselves and their cronies. This chancellor has been good in the past; yet, he needs to admit the mistake and apologize. Then disinvite the bastards!

[mountain grammy]

9. They are afraid of anything except a hand picked audience. Outrageous!

[d_legendary1]

10. Can't have the riff raff jamming up the party

Gotta give those tickets to the school's donors and their bratty kids. Make it look like CU represents Colorado as a whole.

[olddots]

11. I think Hooters would be a great location for the debate