Bruce Benson’s Criminal Record questioned
Bruce Benson is under scrutiny by CU students for his policies and past criminal record that includes a DUI and a domestic violence dispute.
According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation records, Benson, who was recently named the sole candidate for university president by the Regents, received a citation for driving under the influence of alcohol on April 10, 1980.
A story that ran in The New York Times during Benson’s campaign for Colorado Governor in 1994 cited information about an affidavit concerning a threat to his ex-wife, Nancy Benson. Mrs. Benson said that her husband had “harassed, taunted and threatened” her. The records also disclosed that Mr. Benson had been having an affair for two years before he asked for a divorce, to which he has admitted.
The article also mentioned that in the divorce records, which are now sealed, Benson had told his son that he was “going to kill” his former wife.
In a news conference after the disclosures, Benson said that he regretted saying he would kill his wife, and that having an affair was a mistake.
“I’ve fully admitted the errors of the ways of my life,” he said.
Check out our 11-part Benson series
Sophomore integrative physiology and Spanish major Alice Shallcross said that she believes personal matters might not necessarily depict the kind of leader Benson might be.
“We are the ones affected by everything he will do,” Shallcross said. “If he messes up, we’re going to feel the effects of it.”
During an open forum with Benson, another student addressed the subject of his DUIs.
“You make a mistake, you stand up and admit it,” Benson said. “It was an awful long time ago. I think it’s been addressed in the past. I don’t think it looks bad.”
Ken McConnellogue, the associate vice president for university relations, said that “the DUIs are a matter of record, and they are what they are”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Stephanie Shepard at Stephanie.shepard@colorado.edu
