Board will announce decision at 7 p.m.
The CU Board of Regents is in the process of voting on the decision of whether or not to elect Bruce Benson as the school’s next president.
The vote is expected shortly after 7 p.m. Campus Press will run up-to-the-minute vote results.
A forum was held in the St. Cajetan Church in Denver at 4 p.m. today to allow all voices of the community to be heard. The forum was split up into three different parts in 30-minute sessions. For public comment, the first session allowed governance leaders of the faculty and staff to make their comments.
The second portion allowed community members to voice their opinions, and the third allowed remaining students and staff to speak.
Among a large turnout for the forum, noted speakers including Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and former Colorado Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Love Kourlis voiced positive opinions of Benson’s nomination.
Students from CU Boulder who were present at the forum were adamant that the University Regents take into consideration what they had to say.
“You all exist for the students,” said Matt Steninger, a junior history major. “There is an active opposition amongst the students against Bruce Benson.”
The students were present with different posters opposing Benson. Written on the posters were “Academic freedom means freedom for all,” “I believe in global warming.do you?” and “Your past actions speak louder than your words.”
Some students were also disappointed with the set up of the forum, mainly because it was held at 4 p.m., a time when students were still having classes and not widely publicized.
“Why on earth would you have an important decision like this be on a Wednesday afternoon when the vast majority of students are in class?” Steninger said. “It’s insane to me, and it really boxes out the students.”
After all the speakers had their turn to go, the regents went back for an executive session to vote.
During the wait, UCSU tri-executive Charles Gilford III expressed his hope that the regents would take into great consideration what the students have done to have their opinions voiced.
“Students have taken their time and missed class to go to his forums. Four hundred students showed up last Tuesday to ask Benson questions. I can’t even begin to voice how many petitions have been signed. There were students who constructed six foot wood oil rig models out of wood and went around campus educating other students about this issue,” Gilford said.
Faculty Council chair RL Widmann had a more Shakespearean message for the Board.
“The question now is: ‘To Benson, or not to Benson,'” she said.
Contact Campus Press staff writer Stephanie Shepard at stephanie.shepard@colorado.edu
