CU Regent Glen Gallegos (Courtesy of University of Colorado)
The University of Colorado Board of Regents unanimously agreed on Wednesday to censure a regent for the mistreatment of university employees, which the board said violates several of its policies.
The board voted to censure Glen Gallegos, a 72-year-old Republican, after he repeatedly engaged in hostile and abusive verbal behavior towards women, which resulted in a “problematic” incident this year, according to reporting by the Denver Post.
Regents cast the unanimous vote to censure Gallegos at a special board meeting of the nine-member board, which is charged with running CU’s four campuses.
The censure doesn’t remove Gallegos from the board. He can still attend regular and special board meetings and vote on matters presented to the board.
Colorado voters elect CU regents, with one regent representing each of Colorado’s congressional districts and two are elected at large.
Gallegos, a Republican from Grand Junction, was first elected to the board in 2012 and was re-elected for a second term in 2018. He represents Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District.
A resolution posted on the regent’s meeting agenda website described Gallegos as having both public and private interactions with university employees, regents and others that were “disparaging” or “disrespectful.” The resolution said some of these interactions had, at times, been perceived as threatening.
The resolution states that this conduct violates five of the board’s policies.
“I think it’s pretty serious,” Gallegos said after the meeting, according to the Daily Camera. “I probably tend to burn hot. It was an issue, and I am not even sure what the issue was now.”
According to the resolution, the censure removes Gallegos from all regent committee assignments and leadership positions within those committees. It also prevents Gallegos from receiving free invitations or tickets to CU events, like football or other sports games.
The resolution leaves open the possibility that these punishments can be modified by a board vote if the regents believe Gallegos has a “sincere intention to address the conduct referenced herein.”
Contact CU Independent Breaking News Editor Celia Frazier at celia.frazier@colorado.edu.
