UCSU kicks off Spring session
Last fall’s UCSU election commissioner, Sean Daly, will retain his position this semester for the upcoming tri-executive elections.
UCSU kicked off the new semester by re-ratifying Daly and listening to an update from Legislative Affairs. No bills were introduced or voted on.
Daly said the experience he gained during the Fall 2007 election will help him do an effective job as commissioner this spring.
“I did suffer in the fall election with not being entirely familiar with the position of election commissioner,” Daly said. “I think I will be much more familiar with the way the election process works including not forgetting to invite members of the associated schools (and) providing more reminders and e-mails about upcoming deadlines.”
Daly plans to hold another public debate for candidates this election. CHEM 140 is already reserved for the event and Daly hopes to hold it on a more convenient date than last fall’s debate. He said he plans to have the debate filmed and recorded so it can be posted on YouTube.
Julie Marie Shepherd, co-director of Legislative Affairs, discussed the upcoming tuition forum on Jan. 29 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in HUMN 1B50.
“Because we feel that (tuition prices are) a major problem facing the campus, we’re holding the tuition forum,” Shepherd said. “We feel this is a way to start the dialogue and start thinking about options.”
The forum will be a question-and-answer session with panelists including Senator Joshua Penry (R-Grand Junction), Senator Ron Tupa (D-Boulder), Director of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education David Skaggs, CU Regent Cindy Carlisle, CU Associate Vice Chancellor of Finance Steve McNally, and Chad Marturano, an analyst from the State Office of Planning and Budgeting.
“Tuition is one of the biggest issues facing students,” Shepherd said. “Last year alone we faced a 19 percent tuition increase, but the funding is not increasing (and) the financial aid is not increasing at the same time.”
In other news, Chance Heath, speaker for Legislative Council, announced that construction of the 24-hour study lounge in Norlin Library will begin in May.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Julie Ryan at ryanja@colorado.edu.