Mar. 08, 2005 - 13:35 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Drags On

Today's Rocky Mountain News has headlines, "Hoffman Steps Down From CU Presidency."

Opoinions of mine.

Leads me to ponder about CU, the university which has built University Hospital into a marvelous facility including much researching into things like cancer. A mainstay of Denver health matters. That medical facility is now moving east into the old Fitzsimmons area that the Army gave up recently. Buildings being erected like mad out there. Looks like a bright future for the University Hospital.

As far as other matters CU-wise, it doesn't look as if it is going too well. A long time ago when rioting took place frequently along Pearl Street and the uproars on the hill, I wondered if there was something lacking there in the way of restraint. Academic freedom and all that didn't seem to me to include the drunken orgies, rioting and boorish actions up there in Boulder.

Then came the sexual escapades, rape accusations and things that made me think of the jock atmosphere in my high school, oh so many years ago, wherein most anything was excused when a jock was an offender. Then allleged mishandling of monetary affairs, mixing the Foundation moneys into the picture also. The Foundation trying to pull the curtain on their financial dealings regarding university activities. A sports department top dog owning a liquor store which supplied liquor to university activities, and a football camp financed by who ? ? ? ? ?

Betsy Hoffman resigned as I think any one else who could have been in her shoes probably would have done the same thing. All the scandal has been brewing, affairs mishandled apparently, the dark mess getting worse. I would have gone elsewhere too. Don't think it was all her fault, much I think could be blamed on regents, past and present. The "good ol' boy" network that pushed sports above all for one thing and for the most part appeared to me to be completely inattentive to the rest of the operations of the university.

I have a relative whose father-in-law is a professor emeritus from CU and have heard bits and pieces of the politics up there. Nothing that would bring me to a stand-up-and-cheer attitude but until the crud of the past few years came along it juse reaffirmed my ideas that many of the erudite, were childish in many reactions to events of the university, jealousy and all that stuff.

What would I like to see ? I would like to see CU straighten itself out and become a unversity not noted for being the number one PARTY place, but for being the research school it has always tried to be. I would like to think that a stupid thing (in my eyes) of grabbing Churchill up as prime diversity material won't ever happen again. Competition of that sort, to grab a man because it is feared that some other institute of education might get him otherwise, is not the most intelligent thing in my thoughts.

Sitting here at my keyboard, my thoughts churning and not making a whole lot of sense I guess. I always put educators in the same category as preachers and others of that kind who required a calling from above to enter the hallowed halls. The way I was raised, preachin,' teachin' and doctorin' were holy things that one had to be called for.

Bad enough our political situation as it is, but this CU thing just Drags On . . . . . . . . . .

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