2008 Woodie Awards
Students decry lack of campus community
Chancellor fields student concerns, questions during roundtable forum
Daliah Singer
Issue date: 3/4/08 Section: News
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"We ought to be able to build a more cohesive culture here without football," said Chancellor Robert Coombe in response.
His comment was part of an open forum discussion with about 20 students attending the roundtable in Driscoll Ballroom. Students questioned the chancellor on issues ranging from the lack of trust between students and resident assistants in the dorms to the schools' hiring practices.
In addressing the lack of community problem, Coombe pointed to the "double-edged sword" of living in Denver, which entices students to leave campus on weekends.
The university needs to plant the "seeds for a broader campus culture," said Coombe.
"It's not easy. It's a hard issue," said Coombe, who sees athletics as one way of building that community.
But, with most sporting events occurring on weekends and ticket sales down, students were wary of the argument that Denver's venues and night life are to blame..
Low tickets sales are "an issue of the cohesion of the campus community as a whole," not due to lack of interest, said Coombe. "(We have to start) making the activities on the university more attractive to students."
Students moving off campus also inhibit the ability to create a campus community. Kyle Leigh, a sophomore resident assistant (RA) and international business major, asked the chancellor how the university was going to provide more value to students to attract them to on-campus living.
"We work on it all the time," Coombe said. The university attempts to make the dorms cost competitive.
Leigh also raised the issue of a "lack of trust" between students and RAs, with RAs serving as both friends and enforcers of university policies, particularly relating to alcohol and drugs.
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