Colo. School May Ban Public Funding of Alcohol July 21, 2005
News Summary
The University of Colorado may impose a ban on using student tuition funds or public money to purchase alcohol, the Denver Post reported July 20.Hank Brown, the incoming president of the university, says he is considering a proposal to only use private donations for alcohol purchases. "My sense is it is probably more appropriate that any funding (for alcohol) come from money donated for that purpose," Brown said Tuesday. "In my own mind, it is appropriate to be more cautious with taxpayer money."
The University of Colorado spent $466,000 on alcohol -- including $149,700 in taxpayer funds and tuition income -- between 2000 and 2004; the university has a longstanding reputation as one of the nation's biggest party schools.
"I'm fully supportive of president Brown's proposal to prohibit the use of any state dollars on alcohol," said school board of regents member Michael Carrigan. Agreed regent Pat Hayes: "Because of the scrutiny we've been under in the last 18 months, I think it's just a cleaner practice for alcohol not to be included. We don't want people to think we're using their money for alcohol."
Michael Byram, president of the school's charitable foundation, said he would support the ban but would have to determine where funding for alcohol would come from in the future. One possibility: interest income on the charity's investments.
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