Do CU students know what diversity means?
I attended last month’s CU versus BYU football game and was shockingly disappointed by the CU student section. I’ve been to several games in the past as a local Buffs fan, but this game, my alma mater was playing, so I came supporting the Cougars. I was with my wife and some friends, and we had to make our way from one side of the stadium to the other. We made the mistake of going through the student section as they were filing in. I expected some un-aggravated banter and hostility (I’ve been to plenty of away games), but was shocked by the vile slurs and truly hateful bigotry we experienced as we tried to exit the portal. The behavior seriously had me wonder if we would be assaulted. Later that night, we saw this behavior again as we heard vulgar chants from the student section and saw a child in our section hit by a full aluminum water bottle thrown with force from a disgruntled fan at the end of the game.
I respect Coach Prime and the sincere goodness he demonstrates, but I have a real concern for the hate that was exhibited from a student body that my son graduated from. CU claims to be a school that embraces diversity and inclusion, but I don’t think the CU students understand what that truly means. I don’t know what can be done to change the culture, but I hope some upstanding students, whom I know attend the university, can help drive a change in attitude and behavior.
Robert Powell, Loveland
Trump is preventing our country from healing
In the wake of the Charlie Kirk killing, politicians of all stripes are calling for the tamping down of hateful rhetoric. Granted, there is way too much of this circulating on social media, but a significant amount is spewed daily by our elected officials. Right blames left, left blames right. According to the Anti-Defamation League, from 2015 to 2024, there were roughly 430 deaths ascribed to political extremism, 76% were attributed to right-wing extremism (the majority by white supremacists), and 4% to leftist extremists. Extremists on the left are more likely to attack property than people, according to the ADL. In spite of the above statistics, Trump insists that left-leaning groups are more dangerous. Not a word about the more deadly extreme right organizations. More acrimony from Trump.
The tone of a country is set by its leadership, and there are many examples of our president inciting violence against the left. Immediately after Kirk’s death, without evidence, he blamed the “radical left.” Trump said that the left is responsible for much of the political violence in our country, excusing violence on the right, saying that most of the extreme right were driven there because “they don’t want to see crime.” Whatever that means. He continued, “The radicals on the left are the problem, and they’re vicious and they’re horrible and they’re politically savvy.” At Kirk’s memorial service, Trump said, “I hate my opponent,” and that he would indict them. So, the leader of our country just called half of the U.S. population vicious and horrible, fomenting hate speech. Not leadership, but typical Trump divisiveness.
As long as Trump perpetuates partisan hatefulness, our country will not heal, and more violence will ensue.
Alan Cipriani, Lafayette
Please join me in re-electing Lauren Folkerts
I have known Lauren for a few months through my involvement with the community under the Housing Justice Committee of the Boulder County Democratic Socialists of America. Through my role as Co-Chair and as a tenant in the city, I know that Lauren Folkerts will be an unwavering advocate for Boulder residents. More specifically, I want to support Lauren because she is a steadfast supporter of housing rights in Boulder. One of her campaign commitments is making life here in Boulder more affordable for tenants. For example, she has endorsed a vacancy tax here in Boulder that would raise significant revenue for the city and thereby its residents. Additionally, Lauren is committed to eradicating homelessness through compassion and dignity, which is a view that I agree with.
All in all, please join me in voting for Lauren on November 4.
Mila Sicorsky, Boulder