Signage denoting the entrance to CUSG’s offices on the first floor of the UMC. Oct. 15, 2021 (Henry Larson/CU Independent)
On Sept. 22, the University of Colorado Boulder Student Government Legislative Council voted unanimously to support the annexation of CU South.
During the brief meeting, which lasted less than 30 minutes, Legislative Council had the second reading of a resolution supporting the annexation of CU South as one of the few items on the agenda. The resolution, first read on Sep. 15, calls for more sustainability efforts and to prioritize the CU Boulder community over the profitability of the annexation. As a signal of support from CUSG, the vote is not a full-throated endorsement of the annexation.
CU South is a 308-acre property south of U.S. Route 36 and Table Mesa that the university has owned since 1996. In September of 2021, the city of Boulder annexed the land. A local campaign to repeal the annexation succeeded this fall. In November, Boulder residents will vote to overturn the annexation and potentially stop the planned development of the property.
In response, CUSG legislator Chase Cromwell authored Legislative Council’s resolution 97 LCR 03. The resolution declares CUSG’s support for the annexation with some conditions. The resolution calls for the university to adopt more sustainable building practices and to prioritize the CU Boulder community’s housing needs over the profitability of the annexation, but it doesn’t specifically describe how to meet these expectations.
CU Boulder plans to build non-freshmen and graduate student housing on the property, along with other university facilities and potentially a stadium. CUSG’s resolution calls on the university to “engage with the city and community directly to advocate for policies that would decrease the costs of housing both on and off campus.”
After modifying some wording about the scope of those sustainability goals, such as changing the phrase “State of Colorado law” to read “state policy,” legislators unanimously voted to adopt the resolution. Though this resolution has no administrative or legal power and no impact on the university, it does voice the body’s support for the development.
Next on the agenda, Legislative Council President Aaditya Poore announced two new representatives joining the council: Sena Uçtuk and Sarah Vanden-Heuvel. Both new representatives will be formally given the positions at next week’s council meeting.
Uçtuk said she heard about the open seat from Poore. As a former member of the Multicultural Advisory Committee, Uçtuk hopes to draw from the skills she learned there and apply them to her time at CUSG.
“I really do want to develop as a leader,” she said. “I’m really hoping to develop myself and to be able to develop those skills that I will carry them into the future wherever I go.”
Finally, Legislative Council also discussed a gun control resolution that is still being drafted. This resolution, sponsored by Tri-Executive Rachel Hill, would encourage the university’s regents to ban the concealed carry of firearms on campus.
Colorado is one of 10 states that have provisions allowing the carrying of concealed weapons on public post-secondary campuses. Guns have been banned on university campuses for years, thanks to a policy implemented by CU back in 1994. However, that policy was overturned in 2012 by the Colorado Supreme Court. The court argued that CU Regents were violating the state’s Concealed Carry Act, which allows for the carrying of weapons in all places except federal properties, elementary schools and buildings with fixed security checkpoints.
That legislation is still weeks away from going to a final vote, as it is still being modified in committee. Legislators will meet again to develop upcoming bills at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 29 in UMC 247.
Contact CU Independent Editor-in-Chief Henry Larson at henry.larson@colorado.edu.
Contact CU Independent Managing Editor William Oster at william.oster@colorado.edu.
