I am writing to voice my concern over the appointment of Marc Holtzman to the newly-created position of DU President. While Chancellor Ritchie may have acted with good intentions by appointing Holtzman as DU’s new President, he alienated students and faculty alike. Chancellor Ritchie once again put the interests of the students and faculty last by choosing fundraising over academics. Not to mention that the person he selected has not once, but four times in the last decade donated money to Sen. Rick Santorum (www.opensecrets.org), who recently has landed in hot water over comparing homosexuality with beastility, and whose lack of tolerance isn’t exactly a new discovery. This decision by Chancellor Ritchie really offends me, because I do not want a person like Marc Holtzman representing the University I attend. The fact that there was no input whatsoever from students or faculty in making this very important decision is alarming. And for Chancellor Ritchie to say to faculty that their opinion would “not mean very much” is a slap in the face to the people who actually make the University of Denver a respectable academic institution. The fact that the people who are paid to teach and the students who pay 20 thousand dollars a year or more in tuition had no influence is inexcusable; let’s not forget who keeps this University in business. The decisions at a University should be made people involved with the University: Students, and Faculty. Not outsiders who have no prior academic experience and who care more about renting out the facilities to the highest bidder instead of making sure their students are getting a good education and actually able to afford it. As far as Ritchie’s “friend and fundraising” ventures are concerned, the University of Denver has definitely lost an oppurtunity. I will NEVER donate a cent of my money to the University of Denver after I graduate no matter how badly I need the tax write-off.

Jon BurekJunior