Resignation of Phillip P. DiStefano

The Issue

The students and alumni of the University of Colorado want to see a change in the leadership of the university. For 13 years Phillip DiStefano has been chancellor of CU Boulder and in that time has overseen the decline of both the academic and athletic prestige of the college. Not only that, but he has time and time again put financial interests over the safety interests of students.

Today, February 1st, 2022, was the final straw for a lot of the CU Boulder students. We were faced with a potential shooting that could have occurred on campus. Ex-UCLA Professor Matthew Harris was found in Boulder this morning. He had written an 800 page manifesto that included "Burn and attack Boulder outside by the University". Yet, even with this critical piece of information, our classes were not even pushed online. We were put into a shelter in place lockdown, but only for the single block of houses that the assumed suspect was on. This block happened to be 100 feet from campus as it was literally across the street from one of the most popular areas on campus (the UMC). Although there was a shelter in place, classes were still going on according to our regular schedules. The fact that students and staff were still expected to show up to class does not sit right with me. UCLA, who faced very similar threats as us, preemptively decided to move their classes onto Zoom in order to ensure the complete safety of their students and staff. Boulder did not follow suit. This seemingly completely lack of care towards its students is something that doesn't sit right with us as a student body. 

13 years is a long time for one man to be in charge, and the students want a new leader with new ideas and a fresh perspective. We are asking Chancellor DiStefano to honor the wishes of the students and step down. 

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Students and Alumni of CU BoulderPetition Starter
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The Issue

The students and alumni of the University of Colorado want to see a change in the leadership of the university. For 13 years Phillip DiStefano has been chancellor of CU Boulder and in that time has overseen the decline of both the academic and athletic prestige of the college. Not only that, but he has time and time again put financial interests over the safety interests of students.

Today, February 1st, 2022, was the final straw for a lot of the CU Boulder students. We were faced with a potential shooting that could have occurred on campus. Ex-UCLA Professor Matthew Harris was found in Boulder this morning. He had written an 800 page manifesto that included "Burn and attack Boulder outside by the University". Yet, even with this critical piece of information, our classes were not even pushed online. We were put into a shelter in place lockdown, but only for the single block of houses that the assumed suspect was on. This block happened to be 100 feet from campus as it was literally across the street from one of the most popular areas on campus (the UMC). Although there was a shelter in place, classes were still going on according to our regular schedules. The fact that students and staff were still expected to show up to class does not sit right with me. UCLA, who faced very similar threats as us, preemptively decided to move their classes onto Zoom in order to ensure the complete safety of their students and staff. Boulder did not follow suit. This seemingly completely lack of care towards its students is something that doesn't sit right with us as a student body. 

13 years is a long time for one man to be in charge, and the students want a new leader with new ideas and a fresh perspective. We are asking Chancellor DiStefano to honor the wishes of the students and step down. 

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Students and Alumni of CU BoulderPetition Starter
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The Decision Makers

University of Colorado Boulder
University of Colorado Boulder
Responded
“We feel compelled to address elements of this petition, because we understand the importance of dialogue and transparent communication. During emergencies and other unforeseen events, decisions about campus operations are made by a team of university leaders – not the chancellor alone – with input from relevant stakeholders. These decisions are made with care and consideration and take into account many factors that could impact our students, faculty and staff in both the near- and long-term. The chancellor and his leadership team care deeply about the CU Boulder community and make all important decisions with the safety, health and wellbeing of our community as the top priority. Assertions to the contrary are simply not true. We encourage students who wish to engage in a respectful dialogue on important university topics and policies to participate in our well-established student governance organizations. These organizations have a direct connection to our top university leaders, including the provost, chief operating officer and chancellor. The events on the Hill on Feb. 1, 2022, were troubling to all of us at CU Boulder. Many aspects of the response went flawlessly, and other things can be improved. We will continue to evaluate how we communicate about off-campus incidents through discussion with our community partners while ensuring we remain compliant with the federal Clery Act. As Chancellor DiStefano wrote in his message Tuesday, we will engage in discussions with Boulder Police Department, CUPD and City of Boulder staff to see where we can all make adjustments to enhance community notifications among all entities involved in incidents that span multiple jurisdictions. Let us also be clear about what ultimately occurred during this incident: Boulder Police quickly located, surveilled and arrested an individual who had threatened violence against multiple people in different locations. These actions occurred without any use of force or injury to anyone. Our campus police coordinated with Boulder Police, and together they took proper precautions to ensure members of the public remained out of harm’s way. Neither BPD or CUPD determined that it was necessary for individuals on campus to shelter in place. In fact, the campus was deemed a safe location for individuals in the affected area to relocate. We recognize that our community members desire rapid information that keeps pace with details they observe on social media. We also strive to provide you with both timely and factual information. It’s imperative, however, that the university’s responsibility to provide speedy notifications does not sacrifice accuracy or interfere with rapidly evolving emergency operations outside our campus control. University students, faculty and staff can sign up for campus alerts (https://alerts.colorado.edu/). Individuals who live in the city of Boulder should sign up for the Everbridge system for emergency alerts (https://bit.ly/33paIuf). We also recommend following the Boulder police and fire departments on social media for the most up-to-date information on both emergency and non-emergency situations occurring off campus. Everyone affiliated with CU Boulder has a right to be upset and saddened by the possibility of violence in our community, which has already endured so much. Together, we can take care of ourselves and each other and continue to make our campus better.”
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Petition created on February 1, 2022