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You may be aware that we had an incident of hateful speech posted as graffiti in a campus bathroom yesterday. Regardless of who wrote these hateful words on the walls of a bathroom stall, we find speech like this reprehensible and demeaning to all members of our community and we completely reject it.

CU-Â鶹ӰԺ Today sat down with Senior Vice Chancellor and CFO Kelly Fox to discuss the campus’s request to the Board of Regents for a final $6.3 million in additional funding needed to complete renovations and expansions of Folsom Field, which was approved today.

On Friday afternoon, the University of Colorado Board of Regents heard a proposal for a new tuition plan for CU-Â鶹ӰԺ, which offers resident students a fixed tuition guarantee for four years from the date that they matriculate. CU-Â鶹ӰԺ Today sat down with Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano to discuss these proposed changes and what they mean for students.

In recent months a debate about wages has begun across the United States. At CU-Â鶹ӰԺ, questions have been appropriately raised about our pay structures and the cost of living in our communities. We used these questions as an opportunity to carefully review our pay practices, the market value of work performed and an occasion to increase the total rewards of working at the University of Colorado.

On Jan. 21 we released the results of two student climate surveys – one for undergraduate students and one for graduate students. The two surveys were conducted at the end of 2014, and we are committed to addressing the key findings. Our goal is to ensure all students at CU-Â鶹ӰԺ experience a welcoming environment that maximizes their academic performance and prepares them for success after graduation. In the coming months, you should begin to see and hear more discussions about our campus culture and inclusive excellence. Every one of us needs to make a commitment to creating the type of place where everyone can thrive.

As you likely realize, last Thursday, Dec. 3 was the launch date for the upgrade to the campus PeopleSoft Human Capital Management System (HCM). This will be followed on Thursday, Dec. 10 by the launch of the upgraded PeopleSoft Financials (FIN). These two dates also mark the completion of nearly two years of effort on the part of the CU System and a wide range of individuals on the Â鶹ӰԺ campus.

With the end of the semester in sight and the holiday season approaching, I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to each of you for your work and dedication to the university over the past year. As a way to show that appreciation beyond just words, I am pleased to announce that the CU-Â鶹ӰԺ campus will extend the university New Year’s holiday this year to include Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015 as a university holiday.

As we mourn the loss of life in Paris and conduct outreach it is important that we re-affirm our values as a campus by providing support to the French students studying with us in Â鶹ӰԺ, to our American students studying in France, and to the valued members of our Muslim community on campus. I want us to rise to the challenge of this difficult international moment by greeting tragedy with healing and conflict with understanding, and by refusing to inject more rancor and reprisal into the mix.

I am delighted to share with you recent highlights from the Â鶹ӰԺ’s research endeavors and creative works . While I have only been onboard a short time, I am impressed by the remarkable people, our dedicated partners and the excitement about CU-Â鶹ӰԺ’s past and future impact.

I wish to add my voice to those supporting CU-Â鶹ӰԺ students who are engaging in online and direct discussions, and preparing to engage in free speech activities in support of their fellow students at the University of Missouri.