🎓 Why 3 venues canceled on the Kiros/Piker rally

🎓 DU Restructures to Recoup Costs From Shrinking Enrollment

The University of Denver announced a major restructuring plan in response to plummeting enrollment. Over the past 5 years, enrollment at the private institution has fallen nearly 20%, marking the end of a pandemic-era surge in students. At the graduate level, enrollment among students pursuing their master’s degree dropped by 38%. [Denver Gazette 🔐]

• Departments close, majors remain: To recoup lost funds, DU will close 5 departments and merge those areas of study into larger schools. All areas of study will remain open to students; however, university leaders say this change will improve multidisciplinary education. [9News]
• Faculty frustration mounts: A representative from a faculty and graduate student association expressed disappointment with the changes, which will lead to layoffs, saying they were made “without meaningful faculty input.” The DU Faculty Senate says that while department closures are “heartbreaking,” they’re a normal response. [The Denver Post 🔒]
• Why is enrollment dropping? International students, who often pay for the full cost of tuition, are less likely to attend private universities like DU due to changes in visa requirements. While this poses financial strain for DU, the school isn’t in danger of closing, thanks to its $1 billion endowment. [CBS News]
• K-12 schools face a similar challenge: Metro Denver public schools also face rising costs and a reduction in enrollment, leading to layoffs, school closures, and a scramble to save money while operating at a massive deficit. [Denver Post 🔒]

🐯 JeffCo Says Trump Administration is Wrong About Males Playing Female Sports

The U.S. Department of Education told Jefferson County school officials that they discovered male students on their rosters for female sports, accusing them of “displacing girls from the athletic programs designed for female students.” As a result, the DOE has threatened to revoke federal funds from JeffCo school district. District leaders say the more than 60 males found on the rosters were not athletes, but rather, trainers, mascots, and coaches, and that the DOE never asked for clarification of who held these roles. [CBS News]

⛳ It’s a Drought Emergency. Why Are Golf Courses So Green?

If you’ve been trying to cut back on water usage, but you’ve noticed lush golf courses and overflowing fountains throughout the city, there’s an explanation for that. Westword found that some water-intensive users like Denver Parks & Rec are allowed to deviate from typical watering schedules while still committing to a 20% use reduction, while other commercial and large land owners may be using recycled water or their own wells, or have their own water rights. [Westword]

🚧 Denver Man Falls into Construction Trench

After hearing cries for help, a pedestrian discovered a man who fell to the bottom of a 15-foot construction trench in Wheat Ridge. Emergency crews were able to rescue the man, who had been standing in waist-deep muddy water for hours. [Denver7]

🏛️ Melat Kiros Carries On After Last-Minute Cancellations

After three venues declined to host a planned event with congressional candidate Melat Kiros and political streamer Hasan Piker, Kiros hosted an impromptu rally at the state capitol. Piker and candidate for U.S. Senate Julie Gonzales, who was also scheduled to appear, canceled their appearances citing security concerns — though Piker live-streamed during the event instead. Kiros has accused her opponent, Diana DeGette, of influencing the venues to “silence” her. Degette has rejected the claims. [PBS; Denverite]

• What the venues say: In an email to the Kiros campaign, a representative of Reelworks, the initial venue, claimed the cancellation was due to HVAC issues. An employee from AEG — the promoter of the Ogden Theater, the second chosen location — said in communications with Kiros’ team that, “Due to significant pressure and concern from the local community who have reached out to our leadership, we have made the decision to cancel.”