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Daniel Ong

Party: Libertarian


Age: 53

Family: Single, never married; no children. One sister.

What city do you live in? Boulder

Professional background: : Electronics and engineering technician for many companies and government laboratories along the Front Range since 1980, including University of Colorado Denver Upper Division Physics Laboratory Coordinator, where I saw inside academia

Political/community experience: Previous candidate for CU regent-at-large, 2006 and 2004. Libertarian since 1976. Delegate to LP Annual Convention, 2006 and 2008. Active in CILA: CU Boulder Council for Inclusion, Leadership and Advocacy, a disabilities awareness and leadership training organization.

Education: Currently a non-traditional student at CU-Boulder in electrical engineering. Also attended CU-Denver, University of Northern Colorado (Frontiers of Science Institute), Arapahoe Community College and Boulder Vo-Tech (Electronics Technician Certificate).

Name a person you admire and explain why: Thomas Jefferson: He was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, which states the philosophical underpinnings of our government. He wrote the Virginia Declaration of Religious Freedom.


He founded the University of Virginia. He was our third president and arranged the Louisiana Purchase. He served in the Continental Congress, was governor of Virginia and our first secretary of state.

A Boulder lawmaker is considering legislation to allow universities to set their own weapons policies. Should guns be allowed on CU campuses? Yes. Declared gun-free zones stop only law-abiding citizens from having guns, leaving them unarmed to defend themselves from criminals. The only areas established as gun-free should have a secure perimeter, magnetometers for entry and sufficient uniformed, armed security to deal with criminals, such as courts and the state Capitol. The newest dormitory remodels have safes for student use, perfect for gun storage. CCW licensees have a much lower rate of criminality than the general public.

What would your top priorities be as regent? Eliminate discrimination against part-time and summer students in tuition, fees and policies. Currently they are charged almost twice as much per credit hour as some full-time fall/spring students, even though it takes the same credit hours to graduate. Part-time and summer students usually have family, employment or financial commitments or disabilities that prevent them from becoming full-time students. CU-Boulder is especially bad. The administration proposed a small step toward addressing this inequity this spring but virtually the entire Board of Regents rejected it. A majority of regents, including Stephen Ludwig and the other Democrats, have voted to support policies that would give most undocumented students lower tuition per credit hour than most part-time and summer students. Repeal the UCB Student Athletic Fee, a tax on students and a direct subsidy to the Athletic Department. This was imposed by the regents decades ago for a previous financial crisis. Once the switch to the Pac-12 is completed, CUAD will receive an additional $10 million annually, making the fee obsolete.

How would you try to keep tuition and costs reasonable for students? Seek additional cost containment, other revenue streams and efficiencies. Although CU is research a university, consideration needs to be given to faculty teaching productivity, possibly by decreasing service allocations. Legalization of marijuana would provide additional tax revenue at the state level to restore state support lost from the weak economy and other obligations, and decreasing prison costs would free up even more revenue. Repealing the UCB Student Athletic Fee would reduce student costs. Embrace technology as the traditional model of higher education is challenged. Implement proven techniques in learning efficiency. Consolidate departments, such as Ethnic Studies and Sociology.