Free Republic

The suicide of ailing UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Denice Denton – a pioneer among women scientists – was a wrenching personal tragedy. Unfortunately, however, Denton's death is now being used by another former UC executive to suggest sexism and homophobia helped fuel the bitter controversy of the past year over UC's extravagant, arguably illegal, compensation policies. Denton was one of many UC officials of both sexes to draw fire – in her case because UC spent $600,000 renovating her Santa Cruz home (including a $30,282 dog run for her pets) and hired her longtime partner, Gretchen Kalonji, to a $192,000-a-year...

The University of California has quietly created a new $192,000 management position for the longtime partner of the incoming chancellor at the University of California at Santa Cruz. According to UC President Robert Dynes, Kalonji's hiring was part of the recruitment package offered to her partner of seven years, Denice Dee Denton, ... as the new chancellor of UC-Santa Cruz. Denton will start in February and will receive a salary of $275,000 and a moving allowance of $68,750. Gretchen Kalonji .. will also receive a tenured professorial appointment at one of the UC campuses -- possibly UC-Santa Cruz. In addition...