SILVERTHORNE — Some black student athletes on the University of Colorado's Boulder campus call the Dal Ward Athletic Center "The Plantation" because their performance on the football field and on the basketball court helps pay for white athletes to play other sports, like golf and tennis.
Chancellor Phil DiStefano shared that story with CU's Board of Regents on Wednesday during a broad, big-picture discussion about diversity and inclusion.
The board is meeting at CU President Bruce Benson's ranch north of Silverthorne for a two-day retreat that is open to the public.
DiStefano said he heard that comment from a staff member in CU's athletic department during the spring semester.
After learning through a campus climate survey that some African-American students said they didn't feel valued and supported on the Boulder campus, the chancellor began meeting regularly with students and staff to try to better understand the problem.
"(The staff member) said that even though the black football players and men's basketball players are getting a free education and a free ride, everything they do pays for the young white female playing tennis or on the golf team or track and field," DiStefano said. "He said they talk about being part of 'The Plantation,' that their sweat and tears are really for other people, not for them."
As DiStefano shared the story, many CU regents and staffers appeared surprised and distressed.
He said he hasn't been able to stop thinking about that story since he heard it.
"It's one of the reasons our black athletes don't come back to campus," DiStefano said. "Whether we agree, disagree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, it's how they feel. To me, in all my years, it's the first time I'd heard that. And it just sticks with me, and I'm thinking, 'We gotta change something.'"
The conversation quickly shifted to whether white football and basketball players felt the same way, since they play sports that are major revenue drivers for athletic departments across the country. One CU official asked about Title IX, which requires colleges to give men and women equal opportunities to play sports.
DiStefano's story came during a lengthy discussion facilitated by Brenda Allen, vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion on the Denver campus.
Among other things, the board talked about how unconscious bias affects nearly every decision people make. Allen talked with the board about research into how people tend to lump others together into broad categories such as race, ethnicity, gender and even height.
Allen pointed out that unconscious bias takes many subtle forms, such as responding to one person's emails more quickly than another's, and making eye contact with certain individuals but not others during meetings.
"As an institution, we value diversity and inclusion," Allen said, "We strive for respectable workplaces. We want to respond to the things that are going on in the world. Why does (unconscious bias) matter?"
Regents, chancellors and other CU staffers shouted out answers, saying that bias perpetuates inequities and could mean that CU is leaving brilliant people behind.
Allen emphasized the importance of slowing down and taking time to make important decisions, including during job interviews. She said it's also important to be aware of one's own unconscious biases.
http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-news/...cus-black-athletes-say-theyre-part-plantation
Very interesting topic. I wonder if any of our athletes feel the same way?
Chancellor Phil DiStefano shared that story with CU's Board of Regents on Wednesday during a broad, big-picture discussion about diversity and inclusion.
The board is meeting at CU President Bruce Benson's ranch north of Silverthorne for a two-day retreat that is open to the public.
DiStefano said he heard that comment from a staff member in CU's athletic department during the spring semester.
After learning through a campus climate survey that some African-American students said they didn't feel valued and supported on the Boulder campus, the chancellor began meeting regularly with students and staff to try to better understand the problem.
"(The staff member) said that even though the black football players and men's basketball players are getting a free education and a free ride, everything they do pays for the young white female playing tennis or on the golf team or track and field," DiStefano said. "He said they talk about being part of 'The Plantation,' that their sweat and tears are really for other people, not for them."
As DiStefano shared the story, many CU regents and staffers appeared surprised and distressed.
He said he hasn't been able to stop thinking about that story since he heard it.
"It's one of the reasons our black athletes don't come back to campus," DiStefano said. "Whether we agree, disagree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, it's how they feel. To me, in all my years, it's the first time I'd heard that. And it just sticks with me, and I'm thinking, 'We gotta change something.'"
The conversation quickly shifted to whether white football and basketball players felt the same way, since they play sports that are major revenue drivers for athletic departments across the country. One CU official asked about Title IX, which requires colleges to give men and women equal opportunities to play sports.
DiStefano's story came during a lengthy discussion facilitated by Brenda Allen, vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion on the Denver campus.
Among other things, the board talked about how unconscious bias affects nearly every decision people make. Allen talked with the board about research into how people tend to lump others together into broad categories such as race, ethnicity, gender and even height.
Allen pointed out that unconscious bias takes many subtle forms, such as responding to one person's emails more quickly than another's, and making eye contact with certain individuals but not others during meetings.
"As an institution, we value diversity and inclusion," Allen said, "We strive for respectable workplaces. We want to respond to the things that are going on in the world. Why does (unconscious bias) matter?"
Regents, chancellors and other CU staffers shouted out answers, saying that bias perpetuates inequities and could mean that CU is leaving brilliant people behind.
Allen emphasized the importance of slowing down and taking time to make important decisions, including during job interviews. She said it's also important to be aware of one's own unconscious biases.
http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-news/...cus-black-athletes-say-theyre-part-plantation
Very interesting topic. I wonder if any of our athletes feel the same way?
