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.
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.'”
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