In yet another stunning move, DU is now issuing University ID cards which lack the “Pioneer Card” header that had previously been on the cards, as depicted in the above photos. Since at least 2006, DU had issued “Pioneer Cards” to all students, faculty and staff as DU’s official identity and access card. This decision effectively severs the most visual, tangible and authoritative Pioneer nickname linkage between the University and the cardholding DU community.
This move appears to be another in a coordinated series of DU-initiated steps to remove the word “Pioneer” from common campus usage. Just a few months ago, DU changed the 94-year old Pioneer Awards to Crimson and Gold Awards and a few weeks ago, DU changed the Pioneer Passage freshman orientation program to “New Student Convocation”. Each of these changes has been made despite DU Board of Trustees 2018 assurances that DU would in fact, retain the Pioneer nickname.
After LetsGoDU reached out to the University of Denver for comment on this newest erasing of the Pioneer name, Renea Morris, DU’s Vice Chancellor for Communications and Marketing initially advised us that an “unfortunate error” had removed the “Pioneer Card” heading from recently-issued identification cards. Morris stated, “We are working to fix this immediately: “Pioneer” will appear at the top of the new cards.”
However, we had more questions for Morris, so a second follow-up e-mail from Morris provided a noticeably different explanation. Rather than being merely an “unfortunate error”, this time, Morris advised us that DU had in fact “planned to have a smaller number of alternative ID cards printed, which would only say “University of Denver” on the front “in order to offer [cardholders] a choice”…”So there should have been two versions but only the alternative version was produced.” Morris blamed this on what she termed a “communications breakdown”.
“I am trying, but I’m really struggling to believe the University’s written explanations,“ said LetsGoDU Publisher Tim Thompson. “The Pioneer Card is the ONE piece of identification that all DU people on campus carry that identifies them as Pioneers. While Morris seems to be trying to blame simple administrative incompetence at DU, one can’t help but question whether this action is part of the ongoing pattern to remove the Pioneer name from use. Given the two varying explanations, combined with the Pioneer program name disappearances over the last few months and the previous proven DU administrative dishonesty around the 2017-2018 mask ban, it appears that at least some DU administrators have declared an internal war on our own nickname and identity.”
Indeed, if the latest excuse from Morris is true — that DU is in fact still planning to offer alternative DU ID cards without the Pioneer Card name in order to further divide our community— this clearly exhibits DU’s discomfort with the Pioneer nickname. In our view, it’s time for DU to own our Pioneer identity, not run from it! DU doesn’t need ‘alternative’ ID cards.
First, we’re calling on new DU Chancellor Jeremy Haefner to reverse all of these sneaky yet blatant removals of the Pioneer name by conducting an internal audit to find out immediately if there have been any other approved (or unapproved) Pioneer nickname removals so that they can also be reversed.
Second, DU should reinstate Pioneer Passage orientation and Pioneer Awards and follow the new approval policy that requires the Chancellor’s Office to rule on any proposed DU name changes that involve “Pioneer.” No rogue administrators should ever be allowed to tamper with DU’s traditions just because they may have their own anti-Pioneer agenda.
Third, DU should provide one standard Pioneer card, and eliminate alternative designs.
Sadly, at this point, the University’s credibility is on the line once again.
We will report more on this story as updates become available. Additionally, as always, we here at LetsGoDU will continue our efforts to protect our cherished identity and traditions from the ongoing seditious malfeasance coming from some of DU’s own administrators.
It appears DU Vice Chancellor Liliana Rodriquez has gone “Rogue” and is hellbent on removing all vestiges of the “Pioneer” name on campus. Without Chopper around to reign her in, she’s openly defying the Board of Trustees edict.
At most companies & institutions she’d be fired for damaging, if not destroying, the University’s Brand. At DU she’ll like get a raise & promotion.
DU is still trying to ride both sides of a very dangerous fence, or perhaps the better analogy is riding on a razor blade and hoping they don’t get sliced…
DU needs to stop the passive-aggressive dirty anti-Pioneer tricks from their own administration, and get all the way on board on the Pioneer train, make the changes that need to be made and restore our faith as alumni and fans.
This has gone on long enough.
Who is responsible for these decisions? Are they running it up the chain of command?
I believe that most of these decisions are being driven by the Division of Campus Life and Inclusive Excellence, and the leadership of that Division harbors an anti-Pioneer agenda. As for the ‘chain of command’, that is certainly less clear. The Chancellor is new, so we’re not yet sure where he stands on all of this, as he has not made any public statements on these matters. The Board of Trustees retained the nickname in 2018, so we know where they stand.
The name says it all: Division of Campus Life and Inclusive Excellence. These people are never going to stop until every mention of the word Pioneer is removed from the campus. I am sure they are waiting for all of us to die off so that the memory of Boone and Pioneer is gone forever. I doubt the Trustees have the cajones to put an end to this nonsense. As I told the University several years ago, they have gottent their last buck from me.
Actually, it’s we, the fans and alums, who won’t stop fighting. Alumni and fan interest in DU tends to far outlive those careers of college administrators. Administrators will come and and go, and we’re still be here. It’s our school for life and its our duty to fight for our traditions. Don’t stop fighting…
I sent emails to several of the Trustees. I am not sure that it does any good but I feel better.
Should anyone have doubts about what’s going on, take a look at DU’s Campus Life website:
https://www.du.edu/studentlife/ie-education/re-org.html
Note this phrase: “New branding, online presence, and updated programs and services are underway. Stay tuned for news of this ongoing administrative and online shift!”
Fellow Pioneers, this train has left the station.
Karlton Creech used Pioneer at least twice when posting about Ron Grahame’s retirement. I like the message he’s sending. Is it on purpose?
I think so. Pioneers is a huge part of the DU brand.
What would help further, would be email addresses of these clowns, further publicity to news outlets about these backhanded attempts to impose political correctness. I’m sure Westword or Denver Post would like to do a story on the start of this effort to remove the Pioneer legacy from DU’s history. I read a Wall St. Journal article the other day by a liberal columnist, imploring Democrats to stop these ridiculous identity politics, citing statistics that like 60% of Hispanic people and 80% of Native American people think that PC is a joke. Passerby head of inclusive excellence (whatever the F that means), who couldn’t give 2 craps about DU if her personal agenda is followed, won’t carry the day. But it will take awareness and vigilence like LetsgoDU is showing to stop this agenda that nobody supports. U of Chicago had the balls to put a halt to that tide, U of Missouri was ruined because it didn’t. The new Chancellor has to step up to put a stop to this, otherwise DU will lose 100% of their good will with alumni, and we’ll have a PC wasteland.
Let the new Chancellor know what you think, invitations for feedback at the bottom of the article:
https://www.du.edu/about/leadership/chancellor
-DU employee addresses are publicly available
-You can call a newsroom and ask for the assignment desk