As if everyone already doesn’t know, there has been a lot of disturbing news lately. Not just nationally with COVID-19 and the racist murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and most recently, George Floyd, but in our own backyard as well. A photograph showed a prospective DU student, who was slated to enroll this fall, wearing blackface with a racist caption (his admission was later rightly revoked by DU), and a 40-year-old DU yearbook photo resurfaced showing a DU residence hall floor dressed in white robes surrounding a black student. In response, current DU students have initiated a petition and are demanding special accommodations for students of color during this time. Continue reading DU’s own response to racism juxtaposed with national reaction and reflection
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The Athletic: Jim Montgomery Facing His Demons Head-On
Former DU and Dallas Stars head coach Jim Montgomery had a recent interview with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic ($). While Montgomery did not reveal the specific event(s) that led to his firing by the Dallas Stars, he opened up about his addiction to alcohol and his understanding and acceptance of his dismissal. Continue reading The Athletic: Jim Montgomery Facing His Demons Head-On
Summit League Denies Augustana’s Application for Division I Membership
Dave Brown of Midco Sports Network tweeted this afternoon the contents of email communication from the Augustana administration to their constituents. The letter acknowledged that Augustana University’s application had been rejected by the Summit League presidents, thwarting their plan to move from Division II to Division I NCAA competition. The decision was swift following a ‘virtual tour’ of the Augustana campus by member University presidents over the weekend.
Continue reading Summit League Denies Augustana’s Application for Division I Membership
Examining the changes on the collegiate sports horizon
Last week set off a chain-reaction of schools dropping athletic teams as the result of COVID-19 and other cost factors. Augustana had a ‘virtual’ campus tour with Summit League Presidents this past weekend. Expect a decision on the Vikings application for admission within several weeks. Add to all this, Summit League commissioner Tom Douple said last week that he expects some members to drop sports as well as several members to add teams. Continue reading Examining the changes on the collegiate sports horizon
#1DAY4DU Set for May 20th
While the University of Denver continues to address the issues and costs of the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual #1DAY4DU campaign continues this year with a new twist. Rather than donations being directed to a variety of departments and clubs, donors are encouraged to contribute to the new Student Commons (i.e. student union).
In our view, no single gift to DU at this time would be more important than supporting this new campus asset. With many students, staff and friends of the university in quarantine, nothing offers the DU community more promise than a gathering place which brings people together again in the heart of the DU campus.
While DU is addressing the unfortunate costs of the pandemic, we can play a small role in helping DU get back on its feet.
Take a few moments to give.
Click HERE to give.
Could a Rocky Mountain Campus be in DU’s future?
Now is a suitable time to drill down on a community announcement by Chancellor Jeremy Haefner during his COVID-19 briefing on April 29th. Chancellor Haefner stated that DU’s planning efforts, led by his appointed team, will include, “an exploration into ‘property acquisition, mergers, and acquisitions’ of other universities and/or businesses.”
What does that mean? And who better than LetsGoDU to speculate about what an acquisition might look like and who/what it might be? Continue reading Could a Rocky Mountain Campus be in DU’s future?
Chancellor Haefner Comments on DU Athletics and Recent Pioneer Nickname Events
Jason Evans, a DU alumnus and former CNN journalist who now lives in Denver, has recently started a new blog called “inthebluecrewdu” which addresses news topics and stories in the wider University of Denver community. He recently scored a 30-minute interview with DU Chancellor Jeremy Haefner. Among the topics covered were specific questions regarding both DU Athletics in the pandemic era, as well as questions about the recent IRISE controversy with the Pioneer nickname. With Jason’s permission, we’ve clipped Haefner’s answers to these key questions below. If you’d like to read the entire interview, you can read it on Jason’s blog, here. Continue reading Chancellor Haefner Comments on DU Athletics and Recent Pioneer Nickname Events
50 Years Ago: DU Thrust into the National Spotlight with Woodstock West
On May 4, 1970, 1,500 DU students gathered on the University of Denver campus to publicly mourn four students at Kent State University in Ohio who were shot and killed by national guardsmen. The protest also centered on President Richard Nixon’s foray into Cambodia which risked an extension of the Vietnam War.
This was a surprising development because DU was not known as a politically active hotbed. The protest on campus made national news and thrust the University of Denver into the national spotlight. Continue reading 50 Years Ago: DU Thrust into the National Spotlight with Woodstock West
DU Encourages Students to Target Boone, Pioneer Nickname
Illustration: DU’s IRISE Institute used this poster to promote undergraduate sessions. Note the Denver Boone image filled with arrows and a sign stating, “Decolonization Territory – No Pioneers Allowed”.
A University of Denver institute is teaching DU students to protest against what the institute calls DU’s “historical and present-day oppressive toxic campus environment(s)”, and using Denver Boone and the word “Pioneers” as explicit targets of the online sessions as they “demand institutional change”. Continue reading DU Encourages Students to Target Boone, Pioneer Nickname
University of Denver Seeking Additional Necessary COVID-19 Assistance
In an email communique to the University of Denver community, Chancellor Jeremy Haefner shared Denver’s efforts to work with government officials “however long it takes to recover from the effects of COVID-19.” Prior to the April 20th announcement,$4.6 million of the $12.5 billion pool of funds related to Section 18004(a)(1) of the CARES Act had been allocated to DU. At least half of that will be awarded for emergency financial aid grants to students. Continue reading University of Denver Seeking Additional Necessary COVID-19 Assistance