Swarthmore vs. Duke

interesteddad
Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:11:41 +0000

Perhaps an appropriate way to highlight one of the differences is to look at how Swarthmore’s Athletic Director handled its own “racial slur” incident this year (the only such incident that has made the student newspaper in several years).

At a women’s basketball game in February against the historically black college, Lincoln, an assistant coach said something to the effect, “Come on girls, push the ball up the court on offense. Black players are too lazy to play defense; I know, I’ve coached 'em”.

Only two Swarthmore players heard the comment (both white players). The players met with the co-captains after the game, including an African American player, and decided to bring their concerns about the comment to the Athletic Department. Less than 24 hours later, the Athletic Director met with the assistant coach and accepted her resignation.

As I read about the incident, I thought that it highlighted a community in which both the students and the administration send a clear, unambiguous message that derogatory racial comments are unacceptable.