Chancellor Coombe Cracks Down On Cheering

Due to the ebullient atmosphere at Magness Arena on Friday night, many Colorado College hockey players and fans reported feeling "Marginalized" by excessive cheering of the DU fanbase. These charges are putting a real cramp on the chancellor's plans to rebrand the school, "The University of Diversity™."

Chancellor Coombe immediately sent out a stern letter to University of Denver students on Sunday morning.

Sent Sunday, November 2, 2008 9:10 am

Dear Students,

Last Friday evening a number of students, hockey fans and alumni began cheering for the University of Denver hockey team in a vociferious manner. This cheering was designed to help DU to win a hugely important game against the #1 rated Colorado College ice hockey team. In the past Magness Arena crowds have been generally ambivalent, but in recent weeks there has been considerable underground activity in crowd support and enthusiasm. This ultimately led to chanting throughout the game and wild celebrations after DU scored goals on Friday night.

I subsequently asked Vice Chancellor Peg Bradley Doppes to chair a committee that would consider this matter and find ways to return Magness to its formerly sedate condition. As the committee was formed, its charge was expanded to cover more generally the history and traditions of the University with the objective of developing LESS awareness and pride among the University community.

The committee's initial efforts indicated a groundswell of support for the hockey team. Over time, though, the responses became more polarized, a growing number of students and fans suggesting that "CC Sucks" and "CC hasn't won a National Championship in ice hockey since 1957." This cheering against Colorado College is simply not reflective of either the DU or America of today, still less of the future. From this perspective, cheering against CC and making fun of the referees does not reflect the broad diversity of the DU community and is not an image that many of today's referees, Colorado Springs residents, CC students and faculty, and others can easily relate to as defining the "DU spirit." Certainly, this runs counter to our commitment to build a diverse and inclusive campus community as a fundamental element of excellence. While there was some discussion among the committee members of the possibility of playing games at Magness Arena without any fans in the building this generated little enthusiasm.

Opinion on campus concerning this matter is now quite polarized, and a resolution is needed. We need to move on. Consequently, I have decided drop Division I ice hockey at DU, as the University simply cannot adopt cheering that has a divisive rather than unifying influence on our community. That being said, cheering for our hockey team, throwing chickens on the ice and dropping "CC Sucks" banners from the rafters is a part of our history, one that is treasured by many alumni and friends as a symbol of the University they knew three and four decades ago, and we are certainly an institution that honors its past. Hence it seems reasonable that students and alumni be allowed to watch DVD's of DU's past seven National Championships as a celebration of that past, to the extent that they may choose.

I'd suggest that what we do need is a community-wide discussion of what sports DU should play against Colorado College that don't involve cheering such as golf, chess and figure skating. I've asked that the history and traditions committee and our student and alumni organizations take up this question with a view to building community and clarifying our identity.

Robert Coombe, Chancellor