DePaul Tackles Diversity Head-On

CHICAGO – Carolyn Lewis was recently in the parking lot behind her house in one of the city's diverse neighborhoods facing a playground across the alley.

The DePaul associate athletic director heard the sirens of police cars and witnessed a man being arrested by several police officers with a bystander filming the incident.

After what happened to George Floyd in Minneapolis and to others nationwide, it's natural for people to pay closer attention to a civil disturbance or police arrest.

And with her work heading up the DePaul Athletics Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) working group, Lewis like many Americans has a better understanding of issues involving social justice, policing and racial equality.

Nationwide protesting and the Black Lives Matter movement has forced all of us to begin having conversations in earnest on difficult and uncomfortable topics. It is America awakening to what we always knew to be right and wrong.

"Absolutely, I do look at things differently lately," Lewis said. "I became aware of thinking about what events led to this person getting arrested.

"How did this man get to this moment in time, what things beyond his control influenced this event and did he experience something growing up that led to this? I asked myself what can be done to change this for the future and I think about this event often."

When the BIG EAST initiated the conference's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Working Group a couple years ago, Lewis was charged with representing DePaul by athletics director Jean Lenti Ponsetto.

Lewis said a lack of experience in that area made her hesitant in the beginning. But recalling one of her favorite sayings: "It's important to learn something new every day"---Lewis jumped in with both feet. She brought the DEI concept back to Lincoln Park, originally envisioning a small working group of coaches and staff members.

The response to Lewis' call for volunteers caught her by surprise.

"I was completely overwhelmed with emotion," she said. "I asked volunteers to send a write-up on why they wanted to be involved. Some of the stories were so passionate and heartwarming that I knew we had to include everyone."

DePaul's DEI has blossomed into a well-coordinated team of 25 coaches and staff members collaborating in three different subcommittees. Track and field coach Dave Dopek heads up the Hiring and Retention unit, basketball coach Dave Leitao chairs the subcommittee on Training and Education while Andrea Clark of Athletics Development leads the Awareness subcommittee.

"I am thankful to have such compassionate and thoughtful colleagues," Lewis said. "Everyone is working hard on their committees and I am so proud of this group.

"We have such a diverse student-athlete population that there was no question about getting involved. Silence can sometimes be a sign of complacency, and I knew we had to step up to support our students."

Training and Education Subcommittee
Dave Leitao (chair), Ben Gutman (co-chair), Kim Smith, Marie Zidek, Jill Pizzotti, Bryan Duby, Maggie Strus, Stephanie Townsend.

Leitao's subcommittee is charged with providing student-athletes a base of information on critical topics related to social justice beginning with voter registration. The Awareness Committee will handle the registration piece and his committee is developing an educational framework around that.

"It includes voting history and what voting looks like with local, state and national elections," Leitao said. "This will be spread out over the school year. We will dive into other topics as well as the year progresses."

The issue of social justice is near and dear to Leitao's heart.

"I volunteered for this because like most of us, we've been rocked to our core with continued injustices," Leitao said. "Seeing it play out front of our eyes says very loudly, you must do something. The people involved in all three of these committees feel the same way.

"This is the most critical time in my life where race and race relations have to be looked at and addressed differently than ever before. People across the country and around the world, especially young people, want something better for their lives.

"Believing in equality but not living in an equitable world can no longer be acceptable. Being a part of potential change with the people at DePaul further strengthens my belief that the mission of St. Vincent de Paul is truly imbedded in the souls of our students, faculty and staff. It makes us proud to be Blue Demons!"

Awareness Subcommittee
Andrea Clark (chair), Roger Uy (co-chair), Greg Greenwell, Erin Higgins, Lisa Ryckbosch, Lucas Shapiro, Mark Plotkin, India Steward, Candis Blankson.

Clark & Co. are focused on creating a resource for student-athletes, coaches and staff emphasizing the importance of voting along with learning the process of registering to vote. They have created the "DePaul Athletics Voting Toolkit," an easy-read resource for voter registration and Election Day information.

"I became involved with DEI because as a black woman, I am a part of an underrepresented group---especially in collegiate athletics," Clark said. "It was important for me to be able to serve as a voice for those that can identify with me, as well as expand my own understanding of diversity by learning from my peers. I think the voting project came out great. I just wish that I had a concentrated easy resource like this when I was in college voting for the first time."

Clark realizes her place at this critical moment in our nation's history, and indeed, determining what America looks like in the future.

"Although I've always looked at diversity, equity and inclusion as a priority in the work place, and especially in higher education, it is particularly important now," Clark said. "The death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement show how urgent and necessary it is to have these uncomfortable conversations so that healing and understanding can start.

"Without a focus on the issues of diversity, things will continue to worsen. Those underrepresented will continue to feel overlooked and undervalued. It was important for DePaul Athletics to get involved because our student-athletes, coaches and staff all have the right to feel valued, safe and have a voice.

"While there are many different issues that have happened and will continue happening in this country, consciously focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion even after things return to "normal" is what will move us forward to better days."

Hiring and Retention Subcommittee
Dave Dopek (chair), PaulaMarie Moore (co-chair), Doug Bruno, Thad Dohrn, Jill Hollembeak, Alicia Pope, Kate O'Brien.

These seven Blue Demons are researching national hiring statistics in college athletics, comparing them to DePaul's hiring practices and creating and implementing actionable goals to identify and attract qualified candidates from historically underrepresented populations.

It begins by diligently uncovering diverse candidate pools while ensuring that hiring committees are equally diverse. Long-term, they strive to develop a pipeline of diverse candidates through programming and education into the potential of a career in athletics.

"As a person and athlete of multi-racial heritage, I have always been cognizant of the underrepresentation of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color within the athletics world---especially with coaches and administrative positions," Dopek said. "Being assigned to the Hiring and Retention Subcommittee created an even greater value for me to be part of the DePaul working group.

"We're only in the first few months and there is obviously much left to do. What I have seen so far is passion for our mission, compassion and understanding, and at its core, realizing why this work must be done.

"I sense a genuine dedication to undertake conversations that will effect real change and not just seem performative in nature. Good work is being done, and I look forward to continuing on with this committee well into the future."

There is one thing all these selfless and diverse Blue Demons have in common in their quest. They were all painstakingly selected to enhance a unique athletic culture of winning on the field and in the classroom while also looking out for the less fortunate in our world.

They were all brought to Lincoln Park by an inspirational once-in-a-generation athletic director who embodies the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul.

"The diversity of our university, our student-athletes, coaches and athletics staff are a gift to us all that we have never taken for granted at DePaul," Ponsetto said. "It is who we are at our core---'respecting the dignity of all people.'

"It was so rewarding seeing so many colleagues rush to the opportunity of volunteering for our DEI committee and add to our life-skills programming. It was so much that DEI chair Carolyn Lewis and I chose to form three subcommittees to take advantage of the experience and expertise of our coaches and staff.

"Even more impressive has been the numbers of our student-athletes who have come forward wanting to share in this process. Adding the voices and experiences of our young women and men to our coaches and athletics staff is a true testament to our culture at DePaul and the way we live our lives in DePaul Athletics 'respecting the dignity of all people.'

"We are constantly challenging our community with St. Vincent's de Paul's question, 'what must be done?' DePaul Athletics champions the opportunity to consistently and constantly be a lifelong learner and teacher by our actions and by the messages we share."

DePaul University Athletics

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