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Building Institutional Knowledge to Transform the Culture of the University of Denver
OUR RESEARCH
1864 - Present
Cover Photo Credit: Grace G.
TRIGGER WARNING
The information shared on this page explores sensitive and potentially triggering topics. Please proceed with care.
OUR RESEARCH
A timeline from 1864 - Present
The record of injustice is extensive and beyond the few instances shared here.
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THE SAND CREEK MASSACRE
1864
Photo Credit: Brent Learned, Cheyenne and Arapaho descendant
The Sand Creek Massacre occurred on November 29th, 1864, when U.S. volunteer soldiers under the command of Colonel John M. Chivington attacked a peaceful village of 750 Arapaho and Cheyenne individuals along Sand Creek in present-day Kiowa County, Colorado.
Women, children, and the elderly accounted for most of the 230 deaths of the Arapaho and Cheyenne individuals killed in the Sand Creek Massacre.
The John Evans Committee, charged with investigating the role of the University of Denver's founder, John Evans, in the attack, found Evans to be culpable:
"We conclude that John Evans’s pattern of neglect of his treaty-negotiating duties, his leadership failures, and his reckless decisionmaking in 1864 combine to clearly demonstrate a significant level of culpability for the Sand Creek Massacre. While not of the same character, Evans’s culpability is comparable in degree to that of Colonel John Chivington, the military commander who personally planned and carried out the massacre. Evans’s actions and influence, more than those of any other political official in Colorado Territory, created the conditions in which the massacre was highly likely. Evans abrogated his duties as superintendent, fanned the flames of war when he could have dampened them, cultivated an unusually interdependent relationship with the military, and rejected clear opportunities to engage in peaceful negotiations with the Native peoples under his jurisdiction. Furthermore, he successfully lobbied the War Department for the deployment of a federalized regiment, consisting largely of undertrained, undisciplined volunteer soldiers who executed the worst of the atrocities during the massacre."
BOOK BOUND IN AN INDIGENOUS PERSON'S SKIN
1893 - 1974
Photo Credit: Unknown
For eighty years, the Iliff School of Theology publicly displayed a book of Christian history bound in the flayed skin of a murdered Native American man.
In 1974, student activism brought about the proper burial of the remains witnessed by a representative of the American Indian Movement, but not without resistance and controversy.
According to Iliff President Dr. Thomas Wolfe, those present for the removal of the skin from the book were "sworn to secrecy and [were] required to sign non-disclosure agreements."
The book, without its binding, is housed in the Iliff library to this day.
Dr. Tink Tinker (Wazhazhe / Osage Nation) records the history of the book in an article entitled "Redskin, Tanned Hide: A Book of Christian History Bound in the Flayed Skin of an American Indian: The Colonial Romance, christian Denial and the Cleansing of a christian School of Theology."
"We live in constant awareness of the history of consistent and persistent euro-christian violence associated with the conquest of Native lands and peoples, a history that is largely forgotten among our euro-christian relatives, hidden away in the unconscious fog of denial and myth-making. The history of this Indian skin-clad book is one that has been nearly swept away from the consciousness of contemporary students and faculty at Iliff, a memory comfortably erased. Yet, the remains of the book, without its binding, are still housed in the Iliff library—with its stale odor of religious pornography" (Tinker 3).
To read Dr. Tinker's article, please click on the button below.
DENVER BOONE
1968 - PRESENT
Photo Credit: Unknown
From 1968 to 1998, the official mascot of the University of Denver was "Denver Boone", inspired by historical figure Daniel Boone. The mascot became a topic of great controversy, seen by many as an insult to those with marginalized identities, particularly those of Native descent.
In a letter to the community, then Chancellor, Robert Coombe wrote: "Boone was a polarizing figure that did not reflect the growing diversity of the DU community, but rather was an image that many women, persons of color, international students and faculty members found difficult to relate to as defining the pioneering spirit."
In 1998, after DU entered the NCAA Division I in all sports, Boone was retired as the official mascot of the University of Denver.
This action received pushback from some sports members and alumni who advocated fiercely for Boone's return. In 2008, Chancellor Robert Coombe announced that students and alumni could continue to use Boone's image.
In 2013, a petition to reestablish Boone as DU's official mascot received 1,131 signatures. Later that same year, Chancellor Coombe announced that Boone would not return as DU's mascot. The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) voted 15-6 to ban the use of school funding for anything related to Boone.
Boone continues to make appearances on campus as the unsanctioned school mascot, buoyed by a few alumni and students.
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STURM LAW SCHOOL INCOME INEQUALITY
2013
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Lucy Marsh, a DU professor, filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) with allegations of income inequality among the professors employed by Sturm Law School.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission discovered that among the law professors, women were paid an average of nearly $20,000 less than the men.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) concluded that DU was aware of the wage gap, but did nothing to rectify the inequality.
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ARAMARK CORPORATIONS AND SODEXO
2014, 2017
Photo Credit: Aramark Corporations Logo
In 2014, Aramark Corporations, a partner of DU, received allegations of the mistreatment of workers who claimed to be experiencing intimidation, denial of sick leave, and harsh working conditions.
Claims of the mistreatment came from the workers themselves.
In response, the Latino Student Alliance (LSA) created a petition to demand that DU begin a "full, comprehensive investigation" of Aramark Corporations. The petition received over one thousand signatures and an investigation by DU ensued. At this time, we are unaware of the investigation's results as information about its findings could not be found.
Similarly, in 2017, law students of the University of Denver created a petition to demand that DU reconsider their relationship with Sodexo after workers' rights violations came to light. Workers reported instances of low wages, poor working conditions, and harassment of unionization.
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DEFACEMENT OF FREE SPEECH WALL
2016
Photo Credit: Unknown
During the 2016 elections, students wrote on the Free Speech Wall to express support for movements like #blacklivesmatter and call attention to racial discrimination at a national level.
These sentiments were defaced and pasted over with lyrics from a song called "Guilty of Being White" by Minor Threat.
The lyrics read: "I'm sorry for something I didn't do. Lynched somebody but I don't know who. Guilty of being white. Guilty of being right."
In response, the Black Graduate Student Alliance and Shades of Brown Alliance wrote the following:
"Our current political climate has given some measure of legitimacy to these groups. We keep looking for white hoods and burning crosses instead of recognizing the dressed up, “intellectual” form of white nationalism that painted its message, in the form of lyrics from an early 1980s punk song, on our campus this week. It is no less threatening and we have to recognize this message and these people for what they are. We cannot legitimize these individuals and their ideas by allowing them to spread this filth on our campus and in our classrooms."
Later, Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and Graduate Student Government (GSG) released new guidelines for the use of "The Wall" and installed a camera to monitor activity around the area. By 2017, "The Wall" was officially renamed "DU Driscoll Wall" and updated regulations from Campus Life and Inclusive Excellence (CLIE) were included for the academic year.
Driscoll Wall was eventually demolished and is no longer available on campus.
MY CULTURE IS NOT YOUR COSTUME
2017
Photo Credit: University of Denver - My Culture is not Your Costume Campaign
The “My Culture is Not Your Costume” campaign was created to bring awareness to the harmful effects of cultural appropriation.
In response, people mocked the flyers and posted hateful, racist comments about them on a social media platform called Yik Yak.
Comments Read:
"I'm dressing up as a terrorist for Halloween, can I borrow someone's hijab?"
"Why can't we dress up as Mexican? 94% of them are illegal anyways... "
In 2015, Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and Delta Delta Delta Sorority hosted a party themed "Cowboys and Indians." Some attendees of non-native descent were dressed in "phony headdresses, face paint, loincloths and all manner of stereotypical viciousness."
In response to the harm caused by the event on DU's Native community, DU's Native Student Alliance hosted an event to address the implications of the party and provide a space for dialogue and education. The aforementioned fraternity and sorority attended and agreed to read their apologies. The event was seen as the first step in facilitating important conversations while highlighting DU's disconnect and disregard for their Native community members.
To watch a video from the event, click here.
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SWASTIKA AND KKK SYMBOLS ETCHED INTO CARS
2017
Photo Credit: Unknown
Four cars were vandalized with swastika and KKK symbols on the same day in May 2017.
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THE EMAIL
2018
No photo.
On October 23, 2018, an anonymous person emailed a letter to various people in the DU community.
The email made personal attacks on a DU employee and repulsive remarks aimed at specific marginalized communities.
The email came in support of a recently suspended student who violated the Equal Opportunity policy of harassment.
That same year, a white nationalist global poster campaign began encouraging supporters to hang flyers that read: "It's okay to be white." Several of these flyers appeared about DU's campus.
Additionally, in 2018, Morgridge College of Education created a Facebook post to highlight a trip to South Africa. The post paired a caption that read "monkeys everywhere" with a photo collage consisting primarily of Black students and educators. Morgridge College of Education quickly deleted the post and issued an apology.
INVOLVEMENT FAIR "INCIDENT" INVOLVING NATIVE STUDENT ALLIANCE AND TURNING POINT USA
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In the fall of 2021, during the Involvement Fair, the Native Student Alliance reported being “verbally harassed” by Turning Point USA, a student organization at the University of Denver. The following is a statement from the Native Student Alliance posted to their Instagram.
“On Friday, September 10, 2021, at approximately 6:45 PM, three Native Student Alliance (NSA) relatives were verbally harassed by other University of Denver (DU) students associated with Turning Point USA (TPUSA) during the Involvement Fair. As the harassment ensued, other Students of Color and allies created a human wall between NSA’s and TPUSA’s information table. Their quick and selfless actions kept our NSA relatives safe from further verbal assault. This hateful incident demonstrates how Native Students are not safe on DU’s campus. Since September 10, 2021, the NSA community, including our faculty advisor, has not received any direct contact with anyone from the University’s upper administration. This silence also demonstrates the DU administration’s complicity with hate speech and hostile campus environments. Native students are not alone in this, and many other Black and Students of Color are not and do not feel safe on DU’s campus. The NSA community would like to acknowledge and thank the Black students, Students of Color, and Allies for protecting and supporting our community. We would also like to ask for witnesses to assist with filing an equal opportunity incident report for racial harassment through the Office of Equal Opportunity.”
The official University of Denver Instagram account commented on the post, writing, “We are saddened and concerned by the contentious incident two weeks ago at the Student Involvement Fair, as it has been reported by two campus organizations. At that time, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX immediately reached out to begin a formal inquiry, which is still underway. If you have any information about this incident, please contact the Office of Equal Opportunity & Title IX through the University’s online reporting form at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?UnivofDenver&layout_id=110.
We expect every student and campus organization to uphold the values of integrity, respect and responsibility, as outlined in our university Honor Code.”
In 2022, a letter to Chancellor Haefner from the University of Denver’s Native American/Indigenous Leadership Council Ad Hoc Committee reported that an official response from the DU administration had not been issued regarding the Involvement Fair “incident.”
VANDALISM OF NATIVE STUDENT ALLIANCE'S TIPI
Photo Credit: Native Student Alliance
On April 15th, 2022, a tipi belonging to DU’s Native Student Alliance was vandalized by unknown individuals after DU Facilities Management and Planning had failed to secure the tipi in a safe place overnight.
On April 20th, 2022, the Office of the Chancellor released a statement declaring that the vandalism “violates our values and undermines our commitment to creating a welcoming and belonging environment. I condemn this act in the strongest possible terms.”
On April 27th, 2022, the Native American/Indigenous Leadership Council Ad Hoc Committee (NAILC) wrote a statement to the Chancellor “regarding the recent assault against the Native Student Alliance (NSA).” The letter concludes with a list of action items for the DU administration.
On April 29th, 2022, a Public Forum to discuss the vandalism of the tipi and the Chancellor's announcement was hosted by the Native Student Alliance.
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