Five years after a Deadspin investigation prompted Brandeis University to fireside its males’s basketball coach following allegations of blatant racism, the school finds itself as soon as once more dealing with allegations of racism, and unequal remedy, this time in its women’s basketball program.
Deadspin has discovered that, following an Administrative Formal Complaint (the Complaint) from the school’s Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) and an investigation by the University, women’s basketball coach Carol Simon was discovered to have violated Brandeis’ Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Violence, and one other school code. According to a letter the University despatched to the complaining witness (the witness) on May 17, 2023, the University decided that Simon used “the n-word in full while telling a story involving two Black men,” and that Simon “used her interpretation of what these two Black men sounded like while gesticulating.” Brandeis didn’t state what disciplinary motion, if any, was taken towards Simon within the letter, citing privateness issues.
Allegations of racist habits by a long-time coach
As said within the Complaint and recounted to Deadspin by the witness: During a June 1, 2022 dialog between Simon, the witness, and an assistant coach in Simon’s workplace, Simon allegedly described an incident she had noticed between two Black males, and used offensive gestures and racial stereotypes in telling what the lads stated to one another, together with utilizing the n-word. When confronted about her habits by the witness on June 6, Simon reportedly defended herself by saying she was “just telling a story,” and repeatedly stated “I hear you” in response to the criticism of her habits, however didn’t apologize.
According to the witness, it was not the one time Simon has used racist language, and stereotypes in regards to the Black neighborhood. According to allegations within the Complaint, Simon “used offensive ‘racist tropes’ to describe Black athletes, including that they were ‘uncoachable’ and ‘too dumb to learn the plays’” when talking with colleagues within the Athletic Department in the course of the 2019-2020 basketball season. The witness informed Deadspin that they by no means heard Simon speak about a white participant in such a derogatory method.
Further, the Complaint alleges, and the witness confirmed to Deadspin, that Simon spoke negatively about Black colleagues, together with males’s head basketball coach Jean Bain, and used racist tropes, “such as ‘loud,’ ‘obnoxious,’ and ‘angry’” when describing a Black feminine coach at one other school.
Simon has been the top women’s basketball coach at Brandeis for the reason that 1987-88 season. According to Brandeis’ web site, Simon is “one of the most respected Division III coaches in New England. She has earned University Athletic Association Coaching Staff of the Year honors in 1991-92 and 2004-05 and in 2010 was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.”
Those aren’t the one allegations towards Simon within the Complaint, which additionally claims that Simon has belittled, and mocked Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives put in place by the Athletic Department, complaining about her function in DEI schooling by asking “When do I get to just coach? This is not what I signed up to do.” The witness additionally claims that Simon was cavalier about her immunity from disciplinary motion, saying “They’ll never get rid of me, I have too many pictures. That’s why I keep my upper right drawer locked.”
Despite Brandeis’ repute as a bastion of liberal tolerance, the witness informed Deadspin that 75 p.c of the Black gamers on the crew stop inside one 12 months. “Being Black at Brandeis is hard enough,” the witness stated. “Being a Black woman athlete is really tough.” The Complaint additionally alleges that Simon complained that Black gamers concerned in actions just like the Black Student Association, Black Lives Matter, and different social justice initiatives had been “too involved in other things,” however didn’t say the identical about white gamers’ non-basketball actions. The witness reported to Deadspin that Simon had a lot better relationships with white gamers.
Racism as an ongoing subject in Brandeis Athletics
The witness stated they had been shocked that Simon’s habits was allowed to proceed on the University after the firing of males’s head basketball coach Brian Meehan in 2018. Since that point, the University has created an Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) and employed Lauren Haynie as Director of Athletics. But the witness stated the OEO has no decision-making or disciplinary energy, and that Haynie has been handicapped by the college in not being allowed to usher in her personal employees.
But the issues in Brandeis’ Athletics division run deeper nonetheless. Lynn Dempsey, who was demoted from Director of Athletics following the Meehan scandal, stays with the Department within the function of Associate Director of Athletics, and Haynie’s right-hand girl. Dempsey performed basketball at Brandeis for Simon within the Nineties and nonetheless calls Simon “coach,” although Dempsey is technically her superior inside the Athletics Department. Any scholar who needed to complain about Simon’s habits would doubtless have needed to undergo Dempsey, first.
Deadspin reported in 2018 that Dempsey’s demotion from AD got here on account of her inaction after six gamers took complaints of racism, nepotism, and participant mistreatment about Meehan, spanning three seasons, to the University. Deadspin additionally reported “Dempsey and Meehan declined to meet with a player in 2015 to discuss what he felt was unfair and discriminatory treatment. Dempsey was also present for (a) 2017 Senior Day incident in which Meehan cussed a senior player out in front of his parents for asking to take free throws that Meehan instead had his son take.” On one other event, Meehan allegedly informed a Black participant, “I’ll ship you back to Africa,” and claimed he didn’t wish to sit subsequent to a Black athlete for worry of catching Ebola. Despite being demoted, ostensibly for permitting Meehan’s habits to go unchecked, Dempsey stays a part of Brandeis Athletics.
The witness informed Deadspin that, as soon as the investigation into Simon’s habits started, she refused to fulfill with any college students to debate the upcoming season, and informed gamers to not communicate to the one that made the grievance, prompting some gamers to complain about “toxicity” in this system. According to the witness, Simon needed to be ordered to carry pre-season conferences along with her gamers by the Athletic Department. And within the fall of 2022, Simon “reorganized the division of work amongst the women’s basketball coaching staff so that recruiting responsibilities were reassigned” from the witness to an assistant women’s coach.
Despite the quite a few allegations towards Simon within the Complaint, the school solely discovered that she violated University policy with regard to the June 22 incident, stating within the letter “The Decision Makers found insufficient evidence to prove all other allegations by a preponderance of the evidence.” Deadspin has reached out to Simon, Dempsey, Haynie, and the University for remark. Brandeis offered the next assertion:
“It is university policy not to comment on specific personnel issues. Brandeis takes all complaints of discrimination extremely seriously. In recent years, the university has taken a number of steps designed to enhance our ability to address issues of discrimination. This includes establishing the Office of Equal Opportunity in 2019, implementing new training sessions for students, faculty and staff, and increasing reporting, and resolution options. For formal complaints, there is a thorough process overseen by the Office of Equal Opportunity that includes a professional investigation, a determination by a panel, and sanctions when appropriate.”
At the time of publication, not one of the people concerned responded to our request for remark.
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