Thirty years since they first cracked the gender barrier in varsity sports, Duke's female athletes will have their history commemorated by a three-day celebration designed to bring further prominence to women's athletics.
This weekend's events stemmed from the efforts of Associate Athletic Director Jackie Silar, who witnessed universities like Harvard and Virginia host similar festivities on the 25th anniversaries of their original women's athletic programs.
President Nan Keohane and Athletic Director Joe Alleva, who have consistently shown their support for Duke's women's athletes by regularly attending their sporting events this season, will each speak at the weekend's main activity, a silent auction and dinner held tonight in Cameron Indoor Stadium. At the fund-raising gala, Alleva will announce the University's intention to begin a multimillion dollar campaign to further endow women's athletic scholarships.
Although the weekend will attempt to increase the current $500,000 of endowed funds for women, the primary focus will be celebratory rather than financial. Duke has invited back to campus all of its female participants in club and varsity sports since the introduction of women's basketball, fencing, gymnastics, swimming, field hockey, tennis and volleyball in 1971.
"I thought it was time that Duke celebrated its history with women's athletics," said Jackie Silar, who has been working for nearly two years to organize this weekend. "What a more fitting time than 30 years."
Duke currently has 12 women's varsity teams, nine of which provide scholarships. In 2000-01, several women's teams have had some of their most successful seasons
"I think there are many ways in which women's athletics have increased in prominence on this campus," said Keohane, who referred to Duke's third-year rowing team, which has rapidly improved since its inaugural season, as pioneers in the current stage of women's sports development. "Our investment is deep and our fan enthusiasm is both very genuine and growing."
The University's growth from its original seven women's programs, one of which was later cut, has been a gradual process that did not witness a full-time female head coach until Debbie Leonard took over the women's basketball team in 1977.
Even then, the administrative support currently enjoyed by Duke's female athletes was non-existent. During her tenure at Duke, Leonard often complained about a lack of investment, calling the administration's support of women's athletics in the 1970s and 1980s a "failure."
Silar noted that Duke has come a long way in a relatively short period of time, and much of this weekend is dedicated to emphasizing that turnaround.
"What I really want to get out of this weekend is for people to appreciate our current athletes and learn a little bit more about the past," Silar said. "[We want to recognize] some of the sacrifices that people had to make to get the programs to where they are now."
Despite significant backing for women's athletics from both Keohane and the athletic department, one group in particular has come under fire for failing
"I think it's important to validate women's sports equally with men's sports," said Robert Keohane, who will accompany selected members of the track team in leading a "Fun Run" from the president's office Sunday morning. "There is kind of a gender bias, and it's too bad to see it from people who are 20 years old. It seems inexplicable."
Close to 500 guests are expected at tonight's silent auction, which Robert Keohane and its sponsors hope will add to the prominence of women's athletics. Part of that prominence, however, obviously includes money.
Since 1998, the University has undergone steps to add 34 scholarships-nearly half of Duke's total in that year-for female athletes by 2004. That expansion has the athletic department, which already receives $7 million annually from the Iron Dukes to fund financial aid to 270 athletes, searching for ways to cover their financial bases.
"Right now we're looking to fund these scholarships," said Susan Ross, the director of development spearheading the athletic department's fund-raising campaign. "The reality is the rest of the athletic department scholarships are not endowed either. We're trying to work toward that."
Olympic gold medalist and one-time Sportswoman of the Year Bonnie Blair is scheduled as the keynote speaker at tonight's silent auction.
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