Duke basketball's student section now has a DEI department

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Line monitors and players and coaching staff on the men’s basketball team spoke to tenters about promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in Krzyzewskiville at K-Ville's first-ever DEI town hall.

The Wednesday event was held by K-Ville’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and began with a presentation led by K-Ville Director of DEI Sonia Gazula, a senior, and line monitors Juliana Alfonso-DeSouza, a junior, and Chanté Davis, a sophomore.

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“The goal of the line monitors is to enhance the undergraduate Duke experience in Cameron and keep the spirit and traditions of Duke basketball alive. In order to do our job effectively, we are trying to keep diversity, equity and inclusion at the forefront of those things,” Davis said. “We hope to build a better K-Ville for everyone.”

The line monitors began by emphasizing that tenters should “treat others the way [they] want to be treated.” Other major points included barring the use of slurs inside Cameron Indoor Stadium and asking students to refrain from letting stereotypes make a first impression.

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The moderators focused on DEI practices followed by the basketball team and coaches.

Responding to a question on how cultural differences are perceived and addressed among players and coaches, Blakes said that sports is a “great example of inclusivity.”

“At the end of the day, there is a winner or loser in basketball, so you're doing your best to work together as a unit to successfully reach that goal,” he said.

Savarino spoke on Duke’s specific role in implementing DEI practices, stating that the number of women working within the men's basketball program is higher than that of the majority of the country.

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