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Six months after a racist video of sophomore Charlotte de Vries resurfaced, some current and former Syracuse athletes remain disappointed with the university’s explanation for accepting the field hockey player.

When de Vries was a junior at Conestoga (Pennsylvania) High School, she and a friend repeatedly said the N-word on Instagram Live. She publicly apologized and lost her field hockey scholarship to North Carolina, one of the country’s top programs. SU accepted her a year later. For de Vries, it was a second chance.

The racist video began circulating on campus in February during #NotAgainSU’s sit-in at Crouse-Hinds Hall. The movement, led by Black students, occupied university buildings in November and February to protest Syracuse University’s handling of racist incidents on campus.

After the video resurfaced, SU’s African Student Union called the university “innately racist” and demanded “immediate disciplinary action.” No such reprimand came. Syracuse maintains its support for de Vries as a college athlete heading into her sophomore season, stating that she has “demonstrated deep and genuine remorse” for the racist video. de Vries has undergone educational training on diversity and cultural sensitivity since 2018. 

Sarah Scalese, senior associate vice president for university communications, said in a statement that SU can’t comment on the specifics of de Vries’ training program, citing federal privacy laws.

But Gabrielle Cooper, a former four-year starter on the women’s basketball team who graduated last spring, said SU and its athletics department “disrespected” her by knowingly admitting de Vries.

“A lot of things deserve a second chance,” Cooper said. “People should get another shot on a lot of things. That’s not one of them.”

Growing up, Cooper felt she didn’t have the privilege of second chances. Her house in Chicago was where kids in the neighborhood often gathered to play pickup basketball. One day, too many of her friends showed up at the house, and the group decided to move to a nearby park. Cooper took her bike to go pick up snacks for everyone from a store on the other end of the street.

When she met up with her friends by the court, Cooper saw them face down in the grass as police officers pointed guns at them. She was 11 years old.

SU didn’t think about the experiences of people like her when admitting de Vries, Cooper said. She doesn’t care that de Vries was in high school when she made the video because de Vries was old enough to know better, Cooper said. 

“I don’t care about none of that,” Cooper said. “You want to know why I feel that way? Because as a Black kid, I didn’t have that privilege of making that type of mistake. I make a mistake like that, it could’ve been my life.” 

Madison Falzon, a former Syracuse rower who is Black, said she was “disappointed but not surprised” by the de Vries video. SU isn’t setting the right precedent by accepting students like de Vries given the recent campus climate, she said.

Head coach Ange Bradley, de Vries and other field hockey players did not make themselves available for interviews, despite several requests. de Vries submitted a 484-word letter to The Daily Orange in which she apologized for her actions and said that Black lives matter. 

Bradley also submitted a statement to The D.O. expressing her gratitude toward SU for admitting de Vries. Both statements mark the first time Bradley and de Vries have publicly addressed the incident since the field hockey player arrived at SU in fall 2019. 

de Vries’ statement did not provide details on her diversity training, nor did she answer a follow-up email about it.

“I am aware that I can say ‘I am sorry’ a million times over, but understand that there will be people that cannot accept my apology,” de Vries wrote. 

“I cannot change that. The only thing I can change are my actions. If people can find it in their hearts to see my actions now, two and a half years later, as a more mature, more educated member of our community, then they would see the truth that I am not running or hiding.”

Charlotte de Vries Letter by The Daily Orange on Scribd

• • •

Syracuse’s announcement of de Vries’ acceptance in March 2019 came amid backlash against the university after three students of color were assaulted along Ackerman Avenue. The Department of Public Safety’s handling of the incident, which involved the use of a racist slur, led to condemnation from Student Association and a tense forum with the campus police chief.

The spring before, SU expelled the Theta Tau engineering fraternity after members created a video Chancellor Kent Syverud called, “racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist, and hostile to people with disabilities.” The video sparked campus protests and prompted SU to conduct a review of Greek life.

And years earlier, in the fall of 2014, Syracuse suspended Hanna Strong, then a women’s soccer player, for using racist and homophobic slurs in a video posted to Instagram.

Then-Director of Athletics Daryl Gross said, “This type of intolerant and hurtful language, focused on both race and sexual orientation, is not part of the culture we seek to foster among our student-athletes and it has no place at Syracuse University.” 

SU’s continued support for de Vries comes as universities across the country rename buildings, take down statues and reprimand students and staff as part of a national reckoning on race following the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.

The University of Utah indefinitely suspended defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley for a racist text message he sent seven years ago. Oregon State immediately dismissed tight end Rocco Carley from the team after a recording surfaced of him making racist remarks while in high school, despite Carley saying that the video was filmed three years ago and doesn’t represent him. 

During a June 11 press conference where SU Director of Athletics John Wildhack condemned police brutality and systemic racism, he said the university has “very specific expectations” for students and staff when it comes to racism. When asked about how the de Vries incident factored into these expectations, Wildhack said de Vries showed immediate remorse.

But one current SU athlete, who is white, said he wished the administration had been more open about de Vries with its athletes and student body. The athlete, who asked to remain anonymous due to his current association with Syracuse, said the administration’s response to students protesting systemic injustices has been harsh, considering how SU handled de Vries’ actions. 

“There’s a clear contrast, somehow,” the athlete said. “You’re essentially proving their point that marginalized groups don’t have the power in these situations. It seems like the administration continues to play into these systems people are fighting against.”

Falzon, the former SU rower, also stressed the need for transparency in a situation like that of de Vries. She had never heard of de Vries, or the video, until Feb. 18 when she saw it on Instagram through a group message. 

“Because it’s more than just, ‘Oh she had an oopsie,’” Falzon said. “It actually changes how people feel on campus and the safety of some athletes. Just seeing that makes people feel unwelcome and somewhat threatened.”

Cooper feels like SU sacrificed its morals for a talented player. After the video resurfaced in February, she discussed the situation with some other members of the team.

The consensus, according to Cooper: “Knowing the climate that we have at our school, why were we the ones to accept her?”

• • •

Despite a freshman season in which she was named an All-American and led Syracuse in goals and points, de Vries never spoke at weekly media opportunities and postgame press conferences after September, when SU became aware that The D.O. was reporting on the racist video. Athletes aren’t obligated to answer questions from the press, though it’s standard practice. 

After de Vries’ first home game at Syracuse on Sept. 2, a 3-2 double overtime win, she turned to the team’s communication’s official. “I don’t know what to say,” de Vries whispered before the postgame interview began. “What are they going to ask me?”

The D.O. interviewed de Vries one last time, two days later, for a story on her offensive performance. After that, she didn’t face questions from reporters for the rest of the season. The D.O. learned about the context of the racist video, de Vries’ remorse and her path to SU from former classmates, coaches, parents and her family’s spiritual adviser.

Ange Bradley Statement by The Daily Orange on Scribd

de Vries was homeschooled for the rest of her junior year at Conestoga and began sensitivity training that has continued at Syracuse. During field hockey games her senior year, opposing fans shouted curse words at her from the stands, said Jaja Kentwell, de Vries’ high school coach that year. 

She continued participating in diversity training at SU, with the university’s“highly tailored” plans aiming to teach students how their actions affect others and how they can take an active role in combating racism and other forms of hate, said Scalese, the university spokesperson.

de Vries has also participated in community service, which included teaching field hockey to underprivileged children in the Philadelphia area, said her mom, Kerry. She wrote her college essay about the situation and considers it a “life lesson,” her parents said. 

“I want to be part of a sustainable change and I will use myself as an example of someone who was wrong and is committed to making our nation better as a result,” de Vries wrote in her statement to The D.O. 

In November, almost a year after de Vries was accepted, Bradley sat at a postgame press conference in Storrs, Connecticut. Syracuse’s season had just ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Princeton. 

Bradley — flanked by senior Claire Webb and junior Carolin Hoffmann, with de Vries absent — fielded a question intended for Webb about how the Tigers guarded de Vries.

“They defended everybody,” Webb said at first. “We play as a team.” 

“And so does Char,” Bradley added. “She’s a great teammate, and we’re fortunate to have her as a part of our Syracuse family.”

Senior staff writer Anthony Dabbundo and staff writer Adam Hillman contributed reporting

Published on August 13, 2020 at 11:17 am

Contact Danny: dremerma@syr.edu | @DannyEmerman