KAREN: WELCOME BACK. THE SPORTS WALL -- ROLLED AT ALL LEVELS IS CASTING A -- WORLD AT ALL LEVELS IS CASTING A WIDE NET. JUST A FEW YEARS AGO, MY A BECAME THE FIRST -- WEEKS AGO, MAIA BECAME THE FIRST NFL OFFICIAL -- BLACK WOMAN NFL OFFICIAL IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE. DARLING GORDON IS THE INTERIM DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS AT UMASS-BOSTON. AND LAUREN HANEY IS THE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS AT BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY. WELCOME TO CITYLINE. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. KAREN: GOOD TO SEE YOU BOTH. YOU THE 12TH DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS AT BRANDEIS, TELL US WHAT IT IS LIKE TO STEP INTO THOSE SHOES AND ONE HAS THE EXPERIENCE BEEN LIKE SO FAR? >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. I THINK THE EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY TREMENDOUS. THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD A DEPARTMENT FOR OF COMMITTED STUDENT ATHLETES AND COACHES AND DEDICATED STAFF HAS REALLY BEEN A DREAM COME TRUE. I STEPPED INTO THE ROLE A FEW MONTHS BEFORE THE PANDEMIC STARTED AND GOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO START TO LEARN THE CAMPUS CULTURE. I WOULD SAY THIS LAST YEAR, WHILE CHALLENGING, HAS GIVEN ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY TO KNOW OUR STAFF AND ADVOCATE FOR OUR STUDENT ATHLETES. IT HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY. WE ARE HOPING TO BE ABLE TO PLAY LATER THIS SPRING AND GIVE OUR STUDENT ATHLETES THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE IN SOMETHING THEY FEEL SO STRONGLY ABOUT. DARLENE -- KAREN: DARLING, YOU OVERSEE -- DESCRIBE THE LAST FEW MONTHS FOR YOU. >> SIMILAR TO WHAT LAUREN WAS SAYING, IT HAS BEEN CHALLENGING IN THIS ENVIRONMENT IN THE SENSE OF TELLING KIDS THAT THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO PLAY. WE WERE NOT ABLE TO PLAY THIS PAST FALL OR WINTER. THAT IS WHAT A LOT OF THEM HANG ONTO IS THE STRUCTURE AND THE PRACTICES AND THE CAMARADERIE. THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ALLOW KIDS TO GET THROUGH COLLEGE IN A SUCCESSFUL WAY. SO, TRYING TO MIMIC SOME OF THOSE THINGS HAS ABSOLUTELY █BEE CHALLENGING. I AM VERY HOPEFUL THAT WE WILL GET TO PLAY SOME GAMES THIS RING -- THIS SPRING. I AM EXCITED TO BE IN THIS SEAT. I AM ONLY THE SECOND ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AT UMASS-BOSTON HISTORY. KAREN: THE WORLD-FAMOUS CHARLIE TITUS. [LAUGHTER] >> EXACTLY. KAREN: WARREN, YOU HAVE ALMOST TWO DECADES OF COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC EXPERIENCE UNDER YOUR BELT -- LAUREN, YOU HAVE ALMOST TWO DECADES OF COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC EXPERIENCE UNDER YOUR BELT, WHY HAS IT TAKEN SO LONG FOR YOU AND DARLENE TO RISE TO THESE POSITIONS? >> THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION. I WILL BE HONEST, I THINK REPRESENTATION MATTERS. HAVING THE NETWORKS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN IN THIS PLACE AND THIS SEAT MATTER. I HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLY FORTUNATE TO BE MEANT TOWARD BY PEOPLE WHO TOLD ME YOU DON’T SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE YOU AND THOSE SEATS BUT YOU CAN DO THAT. AND I THINK IT IS UP TO FOLKS LIKE DARLENE AND MYSELF TO BE REACHING OUT TO PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW BEHIND US TO TELL THEM THEY CAN REACH THIS LEVEL AND THAT IT IS POSSIBLE AND THAT THEY CAN BE SUCCESSFUL IN THESE PLACES. KAREN: DARLING, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS CAUSING THE SHIFT? -- DARLENE, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS CAUSING THE SHIFT? >> THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION. I THINK THE SHIFT HAS BEEN VERY SLOW. BUT, HAVING SAID THAT, I THINK THERE HAS BEEN -- YOU KNOW -- I WOULD GO BACK TO THE #METOO MOVEMENT THAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE PANDEMIC THAT WAS GAINING STEAM. PEOPLE ARE BEGINNING TO RECOGNIZE WHAT WOMEN BRING TO THE TABLE, AS WELL AS WOMEN OF COLOR. AND YOU ARE ABLE TO BE YOUR MOST AUTHENTIC SELF AND LEAD AN ORGANIZATION IN THE RIGHT WAY. I JUST THINK THAT IS IMPORTANT. AND PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO SEE THE IMPACT OF THAT. KAREN: SHOULD WE EVEN TAKE A LOOK HISTORICALLY AT THE SHIFT, GOING BACK TO AS EARLY AS TITLE IX, WHICH GAVE MORE WOMEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO EVEN PLAY AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL? >> FROM MY EXPERIENCE, I THINK TITLE IX IS ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING THAT OPENED THE DOOR FOR LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES. I REMEMBER HEARING MY MOM TALK ABOUT TITLE IX AND SHE GOT THE CHANCE TO BE ABLE TO PLAY WITH THE DAISY MAYS, PLAYING BASKETBALL. THAT IS IMPORTANT. I WILL SAY THAT CERTAIN THINGS HAVE BEGUN TO SLIDE. WHEN TITLE IX FIRST CAME INTO EXISTENCE, WOMEN’S TEAMS WERE COACHED BY WOMEN. NOW, THAT NUMBER HAS ABSOLUTELY DECLINED. THERE ARE A LOT MORE MEN COACHING WOMEN’S SPORTS BECAUSE IT HAS BECOME LUCRATIVE. I THINK THERE IS STILL WORK TO BE DONE AND THERE ARE VERY FEW WOMEN THAT GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO COACH MEN’S SPORTS. WE ARE STARTING TO SEE IT IN HIGH-PROFILE AREAS, WHICH I THINK IS FANTASTIC. I BELIEVE THAT SPARK I HOPE WILL TRICKLE DOWN INTO OTHER AREAS. KAREN: I PLAYED HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL BUT I NEVER DREAMED OF HAVING A CAREER IN SPORTS. WHAT WAS IT THAT INSPIRED YOU TO WANT A CAREER IN SPORTS? >> I THINK THAT I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT WITH PEOPLE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL WHO MADE IT EVEN POSSIBLE FOR ME TO SEE WHAT A CAREER IN SPORTS ACTUALLY LOOKED LIKE. I STARTED MY CAREER OFF AS AN ATHLETIC TRAINER. AGAIN, I THINK REPRESENTATION, BUT ALSO ACCESS TO BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY TALK TO PEOPLE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT A CAREER IN SPORTS MIGHT LOOK LIKE IS REALLY CRITICAL. I THINK OUR STUDENT ATHLETES IN BRANDEIS, QUITE A FEW OF THEM ACTUALLY WORK IN OUR BUILDINGS. WE HAVE A HISTORY OF FOLKS GETTING INTO SPORTS BECAUSE THEY KNOW WHAT THAT LIFESTYLE LOOKS LIKE. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE A GREAT EXPERIENCE IN HIGH SCHOOL WITH AN ATHLETIC TRAINER, FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE VARIOUS PATHWAYS TO MAKE ATHLETICS YOUR CAREER. KAREN: GIVE US ONE THING ON YOUR WISH LIST OF THINGS TO ACCOMPLISH AT BRANDEIS WHEN THINGS GET BACK TO NORMAL. >> I WOULD SAY MY BIGGEST ITEM ON THE WISH LIST IS TO ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENT ATHLETES HAVE THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL. WHETHER THAT BE OUR FACILITIES, WHETHER THAT BE INCREASING THE NUMBER OF COACHES THAT WE HAVE, WE REALLY JUST WANT TO PUT THEM IN THE POSITION TO BE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL VERSIONS OF THEMSELVES WHILE THEY ARE HERE AT BRANDEIS. KAREN: AND DARLENE, ANYTHING ON YOUR WISH LIST FOR YOUR ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT? >> ABSOLUTELY. WE RENT A LOT OF OUR FIELDS FOR OUR STUDENTS TO PLAY. GETTING THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE, ON CAMPUS, A FIELD FOR OUR STUDENT ATHLETES, I THINK IS TREMENDOUS. WE CURRENTLY HAVE A SOFTBALL FIELD AND WE HAVE A BASEBALL FIELD. BUT WE DO NOT HAVE A PLACE FOR OUR LACROSSE TEAM, OUR SOCCER TEAM’S TO PLAY. SO, WE ARE RENTING ALL THOSE THINGS. HAVING A FIELD ON CAMPUS, THAT IS TRULY THE FOCUS. KAREN: I AM SURE YOU WILL BOTH ACCOMPLISH ALL OF YOUR GOALS BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE WINNERS. IQ, DARLING GORDON FROM -- THANK YOU, DARLENE GORDEN AND LAUREN HANEY.