An Open Letter To Our Blue Hen Family
8/24/2020
To our Blue Hen community,
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned over the past four-plus years, it’s that when times get tough, you can always rely on your fellow Blue Hens to be there to support you.
I know many of you may be overcoming your own personal and professional challenges, and I am truly humbled by your dedication to our programs, coaches, staff and, most importantly, our student-athletes.
Our department, much like others across the country, is navigating a historic financial challenge as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic with a significantly shortened spring sports season and a postponed fall sports season. While our fiscal situation is unlike anything we have experienced, our focus remains unchanged: to support our more than 600 student-athletes as they compete at the highest level, excel in the classroom, and represent our community.
The reality is that we have lost revenue due to a lack of games and special events, and because of that our department faces an extraordinary level of financial uncertainty. While this deficit presents a significant challenge, we have implemented many wide-ranging cost-saving measures to reduce our expenditures this fiscal year. While these reductions will help mitigate the uncertainty of the upcoming year, the reality is that our immediate decrease in financial resources threatens the support we are able to offer our student-athletes.
To help address the serious shortfall, we are introducing the Blue & Gold Fund that will be solely focused on supporting the 21 varsity programs and our 600-plus student-athletes, with a special campaign for this year that we’re calling “Back the Blue Hens.”
We will continue to be fiscally responsible, but we need you to have the backs of our student-athletes—reminding them they still have a community of supporters cheering them on and advancing their success.
Time and time again, I've seen our Blue Hen community step up to cheer on our student-athletes. Now, we need you to be relentless with us in our pursuit to provide our student-athletes with what they need to represent the University of Delaware. We have already seen several of our fans pave the way by converting their previous season ticket payments towards a tax-deductible gift to the Blue & Gold Fund - Thank you!
These are challenging times for everyone and this ask of you does not come lightly. I know how strong this Blue Hen family is and how much they are willing to do when times are tough.
Please know that we are so thankful for you, and I look forward to the day we can see you cheering on our student-athletes in-person once again.
Stay healthy, stay positive, and as always, FOREVER GO HENS!
Chrissi Rawak
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation Services
