Rick Dean
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Supporters and opponents of University of Illinois' mascot Chief Illiniwek listen at a board of trustees meeting Thursday.
Amid derisive chanting, U of I ducks vote on mascot issue
By DON BABWIN
Of The Associated Press
06/17/2004
CHICAGO - The University o
Illinois board of trustees ducked a yes-or-no vote on retiring its divisive Chief Illiniwek on Thursday and instead called on supporters and opponents of the American Indian mascot to bring the issue to a
"consensus conclusion."
The resolution does not define the term "consensus conclusion" but says it would provide th
e university "the opportunity to resolve the Chief Illiniwek issue in a manner that is in the very best interest of the university and not of any particular constituency or interest group."
The mascot and an associated Indian-head logo have divided students and alumni of the university's flagship Urbana-Champaign campus for years. Supporters say the chief and his dance are a 78-year-old tradition that pays homage to American Indian history in Illinois. Opponents say the mascot perpetuates a racist stereotype.
Chief Illiniwek is personified by a student who dresses in American Indian garb and dances at football, basketball and some other
athletic events.
Trustees passed the resolution 8-1, with student trustee Nate Allen casting the lone vote in opposition. Allen, one of three student trustees on the board but the only one with a
vote, represents the Urbana-Champaign campus.
The board had been scheduled to vote on a resolution to retire the mascot, but sponsor Francis Carroll joined wit
h trustee Marjorie Sodemann, who supports Illiniwek, to craft the compromise proposal.
Chief opponents were outraged at the move. Some American Indians chanted during the meeting, and others shouted at Carroll, "Why are you selling us out?"
"Your duty is to bring respect for minorities, not exploit them," Chicago lawyer Kim Cook, an American Indian, told the board.
But Susan Gravenhorst, a 1952 graduate and former trustee who lives in Lake Bluff, said she supports the chief.
"He represents the qualities of dignity and courage to which our athletic teams aspire," Gravenhorst told the b
oard.
Mascot opponents booed pro-chief speakers and chanted during parts of the meeting.
A group of opponents took over the campus administration building in April to demand the chief
's ouster and wouldn't leave until they were guaranteed meetings with top state lawmakers.
State Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, met with opponents and said Illiniwek and the associated Indian-head logo h
ave created a hostile atmosphere on campus. He hinted that the university's state funding could be slashed if the chief weren't dumped.
Finding a compromise will be difficult. Former trustee Roger Plummer tried but said in a March 2002 report to trustees that "after nine months of reviewing options presented for a 'compromise' resolution, including many unsolicited recommendations, it is abundantly clear that there is no 'compromise' available."
Supporters and opponents of University of Illinois' mascot Chief Illiniwek listen at a board of trustees meeting Thursday.
Amid derisive chanting, U of I ducks vote on mascot issue
By DON BABWIN
Of The Associated Press
06/17/2004
CHICAGO - The University o
Illinois board of trustees ducked a yes-or-no vote on retiring its divisive Chief Illiniwek on Thursday and instead called on supporters and opponents of the American Indian mascot to bring the issue to a
"consensus conclusion."
The resolution does not define the term "consensus conclusion" but says it would provide th
e university "the opportunity to resolve the Chief Illiniwek issue in a manner that is in the very best interest of the university and not of any particular constituency or interest group."
The mascot and an associated Indian-head logo have divided students and alumni of the university's flagship Urbana-Champaign campus for years. Supporters say the chief and his dance are a 78-year-old tradition that pays homage to American Indian history in Illinois. Opponents say the mascot perpetuates a racist stereotype.
Chief Illiniwek is personified by a student who dresses in American Indian garb and dances at football, basketball and some other
athletic events.
Trustees passed the resolution 8-1, with student trustee Nate Allen casting the lone vote in opposition. Allen, one of three student trustees on the board but the only one with a
vote, represents the Urbana-Champaign campus.
The board had been scheduled to vote on a resolution to retire the mascot, but sponsor Francis Carroll joined wit
h trustee Marjorie Sodemann, who supports Illiniwek, to craft the compromise proposal.
Chief opponents were outraged at the move. Some American Indians chanted during the meeting, and others shouted at Carroll, "Why are you selling us out?"
"Your duty is to bring respect for minorities, not exploit them," Chicago lawyer Kim Cook, an American Indian, told the board.
But Susan Gravenhorst, a 1952 graduate and former trustee who lives in Lake Bluff, said she supports the chief.
"He represents the qualities of dignity and courage to which our athletic teams aspire," Gravenhorst told the b
oard.
Mascot opponents booed pro-chief speakers and chanted during parts of the meeting.
A group of opponents took over the campus administration building in April to demand the chief
's ouster and wouldn't leave until they were guaranteed meetings with top state lawmakers.
State Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, met with opponents and said Illiniwek and the associated Indian-head logo h
ave created a hostile atmosphere on campus. He hinted that the university's state funding could be slashed if the chief weren't dumped.
Finding a compromise will be difficult. Former trustee Roger Plummer tried but said in a March 2002 report to trustees that "after nine months of reviewing options presented for a 'compromise' resolution, including many unsolicited recommendations, it is abundantly clear that there is no 'compromise' available."