October 17, 2005

University of Illinois Appeals NCAA Mascot Ruling

On Friday, October 14, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees (BOT) announced its appeal of the NCAA ban on “Chief Illiniwek” and the term “Fighting Illini,” both of which the NCAA has deemed to be examples of “hostile and abusive” Native American imagery. In his letter to the NCAA, BOT Chairman Lawrence C. Eppley bases the appeal upon the following four arguments—all of which are seriously flawed: 1) Eppley claims that the NCAA ban violates the University’s autonomy, 2) that the term “Fighting Illini” does not refer to Native Americans, 3) that the “Chief” is a respectful and honorable tradition of the university, and 4) that NCAA followed an illegitimate process in instituting the ban.

Although Eppley claims that the NCAA policy interferes with the University’s ability to resolve the “Chief Illiniwek” controversy, the BOT has repeatedly demonstrated its inability to make any progress on the issue. In their 2004 report on the “Chief,” the North Central Association, the organization with accredits the U of I, wrote, “The real issue here is a troubling failure of enlightened leadership and shared governance by the board of a major world-class research university.” Since the NCA report, the BOT has passed some resolutions on the “Chief,” including their oft-cited “consensus conclusion,” but all of their resolutions amount to nothing more than stalling tactics designed to delay concrete progress on the issue.

Given this context, Eppley’s accusation that the NCAA has violated the University’s ability to resolve the “Chief” controversy autonomously seems ridiculous. Moreover, the NCAA should be able to control the environment of its events. As NCAA President Myles Brand wrote in the USA Today on Aug. 10, 2005, “The NCAA has no authority to force its member institutions to change their mascots or nicknames. Even so the NCAA can and has determined that within the environment of NCAA national championships, behaviors that inappropriately characterize a group of people will not be welcomed.”

Secondly, Eppley’s attempt to dissociate the term “Fighting Illini” from Native American imagery is misleading. He claims that “Illini” refers to the state’s name and that “fighting” refers to the WWI veterans to whom Memorial Stadium was dedicated in 1924. However, the terms “Illini” and “fighting” were strongly associated with Native Americans even before the “Chief” was created in 1926. For example, the 1921 Illio uses the following words in association with the U of I football team: “Illini tribesmen,” “old hunting ground,” “war whoops,” “stout hearted young braves,” and “massacre.” Similarly, the 1923 Illio refers to Coach Zuppke’s “fighting Illini” as “eleven Orange and Blue Indians.”

Although Eppley cites a 1995 statement by the U.S. Dept. of Education Office of Civil Rights as evidence that the “Chief” is an honorable representation, the statement did not vindicate the U of I’s use of the “Chief” but rather pointed out that not enough evidence had been gathered to prove that the “Chief” violated civil rights in that instance. Meanwhile, the more recent (2001) statement of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights urged non-Native schools to cease use of Native American imagery because such offensive stereotypes “block genuine understanding of contemporary Native people as fellow Americans.”

Because of the flaws in Chairman Eppley’s baseless appeal, the PRC calls upon the NCAA to stand by its decision that the “Chief” and “Fighting Illini” are examples of “hostile and abusive” Native American imagery. Furthermore, the PRC calls on the Board of Trustees to eliminate “Fighting Illini” and the “Chief”—name, dance, and logo—immediately. The time is long overdue.

Related Links:

PRC Press Release

U of I Press Release (pdf)

U of I Appeal (pdf)

The News Gazette: "UI Appeals NCAA Policy"

USA Today: "Illinois appealing NCAA ruling on nickname"