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News :: Civil & Human Rights : Education |
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It's Official: The "Chief" No Longer Symbol of Unity |
Current rating: 9 |
by ML
(No verified email address) |
18 Mar 2004
Modified: 07:48:09 PM |
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WILL AM580 announced that the "Chief" referendum resulted in 30% of the student body voting against retaining this racist symbol as the UI mascot. |
While "Chief" supporters will claim some sort of victory from the Student Government's referendum on retention of the "Chief" as a mascot for the University of Illinois, the reality is clear. Whatever your view on what the "Chief" represents, the twisted symbolism inherent in dressing a white kid up as a fictional Native American warrior no longer represents a unifying symbol of the University.
Although official results have yet to be posted on the ISG website (http://www.isg.uiuc.edu/viewarticle.php?id=64), WILL AM580's evening newscast announced that the results were 30% in favor of dumping the "Chief," while 70% somehow still haven't come to grips with the fact that this stolen symbolism reflects badly on the University.
Recruiting of top faculty and students has been adversely impacted by the controversy, which shows no sign of going away with this rather ethically questionable vote. A number of professional organizations will no longer allow their conferences to be held at the University, or even in the state of Illinois, pending the "Chief's" removal. Current faculty at the UI is overwhelmingly in favor of eliminating this vestige of other mostly defunct racist caricatures that is more at home at a Klan rally than at a world-class institution of higher learning. Certainly, the situation recalls and recreates the initial injustices committed against North America's native peoples, who saw their heritage stolen from them by those more powerful.
It also points out that the idea of forming any consensus about the "Chief" that does not include his eventual retirement is unlikely at this point. The "Chief" is a divisive symbol, not a symbol of unity, so retaining the mascot seems to be ruled out by this vote. Whether this occurs through dialogue and leads to an "honorable" retirement of this discredited symbol, as some trustees and faculty have recently begun pushing for, is a question that will have to be faced in coming months. What is not in question is the fact that the "Chief's" days are limited with this decisive passing of any illusion that he somehow represents the unity of student body at the University of Illinois. |
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Re: It's Official: The "Chief" No Longer Symbol of Unity |
by True North American
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
19 Mar 2004
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Or maybe 70% of the students don't see it as a racist icon and would prefer to spend their time doing classwork.
People are pushing the racist envelope a bit far. That would be a Caucasian envelope, not a white envelope mind you. |
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Re: It's Official: The "Chief" No Longer Symbol of Unity |
by Peter
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 2
19 Mar 2004
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Not a symbol of unity! So you mean if we retire the chief everyone is going to come together and become unity. WHATEVER! If the chief is retired the fight will still keep going on. This will NEVER end because both sides will keep fighting on. No matter which side you are on.
Peter
P.S. When Cantor gets to New York is she going to change the ORANGEMEN to ORANGE becasue it doesn't have woman in it????? The U of I is better off without her! |
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Re: It's Official: The "Chief" No Longer Symbol of Unity |
by Glenn
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: -2
20 Mar 2004
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You anti-chief people got your vote and you lost. Get over it and leave the Chief alone.
Glenn
HAIL TO THE CHIEF! |
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Re: It's Official: The "Chief" No Longer Symbol of Unity |
by JK
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 6
21 Mar 2004
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Kodus to ML for rightly stating that this referendum reflects an important and growing schism among students on the "Chief" mascot issue. ML is also right on the money when saying that this issue has made it difficult to fill certain University positions, and has resulted in an effective ban by some organizations on holding events here. I would also add that it has been difficult to fill the vacant chair of the Native American Studies department, not surprisingly.
Responding briefly to "True North American's" comment that the 70% of the students who want to keep the Chief as Illinois's mascot "would prefer to spend their time doing classwork," the implication that the anti-Chief 30% is somehow distracted from scholarly work, or wasting the student body's time with its opposition, is absurd on its face. Responding briefly to Peter's statement that Illinois is better off without Cantor, that is shameful. If she, as I understand, left the University to some degree due to the hotly contested Chief issue, this is not only a shame, but indicative of exactly what ML is saying. If this issue has become such a wedge, atop the determined opposition to the Chief that Native Americans have repeatedly voiced, then it is well past time to retire the Chief. Plenty of other universities, such as St. John's and St. Bonaventure among numerous others, have done so with no detriment to their athletic departments, school reputations, levels of student participation, athletic legacy, or any other issue that might concern pro-Chief people. Please, retire the Chief. I assure you, having seen such mascots retired, the transition will be much easier than you might think. |
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Re: It's Official: The "Chief" No Longer Symbol of Unity |
by kelley
kellesq (nospam) comcast.net (unverified) |
Current rating: 3
24 Mar 2004
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Pick your battles, Chief Illiniwek was not a caricature when I went to the U of I, unlike Big Chief Wahoo. In addition, the state of Illinois is named for the french word for the Illini tribe, who are now extinct. I think that keeping the name alive is the least we can do to honor the natives who were exterminated by the Europeans. |
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Re: It's Official: The "Chief" No Longer Symbol of Unity |
by JWK
john_koenig (nospam) ici.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 5
16 Apr 2004
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Saying that 30% of the student body voted to retire Chief Illiniwek is a lie. 30% of those voting did. Only something like 9,000 out of, what, 35,000 students bothered to vote. While I am confident that every anti-Chief student voted, I'm less than confident that every pro-Chief student did. |
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Re: It's Official: The "Chief" No Longer Symbol of Unity |
by JWK
john_koenig (nospam) ici.com (unverified) |
Current rating: -2
16 Apr 2004
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After entering my comment above, I checked the numbers. According to the DI, 13,000 voted on the issue, with 31% (4030) for retirement and 69% (8970) for retention. Current information of the U of I official site is that there are 38,921 students at UIUC. So, actually, 10.5% of the student body voted to retire the Chief.
How do you people expect to be taken seriously if you misrepresent the facts? |
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Re: It's Official: The "Chief" No Longer Symbol of Unity |
by JWK
john_koenig (nospam) ici.com (unverified) |
Current rating: -4
16 Apr 2004
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One last comment and I'm outta here. I find it interesting that, as of now, my last comment is rated -2. Is it because its just facts, or because the facts don't fit into your agenda? |
