October 10, 2006

William & Mary to Phase Out Indian Logo

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

Filed at 7:18 p.m. ET

 

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- The feathers are flying at the College of William & Mary, right off the school's athletic logo.

 

In response to a ruling by the NCAA that called the imagery offensive to Native Americans, the school said Tuesday that it plans to phase out the use of two Indian feathers.

 

In a letter to the Williamsburg school's community, college president Gene R. Nichol lashed out about the NCAA's sanctions that ultimately forced the school to stop using the green and gold logo it has had since the late 1970s.

 

''I am compelled to say, at the outset, how powerfully ironic it is for the College of William & Mary to face sanction for athletic transgression at the hands of the NCAA,'' Nichol wrote. ''The Association has applied its mascot standards in ways so patently inconsistent and arbitrary as to demean the entire undertaking.''

 

In August, the NCAA denied William & Mary's appeal of a ruling that prohibits it from using the logo at NCAA championship events or from hosting NCAA tournament games where the logo would be displayed. The school was allowed to continue using its Tribe nickname.

 

The ruling was part of an ongoing process by the NCAA to review the mascots, nicknames and logos used by more than 30 schools to see if they could be considered ''hostile and abusive'' to Native Americans.

 

''We're encouraged that they have made a move to discontinue use of the logo,'' NCAA spokesman Bob Williams said. ''From the beginning, the NCAA instituted this policy not as punishment but to ensure that our own NCAA championships are free from Native American imagery.''

 

Nichol said the school decided not to sue the NCAA after losing its appeal, declining to ''divert further energies'' to defending the logo. He said further action likely would have cost the school's athletes opportunities to compete.

 

''I will not make our athletes pay for our broader disagreements with a governing association,'' Nichol said, calling the decision the correct course of action, despite disappointing some in the community. ''We are required to hold fast to our values whether the NCAA does so or not.''

 

The school plans to replace the logo for the start of the fall 2007 semester through input from a committee of faculty and staff, students and alumni.

 

Athletic director Terry Driscoll said the school would not have gone through the appeals process if it didn't think it was doing the right thing.

 

''Our feathers are not hostile and abusive and we've tried to articulate that,'' Driscoll said. ''We're going to lose that brand ... We won't lose our identity.''

 

Driscoll said the department will begin to inventory where the logo appears, including scoreboards, equipment and facilities, to see what it will cost to replace them.

 

Several universities changed or agreed to change their nicknames or logos after the NCAA policy discouraging use of these names was announced in 2005. Other schools have filed appeals, seeking permission from the NCAA to continue use of the nicknames or logos. The University of North Dakota is the only school that has filed a lawsuit after its appeal was rejected.

 

 

This sucks. It's time to start a riot in Williamsburg.

 

What really bites is I am the shipping and receiving guy at the College Bookstore, the only place to buy official W&M merchandise. I can only imagine how many thousands of times this is going to increase the amount of merchandise I have to check in.

 

:banghead

Two stinkin feathers....i'm sure this will be a hot topic on my show tomorrow.

Oops, sorry, didn't mean to offend!

 

 

 

No worries.

:lol

 

You're misquoting the chief. Clearly he said "No Feathers."

Perhaps Native Americans are offended because there are only two feathers? SHOW US MORE FEATHERS!

I don't know, but my school survived the NCAA purge of any Native American-related logos over a year ago, after we were sponsored by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

 

What they really need to go after isn't NCAA logos, but the Cleveland Indians' smiling logo and the Washington Redskins (that's pretty wrong to begin with).

What do you think John Redcorn?

 

 

To my people, the NCAA is a bunch of greedy, power hungry morons

Scene at the William & Mary campus:

Reminds me of this:

 

University team takes name to mock Indian mascot

Author

 

GREELEY, Colo. (AP) _ Unable to persuade a school district to drop a mascot name that offends them, some American Indian students at the University of Northern Colorado have named their intramural basketball team "The Fighting Whities."

 

Led by Solomon Little Owl, director of Native American Student Services at UNC, the team chose a white man as its mascot to raise awareness and understanding of stereotypes that some cultures endure. "The message is, lets do something that will let people see the other side of what its like to be a mascot," Little Owl said. "I am really

offended by this mascot issue, and I hope the people that support the Eaton mascot will get offended by this."

 

The team is made up of American Indians, Hispanics and Anglos. They wear jerseys that say "Every thangs going to be all white."

 

"Its not meant to be vicious, it is meant to be humorous," said Ray White, a Mohawk American Indian on the team. "It puts people in our shoes, and then we can say, 'Now you know how it is, and now you can make a judgement.'"

 

White said many people don't understand how it feels to be victims of a stereotype. They are upset with Eaton High School for using an American Indian caricature on the team logo. The team is called the Reds.

 

Eaton School District superintendent John Nuspl said the logo is not derogatory and called the group's criticism insulting. "Their interpretations are an insult to our patrons and blatantly inaccurate," he said. "There's no mockery of Native Americans with this."

 

Charles Cuny, an Ogalala Lakota and member of the team, said he went to an American Indian Catholic high school with a mascot called the Red Cloud Crusaders, after a famous chief of the Lakota Indians. Having a white mascot is a way to make people more aware of American Indian issues, he said.

 

"We live in a politically correct society, and sometimes Indians get overlooked," he said. "There are so few Indians who have clout that there are a lot of things that go unsettled."

They should tell the NCAA to go f*** themselves.

They should tell the NCAA to go f*** themselves.

 

 

Unfortunately they can't, the NCAA has them by the short hairs.

In this particular case, the NCAA is nitpicking. I would love to hear them explain how they let FSU off the hook while nailing these guys. They've got bigger fish to fry.

 

I definately think that Chief Wahoo and the Tomahawk Chop are way more offensive.

 

The ULTIMATE insult is the Washington Redskins. "Historically, the term was used to refer to the scalps of dead Native Americans that were exchanged for money as bounties, or cash rewards. When it became too difficult to bring in the bodies of dead Indians to get the money (usually under a dollar per person), bounty hunters exchanged bloody scalps or "redskins" as evidence of the dead Indian."

Source: http://www.njsbf.com/njsbf/student/respect/winter03-1.cfm

 

That's just sad. It would make WAY more sense to call them the "Washington Spear Chuckers" given the demographics of the DC area. I mean, seriously, at least proudly honor the brave ancestors of your fans.

If they mess with the Redskins, they will be shot. Guaranteed.

In this particular case, the NCAA is nitpicking. I would love to hear them explain how they let FSU off the hook while nailing these guys.

 

Because the Seminole Indians of Florida and Oklahoma approved the images and the name that FSU uses. The Miccosukees do not approve or disapprove.

Because the Seminole Indians of Florida and Oklahoma approved the images and the name that FSU uses. The Miccosukees do not approve or disapprove.

Does the Seminole Nation enjoy any financial benefit as a result of FSU? Nevermind, I answered my own question: http://www.fsu.edu/~univrel/seminoles/pages/news.html

 

Also:FSU administrators also regularly travel to Seminole reservations to recruit students to be "Seminole Scholars." Wetherell established the scholarships, which pay 80 percent of a student's tuition. Because of his efforts, Florida State will have four new Seminole students this fall, the most ever enrolled at one time. They will join four Seminole students currently enrolled. Three other Seminole students are alumni.

 

Interesting that the NCAA actually DID take issue with FSU. That clears things up.

Because the Seminole Indians of Florida and Oklahoma approved the images and the name that FSU uses. The Miccosukees do not approve or disapprove.

Does the Seminole Nation enjoy any financial benefit as a result of FSU?

Not that I know of and I am sure if they did it would have been frowned upon by the NCAA if it was done openly. FSU just happens to honor and pay tribute in the name of the Seminoles history.

I fail to see how some people are offended by the Seminoles, I think it's very tasteful and quite respectful. It's not anything like the Cleveland Indians logo which is incredibly Sambo-esque and the name Washington Redskins which is pretty damn obviously offensive.

How is that simple logo offensive, and yet it's okay for a dude to put on face paint, don a silly indian costume, wield a flaming, feathered spear, and ride a frickin horse around in a football stadium as a stadium full of people echo a bastardized, made-up indian warchant while waving their hands like tomahawks?

 

I blame William & Mary for not being smart enough to pay off local Indian tribes like FSU did.

 

(For the record, I don't think either display is offensive, though it's obvious which one should be more objectionable.)

If they mess with the Redskins, they will be shot. Guaranteed.

Don't you mean scalped?

How is that simple logo offensive, and yet it's okay for a dude to put on face paint, don a silly indian costume, wield a flaming, feathered spear, and ride a frickin horse around in a football stadium as a stadium full of people echo a bastardized, made-up indian warchant while waving their hands like tomahawks?

 

Well just so you know that silly indian costume was made by the Seminole tribe for the SPECIFIC reason of the guy who portrays Chief Osceola to wear.

In 1975, in consultation with Chief Howard Tommie, then chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, FSU created Osceola, a portrayal of an Indian who charges onto the football field on horseback at the beginning of home football games. Osceola ends his charge by throwing a flaming lance at midfield. Osceola appears only at home football games and at the homecoming parade. The Seminole Tribe designed the costume worn by Osceola.

 

The Seminole Tribe participates in many University functions. The present Chief has given concerts at the University in his native language

Obviously most of the people on this site do not read the entire series of posts in this thread before posting. I posted yesterday that FSU had been sponsored by the Seminole Tribe of Florida (didn't realize that wasn't the only tribe).

 

Trust me, I go to FSU, and I would notice if there were any images here offensive to Native Americans. There are not. In fact, there are statues of the first Native-American students to go to this school in the center of campus, and a large statue of a Seminole warrior on a horse near our football stadium.

 

I also take issue with the claim that my school is "paying off" the Seminoles of Florida. That's a big load of crap.

 

Unlike the Cleveland Indians and the Washington Redskins, we represent a positive view of Native Americans here.

 

Our mascot is an accurate representation of a Seminole warrior (although I don't believe they used flaming spears....)

 

I remember this issue coming up in pro sports right around the time the Cleveland Indians made it to the World Series in 1997, and at least one major newspaper did a story about how offensive the 'Sambo'-like image on their logo was to actual Native Americans. They also mentioned the Washington Redskins' offensive team nickname.

 

I don't understand why the NCAA is attacking William and Mary College, especially when their logo is just two feathers. I'm sure they have better things to do...

after consulting with the guy they whose tribe they were paying off.

 

Do you have any proof of FSU paying off the Seminole Tribe of Fla. or Ok.?

 

I also wonder what you think about Utah and Central Michigan. Do you think they also pay off their local indian tribes as well? It may be shocking but some indian tribes may be for local universities using their culture if they are asked for input.

The Cleveland Indians logo is one of the most racist depictions of a person I've seen yet, no one really cares.

I'm Italian and Polish 50/50. I'm 3rd generation in the States, listened to Polish radio with my Great Grandmother. Learned to cook from both sides in a traditional way. Know what? I don't give a damn if someone gets in my face and calls me a derogatory name. I'll laugh at them. I'm a grown man that can handle these scary words that come my way. Hell, I laugh at all the Polish and Italian jokes. I don't even care if a politician is anti-Italian/Polish. I just won't vote for him/her.

 

Pride has nothing to do with any of this. Any group that is offended needs to grow a pair. In this day and age, not one group is segregated from anything in this country and EVERYONE is the butt of a joke. It seems the only race jokes that are accepted are those of the caucasian male kind...even more so the country folks, aka RedNecks.

 

Freedom of speech seems to have a double standard in this era. Say what you want, but don't offend.

 

The NCAA and anyone that supports this action should be ashamed of themselves.

I'm sure people noticed in the Politically Incorrect World Series of 1995.