Archive for the ‘North-Dakota’ tag
U of North Dakota – perpetuating stereotypes
The hypocrites that make up the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education voted last week to allow the University of North Dakota to have more time to purchase the approval of a Sioux tribe regarding UND’s racist mascot.
The University of North Dakota’s controversial “Fighting Sioux” nickname got a 30-day reprieve today, as the state’s Board of Higher Education voted, 6 to 1, to extend until October 31 the deadline for the nickname’s demise unless a tribal council announces plans to hold a referendum on its use, according to the Grand Forks Herald. The university sued the NCAA in 2006, after the association declined to grant a waiver from a policy banning American Indian imagery in team nicknames and mascots, which the NCAA deemed offensive. In settling the suit, North Dakota agreed to drop the nickname unless it could win the approval of two Sioux tribes. One tribe has endorsed the nickname, but the other has refused to even schedule a vote. (via The Chronicle)
Why are the members of the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education hypocrites? On May 14, 2009, the board approved a resolution to retire the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo:
UND and NCAA’s racist collaboration
The NCAA and the University of North Dakota have come to an agreement regarding the racist Fighting Sioux logo. Instead of banning UND for division I athletics until they remove the racist logo, the NCAA has decided to collaborate with UND. In an unbelievably awful move, the NCAA has given (gotta love it when non-Native American institutions give each other power over Native Americans…ugh!) UND three years to get the Sioux tribes to change their minds about the racist logo/mascot/symbol. WTF!
An Unwelcome Environment
Apparently things are worse than I thought at the University of North Dakota. Sally Page, UND’s affirmative action officer, has stated in a memo to campus administrators that publicly opposing the UND “nickname and Indian-head logo” could create an “unwelcome” climate for students who support the “nickname.” I think that Sally Page is forgetting about all of the UND students, staff, and faculty members who are made unwelcome on a DAILY basis by the presence and implied university support of UND’s racist imagery.
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota (UND) is currently conducting a search for a new president. According to Diverse Issues in Higher Education, the 16-member search committee does not include any Native Americans. David Gipp, a UND alumnus and president of the United Tribes Technical College, has asked the State Board of Higher Education to appoint a Native American to the search committee. I feel that this is reasonable given the fact that Native students represent the largest minority group at UND. John Q. Paulsen, president of the State Board of Higher Education disagrees with Mr. Gipp and myself:
