Dave Carroll writes (tongue in cheek :-)):
>It was
>rumored that Merrimack might appeal their ranking to the NCAA. However
>the basis for it according to Hockey East was that the Warriors referred
>to must be from classical antiquity and not a disparaging reference
>to native peoples. This would clearly make them smaller than late
>Eighteenth Century Non-Native People (an apparently acceptable
>construct.) Inside sources pointed out that when MC heard this they
>feared that an appeal would result in an unhappy outcome like that
>suffered by hapless UML which was thrown into 8th due to their change
>in mascot ...
 
Since some people have asked about this in the past, I should mention
that Merrimack has said that they have no plans to change the nickname
"Warriors".
 
The school's position (stated in my words) is that both the nickname
and logo represent a respect for the concept of the Warrior that they
regard highly and which they believe is appropriately symbolic of the
ideals to which they wish their athletic teams to aspire.
 
I have spoken to athletic director Bob DeGregorio about this before,
and he has said that he has received only a few letters on this topic
from people.  He has always responded with a letter describing the
reasons behind the nickname and the school's continued use of it.
That seems to have answered any concerns that have arisen.
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                                            [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc.                                    *HMM* 11/13/93