At 8:17 AM -0600 7/26/96, Arthur Berman wrote:
> I'm getting a bit annoyed with people calling natives protesting college
> team's names "special interest groups".
 
Since I originated the use of this term in this discussion, I'll respond.
 
> It is the Miami tribe IMO which
> has the right to point out whether they feel the name for the college
> team is appropriate.  I don't think *anyone's* opinion should carry more
> weight than their's.
 
The tribe did make their opinion known, a few years ago, and they agreed
with the policy of allowing current MU teams to use the nickname while
adding a new nickname for new programs.
 
Since a new group of leaders has decided to renege on that agreement, they
certainly do qualify as a special interest group.  It has nothing to do
with being "right wing", which I certainly am not.
 
Given the situation and sudden change of opinion, it would be entirely
appropriate for the school to agree to change the nickname if the tribe is
willing to fund the costs involved - printing new literature without the
name, producing new uniforms, etc.
 
Yet, also given that the situation has apparently devolved into one where
the school is bound to be held hostage by the whims and desires of whoever
the current tribe leadership may be at any point, it would also not be a
bad move to change the name once and for all and be done with the issue.  I
don't know what was involved in the original agreement, but if it included
anything that the school agreed to do on behalf of the tribe, it might not
be inappropriate for the school to also consider their half of the
agreement to be null and void.
 
When the situation first arose a few years ago, I thought it would have
made sense to change the nickname, because certainly there needs to be some
sensitivity in these matters.  This was a nickname that I could understand
being offensive and I would have probably sided with the tribe back then if
they had held to the goal of having the name changed.  But they worked out
an agreement at the time that was acceptable to both sides.  If the school
lives up to its end of the bargain, but the tribe is allowed to come back
anytime they wish and demand a change when new leaders come to power, then
that is really not an agreement or a compromise.
 
I come from a school (Merrimack) where both the name of the school and the
nickname have Native American origins.  However, there has not been much in
the way of complaints about the use of either.  And unlike some others who
shared the nickname (Warriors), the school has steadfastly refused to
change it when occasional complaints have arisen, citing its origin as a
term of respect.  Indeed, the school has officially only put forth a
positive image of the Warrior as it relates to its sports teams, from the
use of the name to the logo, and as far as I have seen, this has tended to
defuse any attempts to force a change.
 
IMO, this is the best way to handle it, and I'm glad they have dealt with
the matter in this way.  And while other schools have stopped using the
nickname Warriors (Marquette), I don't expect you'll see Merrimack follow
the trend anytime soon.
 
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                   [log in to unmask]            *HMM* 11/13/93
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