Rush Limbaugh Talks about Chief Illiniwek (Audio)

Rush Limbaugh reacts to the USA Today story below

Chief Illiniwek to Miss Final Four Trip

From: FOXSports.com

Top-seeded Illinois is preparing to take on Louisville in the Final Four, but the Illini will take the court in St. Louis Saturday without their mascot.

"Chief Illiniwek," a student in buckskins, feathery headdress and makeup has been less visible at the school's athletic events during the past five years.

Why?

Well, trouble seems to find the Chief, as Illinois has been the target of protests, demonstrations and lawsuits, which claim the figure perpetuates a racial stereotype and demeans Native Americans.

The other three finalists' mascots are expected to attend, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Illinois has come under more fire recently when, in a lawsuit earlier this month, the Illinois Native American Bar Association and two individuals filed suit seeking to force the school to stop using the Chief as its sports mascot.

Yet Chief Illiniwek, who doesn't usually attend road games during the regular season, remains Illinois' official school symbol, and the university wishes that he not be referred to as a mascot.

In January, the NCAA minority issues committee asked schools that use the American Indian as a nickname to conduct a six-month self-evaluation of its use. The findings are due May 1.

The school's board of trustees, meanwhile, has grappled with the controversy for years. In 1990, it supported the Chief. But that endorsement could be fading.

In the fall, the board unanimously adopted a resolution that whatever consensus conclusion it reached would include recognition of American Indian cultures and traditions.

In a vote nearly a year ago, almost 70 percent of Illinois students who participated supported the Chief.

During games, Chief Illiniwek usually doesn't do much except present a four-to-six-minute halftime dance designed to bring fans to their feet.

And even if he did make the Final Four trip, the NCAA has a carefully-planned halftime show, and it probably would not make time for the Chief's routine.

"All aspects of the Chief and its dance should be eliminated," said Jen Tayabji, a former Illinois student who is a member of the Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative, a group involved in trying to do away with the Chief and the "Fighting Illini" moniker.

And so the debate rages on, but as the Chief (who is Illinois student Kyle Cline) sits home this weekend, there will be plenty of T-shirts and signs bearing his likeness in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis

USA Today Article

Indian mascot remains benched for Final Four

By Jared Hopkins, USA TODAY


Chief Illiniwek, a student in Native American garb who performs a five-minute halftime show at Illinois home games, has not been at the NCAA tournament and will be absent from the Final Four.

Illinois has come under pressure from Native Americans to eliminate Illiniwek, and in 2002 Illinois professor Brian Jewett launched www.retirethechief.org.

In January, the NCAA minority issues committee asked schools that use the American Indian as a nickname to conduct a six-month self-evaluation of their relationship with the American Indian. They are due May 1.

"There are an infinite number of choices for the sports culture, but the Native Americans only have one culture," Illinois professor Carol Spindel, author of the book Dancing at Halftime: Sports and the Controversy over American Indian Mascots, said Wednesday.

This month the Illinois Native American Bar Association sued the school, saying the chief violates the 2003 Illinois Civil Rights Act, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

The Illini, who face Louisville in the semifinals Saturday, do not bring the chief on the road except for an annual contest against Missouri in St. Louis or selected other neutral-site games.

School officials say Illiniwek is not a mascot in a traditional sense because he is not comical and does not run down sidelines.

"He's considered a symbol at the university," Illinois spokesman Kent Brown said Wednesday.

The chief did perform at the NCAA tournament more than a decade ago, according to Illinois spokesman Tom Hardy.

The other three finalists' mascots are expected to attend, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Kyle Cline, who has served as Chief Illiniwek since 2004, declined comment Wednesday via e-mail.

Column on Chief Illiniwek made light of cultural icon...

from:

Excerpt: Column on Chief Illiniwek made light of cultural icon
University's symbol glorifies tribal heritage

Morris R. Beschloss
Special to The Desert Sun
March 27, 2005

I deeply resent both the insinuations and implications against the University of Illinois' Chief Illiniwek emphasized in George Benge's column in the March 23 editorial page ("The Illini should put away their 'chief'.")

As chief spokesman for the university's interests in the Coachella Valley, it's incumbent on me to set the record straight on the distortions that one could glean from Benge's "tongue in cheek" ridicule of the Illini symbol.

Sine Benge already invoked the curse of his self-styled leadership position in the Indian Nation, and an Illinois loss in the NCAA basketball tournament may already have occurred - this would be no thanks to him, but an off-night by the Illini.

As one who was understudy to the "Dancing Indian" while an undergraduate at Illinois, I can tell Mr. Benge that love of Native American culture and appreciating the disproportionate contributions made by these original Americans was paramount in preparation for the Chief Illiniwek competition.

To be eligible, one had to be an Eagle Scout and a member of the "Order of the Arrow," both predicated on appreciation of Native American lore.

What is particularly galling is Mr. Benge lumping the "chief" with such demeaning symbols as the Washington Redskins, Chief Wahoo, the Cleveland Indians' totem, and the Atlanta Braves' tomahawk chop.

The Chief Illiniwek controversy has been roiling the University of Illinois campus for years. It has emanated from outside sources totally unconnected with the distinguished Native American leadership, but representing agendas expounding special political philosophies.

Although a majority of the Illinois faculty has backed the elimination of the "chief," the student body supports his retention overwhelmingly.

As a Distinguished Eagle Scout who reveres the Native American's role in the progress of our nation today, I have yet to meet any member of the Native American leadership who rejects "Chief Illiniwek" out of hand.

Anyone who understands that the chief glorifies, not humiliates the Native Americans, would not write so disparagingly as George Benge did.

Suits over Chief Illiniwek wasting time, resources

From:


Pantagraph Editorial
Friday, March 25, 2005

Suits over Chief Illiniwek wasting time, resources


While the Fighting Illini are battling on the basketball court, Chief Illiniwek is battling in other courts -- the Cook County Circuit Court and U.S. District Court.

The former is where the Illinois Native American Bar Association and two individuals, a U of I-Chicago student and a Champaign resident filed a lawsuit against the University of Illinois Board of Trustees claiming use of the Indian symbol violates state constitutional rights of American Indians as well as the board policies against racial discrimination.

The latter is where five American Indians filed a $2.5 million lawsuit against the Honor the Chief Society, claiming their rights were violated when they were barred from a party for the outgoing Chief Illiniwek at a Champaign restaurant.

This issue has been debated over and over. It never goes away, although it flares up from time to time. With the university in the spotlight as it battles for the NCAA championship, this is one of those "flare up" times.

Supporters of Chief Illiniwek say the symbol honors the people who lived in this area before it became a state, the people who gave the state its name.

Opponents say, regardless of intentions, the use of the Indian symbol perpetuates damaging racial stereotypes and makes Native American students and staff feel uncomfortable -- a "hostile environment," in the legalese of anti-discrimination law.

The university has turned aside previous attempts to end the use of Chief Illiniwek. In 1990, the U of I Board of Trustees voted to keep the Chief. That position hasn't been reversed, but it has been muddied by vague pronouncements, such as one last fall, that confuse the situation.

In September, trustees approved a resolution stating, "The state's heritage and its American Indian culture and traditions shall be preserved, affirmed and publicly celebrated." The board says it is still trying to reach a consensus in the university community, but that could be impossible.

Lawsuits such as the ones filed this month in state and federal courts do nothing to resolve the issue. They merely waste time and money and cause each side to dig their heels in deeper.

Chief opponents file lawsuit

From: The Daily Illini Issue 3/17/05

Chief opponents file lawsuit
By Jeremy Pelzer

Opponents of Chief Illiniwek have filed a lawsuit against the Board of Trustees in an attempt to force the University to abolish the controversial mascot.

The lawsuit, filed by the Illinois Native American Bar Association (INABA) and two American Indian individuals, alleges that keeping the Chief as the University's mascot violates the Illinois Civil Rights Act of 2003, the Illinois Constitution and the Board of Trustees' own non-discrimination policy. The suit asks for a judicial declaration as to whether Chief Illiniwek is demeaning and discriminatory to American Indians.

According to the suit, filed in Chicago Circuit Court on March 15, the board "promotes, perpetuates and teaches the dehumanizing stereotype and view of Native Americans that developed among colonizers and as such is harmful to both American Indians and non-Native Americans" by supporting the Chief.

Richard Hutchison, member of the INABA and University alum, said the suit was a last resort because the Board of Trustees has failed to take action on the issue.

"The Native American community has waited long enough for the board to act on its own," Hutchison said. "We came to the conclusion that (the Chief) would never be abolished - not in the near future, anyhow."

The last action taken by the Board of Trustees on the Chief issue was a resolution passed last September stating that any solution to the Chief Illiniwek controversy should preserve and celebrate American Indian and Illinois heritage. In June 2004, the board approved a resolution calling for a "consensus conclusion" before any final action is taken on the future of the Chief.

The plaintiffs will wait to see the Board of Trustees' response before deciding whether to go to trial, he said.

University spokesman Tom Hardy disputed the lawsuit's claims.

"The University of Illinois complies with state and federal laws concerning discrimination, due process and equal protection, as well as the University's own non-discrimination policy," Hardy said. "In addition, the University has grievance procedures if students or staff allege those policies have been violated."

Hardy said University counsel is reviewing the suit and "will respond appropriately."

Because of the Chief, the two individuals in the suit - Champaign resident Roger Fontana and University of Illinois-Chicago student Stephen Naranjo - have been aggrieved, Hutchison said.

"They really can't attend a University of Illinois sporting event without being embarrassed," Hutchison said.

Hutchison said the Chief has also lowered the value of a University degree and the quality of a University education - especially for American Indian students.

More American Indians could have joined in the suit, Hutchison said, but he didn't want to "muddy the waters by getting unwieldy."

Joe Podlasek, executive director of the American Indian Center in Chicago, agreed that the board's support of the Chief led to discrimination against American Indian students at the University and prevents them from getting an equal opportunity for education.

While at the University, American Indian students are constantly confronted with questions and comments about the Chief, Podlasek said.

"Our students are getting involved (with the issue), whether they want to or not," he said. "They (American Indian students) didn't go there (to the University) to argue a mascot - they went there to get an education."

The Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative (PRC), an anti-Chief group, hailed the lawsuit as a much-needed action against the Chief.

"Going through the courts to solve the divisive issue on our campus is a promising avenue in eliminating the Chief," said Anar Ladhani, PRC member and a senior in LAS.

But Greg Meves, internal vice president of Students for Chief Illiniwek, said the lawsuit is a "hindrance to a consensus that the Board is trying to build now."

Roger Huddleston, president of the Honor the Chief Society, said he "would love to see that (case) in court." He said if the suit goes to trial, the courts would rule on whether the Chief is a racist symbol - a ruling in which the pro-Chief side would prevail because of the high esteem in which the mascot is held, Huddleston said.

Hutchison, an American Indian, said when he was an undergraduate at the University in the 1960s, he, too, supported the Chief.

"I loved the Chief," Hutchison said. "I thought the Chief honored us."

However, after he graduated, he met other American Indians who showed him a different view of the Chief.

"My thoughts were transformed," he said.

THE ILLINIWEK WARS – A PEACE PROPOSAL

From Erin Zorn's Notebook (link above)
March 16, 2005

THE ILLINIWEK WARS – A PEACE PROPOSAL

I’ve long been on record opposing the use of stereotypical American Indian imagery in mascots, school symbols and team nicknames.

To me, it trivializes and demeans indigenous peoples in a way we would never dare trivialize, say, African Americans, Jews or other groups that have historically felt the hard heel of discrimination. The white people may mean well when they name a team the Redskins or dress up in ersatz ceremonial Indian garb and dance around the basketball floor, but meaning well is not enough.

Chief Illiniwek, the hotly disputed symbol of the University of Illinois, is in the news again now that the Illinois Native American Bar Association has sued the University of Illinois Board of Trustees in Cook County Circuit Court seeking a court order barring "the use of Chief Illiniwek as a sports mascot" because it violates the Illinois Civil Rights Act.

I doubt the suit will resolve the fight, but I have an idea that might. And it's based on the only argument in favor of the Chief that carries any weight:

That argument says if it’s wrong for some white people to presume heedlessly to honor Indians, isn’t it also wrong for other white people to presume heedlessly to speak up for Indians?

Just so.

My opposition to Illiniwek is based on the presumption that the view of the activist opponents reflects the views of the majority American Indians, who ought to have the only vote in this matter.

If Chief Illiniwek is OK with that majority, my objection is little more than paternalism and the activists are just touchy rabble rousers. Let the chief stay.

But if Chief Illiniwek offends that majority, support for that symbol is little more than racism and its backers are churls. The chief must go.

A passage in a 2002 Indian Country Today article about legislative debate in California several years over such school imagery reveals that the opinion of American Indians isn’t necessary clear:

Paula Starr, the executive director of the Southern California Indian Center, cited a Sports Illustrated poll that showed 81 percent of Native Americans did not care about the mascot issue. "We have a newspaper called Indian Country Today, which goes to Indian people all across the country, and that poll showed that over 80 percent of Native American people oppose mascots." The poll was actual an "unscientific email survey of "Opinion Leaders."

An Associated Press story last fall reported:

A poll of American Indians found an overwhelming majority of them are not bothered by the name of the Washington Redskins pro football team. Only 9 percent of those polled said the name is "offensive," while 90 percent said it's acceptable, according to the University of Pennsylvania's National Annenberg Election Survey, released Friday. Annenberg polled 768 Indians in every state except Hawaii and Alaska from Oct. 7, 2003, to Sept. 20, 2004.

It seems to me that American Indians living in Illinois – not coast to coast – should have the final and only say about the specific issue of what to do about Chief Illiniwek.

The various factions ought to get together with a skilled, objective polling organization and devise a way to get a reliable measure of relevant opinion on the point, and agree to abide by that opinion for, say the next 25 years.

I, for one, will agree to shut my yap on this topic once I’ve heard what the Indian people have to say.

Group sues university...

March 16, 2005

EXCERPT: CHICAGO -- Opponents of University of Illinois mascot Chief Illiniwek filed a lawsuit against the school's trustees Tuesday, claiming the figure perpetuates a racial stereotype...In its suit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, the Illinois Native American Bar Association and two individuals seek to force the school to stop using the Chief as its sports mascot.

"University counsel will thoroughly review the plaintiffs' suit and respond appropriately," the statement said. "Meantime, the Board of Trustees continues to move forward with its process aimed at reaching a consensus conclusion to the Chief Illiniwek issue." ... Last year, the board approved a resolution celebrating American Indian culture at its flagship Champaign-Urbana campus in hopes of breaking the contentious stalemate.Stephen Naranjo, a University of Illinois at Chicago student, and Roger Fontana, a Champaign resident, also are listed as plaintiffs in the suit.

Illini mascot 'exploiting' minorities, law group says

March 15, 2005

EXCERPT: — The long-running dispute over the University of Illinois' Chief Illiniwek as a symbol will move into a courtroom...t a news conference Tuesday, the Illinois Native American Bar Association announced it filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court.

Native American lawyers sue U. of I....

March 16, 2005

EXCERPT: In the first legal challenge to Chief Illiniwek, a Native American group is claiming the University of Illinois' refusal to get rid of the mascot violates the Illinois Civil Rights Act....The Illinois Native American Bar Association, in a suit filed Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court...The suit seeks an injunction to stop the chief. Attorney Richard Hutchinson said the 30-member law group -- of which he is a member -- is an "aggrieved party'' under the Civil Rights Act because members "suffer personally and professionally from the racist policy.'' Also aggrieved are two other plaintiffs on the suit, Hutchinson said: Stephen Naranjo, a Native American student at the U. of I.'s Chicago campus, and Roger Fontana, a Cherokee and a Champaign resident.

...Tom Hardy, a U. of I. spokesman, said the university complies with all laws banning discrimination. He said the Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education ruled in 1995 that Chief Illiniwek did not violate the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Illiniwek Battle Lands In Court

Chief Illiniwek Illiniwek Battle Lands In Court
Tuesday, March 15, 2005, 4:00 p.m.


EXCERPT: he long-running battle over the University of Illinois Indian mascot, Chief Illiniwek, is heading for court....The suit is being filed under the Illinois Civil Rights act rather than under a federal statute because the state law does not require that the alleged discrimination be shown to be deliberate and intentional.

Honor the Chief Society

University of Illinois Board of Trustees

If you are interested in either reading proceedings of University of Illinois' Board of Trustees meetings or finding contact information for the trustees, then visit the link above.

UI trustees draft guidelines on Chief

Excerpt: Members of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees have a set of draft guidelines to use to resolve the Chief Illiniwek issue. Board Chairman Larry Eppley drew up the guidelines, with help from Trustee Frances Carroll. Eppley has distributed them to other board members and asked for input, but the board has not formally adopted the guidelines.

Proposed Chief guidelines:
Draft Guidelines/Framework – Focus on why we have the Chief, not the Chief itself.
1. Seek consensus.
2. Preserve tradition and heritage in concert with the board's heritage resolution.
3. Retain the names "Illini" and "Fighting Illini."
4. Recognize the diversity of Illinois' American Indian culture, past and present.
5. Engage American Indian involvement in our efforts.
6. Reflect the University's core values of excellence, integrity and respect.

Five sue Chief supporters

Excerpt:

Five people are claiming civil rights violations in a federal lawsuit against supporters of Chief Illiniwek. The suit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Urbana by Charleston attorney Rodney Smith, says that Robert Leonard, William Cook, Diana Waters, David Wegeng and Roger Fontana are of American Indian heritage....The suit claims that the Honor the Chief Society advertised plans for an "Evening to Honor the Chief" reception and rally at the Round Barn Restaurant for that night. Leonard purchased five tickets at the restaurant, the suit says.

Chief topic of discord

Chief topic of discord
Excerpt: Even though Chief Illiniwek will not be seen, his name might be heard often during a month when national exposure for a university and every aspect of its basketball program figures to heighten...as this season's No. 1-ranked Illini begin a postseason journey Friday in the Big Ten tournament at the United Center that many believe will continue on to the Final Four next month in St. Louis, the Chief will accompany the team only in spirit...

Trustee offers plan to end `Chief' fight

Trustee offers plan to end `Chief' fight
Chicago Tribune
March 11, 2005

Excerpt:
The chairman of the University of Illinois' Board of Trustees proposed Thursday retaining the names "Illini" and "Fighting Illini" ... guidelines include "recognizing the diversity of Illinois' American Indian culture, past and present" and engaging "American Indian involvement in our efforts."

Exploring the soul of Syracuse University

Dr. Cantor, Former UIUC Chancellor

Editors note: Only a short while after her exodus from Champaign-Urbana, former Chancellor Nancy Cantor is possibly causing turmoil in Syracuse.