Chief Vote set for June

A vote on the future of Chief Illiniwek is set for the Thursday, June 17 Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting in Chicago. Trustee Francis Carroll has decided to put the Chief vote on the BOT agenda. Carroll was quoted by the Associated Press as saying

"We want to try to come to a reasonable solution to this whole debate and give all parties an opportunity to talk. The tension is so high that we really have to make a decision to attack this issue and get it off the docket."

Anti-Chief Occupation Ends

A coalition of students, faculty, alumni, community members and Native peoples occupied the University of Illinois Swanlund Administration Building on the U.I. campus on April 15-16, 2004, stating "The Board's inaction on this issue has made this occupation both necessary and inevitable." April 15 was the date originally scheduled for a BOT meeting, at which a Chief vote was expected. The sit-in was called "in protest of the Board's refusal to address racism on campus and their most recent and reckless disregard for democracy." The latter refers to the Board's cancellation of the 4/15 meeting, and their discussion of rule changes which would hinder the ability of a single trustee to put an issue on their agenda.

After protesters were locked inside the Swanlund building on Friday, and after a series of talks were held, the following agreement was reached:

• The protesters would leave Swanlund - in good condition
• No charges would be brought against the protesters
• Anti-Chief representatives would be allowed to meet with
  • the visiting North Central Association accrediting team on April 26
  • the Black and Latino caucuses of the Illinois Legislature on April 27
  • state Senate president Emil Jones

April 27 is also the date of a state Senate hearing at which University administrators will discuss their budget.

ActNow Letter to the Board

The Champaign-Urbana organization ActNow has agreed to provide RetireTheChief with a copy of their letter to the Board of Trustees. The full text is available here. In it, ActNow states:

"As trustees, you are charged with protecting the best interests of the University and enhancing its reputation. One of the most important ways you can do so is to retire The Chief and put into place a process for identifying a campus symbol that unites our students, alumni, faculty, and community members."

ActNow is composed of faculty, staff, and members of the Champaign-Urbana community. An ActNow position statement will be released later this month.

Black Faculty & Academic Professionals Alliance call for Chief Retirement

The UIUC Black Faculty & Academic Professionals Alliance has called for retirement of the chief. In a statement released Friday, April 16, they noted the "bitter and escalating discussion regarding the existence of Chief Illiniwek," and continued:

As people of color, we view Chief Illiniwek as a racist symbol that divides the university and the local community at a time when both are striving to become more diverse. As people of color we have fought for the removal of racist and demeaning symbols. Native Americans have repeatedly voiced their desire for the University to remove Chief Illiniwek and we stand with them in full support. If the use of a symbol offends one person it was meant to honor, then that symbol dishonors all ... Chief Illiniwek must be retired to a "respectful" place in University history and replaced by a symbol that unites rather than divides."

Their full statement may be found here.

Scenes from the Protest

• Movies from the protest are now online and are available here.

Remember?      March 15, 2004      Native Americans protest at the University of Illinois

Ten Reasons to Retire The Chief

1. Diversity. We do want a diverse, inclusive atmosphere welcoming of all cultures. 2. Stereotypes. The Chief perpetuates harmful, insulting stereotypes of Native people in a big way. 3. Publicity. The presence of the Chief has brought national disapproval to an outstanding University. 4. Racism. It was not the intention, and no one likes the "R" word, but Native Americans are very upset by the presence of Chief Illiniwek. 5. Children. Powerful stereotypes are particularly harmful to children - their self esteem and school performance.

6. Accuracy. Let's be honest - the Chief isn't the real thing. The dance is part of half-time entertainment. 7. Honor. Native Americans are not honored. Quite the contrary, they have made it clear they are quite offended. 8. NCAA. In case you missed it, the NCAA has made it clear they are unhappy with American Indian mascots. 9. Choices. Potential faculty and students have chosen not to teach or attend the University because of the Chief. 10. Image. Call the Chief a symbol or a mascot - he is a public figure that harms the University's image.