The following transcript is from the 4/14/00 Chief Illiniwek dialogue "intake session". It is an unedited excerpt from the original U.I. document.

I believe it's possible to hold contradictory attitudes towards one's institution. I have been privileged to teach at this great University for over 30 years. I stand in awe of many of my colleagues and their intellectual accomplishments. I gaze in wonder across the marvelous landscape that frames this beautiful land campus. I daily benefit from the actions and policies of our administrators. My chest swells with pride when our athletic teams soar to victory overcoming insurmountable odds. At the same time, I cringe when I see the image of Chief Illiniwek appear on the television screen or on the pages of the daily newspaper or on packages of meat sold by agricultural sales. I find the framed image of the Chief offensive.

I have listened to my learned colleagues in anthropology and English and other fields. I have listened to the testimony of Native Americans and the best judgment of these people is this mascot is contentious, detrimental and offensive.

I believe that the use of the Chief as a mascot has serious educational consequences for this campus. It compromises the intellectual mission of this great University. The Chief works against the building of cultural understanding and mutual respect among racial and ethnic groups on this campus. It's clear that this mascot exists at the center of competing discourses. Its meanings are controversial and political. But the times have changed and the meanings of the symbol have changed.

I further believe that it's not appropriate for one group to say that another group is just wrong, to assert that they misunderstood what the symbol means. We cannot shout each our down. We cannot legislate the meanings of this symbol. Calling each other names will not advance the conversation or the dialogue.

So I am now at a crossroads. I seek a principle that will guide my actions. There must be a way to show us how to do the right thing. To act with compassion and love, without rancor or bitterness. How can I love an institution that engages in offensive practices.

This conflict could not be resolved in terms of a majority vote. We must seek recourse in a higher moral principle. There is ample precedent for the operation of such a principle. Major civil rights issues in the United States history have been resolved, not by a popularity contest, or by a vote of the majority, but in terms of what was morally correct. African- Americans and women were denied the right to vote by a majority of the population.

In the present case the moral principle is clear, it is not appropriate for one racial group to use the imagery of another racial group for political, cultural or entertainment purposes. Accordingly, a new school symbol must be selected. Thank you.

See the U.I. Dialogue on Chief Illiniwek page for more transcripts and information.