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.

MODERATOR GARIPPO: That won't happen today.

MR. PAYNE: I have had a chance to be on the campus only four or five hours. And I have had a chance to walk around and talk to a couple of students and we had lunch with a very young charming girl named Alicia. So my remarks will be confined to what I believe is not only a personal issue, but a national issue. First of all, I had asked if there was any, a Native American cultural house on campus and there is none.

That kind of confused me, because earlier I sat in here and I heard all these allocation of all these honors and gifts and stuff like that was happening to this school because of the mascot, but there has been no honor for Native people in that area. We have a black house, black cultural house, which is certainly needed, Latino house, which are needed. But no effort to even learn about the Native people.

I heard this morning about a compromise. But I want to say, judge, that there cannot be a compromise on this issue. There cannot be a compromise. And I heard all these young people, white people talking about how good the Chief had been to them and then hearing of the noneffort by the school to help Native people, I would think that the, that this Chief issue is part of the school's affirmative action program, because they believe that they are doing good.

But they are not honoring Native people. They are hurting Native people. And this Board of Regents, I think that, understand very clearly that the American Indian movement whom I speak for has a great deal of contacts around this area. And we know what sports and the athletic programs that means big money, we know that. They know that.

But I also want to leave this word, that the American Indian movement will campaign very heavily to the affirmative or to the accrediting agency and ask them to deny accreditation to this school until the Chief is gone. The songs that you have been hearing outside, good songs by Native singers. I want you to know that the death song for the Chief has started. And I said I would never come here, but when I heard that this was an issue today, I decided then to come. So I hope that you make a good decision today. I know they won't make it today, but we will campaign. Is there any dialogue?

AUDIENCE: There hasn't been.

MR. PAYNE: Is there any dialogue from anybody?

MODERATOR GARIPPO: The session is labeled as a dialogue and the dialogue has consisted in this, pretty much alternating expression of views.

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