The following is the transcript of a Foellinger balcony narrative from April 14, 2000. It is an unedited excerpt from the original Chief dialogue document.

But there is one thing that I am hugely discouraged about that, that this University hasn't got the intelligence to say that its symbol, mascot, whatever you want to call it is racist. It is blatantly wrong, it's wrong, it's racist. Why can't we listen to people who are telling us that it's not honorable and say okay, it's time to go.

I just listened to a 12-year-old boy have to defend his dignity and his culture, because everywhere he goes the only people in this area know of a Native American is the Chief. That's wrong. He shouldn't have to defend his dignity, he's 12 years old, he should have fun like normal 12-year-olds and get educated.

I am sorry, I am kind of emotional, but I can't believe we are still debating over this. I mean, it's the year 2000, you would think we would be done with all this racist garbage by now. I don't think it's pride and love for Native Americans that we have a chief. If we loved them and took so much pride in them, why did we ship them to Oklahoma, the Peoria are still alive and they are in Oklahoma because we obviously don't love them that much.

I just wanted to say that as a student I don't go to any athletic events because I don't want to have to sit and watch that hysteria. I won't do it. I love this University but I wish that the Board of Trustees would recognize that it is time to get rid of the symbol.

And I have an alternative, I thought about it long and hard and it also comes from the Prairie Fire, which I think is extremely part of Illinois. This whole area used to be covered in prairie, that's what the state is. It used to be prairie. And to go along with the Prairie Fire, the Native American, that we truly wanted to honor them, maybe we could take a word that they used to describe a prairie fire. They called it a red bison and it's because when a prairie, a large piece of prairie is being burned as it needs to be to be restored, it looked like a herd of buffalo coming across the horizon. You see a lot of buffalo and a lot of prairie here and a lot of Native Americans, but there aren't anymore. Maybe we should remember them that way. Thanks.

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