Zach, March 3, 2005

(Opinion: strongly pro-Chief)

Retiring the chief is the wrong thing to do because he is a staple in the university's history. Native Americans should view this as an honor rather than a slap in the face. I do believe that the way the American settlers treated the Native Americans was wrong. However, now Native Americans have equal opportunity in this country. It is the law that children attend school until they are sixteen and through high school education is free. Many good jobs can be obtained with a high school diploma. Also there are many opportunities for scholarships and federal aid. As far as scholarships, the student must apply themselves in the classroom. It does take work! Overall the Native Americans are not discriminated upon for the most part. Chief Illiniwek is an honor for the Native Americans he represents. Without the Chief this special group of people would be forgotten to many others.

Zach, via the web.