The University of Illinois Board of Trustees is meeting today to discuss, among other things, Chief Illiniwek.
The agenda is here.
WDWS (1400 AM) is going to be providing updates all day.
UPDATE: Goodbye, Chief Illiniwek:
University of Illinois trustees today ended Chief Illiniwek's run as the symbol of the university, voting to retire the mascot's name, regalia and image.
Supporters and critics of the Chief packed the regents' meeting in Champaign-Urbana to hear the 45-minute discussion. About 15 students wore orange shirts with the Chief logo, some reading, "Save the Chief."
The resolution lets Chancellor Richard Herman decide details such as how and when the Chief Illiniwek name and image would stop being used and licensed to apparel makers and others.
The school would continue to call its sports teams the Fighting Illini under the resolution.
"Certainly my vote is not intended to dishonor anybody's memories or to deny the fact that it has been a great tradition," said Board of Trustees Chairman Larry Eppley.
Trustee David Dorris voted against the resolution. "When you look at Chief Illiniwek and you see hatred, shame and embarrassment, you should consider where those feelings really come from," he said.
Commence gloating/griping.
Any idea when the results of the BOT meeting will be announced?
Meeting is underway now, so updates should be forthcoming throughout the day.
From ESPN's online site...seems they may have gotten the word out first
HG
It's interesting how the U of I finally got their funding for Lincoln Hall (at least approved by the Governor), only after the chief was retired....mmmmmm......
Also remember: neither Eppley nor Montgomery have been
approved by Emil Jonesconfirmed by the State Senate yet.Thank you BOT, you have made it easy for me, no Chief, no more donations. Maybe you should ask the NCAA for future alumni contributions.
Isn't it sad to know my children will never know The Chief as I did as a student at the Uof I. I only hope the board of trustees can come up with a mascot that will demand the respect and reverence The Chief did. I also hope the trustees are wise enough to give the university's share of the profitts from the sale of Chief mdse to a charitable cause fighting racisim. Otherwise, they all need to run for real political office as they alreasy have one trait down, speaking from both sides of their mouths.
The History Guy was correct,,,,,ESPN states the board voted to eliminate the Image,name and Regalia,,,,,,,but allowing the teams to continue calling themselves the Fighting Illini.
Why is it that most things in Illinois politics that are screwed up involve Emil Jones and his inesering persepective or lack there of on things
When trademarks, like the Chief image, are not used then the former owner may forfeit ownership.
Does anybody know how this is going to apply to the Chief issue? The university is not going to be able to simply stick the image in a lock box.
"Does anybody know how this is going to apply to the Chief issue? The university is not going to be able to simply stick the image in a lock box."
I believe that the Chancellor of the UIUC campus (Richard Herman presently) has been given some discretion as to how to handle licensing, including whether or not to license at all. As far as I know, the NCAA didn't have any prohibition on the UIUC licensing the logo.
"Thank you BOT, you have made it easy for me, no Chief, no more donations."
I understand your frustration, but sadly, you'll be punishing the wrong people by withholding your contributions to the university. Significant blame certainly lies at the feet of the Board of Trustees, but ultimately it's the unregulated power of the NCAA that needs to be addressed.
Short of an organized exodus by a number of large collegiate conferences, I don't know what to do about it. A high-profile lawsuit, whether successful or not, would be very expensive and difficult to justify if the money to fund it came from public coffers. Does anyone have recent news of North Dakota's suit against the NCAA?
"I understand your frustration, but sadly, you'll be punishing the wrong people by withholding your contributions to the university. Significant blame certainly lies at the feet of the Board of Trustees, but ultimately it's the unregulated power of the NCAA that needs to be addressed."
Cosign.
I think it would be grand if the Chief logo were to go back to Jack Davis. I'm sure the odds of that happening are slim-to-none; I just think it'd be an awesome gesture.
"...ultimately it's the unregulated power of the NCAA that needs to be addressed."
The NCAA is a monoplistic dictatiorship that controls college sports. Changes in such an organization can only occur through significant pressure from a majority of the highest dollar contributing schools. Of which the Big Ten has potentially two, Ohio State & Michigan---three at best, if you count Penn State. Therefore it would take a real concerted effort outside the "Support-the-Chief" group to impact the NCAA. i.e. it would probably easier to get piece of our former planet Pluto than get to the NCAA.
During the discussion of the Chief logo, there are a couple of things to keep in mind (I'm not a lawyer, but I saw Perry Mason once when I was a kid, and I was right about who was guilty --that has to count for something).
The University's rights to the Chief logo are governed by trademark law, not copyright as people sometimes say. The word "chief" is obviously not theirs to control, but the phrase "The Chief" printed a certain way may be, I'm not sure.
They may license it, but with a prohibition on its use in direct connection with the University (e.g., you won't be able to imply that the University supports you by your use of the Chief).
In a worst case, they could refuse to allow it to be used at all, or only by the anti-Chief lobby. To keep the trademark valid and non-use enforced, I think they would have to try to contact and eventually sue anyone who used the symbol. That would be a tough fight, and one I'm not sure they're willing to take on.
You don't have to actually sue all the violators, but you write a "cease and desist" letter to all known violators and you sue selected violators.
Most stores don't want to buy merchandise only to have it seized, so they comply.
Now that the Chief is officialy gone Eppley is not far behind Him, Jones and His bunch have used Eppley and now He will be shown the door, as for the rest of the gutless board of trustees I hope you are happy, Also to Bill Cook and Prof. Kaufman you too should be proud of your actions as well! I am done supporting what used to be "The Fighting Illini" they choose not to fight and they paid the price. As for the Chief dig a deep hole and throw him in it along with common sense, It died a long time ago, Then let political correctness prevail! The U of I does not support the Chief so why should anyone else? Remember that when you pay your State income tax next month, that's who is paying for this circus known as the board of trustee! and the crooks in Springfield!!!!
I had to go in and edit the spelling of Eppley's name, I used only 1 "P" He's gutless but I did not want him to end up suing me!!
Also B. Joseph White, This guy just wrote a book and "Leadership" The next time I'm at Pages for All Ages, I think I will recommend it be moved to the fiction area, White has shown NONE in the last few weeks!!!!! Long Live the CHIEF!
"Thank you BOT, you have made it easy for me, no Chief, no more donations."
Without the Chief, this cannot be a great University. So, in an effort to Honor The Chief, we should immediately do what each of us can to make the U of I into something like, say, Murray State University or Indiana State University.
You know, in 2000 everyone in ILLINI nation was proud to see what a stand up guy Miles Brand was in the firing of Robt Knight. 7 yrs later, I cannot help but laugh that when he went to the NCAA, I told everyone that he would get done what Nancy Cantor couldnt.,... the firing of the Chief. If you dont think that her size 3 high heels arent involved in this you are sadly mistaken.
This fall, people have a chance to decide with their money if they want to go to the games or not. Part of the game is the half time preformances. If the Chief is gone ( and thats the reason why so many went for the past few years) then whats the point of going? Let Bill Cook bring his little flexible flyer wagon to the west side of the building and light his fire again.....now that the "boogy man" of the theater of the Chief is gone. I would hope that the U of I no longer sponsers any plays that does not include ALL actors of the race/faith/country that they are portraying. No more Fiddler on the Roof or Irish dancing unless EVERYONE is either Jewish or Irish. Other wise I will be offended that Im not seeing the real thing when I pay my money.
And where are our esteemed legislators from Champaign Urbana on this mess? the only one talking is either from Bloomington or Mahomet. Hey Naomi.... say SOMETHING
No, it's not sad. It's tragic that you're still whining about it. Hopefully this argument will have ended by the time they are in school.
And for those who say they won't come to the games because of the "lack of halftime entertainment," good. Stay home. That way, true fans can come to the games.
Good... maybe when the team is 3-4 midway You and the others can find a reason to come out in the cold October rain and spend 35.00 per ticket. I will find another way to spend my $70.00 dollars....
Ms. Jacobsen and Frerichs will come out and speak when they are told to by the "Kingfish" Jones! Emil Jones is in charge of the show!!! Hey ! Naomi now that the Chief is a done deal, How about you and Frerichs getting off your butts and get busy on some property tax relief
!!!!!!!!!! Below are 2 of the "Three Stooges" This is leadership????? I guess a million bucks does not get you much these days!
Bhss73, any chance I can buy your season tickets off of you? You seem ready to dump them at a cut price. And do you have any, like, evidence of any piddling sort that Nancy Cantor is involved in the Chief's retirement? I thought harrassing her irrationally went out with her removal to New York State. But perhaps you were one of the folks who bombarded her with enough death threats to require a 24-hour security guard at her home, or the parent of one of the kids who taunted her disabled kid at school. Classy, my friend.
Somehow I don't think White will be too worried about someone who yearns for a just-terminated mascot to have a long life.
Fire the BOT! Boot Jones and Blagojavich from office! Threaten Native American students! Dump the U of I administration! Sue the NCAA! Fire all anti-Chief faculty! Why? Because the Chief is clearly more important than the entire University!
(Now do you pro-Chief simpletons understand why the BOT finally retired the Chief? You lost and for very good reason. Grow up and get a life. It's over. Period.)
Now that the BOT has officially joined with the NCAA action, it may open the door for a lawsuit against the NCAA based on them being a "state actor" which would allow the 1st and 14th ammendments to the Constitution to become an issue. Check out Supreme COurt case Dennis vs Stokes. when UIUC who is a state actor joined with NCAA the NCAAs private status may change.
I find it funny how the anti chief crowd who fought for 25 years to destroy a dance of a few minutes are forever recommending that "it is over" If we have learned anything from the anti chief group it is that it is never over. Why the concern for the University now? It is odd to here scuh a complaint from the group who ignored the much more devestating problems of alcholism, violence, gambling, high school drop out rates, low average age of survival, high unemployment in the Native American culture to focus on such a small problem as The Chief? were not these problems more deserving of the anti CHief group? Andymion, your arguement is hypocritical not to mention totally transparent.
Without the Chief, this cannot be a great University.
I completely disagree with this statement. While I don't personally care much either way for the Chief, there is no question in my mind that U of I's standing in the country has been held down for the last ten years because of this controversy.
I have two degrees from U of I, and I paid a lot of money for the first one (does anyone pay for a Masters anymore?). What happens on this campus impacts the value of my degree and, thereby, my investment. The Chief, Unofficial, the player arrests, etc. all impact the image of the University outside of our little bubble. When people see my degrees on a resume, they have a reaction. That reaction could be "Wow. Great school." or it could be "Oh, yahoo party school."
We are not a "yahoo party school" yet, but getting rid of the Chief definitely helps our cause.
It is odd to here scuh a complaint from the group who ignored the much more devestating problems of alcholism, violence, gambling, ...
Amen.
Our good friends the BOT also recently enacted more student fees...much like Teacher Man and the 1121pm Anon. poster, I'm troubled by the time and effort local anti-Chief groups put forth getting rid of the Chief, versus no apparent efforts to address the multiple issues facing American Indians: alcoholism, effects of widespread gambling centers on Indian land, education difficulties, and so on. I say apparent because for every anti-Chief event done by local groups, I saw/heard/read no self-promotion regarding the same groups efforts to help the wider American Indian community; if they did something, why haven't we heard about it? Or was getting rid of the Chief the be-all and end-all of goals...
This may have been brought up earlier, but does anyone know the status of (i believe) the University of North Dakota case against the NCAA? Also, any news/info on similar actions by the NCAA to other schools that had American Indian mascots/names/logos? I seem to remember that Florida State University jumped through some moderate hoops, and were able to retain their Seminole related mascot, name, and logo...
I wonder if the U of I was as "big-time" as FSU, would the NCAA had pushed as hard?
HG
on a funnier note, ESPN.com (so, i'm a sports junky, i'm in a 12-step program, don't worry :) ) runs a daily feature called "A.M. Jump", and it looks at storylines from the previous night in sports, and upcoming events to watch out for...the Chief is listed in the "Oddities" section...
couldn't edit my previous post...
HG
Andymionm, when you use terms like simpletons, you display the sheer arrogance and elitism that the anti-chief crowd displays. The anti-chief crowd made threats for years, and apparently you think that's O.K. because it was for a good cause. Now, if people threaten to withhold funding over an issue that they consider important, it's childish, or the act of a simpleton, or whining, as Wenalway called it. Your group can behave as passionately as they choose because, after all, it's for "a good cause." People on the other side of the argument are told to stop whining, move on, grow up and get a life (an by the way, keep sending in the money). If you don't see the hypocricsy or the sheer ugliness of that argument, then there's probably not much to debate.
"does anyone know the status of (i believe) the University of North Dakota case against the NCAA?"
I asked the same question earlier, so I did my own research:
The Attorney General of North Dakota filed the lawsuit against the NCAA on October 6, 2006 -- statement and links to court documents.
According to the summons, the NCAA had twenty days to respond, but I can't find anything on the ND AG site, the UND site, or the NCAA site that updates any information from October.
It is interesting to note that those of the conservative viewpoint, (ie those who support less government intrusion into private affairs), are so quick to demand that the government or "somebody" do something about this "unregulated power" that the NCAA has. What you forget when you make this statement is that the NCAA is a private organization just like the Boy Scouts of America, and are free to dictate their membership policies as they see fit because that is their right as a non-governmental entity.
The NCAA is *not* the only game in town (just like the BSA is not the only Scouting group around), and schools are free to participate or not participate in whatever conference will have them, and can be free of any restrictions. Just like those who tell people "If you don't like the Chief, don't come to UIUC" (as so many students are apt to tell anti-Chief people), perhaps you should take a play from your own book and tell the the school "If you don't like the policies, then leave the NCAA." If UIUC doesn't want to leave the NCAA, then you've got to play by their rules, period. Freedom of association has privileges and responsibililites, and you can't have one without the other...
Dweller:
So stop sending the money. But just stop whining.
You lost. Deal with it.
Wenalway, you prove my point, or perhaps you think you need to support your argument with name-calling and statements like that?
I feel episode two of "Wenalway Man" coming on....
I'd like to weigh in on three topics, related only under the general subject matter:
1. To those who have used words like "childish," "simpleton," "whining," and so forth to characterize the pro-Chiefers who plan to protest with their wallets and withhold contributions to the university, please stop. I think "misdirected" is an accurate label, but the others are just inflammatory.
2. To Arvid, I don't think you really have any understanding at all of what it would mean for the university to drop its membership in the NCAA. As to the statement
"The NCAA is *not* the only game in town (just like the BSA is not the only Scouting group around)"
the two questions this raises are too obvious for me to even ask. I am extremely curious about the answers, though.
3. Finally, not to get in line before Fieldmouse, but I would also offer to take season tickets (and parking passes while we're at it) off the hands of anyone who no longer feels he or she can support the university by attending football or basketball games. Especially basketball.
James:
Whatever helps you deal with the permanent loss of your lifetime hero, Chief Illiniwek.
:)
To Arvid, I don't think you really have any understanding at all of what it would mean for the university to drop its membership in the NCAA. As to the statement:
"The NCAA is *not* the only game in town (just like the BSA is not the only Scouting group around)"
the two questions this raises are too obvious for me to even ask. I am extremely curious about the answers, though.
Oh, I do realize what it would mean, and I know that there is no way it would happen because, just like with the alternatives to the BSA, the other organizations leave a lot to be desired. My main point people need to drop this "someone's gotta do something about the NCAA"...they're a private organization, and the only people that have the "right" or authority to "do something" about the NCAA are the member institutions, and that sure as heck isn't going to happen either. So UIUC's options are to suck it up and play by the rules. If having the Chief was all that important and meant more to the U of I than the student-athletes, then we'd be playing in the NAIA, but clearly the student-athletes are more important (as it should be :)
Exactly how to you conclude that because someone is anti-chief, they don't do anything else to help native people. I'm anti-chief, and you don't have the slightest idea what other organizations I give money to, give my time to, etc.
For 17 years I've heard how important the Chief was for "raising awareness" of Native Americans. Great, but what has that awarness done? How many Chief fans donate time, money, or anything to native causes. I've never heard of anyone.
The NCAA does not possess there power via their own constitution and by-laws.
I realize they are a private organization, but they still have to operate by their rules.
The U of I went through the appeals process and was unsuccessful in saying that this action breaks their by-laws and constitution.
But they could still file a suit with that claim.
The judge may only be able to make it official that they are indeed breaking their own rules. He may not possess the power to tell the organization they have to follow their rules, but he could officially state they are breaking them.
If that occured, a chain of events would likely occur that would slowly force the removal of the act.
Furthermore, I'd like to add...
The because the NCAA's policy effectively deems Chief Illiniwek, hostile and abusive, and more than implies it is racist, I believe there is the potential for some sort of slander like case. I'm not a lawyer, I don't know what the wording would be on that, but I do not believe the NCAA can just arbitrarily call a member institution racist, when the United States government says it is not.
How do they say it's not?
Copyrights and Trademarks of items deemed to be offensive are not allowed to be held. The U of I has and continues to hold such rights to the Chief Illiniwek tradition.
The Chief gone, Coca Cola next:
Coca-Cola should drop the 'coca,' Bolivia growers say
The farmers want the word "Coca" dropped by the U.S. soft drink company, arguing that the potent shrub belongs to the cultural heritage of this Andean nation, where the coca leaf infuses everyday life and is sacred to many.
A commission of coca industry representatives advising an assembly rewriting Bolivia's constitution passed a resolution Wednesday calling on the Atlanta, Ga.-based company to take "Coca" out of its name and asking the United Nations to decriminalize the leaf.
The resolution demands that "international companies that include in their commercial name the name of coca (example: Coca Cola) refrain from using the name of the sacred leaf in their products."