PCM

Have I ever steered you wrong? You can look up the 2004 enrollment numbers (I assume this is 2003-2004) by college here. NDSU and UND have their 2004-2005 enrollment statistics online. NDSU lists 112 American Indian students and UND lists 407. I couldn't find exact numbers for USD and SDSU, but USD's Web site says it enrollment of American Indian students varies between 150 and 175. USD's 2 percent listing under U.S. College Search would put the number closer to 150. According to the 2000 US Census, American Indians comprised 4.9 percent of North Dakota's total population and 8.3 percent of South Dakota's. Therefore, between UND, USD, NDSU and SDSU, UND is the only school that comes anywhere near having a representative sample of American Indian students enrolled. What I find truly amazing is that despite its use of a "hostile and abusive" nickname and logo, UND has far more American Indian students and far more Indian-related programs than any of the other major universities in the Dakotas.

Raging Reds

Oui.

If American Indian students are treated so horribly at UND as a result of the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo, how is it that there are three times more of them at UND than there are at NDSU? How is it that UND has nearly two and a half times more American Indian students than the University of South Dakota? How is it that compared to my alma mater, South Dakota State University, UND has four times more American Indian students? If what you say was true, one would think that UND would be the last university American Indian students would choose to attend. But for some strange reason, they come to UND in far greater numbers than they do to other universities in the Dakotas. How do you explain that?

I've dealt with North Dakota banks on business loans and know how paranoid they can be about taking risks even when there is little involved. The KVLY story said that if CanadInn can't get financing locally, it has other sources. Therefore, the problem doesn't appear to be with the project getting financing, it's with getting it financed locally. Without more information than that, it's difficult for me to come to a conclusion about who's most at fault for the delay.

From the Herald Democrat in Oklahoma: SOSU mascot under scrutiny It's interesting that UNC-Pembroke get to use it's American Indian name because it has a 20 percent Native American enrollment, but Southeastern Oklahoma State University, which has a 28 percent Native American enrollment, is being required by the NCAA to drop its name, the Savages.

From the Greeley (CO) Tribune: NCAA, leave mascots alone

From the IlliniBoard.com The Self-Righteous (Sadly Misguided) NCAA

From the Virginian-Pilot Hue and cry over nicknames cast in several shades of gray

From the New Hampshire Union Leader The PCAA: Mocking tradition and autonomy

USA Today has a story here that includes a poll in which you can vote on the NCCA's new American Indian names policy. When I voted, there were 16,820 votes cast and the results were: 3% The ruling sounds like a fair compromise. 3% Huh? How are they possibly going to enforce it? 8% It's not enough. They should be completely banned. 10% Come on NCAA, let the schools decide. 76% Ridiculous. Political correctness gone too far. I interpret that as 11% for the NCAA and 89% against.

Last week, a report on KVLY said the problem wasn't with CanadInn, it was with the local banks being unwilling to provide financing.

You could learn something from Cary Eades and the Fighting Sioux hockey team. Respect can't be legislated. It can't be mandated. It can't be coerced. You can't force anyone to respect you. You get respect the old-fashioned way. You earn it.

In other words, if Europeans were successful in wiping out an entire tribe and its civilization, it's okay for a university today to appropriate the tribe's name, symbols and culture. That's a great message to send. And what of Mexican-Americans who are descendents of the Aztecs? Are we to assume that all of them have no problem with the way San Diego State uses the Aztec name?

And your reasoning for this is...?

The NCAA's reasoning behind letting North Carolina-Pembrooke keep its American Indian name is because 21 percent of the school's enrollment is American Indian and apparently supports it. I wonder what percentage of Notre Dame's enrollment is Irish Catholic. And how does the NCAA policy square with allowing San Diego State to remain the Aztecs? SDS assistant vice president Jack Beresford was quoted in a news article saying: The NCAA says its policy is not aimed strictly at schools with American Indian monikers, but then targets only certain schools with American Indian monikers, providing no reasoning as to why Notre Dame and San Diego State are excluded.

But if the NCAA's new policy is to taken seriously, it should enforce the policy based on what it says it applies to, which is:

I agree, that could happen, but only because the NCAA is faced with enormous political and public pressure to back off. Brand and Harrison aren't going to wake up tomorrow and say, "Gee, what were we thinking? We can't do that! It's censorship!"

If they do that, then there was absolutely no point in the NCAA doing what it did. Why would they grant exemptions to the schools that they consider the worst offenders? And believe me, UND is one school that they don't want to let get away, given its dealings with Ralph Engelstad. I'll believe it when I see it. Until then, Myles Brand and Walter Harrison fully believe that they have come up with a way to coerce the offending schools in doing what the NCAA wants them to do, which is drop the names completely.

Here are some more reactions to the NCAA's decision: [url=http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/colleges/12321779.htm]Don

Florida State might get it done -- for Florida State. FSU has a big advantage that UND doesn't: the support of the state's Seminole tribe. So maybe a court will come to the rescue of FSU, but UND is not FSU. A court ruling that applies to one university may not apply to another. The more I think about this and the more I listen to the condescending, sanctimonious babbling of the NCAA representatives, the more convinced I become that the NCAA has made a strategic error. The NCAA, the Mike McFeelys of the media, liberal academics and the name-change advocates hold a fundamental belief that is fundamentally wrong. They think most of America agrees with them. The fact it is, the public and most American Indians are against what the NCAA is trying to do. They see the issue as political correctness gone wild. They think it's a complete waste of time. One thing I guarantee that will happen as a result of this is that some powerful members of Congress will be contacted by influential constituents in the states affected by the NCAA's ruling. There will be politicians from both parties who jump on the bandwagon to condemn the NCAA's attempt at censorship. And ask yourself this: Do you know anyone who actually likes the NCAA? There are millions of sports fans like this guy across the country who will happily rip on the NCAA for this move. The organization is a favorite target, and that target just got bigger. One false notion that's often repeated (McFeely did it again today) is that Ralph Englestad was the only person keeping UND from changing the name. But that's never been true. The fact is, most UND alumni support keeping the name, as do most of UND's staff (not just faculty, staff). The State Board of Higher Education said the name must stay. A resolution introduced in the state legislature several years ago calling for UND to drop the Sioux name never made it out of committee. Therefore, the political support within the state is broad and deep. There are thousands of people in North Dakota and around the country who support UND's use of the Fighting Sioux name. They represent a large majority. By publicly stating their opinions and letting their elected representatives know how they feel, they can have a significant impact on the debate. It's not just about Ralph. It never was. Shortly after Ralph died, I made a post (I can't remember if it was here or on USCHO) saying that it was up to us to carry on the fight to keep the Sioux name. That's never been more true than it is today. Wishful thinking isn't going to get it done. Hoping that some other school is going to be UND's knight in shining armor won't do it, either. Nor is the NCAA likely to reverse itself without pressure being brought to bear. So do what you can. Don't be afraid to express your opinion or to let your elected officials know how you feel. That's what's going to make a difference.

Here's an article on Florida State's reaction to the NCAA action. This part was especially interesting in light of what was said during the NCAA teleconference on Friday: Here's a partial transcript from the NCAA teleconfernce:

Thanks, nativeamericanson, for supporting the Fighting Sioux and for posting that link. Here's another good column on the subject by Dave Fairbank of the Daily Press in Hampton Roads, VA, titled " Noble cause for NCAA? You've got to be kidding."