Reece P

Mascot Confliction

                Mascots are popular public figures that are known by many and represent local spirit and pride, but on occasion some people can take a mascot offensively. At the University of North Dakota the mascot “Fighting Sioux” is offensive to some people who attend UND and those who are involved with the Sioux tribe. They believe that the mascot is being misrepresented and is disrespected but others think that its honorable to the Sioux because its showing their toughness and independence as a nation and tribe especially in battle which can now be interpreted to the school’s sports.

                A majority of attendees who attend UND don’t find the “Fighting Sioux” offensive. They tend to find it as a honorable representation of the Sioux tribe. The mascot figure is seen all over the university campus. So therefore changing the university’s key identity would consume tons of time and money. If UND is like most schools right now, they probably don’t have the proper funding to tear apart the campus and buildings in order to replace “Fighting Sioux” symbols, icons, and any present indicators of “Fighting Sioux.”

                Some items are even unchangeable. An excellent example of this would be that of the UND’s gymnasium that was constructed from an outstanding $100 million dollar donation. The rules of that gymnasium state that if the mascot “Fighting Sioux” is no longer used then neither can the gym. (pg 66 America Now). If under some odd circumstances that the gym could still be used there would be “Fighting Sioux” symbol, ones that cannot be replaced or if were decided to be replaced would take extensive work to remove and even then, they possibly couldn’t be fully removed. A prime example of this is the main entrance of the gymnasium on the marble floor are “Fighting Sioux” symbols to remove these would be virtually impossible and would be a constant reminder of what lied there before. So you tell me, is changing the mascot really important enough to lose the gymnasium, an important asset of the University of North Dakota?

                Why is the mascot now all of a sudden a barbaric insult that has basically been the same ascot since the early times of the school’s history, but is just now insulting a noticeable amount of people? Should the University of North Dakota asked the Sioux tribe for their permission? I believe that they should have asked for permission when they first took on the name with the word Sioux in it many years ago but for it to be questioned now to me is absurd. My thoughts and understanding of the mascot situation are that the mascot shouldn’t be required to change at the University of North Dakota because of the amount of money it would take for all the changes, the abandonment of a perfectly good building, and the Sioux tribe took an outstanding amount of time to speak up about their concerns. I feel that what is in the past should be left in the past.