The NCAA committee charged with examining American Indian nicknames is asking athletics administrators throughout the membership to provide any thoughts they may have on the use of Indian mascots and imagery in intercollegiate athletics.

The Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee (MOIC) is requesting administrators or coaches to send comments by May 10 to:

American Indian Mascot Study
NCAA
P.O. Box 6222
Indianapolis, Indiana 46206

All comments will be reviewed by the MOIC or the Executive Committee and will remain confidential. Statements included in the MOIC's final report will not identify any individual by name.

In addition to the blanket solicitation of the membership, the MOIC -- chaired by Eugene Marshall, director of athletics at Ramapo College -- is directly seeking input from the Divisions I, II and III Student-Athlete Advisory Committees; from American Indian tribes; and from selected membership committees (Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct and the three championship cabinets/committees).

"I think this topic is probably as important and as volatile as the Confederate flag issue," said Marshall, referring to the controversy over NCAA involvement in South Carolina's decision to fly the Confederate battle flag over its state capitol. "Right now, we're not in a decision-making mode and we're not in a recommendation-making mode. We're fact finding."

The American Indian nickname issue has been in and out of public awareness for years. Last month, the topic received renewed prominence in a Sports Illustrated article that was based on research indicating that most American Indians may not object to the use of Indian names for athletics teams.

The story itself was mostly a sociological examination about how American Indian activists and other American Indians may have surprisingly different views of the issue. The article did not draw any conclusions about whether the use of American Indian imagery for athletics teams is proper.

However, the research has added an interesting dimension to the NCAA's ongoing study of the issue. Marshall acknowledged that the research is provocative, but he said it is only one piece of information for the MOIC to consider as it examines the issue.

President Roy H. Saigo of St. Cloud State University, who is strongly opposed to Indian nicknames and whose request prompted the Association's review of the issue, said the NCAA study should not be overly affected by the research.

"I am not going to question publicly the methodology or credibility of the Sports Illustrated survey," Saigo said. "I don't dispute that a segment of Native Americans are indifferent to or accept the use of Indian nicknames and mascots.

"But I believe that if only a fraction are offended or feel degraded by the practice -- 23 percent according to the survey -- that's still thousands of individuals, and their point of view should be taken seriously. Remember Dr. Martin Luther King's famous quote: 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' "

Saigo noted that the leadership of a number of American Indian tribes and associations have gone on record urging an end to the use of race-based mascots in sports; so have many national educational, civic and advocacy organizations, including the NAACP, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Jewish Committee, the National Organization of Women, and the United States Commission on Civil Rights.

The NCAA study currently is in the hands of a MOIC subcommittee chaired by Amy Hackett, associate director of athletics at the University of Utah. The subcommittee will make recommendations to the MOIC, which in turn will report to the Executive Committee's Subcommittee on Gender and Diversity Issues. That group will be charged with making final recommendations to the Executive Committee.

Marshall said the examination likely will extend to next year as the subcommittee visits campuses affected by the controversy. He said he already has visited St. Cloud State, which has a significant American Indian student population. The subcommittee also plans to attend sporting events at selected campuses whose teams use American Indian mascots.

"We just want to go and observe and not go on campus as 'the NCAA,' " he said. "We want to see people watch a game and get the feel for what goes on."

He said the subcommittee also will visit campuses that have dropped Indian mascots.

Through the collection of comments, meetings, campus visits and other research, Marshall said the committee should be able to reach a reasonable conclusion.

"I do not know right now what the NCAA can and cannot do," he said, "but at the moment, we're trying to find a way to strike a balance about what is right. We're covering all the bases so it's not a snapshot decision, so that it's not Gene Marshall's decision, or the NCAA national office's decision. Instead, it's the body of the NCAA. We're getting everybody's information, and we will make an informed decision."

Massachusetts college drops Mohawk name after four decades

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts has announced that it will change its athletics mascot from the Mohawk.

The move, announced March 13 by President Thomas D. Aceto, followed a recommendation from a subcommittee of the college's athletics advisory council. Consisting of faculty, staff and students, the subcommittee was formed to make a recommendation on the mascot after students last year presented Athletics Director Scott Nichols with a petition requesting the change. The subcommittee voted 10-1 to request that Aceto make the change.

The move followed several months of discussion, debate and informational sessions about the Mohawk mascot. Those sessions included a presentation by Francis Boots of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council.

In making his decision, Aceto asked Nichols to develop a plan for honoring the Mohawk tribe on campus. Massachusetts Liberal Arts, a Division III institution, has used the Mohawk name since the 1960s; before then, teams were referred to as the Professors and in the 1940s, the Gremlins.

Aceto also asked for a new mascot be selected by May 15.

Asked whether the use of Native American team names and mascots contributes to discrimination against Indians, respondents said:

Indians living on/off reservation

Committee solicits comments on American Indian mascot issue

The NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee developed the following document to request membership comment on the use of American Indian mascots for athletics teams:

The NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee (MOIC) has been directed by the NCAA Executive Committee to review the use of American Indian mascots, nicknames and logos by NCAA member institutions. While the issue of American Indian mascots and images in college athletics has been the subject of discussion for the past five years, three recent events prompted the Executive Committee's directive to the MOIC:

* The Executive Committee's detailed review of issues related to the Confederate battle flag and its resulting criteria for evaluating NCAA predetermined championships sites. The criteria include in part "the ability of a site to promote an atmosphere of respect for and sensitivity to the dignity of every person." (January 2001)

* St. Cloud State University President Roy H. Saigo's request to the Executive Committee to consider a resolution stating that the NCAA does not condone the use of Native American logos and nicknames. (March 2001)

* The United States Commission on Civil Rights' "Statement on the Use of Native American Images and Nicknames as Sport Symbols," stating in part that "schools should not use their influence to perpetuate misrepresentations of any culture of people. Stereotypes of American Indians teach all students that stereotyping of minority groups is acceptable, a dangerous lesson in a diverse society." (April 2001)

American Indian mascots are important as symbols because they are intimately linked to deeply embedded values and world views. Accordingly, discussions regarding the use of American Indian mascots, names and logos evoke both passionate allegiance and strident criticism. To supporters, they honor indigenous people, embody institutional tradition, foster shared identity and intensify the pleasure of intercollegiate athletics. To those who oppose them, the mascots give life to racial stereotypes, mock religious and ceremonial customs, revivify historical patterns of appropriation and oppression, and foster discomfort, pain and even terror among many American Indian people.

Consistent with the mission and objectives of the MOIC, its review of the issues surrounding the use of American Indian mascots began with the NCAA constitution. In so doing, the committee noted the following:

1. Article 2.2.2 -- Cultural Diversity and Gender Equity: It is the responsibility of each member institution to establish and maintain an environment that values cultural diversity and gender equity among its student-athletes and intercollegiate athletics department staff.

2. Article 2.4 -- The Principle of Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct: For intercollegiate athletics to promote the character development of participants, to enhance the integrity of higher education and to promote civility in society, student-athletes, coaches and all others, associated with these athletics programs and events should adhere to such fundamental values as respect, fairness, civility, honesty and responsibility. These values should be manifest not only in athletics participation but also in the broad spectrum of activities affecting athletics programs.

3. Article 2.6 -- The Principle of Nondiscrimination: The Association shall promote an atmosphere of respect for and sensitivity to the dignity of every person. It is the policy of the Association to refrain from discrimination with respect to its governance policies, educational programs, activities and employment practices.

Integral to the committee's examination of the issues, particularly in light of providing a final report to the Executive Committee that may include recommendations impacting institutions, conferences and NCAA-sponsored championships and events is the compilation of comments/testimonials from those directly impacted:

American Indian tribes.

Current student-athletes.

The NCAA membership.

Entities within the NCAA governance structure.

The committee welcomes input. Please e-mail comments by May 10 to facaimstudy@ncaa.org or mail them to:

American Indian Mascot Study

NCAA

P.O. Box 6222

Indianapolis, Indiana 46206

All comments will be reviewed by the MOIC and/or Executive Committee and will remain confidential. Statements that are included in the MOIC's final report will not identify any individual by name.