Support the Chief!!
Posted on 04/15/2004 7:18:41 PM PDT by Land_of_Lincoln_John
April 15, 2004 (CHAMPAIGN, IL) — Protesters occupied the main administration building on the University of Illinois' Urbana-Champaign campus Thursday demanding that the school eliminate its Chief Illiniwek mascot and associated Indian-head symbol. No one was allowed to enter the building after protesters arrived about 7:25 a.m.
"We're prepared to be here for several days," said Jen Tayabji, a former Illinois student who was standing with about 10 other protesters four hours later. They blocked the entrance to the Swanlund Administration Building under a large sign that read, "Sit in against the chief."
Tulsi Dharmarajan, a spokeswoman for the group of about 40 protesters, said they planned to stay in the building until they heard from the board of trustees. The protesters chose Thursday because it would have been the date of the board's April meeting, which was canceled after student trustee Nate Allen said he would ask for a vote on the issue.
The protesters said they had three demands of the trustees: immediate elimination of the Chief mascot, dance and symbol; a formal apology to anyone offended by the Chief; and increased funding for Native American and other minority programs on the Urbana-Champaign campus.
"We have enough supplies to last us through the night," Dharmarajan said. "We're going to be here until we hear from the board."
The trustees had no comment Thursday afternoon, university spokesman Tom Hardy said.
Chief Illiniwek has divided the campus for years, with supporters arguing the Chief is an honored symbol and others saying the mascot is racially offensive.
In an advisory referendum held as part of the campus' student government election last month, more than two-thirds of the 13,000 students who voted said they favored keeping the Chief. The campus has more than 38,000 students.
The issue has been before the university's board of trustees twice in recent months, but the board has not taken a vote since passing a resolution in 1990 that supported the Chief as the symbol of the university.
The Illiniwek debate rekindled when Trustee Frances G. Carroll, who was appointed to the board last July, prepared a resolution that called for Chief Illiniwek to be "honorably retired." A crowd of nearly 500 people showed up for the board's November meeting only to hear Carroll remove the resolution from the agenda because she lacked the votes to pass it.
Support the Chief!!
These kids need to get a hobby, like smoking crack or shooting smack. It would make their lives more productive.
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