(Illinois) Senate leader: Dump the Chief (University of Illinois Mascot)

Chicago Sun-Times ^ | April 28, 2004 | DAVE MCKINNEY AND LESLIE GRIFFY

[Land_of_Lincoln_John]

SPRINGFIELD -- Senate President Emil Jones issued an ultimatum to the University of Illinois on Tuesday: Get rid of Chief Illiniwek by next month or face tighter ''scrutiny'' of school spending.

In his bluntest terms yet, the Chicago Democrat raised the specter of budget cuts while comparing the U. of I. board of trustees to ''segregationists'' for supporting the costumed mascot that Native American critics decry as an unflattering racial stereotype.

''If our tax dollars are going to the university, and the university is using those tax dollars to permit stereotyping, then I think we should deal with it accordingly,'' Jones told reporters in his Statehouse office, which was filled with students who cheered the Senate leader.

When pressed whether he intended to hold the U. of I.'s proposed $700 million budget hostage this spring, Jones said cryptically, ''I didn't say anything specific. As we scrutinize all budgets, we will be scrutinizing the budget of the University of Illinois.''

Asked again later, Jones said, ''We are going to look at it very hard to see how those dollars are related to the chief.''

The U. of I. board has been under pressure this spring to address the long-simmering debate over the university's controversial Native American mascot, which Jones said has led to a ''hostile atmosphere'' that has left critics of the Chief feeling unwelcome at the campus.

In an advisory referendum last month, more than 9,100 U. of I. students voted in favor of keeping Chief Illiniwek while about 4,000 voted against the mascot.

This month, students occupied the Urbana campus' main administrative building for 32 hours in a protest that ended, in part, with university leaders promising to arrange for students to meet with minority state lawmakers such as Jones, who is black.

In Jones, the activists found a sympathetic figure. He urged the board of trustees to take a vote on the matter before legislators adjourn their spring session at the end of May, and he left open the possibility he would push to end the terms of board members unwilling to bend on the Chief issue.

''They are playing the same role segregationists played,'' the Senate president said of pro-Chief trustees, ''and they should not be on the board.''

The board canceled an April meeting amid fears that discussions over the chief would dominate the event -- the second such meeting postponed for that reason. The next scheduled meeting of the board isn't until June 17, and university President James Stukel said he would convey Jones' concerns to trustees.

''It's a serious issue, obviously, when we talk about our budget being affected any way by the issue of the chief,'' Stukel said before the Senate held a hearing on the university's budget Tuesday. ''But it is a board of trustees issue.''

Board chairman Lawrence Eppley could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Defenders of the chief condemned Jones' threats as ''grandstanding'' and said the mascot, if put to a test, would survive a legislative vote. Under Republican rule, both chambers of the Legislature went on record in 1995 with legislation saying the Chief may be the university's time-honored symbol.

''It's wrong to use the budget as the president of the Senate is proposing,'' said Sen. Rick Winkel (R-Urbana), the 1995 legislation's sponsor whose district encompasses the university. ''The Legislature has no business dictating or trying to use the awesome power of the purse to bludgeon one side in favor of the other in this debate. I think that'll fall flat.''

Winkel also criticized Jones for comparing pro-Chief university trustees to segregationists.

''That's an outrageous comparison and really undermines the president's credibility with the members,'' he said. ''The membership knows better than that. The Senate is a deliberative body, and they'll take those kinds of outrageous comments and give them the weight they deserve, which is very little.''

Still, student protesters said they were satisfied by their efforts in Springfield Tuesday and believe they have picked up a powerful ally in Jones.

''It's a shame that in 2004 one of the premier institutions continues to cling to this racist tradition," said Chinwe Nwazota, a junior speech communications major from Flossmoor who was among those granted an audience with the Senate president.

[Land_of_Lincoln_John]

In an advisory referendum last month, more than 9,100 U. of I. students voted in favor of keeping Chief Illiniwek while about 4,000 voted against the mascot.

I guess the opinion of the people doesn't matter to Emil Jones and the PC crowd.

[Redbob]

Hows about they recall Emil Jones instead of the Chief?

[Condor51]

"...said Chinwe Nwazota, a junior speech communications major.."

---

Hmm, I wonder if he's a speech major so he learn how to pronounce his name?

[muawiyah]

Emil Jones is the type of guy who will only be happy after the last vestige of memory of the American Indians has wiped from the Earth.

[Sunshine Sister]

Exactly. The students have spoken. Mr Jones is a politician. Wouldn't he like to win his next race with that many votes (9100) to that of his opponent (4000)? He must be a complete idiot!

[Non-Sequitur]

Get rid of Chief Illiniwek? Let's get rid of Emil Jones instead.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Its always something.

[Molly Pitcher]

NO! We love Chief Illiniwek!!

[MamaLucci]

These morons aren't smart enough to understand that if
they insist on dumping Chief Illiniwek, then it follows
that they should also move to change the name of the
state of Illinois, along with a multitude of other
state and city names.
With the fiscal mess this state is in,
the state senate has far more important issues to deal
with than the U of I mascot.

[Lee N. Field]

"These morons aren't smart enough to understand that if they insist on dumping Chief Illiniwek, then it follows that they should also move to change the name of the state of Illinois, along with a multitude of other state and city names."

Maybe that's the point. They'd rather have the State named "Chicagoland", since that's how they tend to think of it.

[prairiebreeze]

Yes, I'm aware of the "controversy". Pointing out that having a Native American-themed mascot might also be construed as a compliment about strength, determination, fearlessness......does nothing with the anti-Chief crowd.

If they eliminate the mascot at the games, will the next step be to change the mascot altogether? I can tell you (and you are aware) that there is a LOT of Illini merchandise in the bookstore, campus stores etc. and probably advance-ordered in manufacturing for many months or years to come. Would all that have to be junked in favor of the "Tigers" or something?

Poorly thought-out, PC, Dim ranting especially from the economic view-point, as usual. Thanks for the ping

Prairie

[Land_of_Lincoln_John]

See my other post, Poll to FReep!

Should Chief Illiniwek be a symbol of the University of Illinois?

[Hibernius Druid]

What a sorry mess this guy Emil Jones is. He drips racism, can barely express himself in English (Richard M. Daley league on this score), and has lived off the taxpayer just about all his life. Anything to keep stirring the bitter pot of Identity Politics.

[Fast Ed97]

State Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago, 14th District)

SPRINGFIELD -- Dave McKinney of the Chicago Sun-Times reports today that State Senate President Emil Jones has been handed a federal subpoena regarding "possible misuse of state resources for political purposes."

Being questioned by federal investigators is the use of two senate staffers' time.

The Sun-Times reports that time sheets, emails and other records have been subpoenaed to analyze whether state workers copied and inspected nominating petitions of rivals to Jones' "friend and ally," former State Senator William Shaw, on state time during the 2002 election cycle.

Shaw was defeated in his reelection bid by the Reverend James Meeks (I-Chicago, 15th District), an ally of the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Meeks has been named by Jackson as his replacement upon Jackson's retirement as head of Chicago-based Operation PUSH.