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Chief Illiniwek is gone, and many University of Illinois fans are furious? What am I missing here? This isn't about political correctness. This is about racism, about wanting to watch a white kid dance like an American Indian just because it's part of one's ''school tradition,'' regardless of the pain it inflicts on others. If Native Americans say they are offended by being portrayed as caricatures -- which they have said, on and on -- then the rest of us are out of the equation. Anybody remember the American Indian College Fund ads from a couple years ago, the ones...

WASHINGTON -- Oct. 10, 1942, was up to then the best day of my life. I had talked my father, University of Illinois class of '22, into taking me at age 11 along with him to homecoming weekend. On a golden autumn afternoon, lowly Illinois upset Minnesota, the Midwest football powerhouse. And, for the first time, I was privileged to watch Chief Illiniwek proudly dance down the field to Indian war music. The last time I watched the Chief was Sept. 16, 2006. It will be the last time I ever see this 81-year-old symbol of my alma mater. The...

give them a call and state we want a division 1 football playoff too.

In another episode of overly sensitive university political correctness, not all mascots will be present in St. Louis this week at the Final Four. Although Ramses the Ram, Cardinal Bird the Cardinal, and Sparty the Spartan will make the trek, Chief Illiniwek has been forced to stay in Illinois for the games. "All aspects of the chief and its dance should be eliminated," said Jen Tayabji, a former Illinois student who is a member of the Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative, a group involved in trying to do away with the chief and the "Fighting Illini" moniker. This is ludicrous - I...

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,''...

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...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) The agency that certifies the University of Illinois plans to send a team to Urbana-Champaign later this month to examine how the school is dealing with the divided opinions surrounding its Chief Illiniwek athletic symbol. The visit by the North Central Association Higher Learning Commission is a follow-up to its 1999 accreditation review of the university. That review found that UI easily met accreditation standards, but the commission was concerned about the school's response to the Illiniwek controversy. Chief Illiniwek has divided the campus for years. Supporters argue the mascot, a student who dresses in buckskins and...

The P.C. police continue to try to eliminate Chief Illiniwek as a symbol for the University of Illinois. The Board of Trustees is set to vote tomorrow. Freep this yes or no poll at the website for the U Of I's flagship radio station. Hurry. The good guys are losing.

The P.C. police continue to try to eliminate Chief Illiniwek as a symbol for the University of Illinois. The Board of Trustees is set to vote tomorrow. Freep this yes or no poll at the website for the U Of I's flagship radio station. Hurry. The good guys are losing.

Board of Trustees to vote on Chief retirement Anne Gleason Staff writer The University Board of Trustees may vote on a resolution proposing to retire University symbol Chief Illiniwek at the board meeting on Thursday. The resolution asks that Chief Illiniwek be retired at a time and manner to be determined based on what students, faculty members, staff and alumni at the Urbana campus want. If passed, the Chief will be removed as a symbol, but the Board will continue to support the Fighting Illini name. Several board members said Trustee Frances Carroll was a supporter of the resolution. Carroll's...