Stealth Policy Changes Behind Sioux Nickname Surrender?
It’s with great sadness, anger and memories that I ponder the current situation concerning the University of North Dakota’s Fighting Sioux name. Throughout my entire life I’ve been going to Fighting Sioux sports games. I began by being carried into the games by my parents, both UND graduates. I remember sitting next to piles of snow on the bleachers in our original indoor hockey arena. Mom always insisted we sit behind the chicken wire on the ends for our safety. The fans on the top row always stood. Going to the warming area (remember the snow on the bleachers) and being crowded on all sides (but the air was probably cleaner down there.)
Times changed and we moved into another hockey arena and another. Some teams were mediocre and some were great. I remember five national hockey championships and many close calls.
Although I’ve gotten away from attending many football and basketball games I went to nearly all of them when I was younger: Froze at November playoff football games; triple overtime basketball games; The awful Chattanooga basketball game….
Following the example of my parents I’ve continued the tradition by bringing my kids to the games and letting them experience it for themselves.
All along I felt that the Sioux name belonged to me as well as all of the other Sioux fans and alumni of course.
Then last week the Attorney General announced that the Fighting Sioux tradition is not worth fighting for. There is some hope, we might still be able to use the logo if two of the neighboring tribes say we may for as long as they choose to let us.
How is something that is worth millions of dollars owned by the people of North Dakota for close to 80 years just given away?
We thought we had a pretty good legal case. Now that the case has been settled the NCAA has admitted that our use of the name was not hostile and abusive which was their justification for trying to force us to drop the name. We certainly could have expected a fair trial with the trial judge and a supermajority of the ND Supreme Court having ties to UND.
One of the smartest contributors to Sioux Sports is of the opinion that this was a policy change not strictly a matter of legal strategy.
“We have today before us really a dynamic in terms of a change in public policy that is being brought forward,” says Bill Goetz, university system chancellor. “And that is the recognition of the Tribes and how they will be given the opportunity to weigh in on this issue. As should be the case.”
Bill Goetz is Governor John Hoeven’s former Chief of Staff. John Hoeven has a history of settling law suits in order to advance his agenda. He certainly played the lawsuit against the state by a few school districts over the school funding formula to advance his agenda. The school settlement was going to cost the state taxpayers $60,000,000 then upped to $80,000,000. Does the governor plan a similar scenario here (although I doubt it’ll cost us that much money.)
Under the terms of the surrender settlement we can continue to use the name if these two tribes approve us to do so. On the other hand both tribes maintain that they won’t do that. I guess they could change their minds but I take them for their word.
One thing I don’t want to see is for the University or the State to throw a lot of money at the tribes and buy their approval. It would be wrong to pay for something that we gave away. That’s not an unlikely possibility because apparently Governor Hoeven‘s going to be in on the talks with the tribes.
Stenehjem suggested a team of state officials, likely including himself and Gov. John Hoeven, lead the nickname negotiations with the tribes. We all know that Governor Hoeven is VERY good at promising to spend other people’s money. Was he pressuring the Attorney General and the Board of Higher Education, that he appoints, to settle? If so does he intend on renting the name (which we formally owned) with our money?
Tags: North Dakota News
I very much wanted to keep the name. However I don’t want to get it by threatening the tribes or by paying them off. The latter would be a terrible idea since by the settlement with the NCAAA they can change their minds at anytime. Any deals we make will come in the form of new or expanded programs that once given are never taken away.
As you might know I’m not in favor of many programs that exist to serve one group of people. But I don’t think that we should be holding any programs hostage to the tribes’ decisions on the usage of the name. I say give the tribes on more chance to change their minds and respect that decision. I think what we’ve done in the past is a credit to the name but if they don’t think so I can’t change their minds.
On the other hand I do hold responsible the people in the state government that are supposed to be protecting our interests. If they made this deal because they thought it was the right legal strategy then I think they are not competent. If they did this because they decided to change the policy, as the Chancellor’s statement suggests, then they are wrong as wrong can be. Public policy is supposed to be made in the open, not behind closed doors.
There’s something really wrong in the process here. I could live with losing the battle. I can’t accept giving up.
