North Dakota Votes to Retire the Fighting Sioux Nickname

Hopefully now this will finally put the matter to bed for good.

North Dakota had a vote (Measure 4) on whether to retire the Fighting Sioux nickname. Overwhelmingly, they think it's time.

With 84 percent of precincts reporting, the “Yes” vote on Measure 4 was leading the “No” vote by 67.64 percent to 32.36 percent. The “Yes” votes totaled 90,216, the “No” votes 43,151.

As I have said before on here, I agree 100% that it should be retired. As an alum, I love the nickname (like most people do), but I think it is time for it to go. Simply put, it is in the best interests of the University and the athletic department. I'm glad to hear that North Dakotans agree.

Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball

More Fighting Sioux Nickname Talk

From the Grand Forks Herald:

A conservative blog that has championed efforts to save UND’s Fighting Sioux nickname alleges in a blog posting today that UND officials and others deliberately misled the North Dakota Legislature about UND’s status within the Big Sky Conference and how the fight over the nickname could affect that status.

Don't read the article unless you are a glutton for nickname punishment, but if there was any doubt that people are upset about changing the nickname, there shouldn't be. It is a hot issue up there. I know, having lived there for years!

Hopefully the school will simply go with The University of North Dakota. No new nickname. I think that is what would appease the most folks.

Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball

Fighting Sioux Nickname Debate Not Yet Dead

It's the story that never goes away. Now the Spirit Lake Tribe is getting into things, not-so-subtly threatening UND.

In a statement released by the Committee for Understanding and Respect, which has been authorized by the Spirit Lake Tribal Council to speak for the tribe on the nickname issue, the committee warned UND, the state board, the NCAA and the Big Sky Conference to stop acting “against our honorable name as given to UND by our ancestors.”

-----

The committee challenged Big Sky Conference commissioner Doug Fullerton, who has declined to become involved in the dispute over the nickname beyond warning that it could jeopardize UND’s entry into the conference next year if it remains unresolved. Fullerton has not responded to two recent letters from the Spirit Lake committee.

Hopefully this story will go away soon. My guess is that is just wishful thinking.

North Dakota Will Change Its Nickname

Thankfully, it seems as if the first stage of clearance on this story has passed. After a meeting with the NCAA, North Dakota has decided the only course of action to take at this point is to transition away from the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.

As I have said on here before, I personally like the nickname and the logo, but think it was time for a change. There was never going to be any peaceful resolution that included keeping the nickname, and it felt like change was inevitable. Further, once it started potentially threatening UND's entrance into the Big Sky, that was the last straw for me. It seems that had a big effect on the decision makers as well.

The governor said after Friday’s meeting that keeping the nickname could cause serious harm to the university and its athletic programs, as the NCAA had said it would encourage other member schools not to schedule competition with UND while UND is in noncompliance. Also, UND’s entry into the Big Sky Conference next year could be in doubt if the nickname stayed and the sanctions were sustained.

“I have come to the conclusion that the consequences of not retiring the Sioux logo are too great,” Dalrymple said.

Finally, after years of debate, it seems there will finally be a resolution.

The next stage is to decide what the nickname should be changed to. One popular opinion (which I also like) is for the new nickname to be... no nickname. Just The University of North Dakota. However, would the NCAA allow that? ND Goon looked at it. While it seems like they need to come up with something for a new nickname, it is arguably open for debate. It is hard to say though that UND would want to get into another debate with the NCAA, but we will see.

Regardless, this was an important step for UND athletics, as their entrance into the Big Sky Conference was something that was vital to the continued success of the athletic department.

6 North Dakota Students Sue The School Over Nickname

I think it is time for them to retire the nickname, but this seems a little bit silly.

FARGO, N.D. -- Six American Indian students at the University of North Dakota filed a federal lawsuit Thursday asking to eliminate the school's Fighting Sioux nickname, one day before state officials are scheduled to meet with NCAA officials about the moniker.

The complaint alleges that a new law requiring the school to keep the nickname violates the state constitution and reverses a court-ordered settlement between UND and the NCAA that retired the logo. The students want a court order directing the state Board of Higher education and UND to drop it for good.

As an alum, this debate has raged on for a long time, but I have to say this is the first time I have heard something of this nature:

In addition to their complaints about the state law and settlement agreement, the suit alleges that the nickname has had "a profoundly negative impact" on their self-image and psychological health, and has deprived them "of an equal educational experience and environment."

And once again, this is relevant to the Big Sky because of this:

The Big Sky Conference, which UND hopes to join next year, wants the issue resolved and said it could create problems with the school's conference membership.

I think I speak for a growing number of UND fans that think the time has come to retire the nickname. No matter how much pride many alumni (like myself) have in the nickname and believe that it stands for honor, pride, and integrity, there are simply not a lot of positive that can come from continuing the fight to keep the nickname.

Fighting Sioux Controversy Still At Forefront

Interesting article Sunday about the Fighting Sioux logo/nickname controversy at North Dakota, which could potentially threaten their inclusion in the Big Sky.

Potentially more damaging, the Big Sky Conference, which UND hopes to join next year, has said the issue will complicate the school's conference membership and some schools may refuse to schedule games with North Dakota. Some believe that would lead to a broad decline in athletics.

I have written about the Sioux nickname controversy in the past. I think it is past time for UND to change the nickname and logo. As much pride as UND alumni have in the logo, the risks and damages from keeping it outweigh any potential benefits.

Time for University of North Dakota to Drop The Fighting Sioux Nickname

The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux are set to join the Big Sky officially on July 1, 2012, but that may be in jeopardy.

For as long as I can remember (I am a UND graduate), there has been an intense nickname debate raging at North Dakota. The current nickname is the Fighting Sioux, and that has drawn angst from the NCAA. They have placed sanctions on the athletic programs, forced them to change their names, and it has had some affect on scheduling.

For a while, it looked like the issue was settled. Then the North Dakota legislature stepped in, telling the University to continue to use the nickname. It was seen as a short-term stopgap as they tried to continue to battle the NCAA on the issue.

All of this has come to a head though, as the Big Sky has told UND that continued use of the nickname could be an issue for the school joining the conference:

UND President Robert Kelley was told last week that continued use of the Fighting Sioux name and logo as mandated by a new state law has become a "concern" for them and could jeopardize UND's joining the conference next year.

As an alum, I love the nickname, and the history and tradition that goes along with it. But it is time for it to change. At best, keeping the nickname would keep the situation contentious and would probably still cause some scheduling issues. At worst, it could keep UND out of the Big Sky, which would be disastrous for the athletic program.

President Robert Kelley is doing what he can to change the nickname, let's hope the legislature follows suit. Otherwise, we could have one less team joining the Big Sky in July 2012.