Debate & controversy

Terms of the state's lawsuit settlement with the NCAA concerning the Fighting Sioux logo and nickname allow North Dakota to seek tribal approval of the moniker until Nov. 2010. But according to North Dakota State University System (NDUS) Chancellor William Goetz, that amount of time to wait for a resolution to the issue is too long.

Goetz said in an article published by the Grand Forks Herald on Saturday that the state needs to have a plan ready by 2010 for the transition. He said the transition wouldn't necessarily be a change in the nickname, but instead some kind of compromise with the tribal leaders and state officials to make the name more acceptable.

He also stressed the emotional impact of the controversy surrounding the name, adding that the issue has been damaging for UND. "This cannot continue," he said in the interview. "We need to bring this to a final resolution."

Goetz was unavailable for comment with The Dakota Student as of publication.

UND's impact

University President Robert Kelley stressed that no matter what the transition will be, the issue should be resolved sooner rather than later.

"I think the issue here for us is what's best for the University of North Dakota," he said. "There's not much to be gained by just letting this run out until the end with a whimper."

He said he believes that Goetz's comments show that he is trying to accelerate the process in order to finish what needs to be done eventually.

"He's putting together a committee that is working with the constituents that were named in the NCAA settlement, and I think he would like to try now to push this along," he said.

The State Board of Higher Education is in charge of meeting the requirements of the lawsuit settlement, and UND is not involved with the transition effort. The state and university will eventually take action based on his recommendation.

"The university right now is neutral," Kelley said. "We're not in the mix."

Seeking support

In his interview with the Grand Forks Herald, Goetz said that tribal chairs had indicated to him in meetings that they were not going to change their stance of opposition to the logo and nickname.

This means that if they don't approve of the name before November 2010, the university will need to change the logo or face consequences by the NCAA.

Kelley said that it has become clear that continued meetings with tribal leaders will not gain their approval. He added that out of respect, the state and university will eventually need to accept their decision.

"I think at some point you have to recognize that you've had an answer," he said. "You don't keep going back saying let's keep talking about this until I get the answer that I think I want."

UND's future

Goetz also said in the interview that "all parties need to understand there will be some type of a transition." According to Kelley, whatever changes take place will require an attempt at being an inclusive step forward for the university.

He said that even if the nickname changes, it will still be a part of UND's history. "We are what we are, and we will be what we will be," he said. "If our traditions do evolve, that doesn't mean that we forget our history."

Kelley added that his role in the transition will be to ensure that everything goes smoothly in the midst of changes.

"I feel like my job depending on what the state board does is to provide leadership for the university so that all of us can move forward together, so that we come out of this strong together as a university community," he said.

He said that it will also be important for students and other groups to have some say in the changes.

"Clearly students have to have a strong voice in what we look like going forward, as do faculty and members of our community and all the different groups within our student body," he said. "I think all of us would like to have some place at the table as we decide our future, and part of my job will be to ensure that that happens."

Kelley said that he was interested in the idea of involving North Dakota high school students in the resolution process since they will be impacted by the changes as well.

Lawsuit history

UND's lawsuit against the NCAA was filed on Oct. 6, 2006 after a long preparation. A settlement agreement was reached in October 2007.

Under the terms of the settlement, the state has until Nov. 30, 2010 to gain the approval of namesake tribes in the state. If it has not received approval from both of the tribes by that date, then the university has until Aug. 15, 2011 to transition to a new nickname and make appropriate changes to its athletic teams and venues.

Also included in the terms is a requirement to remove most of the logos at the Ralph Engelstad Arena, which is estimated will cost about $1 million. Arena officials have said that they will not pay for the potential removal costs.

The lawsuit was filed after the university lost its second appeal to the NCAA in April 2006 to get removed from the list of institutions with "hostile and abusive" nicknames or logos. UND would have been barred from hosting playoff games or displaying its logos in the post season according to a 2005 decision if it had not sued or changed its nickname.