Policy stands: University of Minn. won't play Sioux because of logo

A 2003 University of Minnesota policy discouraging their athletic teams from playing against UND in all sports except hockey will stand, the Advisory Committee on Athletics chairman announced last Tuesday.

Statements had been made more recently that indicated that the policy might be reconsidered, which attempts to discourage the competition against any team that uses American Indian logos or nicknames.

The policy wasn't enforced until last year after Minnesota Athletic Director Joel Maturi talked with the committee for more guidance and was told to follow the policy more strictly.

Douglas Hartmann, the committee's chair and a sociology professor at the University of Minnesota, says that discussions about reconsidering the policy that had been happening since a Feb. 1 meeting were now completed.

Hartmann said at a Sept. 20 meeting that he saw no reason to change the policy, since there had been little changes in UND's situation with the nickname controversy or NCAA lawsuit. The committee didn't vote on his decision but no member objected to it either.

He said the outcome of the lawsuit could cause the policy to be reexamined, but was unsure at the current time what the impact of either decision would be on the issue. The case is scheduled to begin in court in December.

Concerns over what impact the enforced policy will have on UND have been raised, especially as the school transitions to Division I athletics over the next five years.

Two other major Division I institutions, the University of Wisconsin and the University of Iowa, have similar policies against competition with teams that have an American Indian nickname.