North Dakota to use Fighting Sioux nickname despite NCAA’s threats
By DALE WETZEL Associated Press February 8, 2012 11:17AM
North Dakota Secretary of State Al Jaeger, center, and Jaeger's elections director, Lee Ann Oliver, right, dig through stacks of referedum petitions on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012, in the secretary of state's office in the North Dakota Capitol in Bismarck, N.D., as Reed Soderstrom, left, a Minot attorney, looks on. Soderstrom is chairman of a referendum campaign to require the University of North Dakota to use its Fighting Sioux athletics nickname and a logo that features the profile of an American Indian warrior. The university wants to retire the nickname and logo, which the NCAA considers offensive. (AP Photo/Dale Wetzel)
Article Extras
Updated: February 8, 2012 12:03PM
BISMARCK, N.D. — The University of North Dakota said Wednesday it will resume using its contentious Fighting Sioux nickname despite threats from the NCAA, marking the latest twist in a protracted fight about a name its critics consider offensive.
A state law that that required the university to use the nickname and a logo that shows the profile of an American Indian warrior was repealed last year. But late Tuesday, supporters of the name filed petitions demanding that the issue be put to a statewide vote.
University President Robert Kelley said the school decided to use the name and logo to reaffirm its respect for the referendum process.
“I want to reaffirm our respect for the laws of the state and the processes guaranteed under the North Dakota Constitution,” Kelley said in a written statement Wednesday afternoon.
The school had stopped using the name and logo when the law was repealed. But under the referendum process detailed in the North Dakota Constitution, the pro-nickname law will remain in force while Secretary of State Al Jaeger reviews the petitions.
The NCAA has told UND that continued use of the nickname and logo will expose the school to sanctions. If the nickname and logo are kept, the university won’t be allowed to host postseason sports tournaments, and its athletes may not wear uniforms with the logo or nickname in postseason play.
Comments Click here to view or make a comment