Chief Illiniwek protesters crash board meeting

URBANA, Ill. -- Dozens of Chief Illiniwek opponents disrupted a meeting of the University of Illinois board of trustees Thursday in the latest attempt to force retirement of the school's mascot.

During the public comment session, protester Brooke Anderson presented a resolution asking the board to get rid of the Chief, issue an apology to American Indians and spend money on recruiting Indian students.

Board chairman Gerald Shea said the issue would not be discussed because it was not on the agenda.

Anderson and other protesters then began to chant "No excuse, no delay, ban the Chief today." A few minutes later, board members moved to the Illini Union for an executive session.

The protesters soon followed, continuing to chant outside the closed meeting.

The Chief, portrayed by a student wearing war paint and full American Indian regalia, has been a U of I symbol since the 1920s. It has also been a source of much debate between opponents who see the mascot as an offensive caricature of Indian people and culture and supporters who say it honors the Indians who inhabited Illinois.