SEMO PANEL SUGGESTS SUN-FIGURE MASCOT

A Southeast Missouri State University committee has recommended the school adopt a sun figure as its mascot and scrap its war-beat-sounding pep song.

The mascot would be called Bernie or Burnie.

The suggested mascot also fits in with the school's Sundancers group that performs at Southeast's athletic events.

Committee members recommended a hawk and an eagle as its second and third choices.

Members said the eagle is native to the region and would tie in with the school's Golden Eagles Marching Band.

The hawk also is found in the region. The committee said a hawk mascot could be patterned as a "Mark Twain type" with a white suit and a vest sporting the university's logo.

The committee Wednesday approved a five-page report outlining its recommendations to university President Dr. Dale Nitzschke.

Nitzschke said late Wednesday afternoon that he hadn't seen the recommendations yet.

He said the ultimate decision will rest with the Board of Regents. He said he plans to thoroughly review the committee report before making any recommendations to the board.

"I am not going to fast-track this at all," he said.

Regent Doyle Privett of Kennett said the regents have a responsibility to make certain any new mascot isn't "way out in left field."

The committee advised the school to keep its Indian and Otahkian nicknames, but said the university should "strongly discourage" caricatures of Indians or Indian culture.

At a meeting two weeks ago, a handful of committee members said they wanted to dump the nicknames because they felt it was disrespectful to Indians.

But a majority of the committee supported the nicknames. They said the school should take steps to educate people about the region's Indian heritage through its general publications, athletic media guides and game programs.

Committee members said the school should discourage any symbolic representations that have the potential to be offensive or are inaccurate regarding Indian culture.

They said caricatures on T-shirts and coffee mugs, red face painting or body painting, simulated war dances and tomahawk chops should be avoided.

That also means the school should find a new pep song to play at basketball and football games, committee members said.

The current war-beat-sounding tune is the theme from a beer commercial, committee member and band director Barry Bernhardt said.

"It is associated with the tomahawk chop. It is associated with war dance music," said Jim Biundo, committee co-chairman and assistant to the president for university relations.

Biundo said the committee isn't asking the university to kick out fans who perform the tomahawk chop or paint their faces.

"We can't control what individuals do," said student Chip Barnhill, who co-chairs the committee.

American Indians have a sun dance. But Biundo said the committee's suggested sun mascot has no more relationship to Indian culture than an eagle, hawk or bear.

Once a final decision is made by the university administration, costumes must be designed and students chosen to don the costumes.

Committee members said the school should train at least two students to serve as mascot because it would be difficult for one student to be at every athletic or campus event.

The 27-member committee has been searching for a new mascot since it was formed last November. Nitzschke appointed the committee at the request of students who said a mascot might improve school spirit.

After abandoning its Chief Sagamore and Princess Otahki mascots 10 years ago, the school experimented briefly with two other mascots.