Student government group calls for Chief's retirement

URBANA, Ill. -- The University of Illinois' student government organization has passed a resolution supporting Chief Illiniwek's retirement.

It was the first time in seven years that the Illinois Student Government has taken a position on the controversial mascot's fate, which the university's board of trustees is expected to decide in July.

The resolution was approved Wednesday night by a 14-5 vote, with two abstentions. Students sitting on the floor and spilling into the hallway cheered when the results were announced.

Many say the mascot is an offensive caricature of Indian people and culture; supporters say the 75-year-old symbol honors the Indians who inhabited Illinois.

Much of the debate Wednesday centered on pro- and anti-Chief sentiment, although some members questioned whether they should take a stand at all. There has never been a referendum on the issue, and the student government organization voted in 1995 only to take a neutral stance on the mascot.

"I don't think the ISG should be voting on such a resolution because I don't think it could possibly be representative of the students," said Chris Mullen, a sophomore who supports the Chief.

Trustees to rule

The student vote comes as the campus awaits a ruling from the Illinois Board of Trustees, which is expected to vote at its July meeting.

In March, a nine-month study by one of the trustees found that supporters and opponents of the Chief are so divided over the school's mascot that no compromise between them is possible.

Bert Berla, a junior who voted in favor of retiring the Chief, said the student group had waited far too long to take a stand on its mascot.

"ISG now matters to this campus like it never has," he said.

"ISG's legitimacy is at risk not from pro-Chief people taking it away, but in backing down voluntarily from taking a stand."