Proud to be Indians

While Southeast Missouri State University prepares to retire its mascot out of respect to Native Americans, two local high schools plan to keep their Indian nicknames.

Jackson athletic director Kevin Bohnert said the Indians nickname is a source of pride not only for the school but the entire Jackson community.

Bohnert used the Indian statue in front of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce building as an example of how important the mascot is to the town.

"It represents community, school, everyone pulling together," Bohnert said. "I believe the townspeople -- many of whom have gone here or have kids or grandkids who attend Jackson -- think of themselves as not only Jacksonians but as Jackson Indians."

Bruce Valleroy, the athletic director at St. Vincent in Perryville, said school mascots are used for identification.

"When you talk to someone and tell them you went to St. Vincent, the first thing you hear is Indians," Valleroy said. "For Jackson and SEMO as well, Indians is so familiar."

Valleroy said even though Southeast has changed its mascot, with Indians and Otahkians synonymous with the university, it will take time to get used to Redhawks.

"It's like I keep calling them SEMO and I know they want to be called Southeast, but when I was there it was SEMO," he said.

Valleroy recalled that early in the 1990s, somebody suggested St. Vincent drop the Indians and Squaws monikers used for its boys and girls teams.

But St. Vincent did not change then, and Valleroy said unless the school is pressured by the archdiocese, it will not change now.

"We're not looking to change it," Valleroy said.

Bohnert said Jackson has not had any pressure to drop the Indians mascot in his time at the school and he has no plans for change.

"I would not want to be the one to initiate or to bring about that change," Bohnert said. "The mascot, the name, it runs deeper than the school."