Trends in Higher Education

* The University of Illinois dropped its 81-year-old American Indian mascot, Chief Illiniwek, making the school eligible to host postseason NCAA championship events.

The NCAA in 2005 deemed Illiniwek – portrayed by buckskin-clad students who dance at home football an basketball games and other athletic events – an offensive use of American Indian imagery and barred the university from hosting postseason events.

Students who portray the chief filed a lawsuit asking the Court to bar the university’s decision. A state district judge in North Dakota in November 2006 granted a preliminary injunction in a similar lawsuit over the University of North Dakota’s Fighting Sioux nickname and use of American Indian imagery. In the lawsuit, the students argued that by imposing sanctions, the NCAA failed to provide due process to the students and the university. (stltoday.com 2/16/2007)