NCAA: No policy change on Indian sports nicknames, Big Sky's Fighting Sioux ...

BISMARCK, N.D. — The NCAA won’t budge on a policy that will penalize the University of North Dakota for keeping its Fighting Sioux athletics nickname, association vice president Bob Williams said Friday.

Williams’ statement, made in an email to The Associated Press, and a separate statement posted on the NCAA’s website on Friday raised doubts about whether it would be useful for state officials to meet with the NCAA to discuss the issue.

“A meeting is not scheduled, nor will the policy be changed,” Williams said in the email.

The policy discourages the use of American Indian-themed mascots, logos and nicknames by member colleges. It considers offensive UND’s Fighting Sioux nickname and a logo that features the profile of an American Indian warrior.

The university agreed to retire both in mid-August, but the Legislature pre-empted those plans last March by approving a bill that requires UND to keep them.

Nickname supporters flooded lawmakers with emails at the time, and Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed the measure only a few hours after he received it.

The North Dakota House’s majority leader, Rep. Al Carlson, R-Fargo, was the measure’s chief sponsor. Carlson has advocated a meeting with NCAA officials and state leaders, including Dalrymple and Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, to explore whether the association is willing to be flexible.

Carlson said Friday he believed a meeting would still be useful, and a spokesman for Dalrymple said the governor would attend one.

“I suppose (the NCAA) doesn’t want anybody to think they ever reverse policies. But they also need to listen to what we have to say,” Carlson said. “I do believe they’ll sit down with us, and at least listen ... I think it’s worth a try.”

Carlson said he believed it was important for elected legislators and the governor to make the case for the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo. The governor appoints members of North Dakota’s Board of Higher Education.

“It isn’t every day that the governor of a state gets on a plane and goes to talk to the NCAA,” Carlson said. “I think that’s a whole lot different than dealing with a board of regents, or a board of higher ed.”

Should UND keeps the nickname and logo past Aug. 15, the university’s teams will be barred from using the nickname and logo in postseason tournaments, and the school may not host postseason tournaments.

Names That Wear Many Hats

A few weeks ago I wrote a post entitled “ Little Black Dress “, about short names that wear like a uniform. Several responses lamented the absence of Katherine and Elizabeth, and I was asked to compile a “long black dress” list. In attempting to do so, I found that a lot of longer names, rather than presenting a blank canvas, offer a plethora of colorful nicknames which a person may choose to shape the name to herself. Some of these names have such divergent images associated with them that no one image takes precedence. Some are inherently classic by nature.

These names have been used often enough so that the general public is familiar with them, and they wear comfortably on many different types of individuals. Sensible but sexy, these ladies travel well– most have cognates in various languages and are recognized throughout the world. A few of these names may be peaking in popularity at the moment, but they will stand the test of time. When you are holding a newborn and you have little idea just who she might one day be, these stalwart classics are solid choices no matter what kind of woman she becomes.

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