Somebody doesn’t know the difference between “may” and “shall.”
A Champaign attorney argues the University of Illinois violated state law by doing away with the Chief Illiniwek mascot and filed a lawsuit Monday to save the American Indian mascot.
In his lawsuit, John Gadau cites a 1996 state statute in which the General Assembly declared ‘’Chief Illiniwek is, and may remain, the honored symbol'’ of the university.
When university board of trustees Chairman Lawrence Eppley in February announced the end of the chief’s performances at sports events, Gadau argues, Eppley and the board of trustees violated that statute.
Gadau’s lawsuit, filed in Champaign County Circuit Court, asks a judge to nullify last month’s decision.
The full statute can be found here.
If the General Assembly had passed a law stating that the Chief “shall remain” the mascot, symbol, whatever, then Gadau would have a point. As it is, the statute means nothing. It is as symbolic as a goofy white boy dancing at halftime, or this lawsuit.
Meanwhile, the final end is near…
The University of Illinois Board of Trustees will consider two resolutions at its meeting Tuesday that offer very different paths for the future of Chief Illiniwek — one would formally retire the controversial symbol, while the other would renew the fight to keep it.
The first resolution, submitted by University President B. Joseph White for Tuesday’s meeting in Urbana, would formally ratify board chair Larry Eppley’s Feb. 16 decision to stop the controversial figure from performing at Illini sporting events.
The other resolution, which probably will not pass, would have the trustees join the lawsuit against the NCAA filed by two former mascots. The former mascots, by the way, want the university to give them the Chief trademark.
*** UPDATE *** What’s done is done…
The University of Illinois swept aside the last vestiges of Chief Illiniwek Tuesday, voting to retire the mascot’s name, regalia and image.
The resolution lets Chancellor Richard Herman decide the details such as how and when the Chief Illiniwek name and image would stop being used and licensed to apparel makers and others.
The school would continue to call its sports teams the Fighting Illini under the resolution.
Trustee David Dorris offered the only dissent Tuesday among the 10 voting members.
- Bill Baar - Tuesday, Mar 13, 07 @ 7:11 am:
Corporate tax should be zero (if you can figure out how to keep out fake corps as take shelters). Tax people, not investment that creates jobs….
- Alum 74 - Tuesday, Mar 13, 07 @ 7:23 am:
Just when you thought people were ready to move on, one of the university trustees wants to continue the fight to preserve the silly ritual of having a white kid dressed up as an American Indian, parading around at sport events in front of mostly white people. It’s time to put the focus back on the good things this institution of higher learning can do to make our world a better place to live and work.
- The Chief - Tuesday, Mar 13, 07 @ 7:52 am:
Cowabunga
- Not So Fast - Tuesday, Mar 13, 07 @ 10:07 am:
There are Illinois decisions that interpret “shall” as being permissive, as crazy as that may seem. There has been quite a bit of litigation regarding the legal meaning of the word. The flip side would be interpreting “may” as mandatory.
- Siyotanka - Tuesday, Mar 13, 07 @ 1:44 pm:
Alum 74…
How is this any different from the Gov’s State of the Union address…”fight to preserve the silly ritual of having a white kid dressed up as a American Gov., parading around at a legisl. event in front of mostly white people
- Mooike - Tuesday, Mar 13, 07 @ 2:09 pm:
What a waste of time and energy this whole thing is.
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Mar 13, 07 @ 2:29 pm:
I shall hope we may never see that indian minstrel show at our public institutions again.
- oletimer - Tuesday, Mar 13, 07 @ 4:00 pm:
Won’t be all that long before all speech is illegal; we ALWAYS must be politically correct to every single person in the world, including that semi-banned phrase category of ‘illegal aliens’! Absurd? Just keep watching, folks (can I say folks any more?).
- KenoMan - Tuesday, Mar 13, 07 @ 8:21 pm:
David Doris for governor!
All those who cry that the Chief is racist, remember that your home, and workplace, school, and favorite hangout, were built on indian land. Our white ancestors killed and/or stole it from every indian that got in their way. Getting rid of the Chief won’t change that, but what have YOU done to atone for your forefathers sins?
- asustudent - Friday, Mar 16, 07 @ 9:49 pm:
I totally agree that we should remember what our white ancestors did in regards to the native Indians of this land. However, why is a mascot looked at so badly. Most mascots are chosen because they represent something we admire/desire. Indians are thought of as brave, strong, wise etc. It is a compliment to be viewed in such a light.
I wait for the day that there is a U.S. president deemed worthy by society of being held in such high regard. -Yes mascots may look silly running around a field at half time but do not let this disregard the semantics behind it.