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FEBRUARY 27, 2001

North Adams city councilor Clark Billings, a history professor at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, plans on asking his fellow councilrs to oppose a proposal to drop the school's "Mohawks" nickname.

The name was chosen in 1961 to replace "The Professors." The school was founded as a teacher training school.

But the man who came up with the name, Paul Perachi, a juvenile court judge and college trustee, says he was moved by the words and actions of Indian alumnus Jaime Arsenaul, who opposes the name. Perachi said changing the name would not be such a big deal.

The school was first called North Adams Teachers College. It was changed to Massachusetts State College at North Adams and then North Adams State College before finally settling on its current name four years ago.

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College considering dropping Mohawks nickname (AP 2/26)