"UND President Charles Kupchella has scheduled a visit today to my home reservation, Spirit Lake, to get a resolution that supports the Fighting Sioux logo from the Spirit Lake tribal council. I understand that Kupchella is bringing two students, one of them a Spirit Lake tribal member, to help convince the council to pass that resolution.

The visit sounds like the old days when the army general showed up with "Indian Scouts" to trick us into giving up our land. Today, Kupchella wants to use students to trick us into giving up our name and self-respect.

I am an enrolled member of the Spirit Lake Tribe, who was born and raised on Spirit Lake Reservation. I am also a UND doctoral student who received an undergraduate and master's degree from UND. As a person who has tremendous respect for UND and what it has accomplished, I respectfully request that Kupchella reconsider his visit to Spirit Lake for the following reasons:

� Right now, the discussions at Spirit Lake about the logo have been minimal and civil. The visit will cause a deeper division between tribal members on opposite sides of the issue.

� The visit will increase the disrespect already shown to Spirit Lake tribal members by other Sioux tribes for their seemingly ambiguous position on the logo."

Get the Story:
Erik Longie: Kupchella shouldn't visit Spirit Lake (The Grand Forks Herald 9/27)

NCAA Policy:
NCAA Executive Committee Issues Guidelines for Use of Native American Mascots at Championship Events (August 5, 2005)

Relevant Links:
University of North Dakota - http://www.und.edu
Fighting Sioux - http://www.fightingsioux.com
NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee - http://www1.ncaa.org/eprise/main/
membership/governance/assoc-wide/moic/index.html
National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media - http://www.aimovement.org/ncrsm

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