"Funny thing: The revived effort by the state Board of Higher Education to win support for the Fighting Sioux nickname isn’t really about “winning” at all.

It’s about losing. Specifically, it’s an effort to let whichever side loses this contest to do so with “face” — that is, with their dignity intact. As such, it’s a welcome development.

The board unanimously approved a plan Thursday to “formally seek support from the state’s Sioux tribes for use of the school’s nickname,” Herald staff writer Stephen J. Lee reported.

And if tribes keep withholding support, then the plan declares “a date certain for UND to begin the change.” That date is January 2010, only 14 months away.

North Dakota’s long-term best interests would be served if the board carries out its plan with determination. Don’t run out the clock, in other words. Don’t let the plan sit on a shelf. Instead (and as the action plan directs), form a high-level committee — one that includes the governor and congressional delegation, if possible — and resolutely but respectfully ask the tribes for permission to use the name.

Why? Because doing so prepares the ground for the end of this quarrel, an end that now is in sight."

Get the Story:
Our opinion: Nickname plan respects both sides (The Grand Forks Herald 10/19)
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