"North Dakota State Board of Higher Education and University System officials don’t seem to be getting the message: North Dakota’s American Indian Sioux tribes don’t have the University of North Dakota Sioux logo dispute at the top of their agendas. Yet, the chancellor, apparently with the approval of the higher ed board, keeps extending the deadline to get a definitive answer from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council.
Chancellor Bill Goetz said he’s willing to give the tribe another 30 days to make a decision regarding the tribe’s support or rejection of the controversial logo and nickname. It would be the second 30-day extension.
It’s a waste of time.
Standing Rock Chairman Charles Murphy’s latest communication to the chancellor ranged from casual to dismissive. It certainly did not reflect the urgency expressed by advocates – many non-native – on either side of the logo dispute. Murphy said the tribe was willing to discuss the issue “without deadlines and other stipulations.” He further said, “… to be quite honest, this issue is not at the top of the new administration’s list of priority matters.” Murphy was elected chairman in September.
A couple of members of the higher ed board concluded that Murphy’s letter was ambiguous. How’s that? The chairman was clear: The UND logo debate is not a priority for his tribal government. He’s not interested in deadlines or stipulations, he said. How is that ambiguous?
The other Sioux tribe in the state, the Spirit Lake Nation near Devils Lake, has adopted a resolution backing UND’s “perpetual” use of the logo. But even with that, the tribe has other, more pressing priorities."
Get the Story:Editorial: Quit stalling on UND Sioux logo (The Fargo Forum 11/6)
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