Chief Illiniwek mascot divides athletic community
I’d like to be among the many who commend the Emerald on its support of a Chief-free University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (“Emerald Board right in criticizing Illinois mascot Chief Illiniwek,” ODE, April 7). As half Cherokee and half Euro-American, my heritage may be conflicted, but my stance on Chief Illiniwek is not. Growing up under the shadow of the University of Illinois in Urbana, I’ve always known the use of the Chief mascot is a hotly debated issue. Only recently has the movement against this deplorable mascot received the national media attention it deserves.
Even if one refuses to believe the Chief — displayed by a white student who hops around during halftime in ceremonial Plains dress — is degrading to Native Americans, surely we can agree the Chief has failed as a mascot. As stated by many commentators on the issue, a mascot’s job is to unite a university’s community. The Chief divides not only the University of Illinois students but the
administration, faculty, alumni, the Champaign-Urbana community and the collegiate sports world as a whole. A recent vote on the Chief by the UI student body was divisive.
I hope the UI trustees stop dodging the issue and grow a backbone like UI Chancellor Nancy Cantor and the Emerald.
 

Elizabeth Wages

graduate student

art history
 

Emerald’s dismissal of fliers trivializes rape
I know that it was important for the Emerald to establish that it had no connection with the flier (alleging rape) that was distributed on campus before spring break (“Fliers distributed irresponsibly,” ODE, March 9), but I wish the issue of the inappropriate placement of the flyers would have been left at that.
The tone of the article was incredibly dismissive and trivializing concerning a crime that most often silences its victims. We live in a society that does not encourage women to talk about the issue of rape and, in fact, often punishes the women who do report it by not believing them or ostracizing them, sometimes using a woman’s sexual history against her. Most women who are raped never report it. When rape involves an institution or group, women need to get the message out to each other about it, because the victim is very likely not to.
Instead of sending a trivializing message about the possibility of rape, the Emerald should have at least taken it seriously enough to send the message that if a rape did occur, women need to remember it is never their fault. When a woman is violated against her will or without her consent it is not because she was, as people might say, “silly enough to put herself in a bad situation,” or because she was “asking for it.” Rape is never a woman’s fault.
To the staff of the Emerald, I say please, do your job as reporters and, rather than condemning someone who is trying to get the message out to his or her sisters, get out into the community and investigate rape on campus, in Eugene, in Oregon or in the United States.

Colleen Young

senior

english