Univ. of Illinois Stalls on Racist mascot Issue - Pass Meaningless Resolution

After years of debate over the continued existence of Chief Illiniwek, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees on Thursday unanimously approved a "policy to preserve and recognize the state's American Indian heritage." The resolution does not settle the controversy surrounding Chief Illiniwek, the mascot for the Urbana-Champaign campus. But university officials, meeting at the U of I Springfield campus, said they hope it leads to further dialogue. "For many years, the debate's been black or white, on or off, left or right, up or down," said board chairman Lawrence Eppley, who helped write the resolution. He called it an effort to "move toward something more meaningful." Those who favor getting rid of the Chief, however, called the new measure racist and a stalling tactic. [more ]