University of Illinois has officially retired the Chief... NOT!

Clearing out my desktop this morning to prepare for the coming week, I came across this Word doc that I've been meaning to blog about since it came into my inbox last week:

2007 Homecoming Parade Floats

Statement:

Earlier this year, the University retired the use of Chief Illiniwek and Native American imagery as symbols of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and its intercollegiate athletics programs. The University then withdrew license from commercial manufacturers to create merchandise that used the Chief Illiniwek logo.

As administrators planned this year’s Homecoming parade, they created a policy that they interpreted was in keeping with the retirement directive. In reviewing that policy, Chancellor Richard Herman has determined that the interpretation was overly broad.

The University values free speech and free expression and considers Homecoming floats, decorations, costumes and related signage all representations of such personal expression.

Therefore, Chancellor Herman has directed the Homecoming Committee to strike the existing policy from the Homecoming float guidelines.

This directive applies to Regulation O: Parade entries may not display Chief Illiniwek logos or other native American imagery. The Homecoming parade has not been authorized to use the licensed image of the Chief. Examples include but are not limited to: T-shirts, official and unofficial Chief symbols, pomming of the Chief symbol on float, costumes & signs.

How incredibly disappointing. What I'd really like is a fast forward button to get this University, which does do some really cool things, I swear, past this embarrassing mess. I'm really sick of the "Paint the Stadium Chief" signs in many of the campus and local businesses. (The ones in the Illini apparel shops are what really get me. Capitalist pigs!) I'm sick of "Honor the Chief" t-shirts. I'm sick of Facebook groups like "We will never forget the Chief!"

The University retired the Chief last year with good reason and thousands of my undergrad peers have mobilized to "save" the racist symbol. They'll tell you it's not about preserving racism, that it's about preserving everything the Chief symbolizes for them: loyalty, honor, tradition, blah, blah, blah. You know what I think all of this unfortunately misguided activism is about? Honoring that great drunken frenzy that many of my undergrad peers associate with athletic events. Honoring The Breakfast Club. Honoring flip cup. Things like that...

I'm not knocking the partying. Over the course of my three and a half years here, I myself have actually attend a few social gatherings at which alcohol was served. But come on! You're college students! You're educated (or getting there.) Get your heads out of your asses (or more accurately: get yourselves out of KAM'S), and try to understand why the removal of the Chief was called for.

While you're at it, try mobilizing for something more significant than your right to get drunk with your frat brothers.