On Feb. 21, the University of Illinois closed the book on a major chapter of its history. Having performed for 81 years, Chief Illiniwek, the mascot for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, danced for the last time, a move that came five days after the University's Board of Trustees decided to retired the mascot in order to lift NCAA sanctions that barred its teams from hosting postseason events.
In August 2005, the NCAA ruled that universities with mascots employing an offensive use of Native American imagery cannot host postseason tournaments. The Chief fell under the jurisdiction of this policy, as he is portrayed by a student dressed in buck skin, face paint and an intricate head dress, all considered sacred in Native American culture.
Despite losing Chief Illiniwek, the University will still refer to itself as the Fighting Illini, since "Illini" is considered an abbreviation of Illinois, and "fighting" has athletic and competitive connotations. For the time being, however, the students and athletes at Illinois are without a mascot - something that has caused great debate on the campus.
"There has been a lot of controversy," University of Illinois' Assistant Director of University Relations Mike Lillich said. "There have been a lot of letters to the editor and there has even been a state legislator who wants to investigate the manner in which this happened."
"There is definitely a lot of controversy on campus," Illinois sophomore Sydney Slutzky said. "Everyone I know, and I'm not exaggerating, is in favor of the Chief. Whether they are passionately outraged or just a little annoyed, they are upset with the decision."
After the NCAA banned Native American mascots in 2005, the University underwent two rounds of appeals, hoping to retain Chief Illiniwek, in addition to the names "Illini" and "Fighting Illini." The NCAA accepted the school's monikers, but refused to remove Illinois from the non-compliant list because of the Chief's name, his performances and the school's logo, which features Illiniwek in full garb.
Such unwillingness to act in accordance with the NCAA's ruling immediately impacted the athletics department, as last May, the men's tennis team was unable to host the first and second round of the NCAA Tournament.
"It was putting U of I athletes at a competitive disadvantage," Lillich said. "They were participating in postseason events as away games when they should have been home games."
The decision to get rid of the Chief was a hard one, as administrators were juggling the complaints of upset alumni, Native American activists and outraged students.
"It's been an issue for a long time - since about 1989 or 1990," Lillich said. "The precipitating event was the NCAA sanctions for postseason play."
The controversy began in 1989, when then-Illinois graduate student Charlene Teters, a member of the Spokane Tribe, attended a game while holding a sign that read "We are human beings and not mascots." Fans reacted with violence, spitting and throwing cigarettes at Teters. Since then, the issue has been a major source of controversy at the school. In light of the continued issue, the university's ultimate goal was to reach a firm decision on the issue.
"This step is in the best interest of the University and is consistent with the Board's previously stated goal of concluding this year its consensus process regarding Chief Illiniwek," Illinois Board of Trustees Chairman Lawrence C. Eppley said in a press release.
Illiniwek, which means "they are men," was the term used to refer to a loose confederation of Algonquin tribes that once lived in the region where the university is located. The Chief started dancing during the 1926 football season - an idea that originated with assistant band director Ray Dvorak. The Chief has donned various outfits in his 81-year run, the most current being purchased in the early 1980s from Sioux Chief Frank Fools Crow.
Many Illinois students believe this integration of Indian symbols into the university's identity shows deference to the state's Native heritage, rather than disrespect.
"I am pro-chief and I think the Chief was a symbol of our institution," Illinois sophomore Adam Kaplan said. "The original point of the dance was to honor Native Americans and we actually worked with some Native Americans to figure out what dance to do in order to respect and honor their tradition."
Other students have said they understand the political implications surrounding the decision and the necessity to retire the Chief.
"A school mascot is supposed to bring pride to the students," Illinois sophomore Brittany Abramowicz said. "If its not doing that then it needs to be fixed. It is sad right now because it's a tradition, but it's a good thing that the school has taken the initiative to make sure that everyone is comfortable with the mascot."
Apart from the student body, a number of alumni are disenchanted with the decision, as the Chief has become an ingrained part of school tradition and the university is wary that its concession to the NCAA might negatively impact alumni donations.
"A lot of them are upset," Lillich said. "I have tried to point out to some of the alumni that I have talked to that the university is bigger than this, and not to look at just this or to withdraw support or allegiance because of this. It's still a great university and has been an important part of their lives. It's a family kind of thing."
Chairman of the university senate and history professor Vernon Burton said when addressing the faculty, however, that for years many on the faculty have wanted the Chief to be retired.
With the Chief gone, there is still no word on whether or not the university will adopt a new mascot to replace its old tradition. While some students support the adoption of a new mascot, others feel there is no replacement for Illiniwek.
"I definitely do not think the University of Illinois should adopt a new symbol," Illinois sophomore Kaitlyn Hastings said. "I was proud that my school did not have a goofy-looking mascot running up and down the sidelines. Instead we had a dignified and respected figure symbolizing something that is unfortunately long-gone in today's society. He was ultimately a symbol of respect and a tribute to what America used to be. I would be disgusted with any other symbol."
"I think it will make a huge difference once they get another mascot," Slutzky added. "There will inevitably be opposition. No one will think that any mascot is as good as the Chief. And if the mascot changes, do the colors change? Are we even Illini anymore? If our whole identity gets stripped away, there will be issues."
-Carly Helfand contributed reporting to this article.
