Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002
Subject: Protesters demand immediate vote for Chief ban

Protesters demand immediate vote for Chief ban
Lucy Denyer And Evan Mclaughlin
The Daily Illini

http://www.dailyillini.com/nov02/nov15/news/stories/news_story02.shtml

The Board of Trustees meeting was called into recess an hour after it had
started because anti-Chief protesters speaking during the public comment
session demanded the board vote to eliminate Chief Illiniwek Thursday morning.

Jen Tayabji and Brooke Anderson, executive members of the Progressive
Resource/Action Cooperative, demanded the Board of Trustees sign a resolution
they had drafted to eliminate the Chief although the topic was not on the
agenda. Anderson finished speaking before her scheduled five minutes were up,
but she remained standing to wait on an immediate decision.

"We intend to stay until you have made a decision to ban the Chief," Anderson
said.

Gerald Shea, the trustee chairing the meeting, banged his gavel many times
calling for order, but protesters continued to chant and University Police
eventually had to clear the room for recess. The trustees did not discuss the
Chief or announce when they would.

Anti-Chief activists then held picket signs saying "Dump the racist 'Chief'"
and chanted "No excuses, no delay, ban the Chief today."

Meanwhile, about 20 people had to stand outside the meeting because the Pine
Lounge, where the Board's meeting was held, was filled to capacity. The
meeting originally was scheduled to be held in Illini Union rooms A and B,
which hold considerably more people, but trustees decided to switch the
meeting to their usual meeting spot because they thought it was more
comfortable, said board secretary Michele Thompson.

Thompson said the decision had nothing to do with the number of people
expected to attend the meeting.

"We never know if we're going to have 10 people or 70," she said. "It
certainly wasn't intentional."

The protest followed comments from University alumni Rick Legue and Ben
Forsyth during the public comment session, who both portrayed the Chief during
their years at the University.

Legue said the Chief personifies the true Illini spirit of the University. He
said he was calling on the Board to honor the Chief, stop marginalizing the
Chief, and let him be "the proud ambassador he once was."

Forsyth, who now lives near several Native American reservations in Montana,
said he was concerned about the social, economic and political situations of
the Native American people. He said 85 percent of adult Native Americans in
the reservations around him gamble heavily, there is a rising suicide rate,
and many of the people there have drug and alcohol problems.

Forsyth also said education is the best solution to the drug and alcohol
problems of the Native American culture.

"(The Chief) represents the blending of a best ancient culture with the
blending of the best of a very modern university culture," he said. "He is the
most unique university symbol in the United States. He is very socially
relevant to the problems of our Native American people and overcoming those
problems."

After recess had been called, about 35 anti-Chief protesters gathered outside
the Union.

Demian Kogan, senior in LAS and active member of the cooperative, led
protesters in rallying outside the Union. He and Anderson both mentioned that
Illinois Student Government and the Chancellor's Committee on Diversity have
signed resolutions to retire the Chief.

"If the only thing they'll understand is disruption, that's what they're going
to get," Kogan said. "We are running out of options here. Apparently the Board
doesn't feel doing what is socially just is on their list of priorities."

Sara Bokhari, ISG president, attended the rally outside.

"It's obvious (the trustees) don't care at all what the students are
thinking," she said. "It's ludicrous."

Board member Marjorie Sodemann said she doesn't mind people protesting, but
she would rather have civil discussion of the issue.

"I have never once in my years had anyone call me and ask for a civil talk,"
she said. "I think they went a little too far this morning."