Issues related to Chief Illiniwek, the former university symbol, were discussed at the Urbana-Champaign Senate-sponsored annual meeting of the faculty Oct. 26.
Jay Rosenstein, a professor of media and cinema studies, showed pictures of several shirts with images of American Indians on them, saying he had seen them recently and had never seen so many shirts of this nature during his time on campus.
He said various student groups on campus had adopted American Indian images for event T-shirts and posters, and they were creating an uncomfortable environment for minority students, as well as soiling the university’s reputation.
Rosenstein stopped short of saying the items should be banned by the university, but he said university leaders should take a more active role in educating students about the message the use of these symbols was sending.
“They’re not doing this to be malicious,” he said. “They don’t know. They’re sending a message of who we are, and somebody needs to tell them we don’t do that anymore. We need to show our moral compass.”
“I wish a proclamation from the chancellor would change everything,” said Interim Chancellor Barbara J. Wilson. “But I can’t do it by myself.” She said she is unable to act unilaterally to ban such items, but promised to work with Rosenstein and others to develop a student education program.
Stephen Kaufman, professor emeritus, asked Wilson to instruct the U. of I. bands to stop playing the “Three-in-One” song at university events, a song that has a close association with the Chief and was used in the past to accompany his halftime dances.
The Chief and logo are the university’s Confederate flag and the music is the campus’s “Dixie,” Kaufman said.
President Timothy L. Killeen said the issue fits into the conversation about campus “microaggressions,” seemingly small biases that ultimately contribute to a hostile environment for some students.
“I think this is going to be an ongoing challenge for us,” he said.
