The Univ. of Illinois is "launching a process to choose a 'first-ever' athletic mascot" nine years after the "retirement of Chief Illiniwek," according to a front-page piece by Julie Wurth of the Champaign NEWS-GAZETTE. UI interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson yesterday announced a plan to "form a committee of 10 to 12 people that will draw up a process and a timeline." The committee will include "representatives from all the stakeholders involved -- students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members." Wilson last week said that any new mascot "would embody the values and traditions of the campus." Illinois retired Chief Illiniwek in '07 under "pressure from the NCAA and others who argued that it was racist." A student panel said that a mascot "could provide considerable marketing and branding appeal, boost school spirit, appeal to younger students and fans, and help combat continued use of offensive images of the Chief." The Ad Hoc Committee on the Exploration of a University Mascot emphasized that this effort "would not involve changing the 'Fighting Illini' nickname or the 'Three-in-One' music" (Champaign NEWS-GAZETTE, 5/3). In Chicago, Shannon Ryan notes the Chief "remains a divisive figure, with many fans and alumni longing for its return and Native American groups and their supporters criticizing it as an out-of-date and offensive stereotype." Some students "continue to wear Chief regalia and perform in the stands at games without the consent of the university" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/3).
