The Ute Indian Tribe has agreed to continue allowing sports teams at the Univ. of Utah to "compete as 'Utes' -- though as part of an update to the longstanding deal, the school must educate all incoming students about the tribe," according to Courtney Tanner of the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE. The new agreement "will hold for the next five years." The school has had a "formal agreement" with the tribe since '72. In exchange for allowing the school’s athletic department to use its name, the university has "supported scholarships for tribal members and agreed to support those students through graduation." The university also "provides annual financial support to the tribe for K-12 education on the reservation in northeastern Utah," and it "holds awareness events on campus about Native American culture and history." The agreement comes at a time when schools and teams across the country are "under fire to stop using Native American names and mascots, which are largely considered derogatory, stereotyped and racist." In '05, the NCAA "attempted to restrict the U.'s use of the Utes nickname, but the university appealed on the grounds that the name was appropriate, given that it had a good relationship with the tribe," to which the NCAA agreed (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 3/4).
