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Fans react to ASU's proposed name change
By Scott Cacciola
Contact
June 22, 2007
JONESBORO, Ark. -- Kay Vance wheeled her 2-year-old grandson's baby carriage through Indian Book & Supply on Tuesday morning and stuffed it full of seat cushions, mini football jerseys, T-shirts and coffee mugs. She made sure all her merchandise featured the word "Indians."
"We figured everything was going to sell out," she said, "so we wanted to get down here."
By here, Vance meant this shop on East Johnson Avenue, less than a mile from Arkansas State's sun-parched campus. Vance, a 1960 graduate, had been watching the evening news when she learned that ASU's Mascot Review Committee had voted to retire the school's nickname. The board of trustees is expected to meet in September to discuss the committee's recommendation, and there is the distinct possibility -- indeed, the probability -- that the ASU Indians will be no more by 2008.
Not everyone in Jonesboro is thrilled with the situation.
"If we're not Indians," said Rosalyn Washington, the director of general merchandise at Indian Book & Supply, "what are we going to be?" . . .
"We always thought we were honoring the Indians," Vangilder said. "We never thought it was a derogatory thing."
Since August 2005, the NCAA had been putting pressure on Arkansas State to drop its nickname, considered offensive by many Native Americans. ASU landed on a list of nine Division 1 schools that the NCAA claimed were in violation of its ban of ethnically "hostile" or "abusive" nicknames. . . . (read more)
Go State!
Fans react to ASU's proposed name change
By Scott Cacciola
Contact
June 22, 2007
JONESBORO, Ark. -- Kay Vance wheeled her 2-year-old grandson's baby carriage through Indian Book & Supply on Tuesday morning and stuffed it full of seat cushions, mini football jerseys, T-shirts and coffee mugs. She made sure all her merchandise featured the word "Indians."
"We figured everything was going to sell out," she said, "so we wanted to get down here."
By here, Vance meant this shop on East Johnson Avenue, less than a mile from Arkansas State's sun-parched campus. Vance, a 1960 graduate, had been watching the evening news when she learned that ASU's Mascot Review Committee had voted to retire the school's nickname. The board of trustees is expected to meet in September to discuss the committee's recommendation, and there is the distinct possibility -- indeed, the probability -- that the ASU Indians will be no more by 2008.
Not everyone in Jonesboro is thrilled with the situation.
"If we're not Indians," said Rosalyn Washington, the director of general merchandise at Indian Book & Supply, "what are we going to be?" . . .
"We always thought we were honoring the Indians," Vangilder said. "We never thought it was a derogatory thing."
Since August 2005, the NCAA had been putting pressure on Arkansas State to drop its nickname, considered offensive by many Native Americans. ASU landed on a list of nine Division 1 schools that the NCAA claimed were in violation of its ban of ethnically "hostile" or "abusive" nicknames. . . . (read more)
Go State!
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