In the days after the settlement between UND and the NCAA was announced, the following things could have happened.
Gov. John Hoeven could have stepped forward and said he'd lead a delegation to visit with North Dakota's Sioux tribes. As called for in the settlement, the visits would let state leaders ask tribal leaders to grant UND permission to keep using its Fighting Sioux nickname.
North Dakota's congressional delegation could have signed on, too. Sen. Byron Dorgan's agreement to do this would have been especially meaningful, given that Dorgan chairs the U.S. Senate's Committee on Indian Affairs.
The leaders of the state House and Senate might have expressed support, as well. Prominent elected officials from around the state - mayors, city council presidents - likewise might have spoken up. Many of them are UND alumni, after all. Besides, UND is the University of North Dakota, giving every North Dakotan a stake in the nickname debate.
Then, there is the business community, in Grand Forks and beyond. Again, UND alumni can be found in hundreds of executive offices around the state. Impressive numbers of them could have spoken up in strong support of the nickname.
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So, lots of things could have happened to show that North Dakotans at large continue to support UND's Fighting Sioux nickname.
But those things didn't happen. Instead, the only sound emanating from North Dakota's business, political and educational leadership has been a vast and echoing silence.
This silence leads us to believe that North Dakota has lost its appetite to continue the nickname fight.
That's why the state Board of Higher Education may be asked to retire the nickname within the next few weeks. It's also why the board should consider voting yes.
There is an alternative - namely, organizing visits to the tribes in line with the terms of the settlement. On Friday, three members of the State Board of Higher Education said that's the course they'll recommend. It's too early to abandon formal talks with the tribe, and would be unfair to nickname supporters to do so, they said.
That's a great point, but it loses a lot of its power in the face of elected officials' lukewarm support. The discussions would be best as "government to government" negotiations, attorney general Wayne Stenehjem said last month; and if top state leaders start showing the heart to proceed with them (as outlined above), then the talks remain a strong option.
But so far, North Dakota's political leadership has shown almost no desire to discuss the nickname with the Sioux tribes. That reluctance left the door open for nickname opponents, who quickly mobilized, denounced the settlement and the nickname alike and saw their views go uncontested by the state's leadership.
In the weeks since the higher education board agreed to the settlement, there really is only one place where strong support for the nickname surfaced; and it did more harm than good to the nickname cause. The rudeness and raw bigotry shown by anonymous posters on the Internet cracked the ice under supporters' feet as effectively as a dropped anvil.
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UND takes great pains to treat its Fighting Sioux nickname and logo with respect. Nickname supporters note this with pride because it's a real point in the nickname's favor.
Why, then, do so many who support the nickname use the cloak of anonymity to spit on Indian people and culture? Don't they see that their words completely discredit their cause?
Enough. This debate is tearing the state apart and making North Dakotans say rude and shocking things to each other. The Herald's editorial board has supported pursuing the settlement, but too few North Dakotans in leadership positions seem inclined to do so. Unless that changes and state leaders show more willingness to openly support the nickname and talk about that support with the tribes, then the time for retiring the nickname has come.
- Tom Dennis for the Herald
