The University of Wisconsin athletic department adds its name to those who desire to stop the use of American Indian symbols and names by athletic teams. We are concerned that the use of war chants, American Indian related mascots and logos by teams both perpetuates a stereotype and causes insult to many Native Americans. We therefore adopt the following policy:
1) The UW-Madison athletic department may schedule competitions with schools that are not on the NCAA's list of colleges and universities subject to the restrictions on the use of Native American mascots, names and imagery at NCAA championships (referred to subsequently in this policy as the NCAA list).
2) The UW-Madison athletic department will not schedule competitions against, or attend tournaments hosted by, any school on the NCAA list, unless the school is a conference member. The athletic department will contact the NCAA twice annually (by September 1 and January 1) to obtain the most current version of the NCAA list, and this list will be distributed to athletic department staff, including all coaches. The athletic department discourages participation of teams in preseason events or tournaments during the regular season in which schools on the NCAA list are also participating, unless the schedule is controlled by outside entities (e.g., the Big Ten Conference) or is the result of other contractual agreements.
3) The UW-Madison will discourage all teams from bringing Native American mascots to UW-Madison athletic facilities. Furthermore, UW-Madison will request that any band not play war chants, that the cheerleaders-pompom squads not use Native American gestures, chants, or other items that perpetuate disrespectful stereotypes.
