Newberry College students and faculty, as well as members of the community left with mixed emotions following a forum discussing Native American heritage held on the school¹s campus Wednesday night. Earlier this year, Newberry College was one of several schools banned from the postseason by the NCAA for its use of a nickname referring to American Indians.

Newberry College filed an appeal letter asking to be removed from the list, but that request was soon rejected. According to the NCAA, the nickname is abusive and hostile, and was evident at the forum, the NCAA are not the only ones with that feeling. Mick Zais, Newberry College¹s president was not in attendance at the forum, but several faculty members were, stating that they have disagreed with using the Indian mascot for years, but administrators have forbidden them from speaking publicly about the matter, citing a lack of freedom of speech on the school¹s campus.

Will Goins, CEO of the Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois and United tribes of South Carolina, and Keith Pounds, a critic of Indian mascots, told the standing-room-only crowd that they are against the mascots because they feel they are grounded in stereotypes that have nothing do with facts. Two years ago, Pounds, who is a member of the Chocktaw tribe, organized the South Carolina Indian Mascot Project to push the elimination of Indian nicknames at schools. Institutions who use Indian mascots say they respect their Indian mascots, and I believe them. But their actions in ignoring the concerns of Indian people suggests that they do not respect Indian people. Native Americans are the only ones who can decide if something is offense, and Native American mascots are by far, the most popular mascot used in South Carolina, Pounds said. According to Pounds, there are several reasons why Native Americans top the list of popular mascots. Native American mascots are the representation of people who are no longer supposed to exist. It is difficult for people to accept the fact that an Indian is coming to speak out against the mascot when we are not supposed to exist. I also think it¹s funny for people to defend using Indians as mascots because it honors them. There are no schools named the Blackskins or the Hispanics. If schools wanted to show their respect, they would support Indians as they seek recognition from the state, he said.

While Newberry College¹s appeal was rejected, Florida State University is one example of a school who is being allowed to continue its use of an Indian mascot, with their Seminoles. Asked if he felt the NCAA was being hypocritical in its approach to rid its member schools of Native American mascots, Pounds said, I say wipe them all out. I am not sure what the NCAA is doing with its political game, but wrong is wrong. All the schools using Native American mascots are wrong. Three schools: Central Michigan University, the University of Utah and Florida State received exemptions from the NCAA to use their names that refer to specific Indian tribes at the request of local tribe members.

One argument that has been made states that all human mascots should be banned. People talk about Crusaders as a mascot. Do you know any Crusaders? I find it very offensive that when we talk about Indian mascots, people wonder what¹s next. We are talking about living people, Pounds said. Goins stated that he is offended because the depiction of other ethnic groups would never be allowed at sporting events. We would not allow this to happen to any other ethnic group. We would not allow people to dress up in blackface on the sidelines for a team that is called the N-word, he said. As for Newberry College¹s mascot saga, Goins said, They really do have to address this manner, and they have to do it in an informed manner. People come up with war chants we never did. This is Cherokee land. If you want to honor us, have a makeover and then tell Cherokee people in this state to decide if they can send their children to school here. Resident Vedia Counts, who is of Cherokee descent, stated that she is offended. Newberry disrespects Indians by improperly using items from their heritage. The bonnet that people have, Cherokees never wore that, she said. Students were torn on whether or not their school should change its mascot. If you ask me, it¹s a dumb argument that centers completely around money, one student said.