Response to Article: "An Admirable Display of Courage"
Written by: Erich
Longie, Spirit Lake Consulting
Response submitted
by: Dr. Leigh D. Jeanotte, Director, American Indian Student Services at the
University of North Dakota
March 16, 2010
It was with great interest that I read "An Admirable Display of Courage" by Dr. Erich Longie. I wondered what this long-time very vocal opponent of the Fighting Sioux nickname at the University of North Dakota (UND) would have to say about the rather historic meeting he attended of the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education (NDSBHE) held on the UND campus. I use the word "historic" to describe this meeting because according to news reports, for the first time in this decades-long controversy, leadership within the NDSBHE and at an administrative level at UND voiced loud and clear their desire and the need for the nickname to go - the sooner the better.
Dr. Longie addressed this historic turn of events within the framework of organizational theory and behavior, and did so in way that gave credit - even praise - to the leaders who dared to publicly speak out in favor of immediately retiring the outdated tradition of Fighting Sioux athletics at UND. Longie credited UND President Robert Kelley, Chancellor William Goetz, Board member Mike Haugen, and Athletic Director Brian Faison with moral courage and credited them for inspiring local Grand Forks Herald reporter Tu-Uyen Tran to make the following honest admission via the headline of his Herald story: "Tide Seems to Turn Against Nickname," which was, by all accounts, a change of perspective from this nickname supporting newspaper reporter.
