Native American Student Alliance

NASA >> Mascot Information >> AS Council September 27, 2000

Associated Students Council
September 27, 2000

Author: John Gaughen

Motion to Amend the Soto Resolution by Substitution

Delete the entire resolution and substitute the following:

A UNIVERSITY MASCOT FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

WHEREAS, It is the mission of San Diego State University "to impart an appreciation and broad understanding of human experience throughout the world and the ages", including "diverse cultural legacies"; and

WHEREAS, The University has identified through its Shared Vision process interwoven challenges for the campus, including to "extend and enhance SDSU's deep and abiding commitment to academic excellence...; nurture a learning-centered university that supports the growth and development of the whole person; [and] create a community proud of its diversity and committed to furthering social justice on and off campus..."; and

WHEREAS, President Weber in his Fall, 2000 convocation address challenged the campus to listen "to the internationalism, the diversity, and the technology that are San Diego", to "involve ourselves in this society--its issues, its problems, its challenges, its opportunities", and to invent the university of the twenty-first century right here; and

WHEREAS, It is the purpose of the Associated Students "to promote student intellectual, cultural, physical and social welfare," "to provide an avenue for assisting students to achieve fuller participation in the life of the college community and to extend the influence and good name of our University everywhere"; and

WHEREAS, A number of American universities adopted Native American mascots in the 1920's as a means of promoting an institutional identity, a regional affinity, and booster activities for the campus and its athletic programs; and

WHEREAS, Such mascots were most often designed and portrayed by non-Native Americans based upon limited knowledge and stereotypes about indigenous peoples, their histories, cultures, religions, and symbols; and

WHEREAS, Such mascots were frequently imbued with and justified by idealized and stereotypical characteristics (e.g., endurance, stamina, athleticism, bravery, modesty, ferocity) the institution and its boosters felt were particularly desirable, particularly in support of athletics, or on the grounds of "tradition" or "honoring" indigenous peoples; and

WHEREAS, The continued use of Native American-derived symbols and mascots by schools and universities is opposed by the Native American community as inappropriate, insensitive, inaccurate, and dehumanizing; and

WHEREAS, For over thirty years, American universities have been eliminating the use of Native American symbols and mascots because of their inconsistency with the values and mission of the institution, its academic pursuits and values, and its promotion of intercultural understanding in its academic pursuits, its appreciation of and work with its external communities, and its concern for a positive, harassment-free collegiate environment for all its students, faculty, and staff;

RESOLVED, That the Associated Students finds that the continued use of Native American mascots by schools, colleges, and universities is inappropriate; and

2. That the Associated Students asserts that the continued use of the SDSU mascot, however well-intentioned, is inconsistent with the mission and values of the University and the Association; and

3. That the Associated Students calls upon the University President to appropriately retire the current SDSU mascot by the end of the 2000-2001 academic year; and

4. That the Associated Students declares that the presence of Native American mascots from any university are inappropriate and unwelcome at any A.S. event or activity held in Associated Students administered or leased facilities; and

5. That the Associated Students directs its boards, committees, and management to evaluate the current use of Native American and/or mascot symbols and names and to recommend appropriate changes, if any, back to the Council no later than December 8, 2000; and

6. That the Associated Students asserts that the symbols of the University should be consistent with and reflective of the overall institutional mission and values and that they should be developed collegially by the entire campus community through the shared governance process, rather than by a single department or program; and

7. That the Associated Students creates an ad hoc committee on the University mascot composed of students, faculty, and staff appointed by the A. S. President in consultation with the Chair of the University Senate and charges it to explore the following:

a) What values should be reflected in a new university mascot?

b) What are the current uses of the SDSU mascot and related symbols?

c) What would be an appropriate new mascot for SDSU and how should it be implemented?

d) What changes, if any, would be recommended for the naming of campus facilities?

e) What would be an appropriate timetable for a new mascot?; and

8. That the Associated Students calls upon the ad hoc committee to report its findings back to the Associated Students Council, the University Senate, and the University President by the start of the Spring, 2001 semester; and

9. That the Associated Students encourages the University and its own boards and committees to redouble efforts to explore, enhance, and celebrate the diverse cultures that make up the SDSU community and to increase the opportunities to learn about its constituent cultures through expanded curricular offerings and baccalaureate majors, particularly in the studies of the peoples, cultures, and languages of indigenous Americans, Asian-Americans, and the Pacific Islands peoples, including the Philippines; and

10. That the Associated Students encourages University and community members presently supportive of the Aztec tradition to actively support the efforts of the American Indian Studies and Chicana/o Studies Departments, among others, in advancing teaching and scholarship about indigenous American cultures; and

11. That the Associated Students forwards copies of this resolution along with the original resolution from the Native American Student Alliance to the University President and the Chair of the University Senate.