The Week in Review

Wednesday, June 5, 2002

How About 'The Big Orange'? A faculty group at the University of Illinois has pledged to discourage potential athletic recruits from attending Champaign unless the school removes Chief Illiniwek as its official mascot. The Chief, who has been the symbol of Illinois' Fighting Illini for three-quarters of a century, has come under attack in recent years. A 1997 PBS documentary compared the use of the Indian symbol to blackface vaudeville actors and the Frito Bandito. The film was presented at Dartmouth two years ago when Native American activist Suzan Harjo visited campus to discuss Indian mascots. Illinois professor Stephen Kaufman, who leads the faculty group, says that the group contacted Oklahoma basketball coach Kelvin Sampson, who is part Native American, last summer to discourage him from considering the open position at U of I. Whether or not they actually influenced Sampson's decision to remain at OU remains questionable. Still, they vow to continue to 'stir their [prospective recruits'] decision-making pot.' Never mind that contacting recruits at the wrong time could violate NCAA rules. Chief Illiniwek, whose name means 'they are men,' dresses in full Indian costume and performs before games and at halftime. He has been banned from performing at Illini road games by some Big Ten schools. In a meeting Wednesday, the Board of Trustees decided to form a committee to evaluate the mascot. Only three members of the Board appeared to oppose the Chief at the meeting. 'It's important to show respect and honor for those that came here before us,' said Trustee William Engelbrecht. 'Chief Illiniwek is a respectful remembrance of those people. For those who say you can't honor culture, before you get rid of the Chief, I ask you to go up and implode that statue [of Chief Blackhawk] that overlooks the Rock River, too.' (The statue, a 50-foot figure of an American Indian, stands in Illinois' Lowden State Park. Sculptor Lorado Taft dedicated the statue in 1911 as a tribute to Native Americans, though it has become commonly associated with Blackhawk, who lived in the area.) Chicago Tribune sports columnist Skip Bayless, who grew up in Oklahoma and revered Apache and Comanche braves, wrote, 'They [the professors] can't stand it that the school's coaches make five or ten times more than they do and that U of I becomes better known for athletic teams than academic departments. They crave the publicity that comes from driving an unstoppable politically correct bandwagon spilling over with knee-jerk liberals. So now they're trying to make a name off their basketball team's climb to national prominence.' As is the case with most of these Indian mascot controversies, the opinions of actual Indian tribes are ignored. In 1995, the Peoria Tribe, direct descendants of the Illini Tribe, approved the use of the Chief by U of I. 'To say that we are anything but proud to have these portrayals would be completely wrong,' said Don Giles, Chief of the Peoria Tribe. 'We're proud that the University of Illinois is the major institution in the state, a seat of learning, and they are drawing on that background of our having been there. And what more honor could they pay us?' Entertainment Bill Clinton delivered the keynote address at a recent media convention in New York. The President didn't discuss any of the recent controversies surrounding his last-minute pardons and lobbying by his brother and brother-in-law. Instead, Clinton claimed that he was not seeking further headlines and that the media should focus more on global matters. 'Even though I was good at making news, and apparently still am, against my better wishes I'm going to try not to make much today,' Clinton s What the Hell...Heck! New York State has been doctoring the passages used for the reading comprehension section of the Regents Exam, which is required for public high school students in New York. In the revised exam 'most Jewish women' becomes 'most women.' The words 'Jews are Jews and Gentiles are Gentiles' get deleted—without an ellipsis. Kofi Annan no longer praises 'fine California wine and seafood,' but 'fine California seafood.' People no longer 'went out to a bar' but merely 'went out;' 'skinny' people are suddenly 'thin;' a 'gringo lady' is now an 'American lady;' and 'hell' has now become 'heck.' Virtually all references to race, religion, ethnicity, alcohol, profanity, etc. have been edited out of the works of Chekhov, Annie Dillard, John Holt, Frank Conroy, and others. The State Education Department says that it is merely following 'sensitivity guidelines,' but some of the authors have found out and are a little less than pleased. David Horowitz: Still Igniting Controversy David Horowitz has a new book out in August, announced this week: How to Beat the Democrats: And Other Subversive Ideas. Didn't he already use that subtitle? Regardless, the book blasts the Democrats in typical Horowitz fashion: 'If the Democrats thought we'd forget who demoralized our military, eviscerated the CIA, and let America become a playground for terrorists, they're in for a rude awakening.' Conservative Spence Press is publishing the book. Spence is owned by Dartmouth alumnus Tom Spence '83. Williams Faculty Seeks to Censor Criticisms A new website that rates the faculty at Williams College has earned the scorn and wrath of college faculty. The website, called Factrak, has proved immensely popular among students who have inundated the site with nearly one thousand faculty ratings. Over 350 faculty critiques were posted on the day the site opened. The popularity is no surprise to Jonathan Lovett, one of three creators of the site. 'Students love to talk and read about their professors, and this system of sharing is so easy, it's touched a nerve,' Lovett said. The site is only open to students. Originally, it was open to non-Williams personnel, but faculty complained, and access was restricted. Professors do not have access to the site, but some have broken in and viewed it. While the majority of the reviews are favorable, some are scathing—and that has the faculty riled. Williams president Morton Schapiro has received critiques that have left him embarrassed, according to the dean of the faculty, Thomas Kohut. 'Definitely has a Napoleon complex,' wrote one student of Schapiro. Another: 'By the end of the course, I think I'll know more about his Nobel Prize-winning 'friends' than microeconomics.' Faculty fear that the reviews will hurt their relationships with students at the small Berkshires college. 'I hope Factrak doesn't change my relationship with students, because I believe in it so strongly, but something like this—yes, it's bound to have some effect,' said Olga Beaver, the chair of the math department. Kohut described the website as 'humiliating' to faculty. The creators of the website do not see the reviews as humiliating or detrimental to the academic environment, however. 'We're not trying to hurt the community,' creator Samir Thaker said. 'We're trying to create a better-informed community.' Some faculty has called for the website to be removed from the campus network, but the administration has said that they will not remove it. Student, 13, Brings Fetuses to School Students at Brooklyn public school were treated to a rare sight by one of their peers on May 29. A thirteen year-old brought preserved Siamese twins fetuses to a science fair—his teacher had warned him earlier not to bring the gruesome family heirloom. When the boy removed the fetuses, which were kept in a jar of formaldehyde, from his book bag, his teacher quickly concealed them from other students and called the police. According to the boy, he had borrowed the fetuses from his mother's boyfriend, who had inherited them from his grandmother. The police called medical examiners when the jar began leaking. Police do not expect the boy or his family to be charged with any crime. Super Senior Oliver Hamilton, 98, received his degree from Ohio State University in Marion, OH on May 30—eighty-two years after he began work on it. The chemical engineering major left school in 1923 to help his father with the family business. However, upon his retirement last year, Hamilton decided, with the support of his daughters, to complete his degree. Hamilton plans to continue taking courses. He is currently auditing a course on Vietnam and is planning on taking a geography course next. Hamilton received a standing ovation at commencement. Officials initially had a difficult time locating Hamilton's records when he enrolled. The records were archived in the library at Ohio State University in Columbus, where Hamilton originally matriculated in 1920. You're Old Enough to Die, But... California legislators are seeking to raise the legal smoking age from eighteen to twenty-one in the state. Democrat Paul Koretz, who sponsored the bill, wants California to lead the nation in cutting back teen smoking. 'This will make California the strictest state in the nation when it comes to letting young people smoke,' he said. 'The merchants of death are desperate to expand their customer base, but they ought not be able to prey on teenagers to get them addicted.' Since when is a twenty-year old a teenager? Tobacco companies have not reacted strongly to the bill, but legislators expect Big Tobacco to fight the bill. A Philip Morris spokesman said the company would let lawmakers determine the legal smoking age. Currently, all states except three allow eighteen year-olds to purchase tobacco products. Utah, Alabama, and Alaska allow purchases at nineteen. Parole Made Easy The Republican Party tough on crime? Don't tell that to an Ohio man behind bars. Republicans invited Robert Kirkpatrick, who is serving three years in prison for drug possession and escape, to a dinner with President Bush. The inmate received an invitation for the $2,500-a-plate bash along with a letter from Dick Cheney. Republican officials have stated the mailing was a mistake. Home, Sweet Home College graduates are increasingly returning home to their parents after college, according to the latest census data. More than one in four eighteen to thirty-four year-olds lives at home, some having never left and some having returned or 'boomeranged.' Online job service Monstertrak.com reports that thirty-five percent of college seniors plan to live at home after commencement. 'It's a nice transition,' said Jane Kim, who lives at home while pursuing a master's degree at the University of Maryland. University of Pennsylvania professor, Frank Furstenberg, Jr., sees this as a revitalization of the American family. 'Here we are, lamenting the decline in the American family, and this indicates that the American family is alive and well.' Furstenberg sees this trend as relatively novel. 'It didn't exist a half century ago, when people moved very quickly from adolescence into adulthood,' he said. The rising expenses of college are contributing to this trend. The average student accrues about $20,000 in student loans before graduating. Scientists Investigate Orchards In yet another groundbreaking study from Dartmouth researchers, apple orchards do not release arsenic into the environment. The study shows that arsenic used on trees as an insecticide does not contaminate groundwater. Arsenic typically remains in the upper level of the soil. However, the researchers did not dismiss possible arsenic contamination. 'Yes, these sites have been fine while left alone for fifty or sixty years,' graduate student Christine Wong said. 'But if they're disturbed by bulldozers is that going to affect future runoff potential?' Researchers are concerned that ground-level arsenic could make it s way into streams and groundwater, proving potentially deadly. For now, however, it is still safe to eat apples—but be cautious.

The Week in Review

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