Thursday, September 25, 2014

Grand Forks Herald: Task force on Fighting Sioux Replacement Has First Meeting



It would appear that we have more clarity from the nickname task force. The nickname task force had their first meeting on Wednesday. Also, the nickname task force will be coming up with the process to select a new nickname for UND. That makes me happy. This is the kicker, the nickname task force's purpose is not to pick an actual nickname, they’re just defining the process of picking a new nickname. This will make a lot of UND fans less anxious.
Anna Burleson, Grand Forks Herald -- A UND task force met Wednesday to begin coming up with the process of picking a new nickname and logo for the school.

The task force won’t be picking a nickname, but will try to establish a concrete process the school will use to choose a new one after the controversial Fighting Sioux moniker was officially retired Dec. 31, 2012.

I’m not necessarily asking you to find the name, I'm asking you to identify the best pathway to get to that name,” UND President Robert Kelley said to the task force. “If we come up with a name at the end of that process, all the better, that certainly is our eventual goal, but just for right now, we're looking at the process.”

While this first meeting consisted mostly of policy discussion and planning potential meeting dates, the group had clear ideas about what it wants to accomplish.

Task force member and UND alumnus Chuck Horter stressed the importance of transparency while the task force co-chairman, Student Body President Tanner Franklin, said he wanted to make sure all stakeholders had their voices heard.
It will be interesting to see what comes out of the nickname task force. Picking a potential replacement nickname for UND is a n emotional issue. There is going to be a lot of eyes on this task force and they're going to be under some pressure to make sure there's a smooth transition to a new nickname.

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