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State education board takes nickname referendum to court
February 15, 2012
North Dakota: On February 7, citizens submitted signatures to bring the issue of the University of North Dakota "Fighting Sioux" nickname to voters in a statewide referendum. If certified, the referendum would repeal Senate Bill 2370, which repealed a law that mandated use of the nickname by the school.[1]
However, the North Dakota Higher Education Board does not believe that it is the authority of the voters to decide one of the state college's nicknames. It claims that the board has authority over all eleven state colleges. For that reason, this week the board decided to file a lawsuit to stop the referendum from making it to the ballot.[2]
The nickname has been a source of frustration and pride for the school and state for years. Recently, the school has attempted to get rid of the nickname after the NCAA, the organization that regulates college sports, argued that it was offensive to some Native Americans.[3]
With the suit proposed by the education board, the future of the referendum and nickname are unclear.
See also
- News: NCAA says lawsuit over nickname controversy should be thrown out, December 26, 2011
Footnotes
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