Should the California Legislature adopt a bill banning
the use of Indian mascots? Tim Rearick
First-year, Biology “Nobody is asking the descendants of
Thomas Jefferson or John Hancock to approve dubbing Boston’s
NFL team the New England Patriots because it doesn’t directly
effect them. Using the names of Native American groups or symbols
isn’t any different.” Tamar Buckakjiam
Class of 2001, Political science “If the majority of the
Native American population was outraged and offended, that would be
one thing. But if they’re OK with it, I don’t see why
the rest of us shouldn’t be too.” Arash
Nafisi First-year, MCD biology “It’s
ridiculous. Schools pick their mascots to be symbols of some ideal,
regardless of the race, ethnicity, religion or culture that it
comes from. To change the names just because they come from Native
American culture is very extremist and elitist. It’s totally
unnecessary.” Kelley Allen First-year,
Sociology “If you’re going to use the Cherokee name,
you should ask for Cherokee permission. I’m part Blackfoot
Indian, and if you’re going to use my name, I want you to ask
me about it. But that doesn’t mean the California Legislature
should ban the use of Native American names all together.”
Mia Bradford Third-year, Economics “This
shouldn’t even be an issue because the Native American people
aren’t the ones bringing it up. If they’re not
complaining about it, there’s no reason to create a divisive
issue that could tear the communities apart.” Jon
Lemmeus Third-year, Communication studies
“It’s not the Legislature’s place to take these
mascots away from the schools. They have become a source of school
pride and are a part of the campus, just like our Bruin. If the
mascots were somehow outright disrespectful to Native Americans,
that would be one thing. But for the most part they’re not,
so the Legislature should let the schools pick their
mascots.” Speaks Out compiled by Cody Cass, Daily Bruin
Staff; Photos by Tyson Evans, Daily Bruin Contributor