Last night, the University of Illinois Student Government Assembly (ISG), voted in favor of a resolution to retire the mascot. The vote was 14 in favor, 4 opposed, and 2 abstains. On Monday night, they'd asked us (Red Roots, the Native Americans at UIUC) to attend the Monday night mtg to hear our perspective on the mascot and how it impacts us. That sort of invitation is rare here, and they are to be commended for asking for our input.
They're taking a great deal of heat (from pro-Chief students) for this action, with some threats to throw them out of office and other threats to initiate a campaign among the student body to dissolve the assembly. I'm writing to ask you (especially those of you who are in Illinois or who think Native students outside the state should be welcome at UIUC) to write to ISG, commending them for this action. The ISG email address for ISG and its leadership is below. The individuals you're writing to are: Eamon Kelly, Student Trustee 2001-2002 Robert Morgan, Student Body President 2001-2002 Keely Stewart, Student Trustee 2002-2003 Sara Bokhari, 2002-2003 President of the Student Body Chris Dillion, 2002-2003 Vice President and Chair of the Task Force to Retire Chief Illiniwek [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please take a moment to send your note right away. Thanks, Debbie Reese American Indian Library Association - Working for improvement in Library and Information access for and to American Indian people. -- Andr� Cramblit: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Operations Director Northern California Indian Development Council NCIDC (http://www.ncidc.org) is a non-profit that meets the development needs of American Indians and operates an art gallery featuring the art of California tribes (http://www.americanindianonline.com) Visit and show your support for the Grass Roots Oyate http://members.tripod.com/GrassRootsOyate Clemency for Leonard Peltier. Sign the Petition. http://petitiononline.com/Release/petition.html ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?b1ddNB.b2HgmN Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
