Bismarck Tribune - North Dakota News - Kupchella: Logo a healthy debate

Kupchella: Logo a healthy debate

Jun 30, 2008 - 04:06:00 CDT

GRAND FORKS (AP) - University of North Dakota President Charles Kupchella, who leaves office Tuesday, says he considered the UND Fighting Sioux nickname as an issue for healthy debate even though it faces strong opposition.

In November, UND settled a yearlong, multimillion dollar legal dispute with the NCAA. It allows three years for the school to win support for the nickname from the state's Sioux tribes.

"We have to acknowledge we're in a situation now where the world's kind of ganged up on the use of these kinds of symbols," Kupchella said in an interview with the Grand Forks Herald. "Right or wrong, logically or not, they've kind of ganged up on (American Indian nicknames) and said they've got to go. So that's where we are."

Kupchella has defended the nickname and Indian head logo, saying American Indians do not agree among themselves whether it is offensive.

"I didn't think it was a life and death issue like some have made it out to be," Kupchella said. "I've always thought, 'let's talk about this, the up sides and the down sides.'"

Kupchella, looking back on nine years as UND president, also criticized the state Board of Higher Education, saying the board approved programs at North Dakota State University that duplicated UND programs and forced competition between the schools.

"Where you'd like to see policy governance controlled by the board, what I think I saw over most of my nine years is, we were governed by individual decisions, not by a broad, agreed-upon policy of what a system is," Kupchella said.

"That was the biggest (challenge) by far, to deal everyday with, OK, is this board going to make decisions that suggests we're a system, or are we going to be a bunch of Italian city states, each doing basically whatever it wants to?"

Kupchella said he does not blame NDSU President Joseph Chapman.

"If I were (Chapman) and in the same setting with the same understanding of what I could get away with, I'd probably do all the same stuff he did," Kupchella said. "I always enjoyed visiting with him, and he's a biologist too, so we always had a lot in common. But because of all this stuff we already talked about, we were too often pitted against one another when it should have been and could have been different."

On Tuesday morning, Kupchella and his wife, Adele, plan to leave for Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands near where he grew up and where his mother still lives.

Kupchella said his future plans may include writing novels, working for cancer research groups, accepting temporary appointments at other universities and even running for elected office in Pennsylvania.

"I never like to say goodbye," Kupchella said, "So, who knows, I could end up back doing something here ... We'll just take that as it comes."

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Comments

To JB wrote on Jul 2, 2008 6:20 AM:

" JB, Kupchella wrote an open letter to the NCAA back in August of 2005 and has always been a consistent defender of UND's respectful use of the term Sioux. Where have you been?

As far as I can see, UND is in much better shape now than when my child started back in 2004. Kupchella has obviously done a lot of things right. "

Dave wrote on Jul 1, 2008 3:24 PM:

" Sioux Yeah Yeah "

Darn wrote on Jun 30, 2008 4:07 PM:

" A short time ago there was a brief article in the Trib about a vote on one of the reservations about whether the Sioux wanted to change their name to something like Oyate (as close as I can remember) and it meant something like 'Unity'. I wish I would have cut the article out as I didn't see it online. Well, they voted to keep the 'Sioux' name. So what is the big deal? the word 'Fighting'? or 'Sioux'? or 'Fighting Sioux'? I totally don't get it now. Hey, I'm a 'Fighting Irish' and there was a long time the Irish were discriminated against. I'm over it, I don't mind being a 'Fighting Irish' kinda person. "

Sioux Forever wrote on Jun 30, 2008 10:02 AM:

" Healthy debate? Suuuure. What it amounts to is white PC liberals whining while real Sioux tribal members either don't care or are proud to have the logo and name on UND's teams. "

Good Pres wrote on Jun 30, 2008 9:08 AM:

" Kupchella was a good president at UND and moved the University forward, especially in the area of capital improvements. When I was up there we fought for a parking ramp on the east side of campus for years, now it is a reality. I wish him and his wife much luck and thank them for their service to a great institution. "

JB wrote on Jun 30, 2008 7:59 AM:

" Nine years as president, and now that he's leaving he finally has a comment to make about the Sioux logo issue. Where the heck has he been all this time, hiding under his desk with earplugs in??

If you ignore a problem long enough, you can collect your retirement check and pass the issue off to the next guy. "

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