Chowan College will change its mascot to comply with NCAA policies on Native-American mascots-this, after the Baptist school's president and board decided to forego the potential legal battle, time and expense of keeping the school's current mascot, the Braves.
“The thought process is very simple,” Dennis Helsel, Chowan's athletic director, said. “The NCAA in their infinite wisdom said that if we kept our mascot we could not host NCAA events and that we could not participate in NCAA championship events with that logo.”
Left with the choice between legally appealing the ruling or embracing the opportunity for progress, Helsel said, the decision was easy. Besides, he added, many of the schools who have fought the ruling-like the University of Illinois-spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in appeals and ultimately failed in their endeavor.
“We don't have that kind of money to gamble [on a possible court loss], and it would not set a good example to our student populace,” Helsel said. “The Braves have served us well, and now we want to move forward.”
The decision for progress came soon after the NCAA reclassified the Murfreesboro, N.C., school from a Division III to a Provisional Division II school for the 2005-2006 season-a move that motivated Chowan officials to comply carefully with NCAA mandates.
Other Baptist schools have not been so inspired. Officials at Mississippi College, which named its mascot after the Choctaw tribe, filed an appeal against the ruling in the fall of 2005.
According to Mississippi College officials, the school has the support of the local tribe to continue using the Choctaw name, and officials hope this helps their case with the NCAA board, much like it did for the Florida State Seminoles and University of Utah Utes.
As of Jan. 31, 2006, the Clinton, Miss., school continues to await a response.
Chowan's statement acknowledged a “real quandary” about changing the name, since the school name means “they of the south” in Algonquin. Chowan officials also felt the name honored the school's heritage along the Chowan River, according to the statement.
And while Chowan officials believe they have legitimate reasons to keep their mascot, according to a statement from the college, they have chosen to embrace the ruling as an opportunity for something positive between students, faculty and alumni.
“We could sit around and complain all day and still probably have to do it,” Helsel said. “Instead, we chose to make this a positive thing and involve alumni and students together.”
Helsel said the school has no specific timeline for the switch, but he looks forward to its completion at the proper time.
Associated Baptist Press