The Marquettte WHAT?!?!?

[mpcavanaugh]

Bob,

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, personally I can't think of a much worse name then the "Gold." One thing that I got a laugh at was that I read a quote from a 19 yr old saying "I grew up with the tradition of the mascot being the Warriors..." Lets look at this, he's 19, the name changed in 1993 which puts him at 7 yrs old... what the heck happened at Marqutte from 85-93? Nothing!

www.jsonline.com/sports/marq/may05/323998.asp

Mike

[Robert Braun]

Mike... thanks for the lead-in. I am only too pleased to oblige you.

I was on campus as a returning student during the so-called "student vote on the "Golden Eagles" vs. "Warriors" -- an "election" so transparently rigged as to be laughable. I went to the Administration Building (which in 1980 we dubbed "Fort Raynor" for the then-president John P. Raynor) and asked why the election was being done at all, as the outcome was never in doubt. A very grave-faced secretary turned me over to an even graver faced short guy in a blue suit and an incredibly bad tie. He proceeded to lecture me in a low tone about how grave an issue this mascot change was, and how gravely serious the Administration took the advisory vote from the student body. Not only did I laugh at him, I took out my car keys and said-- "I am so sure this election is rigged will give you my car if the name Warriors is picked!" His grave monotone resumed, and he indicated how gravely serious he took my concerns, then assured me most gravely that every student vote would be counted, and that I shouldn't place such high stakes on a small thing. "A small thing?" I laughed, "A mascot speaks to the world about the University at sporting events and at the university store. Tell you what... if you think the election is not rigged, I'll give you my car if 'Warriors' is picked, and if "Golden Eagles" is picked, you can buy me a case of bourbon. That's how sure I am."

He didn't take my bet... and the "Golden Eagles" name was announced the next day. What a surprise.

I still think he owes me that bourbon.

================

What do I think? I echo the sentiments of more than 93% of respondants who think the Board of Trustees are a bunch of weenies with the collective wisdom of a soap dish. They certainly didn't worry about who they "offend" when the campus at large basically ignored the late Pope John Paul II's guidance to Catholic educational institutions in “Ex Corde Ecclesiae” and trampled basic Catholic teachings on a daily basis under the banner of "sensitivity." Now the Trustees make a decision so patently idiodic on its face that, in their "sensitive" effort to not offend ANYONE, they ended up offending nearly EVERYONE.

I think Marquette's latin motto was (at one time, depending upon which self-interest group felt 'offended') was "Neumen Flumenque." The Trustees should change this motto as well. I like "arte perire sua" (...to perish by one's own creation.)

Marquette University is now the laughing stock of Wisconsin and the education world-- and deservedly so.

Regards, Bob.

POSTSCRIPT-- Since it appears "anything goes, let's use the Board of Trustees for the University Mascot! Here's my starting list:

• Marquette "Morons"
  
• Marquette "Ignatious' Idiots"
  
• Marquette "Mush-skulls."
  

Yeah... the second one doesn't roll out as nice as the other two. Add your own to the list!

r.

[mpcavanaugh]

Thanks for your thoughts Bob, I figured you'd have a good response. And yes you still have some bourbon coming your way. Personally I think "Golden Eagle" was lame but why change the nickname, its been GE's for over 10 yrs while it wasn't perfect why change it? Since they wouldn't touch Warrior why not go back to Hilltopper that's better then Gold, although some would make an issue of it because its the same name as the high school.

Under the pretext of stirring the pot how can they change the name to Gold? Should a Catholic school have the symbol be a valuable metal? That people came to get and bring back to the 'old world'?

- Marquette "Ignatious' Idiots"
I like that, true it doesn't roll off the tongue all that well but I like it none the less.

Mike

[Robert Braun]

Dateline May 11, 2005

Marquette Trustees announce new nickname selection process, reaffirm position not to reinstate Warriors nickname.

Article courtesy of the Office of Public Affairs

Marquette’s Board of Trustees today unanimously reaffirmed its position not to reinstate the Warriors nickname and announced that it would establish a process for stakeholders to select the new Marquette athletics nickname. The Trustees made the decision after reviewing feedback received in the past week from students, alumni and fans expressing surprise and frustration that their voices were not adequately heard in the decision to change from Golden Eagles to Marquette Gold.

“We have spent the past week listening. We heard you,” said John Bergstrom, chairman of the Board of Trustees. “The decision to change the nickname to Marquette Gold generated a response that we did not expect from Marquette stakeholders. We regret that we disappointed them and we want to respond to those concerns. We’ve established a new process today so that your voices can be heard. It’s transparent, it’s inclusive and it’s easy.”

The Board unanimously reaffirmed its position not to reinstate the Warriors nickname. As stewards of the university’s mission, the Trustees believe Marquette must adhere to the highest possible standards of its Catholic, Jesuit mission, which include recognizing and appreciating the dignity of every member of our human family.

“While I recognize that some people are disappointed that we are not reinstating the Warriors nickname, we cannot teach one principle about respect for human dignity in our classrooms and then fail to act by that same principle when making decisions,” President Robert Wild, S.J., said. “The Warriors nickname will always be part of our proud athletics tradition, and we will honor that tradition. But we live in a different era than when the Warriors nickname was selected in 1954. The perspective of time has shown us that our actions, intended or not, can offend others. We must not knowingly act in a way that others will believe, based on their experience, to be an attack on their dignity as fellow human beings.”

The Board of Trustees announced a new process by which a new athletics nickname will be chosen and also announced the formation of the Marquette Nickname Advisory Committee made up of representative students, alumni, faculty and staff. The process will include:

1. Within the next two weeks, a list of as many as 10 names will be presented to the Marquette community. All the names presented will be selected from the hundreds of names suggested by the Marquette community during either the 1994 or 2004 nickname processes. While the final list has not been decided, the list will certainly include some of the obvious names given Marquette’s athletics history, including Blue and Gold, Golden Avalanche, Hilltoppers and Golden Eagles.

There will also be a write-in option, presented with the parameters that votes for Warriors will not be counted, and that all write-in’s must be consistent with both our Jesuit, Catholic mission and the Board resolution on Native American imagery.

2. All members of the Marquette community, including students, alumni, faculty and staff, will be asked to choose two nicknames from the list, or can offer a write-in option.

3. The two options receiving the most support from the first vote will be presented to the Marquette community for a second vote. The nickname with the most support in the second vote will then be presented to the president to be announced as Marquette’s new athletics nickname going into the Big East Conference.

Both votes will be binding, and will be conducted on the Web with provisions made for those who do not have Internet access. Members of the Marquette community will be notified via mail and e-mail in the coming weeks about steps for participating in the voting process. More information about the voting process will also be available at marquette.edu/nickname.

The Marquette Nickname Advisory Committee will oversee the voting process and will advise the university in the development of the look of the new nickname, following its selection after the second vote.

Marquette has preliminarily planned that the timing for the nickname process will be as follows:

Week of May 23: List of nickname options will be presented to the Marquette community for the first vote. The Marquette community (students, alumni, faculty and staff) will choose two names from the list, or offer a write-in.

Mid-June: Second vote will be conducted with the top-two vote getters.

By July 1: The winning nickname will be announced.

Following the choice of a new nickname, Marquette will further engage the Marquette community, through focus groups and other forums, in the design of a visual identity for the new nickname, with a new logo to be chosen by the start of the school year. Students will be asked to give input on design and name the mascot (the costumed character appearing at games) in the fall.

The Board agreed that any nickname selected must be consistent with the university’s mission and adhere to the resolution passed last September banning use of any Native American imagery or references in Marquette’s athletics nickname, logo or mascot. In addition, the new nickname must be selected by Marquette’s official entry into the Big East Conference on July 1. The Golden Eagles will remain Marquette’s athletics nickname until July 1.

Father Wild concluded, “We must remember that Marquette University is first and foremost an academic institution. We have great momentum resulting from the accomplishments of our students, faculty and alumni over the past several years. Just last week, we received the largest single donation in university history with a gift of $28 million that will transform our College of Communication. For the third consecutive year, we celebrate the fact that students are applying to Marquette in record numbers. Marquette has risen in national academic rankings. The campus has undergone a physical transformation, and Marquette has enjoyed the most successful fund-raising period in its history, raising more than $300 million during the current comprehensive campaign. These are the true measures of a great university.”

Now remember... Father Wild and the toadies know as the "Trustees" said the nickname "Gold" was both final and irreversable. That lasted a week. Note, too, that the Trustees will STILL get to pick the next moronic nickname... the "Advisory Committee" is just that-- ADVISORY.

Father Wild-- get a clue! A grand total of THREE people are apparently "offended" by the "Warriors" name (and NONE were ofended in the late 1970s when native people were brought in and consulted with the masot change from "Willie Wampum"-- which was stereotypic-- to the "First Warrior" -- a student of native descent who danced in dignified regalia at basketball halftime-- whch was not.) Yet you and the Trustees seem perfectly fine with ticking off 88% of student and alumi respondants regarding the "Gold" fiasco.

After eleven years, "Golden Eagles" didn't catch on. "Gold" died in seven days. Get a clue! We want "WARRIORS" back! Switch the mascot to a celt... or a barbarian... or a Trustee (wait! that would imply that the Trustees are "warriors!" Scratch that! )

Yeah... Marquette is "listening" all right.

Bob Braun
Marquette "Warriors"
Class of 1980

[Robert Braun]

Well, the hoopla is finally over. After weeks of wrangling and hand wringing, of mailings, debates, and administrative sancitmony... we're right back to where we started: the boring, blah "Golden Eagles."

Sure hope it was all worth it...

In other news, the ever vigilent Marquette Tribune newspaper covered the commencement address of that famed journalistic "one trick pony" Cokie Roberts with its usual journalistic rigor. I guess the editors were just anxious to go to press, allowing some of Cokie's more moronic statements to go unchallenged. Among them:

1. Speaking about the prestiege media's rampant negativism as a catalyst in the negative public opinion of politicials, the paper reported: "There currently exists in the public a 'dangerous atmosphere' that 'denigrates the professional politician,' she said." Then Cokie lets go with a real whopper: "To denigrate the professional is to denigrate the profession." (Gee Cokie... read any TWO of your columns since January 2005 that noone reads anymore, and then look up HYPOCRITE in the dictionary!)

2. The Trib then reported: "Government, Roberts said, is the one institution that can serve as a unifying tool in a time when the country lacks a common experience, language and history." Then, she let's fly with a statement that truly reflects her internal compass on her own little world: '"Nothing binds us together except our government," she said.' (Right... there's no "right," no "wrong," no "up," no "down," no common language, history, or experience in Cokie's morally relative world. Only a large larger largest Federal Beurocracy that in no way engenders any sort of unity regarding experience, language, or history.

[Note to Cokie: when you're done with looking up HYPOCRIT, look up "freedom," "democracy," "liberty," "self-determination." Then see where GOVERNMENT fits into any of those definitions, except as an expression of the will of the people.]

Ask yourself if the Trib would have written similarly if say Anne Coulter had been the commencement speaker.

Cokie's warped view could easily find a home with fellow "warpee" Brian Williams, the nutbag "anchor" on NBC Nightly News. "Mr. History" Williams put up a disgusting display of moral equilivence on June 30 when he equated George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson with bomb-wielding, decapitating murderers: "Someone brought up today the first several U.S. presidents were certainly revolutionaries and might have been called terrorists at the time by the British crown, after all." Happy Independence Day from NBC!

Time to close Marquette's School of Journalism, as it is clearly failing its students.

Tirade over...

Bob Braun