COLUMN: We don't deserve to be called Chippewas
We used to be the Central Michigan Dragons. How cool is that?
We used to be the Bearcats. That's power.
Now, we're the Chippewas, and we stole the nickname from the tribe near town.
It's racially insensitive to keep our current mascot and nickname.
The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe is culturally rich. They have traditions that keep their history alive. They have ceremonies, regalia and a heritage that can be traced back long before CMU claimed stake to the land.
The only reason we changed our name in the first place was because a coach wanted to connect us to the area.
"(Lawrence) Sweeney pointed out that while it meant breaking with a considerable tradition built up by use of the name Bearcats, the nickname of Chippewas offered still much more," according to the book "The First Hundred Years" by John Cummings.
"Coach Sweeney stated, 'The name offers nothing in the way of background for showmanship or pageantry, and most students have never seen or heard of a real Bearcat,'" the book read.
CMU is known as a party school. We burn couches. Does the tribe really want to be associated with that? Have they thought about the shame we could be bringing to their name?
What have we done as a university to truly deserve the culture, heritage and history of the Chippewa name? How do we rationalize using their culture as a mascot?
These questions have come up all across the country. From high schools to NFL teams coming under fire for their historical names, the use of a Native American name and culture is a hot-button topic.
We don't uphold the high standards that come with such a name. We don't celebrate the culture and heritage behind their centuries in this area. We don't deserve to be called the Chippewas.
Until we can come together as a school and truly appreciate Native American culture, we don't deserve to share a name with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. Until we can revere this planet and everything it gives us, we don't deserve to have their name on our jerseys, our clothing or our school.
We can't drag the Chippewa name through the mud with our pride.
Until we can decide to have higher standards, we cannot be the Chippewas. Until we can truly appreciate the heritage, we might as well go back to being the Dragons.
