I am writing on behalf of the University of Virginia's Department of Athletics to apologize for the use of an image of a Native American in the pre-game video at last week's game against the College of William & Mary.
William & Mary relinquished its use of the "Indians" nickname and its American Indian mascot in the 1980s. Since that time it has been called the Tribe, which honors the college's founding mission of educating indigenous people. While W&M retained the use of the feather into more recent years, the feather and any reference to Native Americans have been eliminated from the W&M lexicon.
In February of this year, W&M President Taylor Reveley launched a community-wide campaign to find a new mascot to go along with the Tribe name.
We should all be aware by now of the national debate that has gone on for many years regarding colleges and universities that used mascots depicting American Indian images. In fact, institutions that did not change their mascots were penalized by the NCAA, with some special exceptions.
This video resurrected an old debate - and an even older stereotype - by the use of a demeaning and childish caricature of an American Indian. This is a stereotype that all of us know is a sad relic of a time when many, perhaps most, Americans misunderstood American Indians and their proud heritage, largely because of media images not unlike the one in the Cavman video last week. We are sorry that the video insulted persons whose history and culture are essential parts of our national heritage. The video was sadly uninformed, and the Athletic Department regrets that it aired. It has been removed from the department's Web site.
When done with intelligence and wit, the Cavman videos bring great spirit to each home game. My hope is that all will learn from this recent event.
First-year student Anna Fairchild had it right in her thoughtful letter to The Cavalier Daily on Thursday, Sept. 10, when she wrote that the video "contrasted sharply with the messages delivered in the classroom and listed goals of the University as a whole." We should be grateful to Anna for pointing this out and for her lesson to the University community.
Craig K. Littlepage\nDirector of Athletics
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