There was a Board of Regents meeting Tuesday, and that was an opportunity for a couple of different EMUTalk.org-worthy events. The one that has perhaps generated the most comments on annarbor.com, “Group protests Eastern Michigan University’s use of Huron logo.” A quote:
As Eastern Michigan University’s Board of Regents met on the third floor of the Ypsilanti school’s administration building Tuesday, 25 to 30 people —several Native Americans among them— protested the school’s recent usage of its former Huron mascot.
The school incorporated the Huron logo, which it abandoned in 1991 for the current Eagles mascot, in new band uniforms it debuted last fall.
“I just don’t approve of my ancestors being used as a mascot,” said protester Jesse Rosas.
Added fellow protestor Karen Schaumann: “I saw generations of native students here assaulted and victimized work to remove that logo.”
We’ve talked about this whole American Indian logo many times before here, so I’ll just leave it at that. I still say if we had become the Emus, everyone would have been happy.
I have two words for you: Leila Riley. She was the totally-unrelated-to-any-Huron-tribe troublemaker who sought to make a name for herself by claiming to be offended on the part of the remaining descendants of the Huron Nation. All this absent anything but approval from the leaders of that Nation. So, this new gaggle are just as self-aggrandizing as she was. It’s all very “look at me!” and I’m embarrassed for everyone involved. In related news, the upright feathers are apparently incorrect, and down-pointing feathers are the historically-accurate depiction.
EMUs
Fighting Water Towers or Fighting Towers
I-94s
or anything else that was original would have worked. EMU made a bad situation worse when it re-named the team the generic Eagles and the name is still a sticking point for alumni who cannot let go …the school had an amazing opportunity to re-unite itself with a rebrand, and instead, did more damage.
If only the person in charge in 1991 was still around to see how his decisions continue to negatively impact this university …
Eastern Michigan Emus would be a perfect fit. The old, old mascot was the Normalites. The logo was a block M, which if used today would look like we were ripping off U of M. Since we’re not going back to the Hurons, do something that a lot of people can agree on – scrap the Eagles and go with something unique that this institution can identify with: a flightless bird.
I’m not saying it’ll make everyone happy because I’m sure some people are too intransigent to accept anything other than Hurons, but it wouldn’t hurt to try, either.
Eagles alumni will not want to, nor should they have to, surrender their logo … just like the Hurons alumni. I like the idea of honoring the old logos — I think it’s the most inclusive solution to the (somewhat tempest-in-a-teapot) problem.
Personally, I am craving a Normalites hoodie.