The Conservative Union at Dartmouth passed a resolution Monday night to back the Indian as the College's mascot in the name of tradition.
CUAD passed its resolution with a 28-0 vote and two abstentions, according to a CUAD press release.
Michael New '97, chairman of CUAD, said the resolution was passed in response to the recently instituted web survey requesting student suggestions for a new mascot for the College.
"If it weren't for the survey, we wouldn't have brought the issue up," New said. "CUAD tries to act on campus issues as they come up."
On Monday, a group of students who call themselves 'Big Green Backers,' unveiled a World Wide Web survey for students to offer their ideas for a potential mascot for the College.
The Big Green Backers are also using the Web survey to solicit volunteers to serve on a mascot committee, which will organize further efforts to give the College a mascot.
The mascot committee will narrow the ideas generated from the web survey to four. Students and alumni will then vote on the four options.
New said he was not sure what action, if any, CUAD would take in trying to promote the Indian mascot.
"CUAD may do some things to increase the amount of information about Indian traditions at Dartmouth," New said."Right now, we are encouraging our members to log on the web site and to vote for the Indian," New said.
New said CUAD does not have any plans, at present, to work with other groups.
"We are doing this independently," New said. "If other groups want to jump in and help that's fine."
New said CUAD takes pride in is its efforts to hold up school traditions.
"Preserving Dartmouth traditions is something we have always done in the past and will continue to do in the future," New said. "That is why we want to support the Indian as the school's mascot."
Student Assembly President and Big Green Backer Jon Heavey '97 offered to buy a round of beers at Murphy's on the Green for CUAD so "we may take a step out of the political arena with this and just have some fun."
"I have had a lot of people ask me what will happen if the Indian is a final idea," Heavey said. "I don't really know the answer to that. I will not be making that decision. I would be disappointed if that is as creative as the student body can get though."
But Heavey said, "I think there are probably better ideas that are unique to our experiences at Dartmouth."
The Big Green Backers do not "wish to disrespect the heritage of the institution," Heavey said.
"In no way are we abandoning the Big Green no matter what the outcome of the survey," he added.
"If [CUAD] really wants to recognize the loyalty of the [alumni] they would realize that a student initiated and student run movement to bolster school pride is exactly what thousands of [alumni] would love to see," Heavey said.
President of CUAD John Honovich '97 and President of Native Americans at Dartmouth Michelle Fox '98 declined to comment. James Panero '98, editor-in-chief of The Dartmouth Review, could not be reached for comment.
