College President James Wright has appointed a task force to consider policy changes for scheduling colleges and universities with Native American mascots. The move was in response to a proposal outlined by Athletic Director Josie Harper in her published apology for inviting the University of North Dakota, which uses the Fighting Sioux as its logo, to play in a hockey tournament at Dartmouth.
The task force, an ad hoc committee, was created during the end of the Fall term 2006 and the beginning of the Winter term 2007. The administration has labeled the task force the Stam committee after its chair, Professor Allan Stam of the government department.
The Stam committee had its first meeting late last week, but the President's Office could not verify the exact date or time of the meeting. Stam explained that no official business was conducted during last week's meeting.
"We had a preliminary meeting, just for people to get to meet with each other," he said.
Additionally, Stam said he cannot comment on anything discussed in the meetings.
"When it's all said and done individuals are free to say what they want," he said. "But the nature of our discussions are confidential."
On Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2006, Harper submitted a letter to The Dartmouth to apologize to the Dartmouth community for the presence of UND's Fighting Sioux logo at the Ledyard National Bank Classic hockey tournament in December 2006.
At the conclusion of her letter she wrote, "In the days and weeks ahead, I will develop a specific and continuing plan to address issues of respect and tolerance within the athletic department as well as considering a policy for scheduling athletic contests against institutions that support offensive nicknames and symbols."
Prior to the task force's first meeting last week, Harper said she was uncertain as to how much progress the task force had made since the publication of her remarks. Harper is not a member of the task force, but will receive the task force's recommendations along with President Wright.
The charge, or mission statement, of the Stam committee reads, "What policy should Dartmouth follow with regard to the scheduling of conference, non-conference and tournament athletic contests with institutions that use Native American mascots, nicknames, symbols or imagery?"
The task force has two objectives. First, it will gather information about past and present decisions by Dartmouth and other institutions on the Native American mascots and logos.
"In any kind of process like this, I think it's important that everybody base their personal decisions on as much information as possible," Stam said. "We're trying to be as comprehensive and as fair as possible in the information-gathering phase, and that's where we are right now."
In part of the process, the task force will read a 1974 decision by a trustee committee appointed to look at policy for the Indian mascot and symbol at Dartmouth.
"The committee said the use of Indian symbols and mascots for Dartmouth was inappropriate in any form," Stam said of the 1974 conclusion.
The task force has received information from the University of Minnesota, the University of Iowa and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, three institutions that have policies that bar or discourage scheduling schools with Native American mascots.
"We're looking at their specific policies and at how they got to where they are," Stam said.
The Stam committee will also review documentation related to the lawsuit between the NCAA and UND over the Fighting Sioux logo.
After this, the committee will deliberate and compile of list of recommendations for the administration and the athletic department.
Ultimately, it will be President Wright and Harper's decision whether any changes are made to Dartmouth's athletic scheduling policy.
"We hope to have the whole process done by the end of this term," Stam said. "I would like to have this process done as efficiently as possible. I don't think for these kinds of issues dragging things on for months and months [is] productive for anyone."
The committee includes a wide range of campus figures. The other members are Bob Donin, the College's general counsel, Lori Alvord, an associate dean of student and minority affairs at Dartmouth Medical School, Dale Turner, an associate professor of Native American studies and government, Brian Austin, the senior associate director of athletics and intercollegiate sports, Nariah Broadus, assistant to the president and Diana Lawrence, the director of communications of alumni relations.
The President's Office said that there would be several students on the task force. At this point, the student representatives have not been named.
Stam said there was no specific reason for his selection as committee chair, but acknowledged that he does not yet have strong opinions about Dartmouth's relationship with Native American mascots and logos.
"My position is going to emerge through this process. To be honest, this was not a specific issue that was ... an issue that I had given a lot of thought before I was appointed to this task force," he said.
According to Stam and the President's Office, an open meeting will be scheduled in the next few weeks for members of the community to ask questions and give input to the task force.
No specific date had been set as of press time.
