The University of North Dakota nickname and logo controversy is nothing new. Back in 2012, during my freshman orientation, former President Robert Kelley arrived and asked the parents and upcoming students if they had any questions for him. It was not a surprise when the first question was “Why aren’t we going to be the Fighting Sioux anymore?”
Between the constant battle between the student body, the administration, stakeholders, and alumni over this heated topic, things got ugly. The only time UND seemed to make national news was when they were talking about the nickname. It seemed like no matter what great accomplishment the University made, things always circled back to the nickname and logo. There were several negative outcries all over social media regarding the new nickname after retiring the Fighting Sioux in 2012. Months after announcing the new nickname, one could say things finally cooled down for the most part. However, the fire was stoked again this morning when the University announced the official logo for the Fighting Hawks, and to many, it was disappointing, and not surprisingly so.
Earlier this year, there were several students who created possible logos for the new nickname and were rejected. Honestly, I can’t really think of a better way to show school pride than to have an actual UND student create the logo. Or maybe the University should have let Bennett Brien, the creator of the most recent Fighting Sioux logo, have a say in the logo process. Instead, UND officials chose to spend thousands of dollars to hire an out of state corporate design company in New York to create what we have here today, which is a sad attempt at what looks like a bad US Postal Service and Burlington Northern mashup.
Interim President Ed Schaefer said in a recent interview with WDAZ that he "felt that it was important to have professional logo development people, and branding people, to develop [the logo]. Ya know, not just a local artist." Sorry President Schaefer, but no. Just no. You had an opportunity to include the man who created the iconic, and arguably, best logo in collegiate history in this process and you didn't? I would call that a missed opportunity. I'm glad that you "had a favorite" going into this process, but giving you the power to choose the logo that the University is stuck with for the rest of eternity when you're leaving in a few short months, just doesn't add up. And I know that I'm not the only one thinking it.
Opening up Twitter this morning after the announcement, I think many can agree that there are people who support the logo. Some just want the controversy to be a thing in the past and move on. Others genuinely support the new logo and think that it is aesthetically pleasing. However, there has been an overwhelmingly negative response on the social media platform ranging from students to NHL parody accounts and ESPN sports analysts.
To many UND fans, the possibility of a great logo was the last chance that the University had to redeem itself from the new nickname debacle. After announcing the new nickname early in 2016, donations to the University dropped drastically. During the nickname voting process, over 50 percent of voters voted to not choose a new nickname and simply remain the University of North Dakota during athletic events. It’s a difficult task to get thousands of people to accept the new nickname and logo when the Fighting Sioux nickname was taken away a short four years ago. To many, the “cooling off” period was not long enough, and understandably so. As of late, the University has been under constant fire with turmoil, not only over the new nickname and logo, but also over recent budget cuts, forcing UND to cut the Music Therapy program, the Men's Baseball and Golf teams, and much more. This leaves many people wondering how many more low blows could one University take in such a short period of time?
As a recent UND graduate, I can admit that it is incredibly difficult to get used to the Fighting Hawks, when only 5 years ago we were wearing Fighting Sioux attire proudly. Thousands of us come from families where multiple members are proud UND alumni. Growing up in a culture where you come out of the womb either a Fighting Sioux fan or a Bison fan, this whole process has been a difficult one. All I can say is that the new logo did not help the University in a positive way, and I'm sure there are going to be even more repercussions heading our way. Again.
