1988 “With the Indian nickname, you’re taking various tribes and cultures and lumping them all together. It’s oversimplifying Indian culture… the name is culturally demeaning.”

Siena to go without mascot
                                                       1988 Dec 26 The Star Democrat 
….. Old habits die hard, it seems. After 40 years of  being Indians, this private college in suburban Albany has dropped its traditional nickname, fearing that the image it conveys of Native Americans may be offensive.
      So, this year the former Siena Indians will play as the Team With No Name.
      Siena’s Indian mascot has been “temporarily” replaced with a leprechaun dressed in the school colors --- ….. 
      “With the Indian nickname, you’re taking various tribes and cultures and lumping them all together,” explained faculty member Jim Dalton, who spearheaded the decision as chair of Siena’s minority task force project. “It’s oversimplifying Indian culture… the name is culturally demeaning.” 
      Raymond Boisvert, a professor of philosophy at Siena, explained it this way in the school newspaper:
      “Imagine… instead of the Siena Indians, we are called the Siena Italians. At basketball games, the loudest cheering comes from… the Cosa Nostra Rowdies, some of whom come dressed as Chicago-era mafiosa. Sown on the floor, leading the cheers and circling the gym in an Al Capone type.”
      Siena’s action is not unique. In the early 1970s, both Dartmouth and Stanford dropped their Indian monikers for the less offensive Big Green and Cardinal, respectively. 

      The NCAA currently lists five college teams nicknamed Indians – along with assorted other Chiefs, Redmen and numerous tribal names. In relted incidents, both the Syracuse Orangemen and the Redmen of St John’s dumped their Indian warrior mascots recently after pressure from Native American groups. The season, St John’s introduced a red tuxedo-clad mascot known as the “Red Man.” Syracuse’s new non-offensive sideline mascot is a student dressed as a giant orange. 
1988 Dec 26 The Star Democrat 
1988 Dec 25, Southern Illinoisan 

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