Beau Wilcox

On Friday night, Hendrix College's men's and women's basketball teams dropped Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference games to DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind.

Despite the losses, however, they remained "Warriors."

Hendrix President Dr. Ann Die issued a campuswide memo Wednesday that announces her acceptance of a committee recommendation to retain the "Warrior" mascot, but to eliminate the controversial logo, which depicts the head of an American Indian chief. The school was among nearly 600 across the U. S. that came under fire in recent years for having a mascot viewed as ethnically insensitive, but now Hendrix officials hope the change represents the best avenue for all concerned.

Dr. Die also supported the recommendation to drop "Lady Warriors" as a mascot for the women's athletic teams, leaving all teams as "Warriors" for both sexes.

While the changes are effective immediately, the school will not discard recently purchased uniforms bearing the logo, opting to wear them as long as they remain useful in the interest of being "good stewards," according to Dr. Die's memo.

Dr. Die formed the advisory committee last spring, putting the onus upon its members to find the most equitable solution to a thorny problem. After conducting surveys, arranging forums and sampling opinions in other ways, they determined that a compromise would be in the college's best interest.

Dr. Charles Chappell, professor of English, was one of the faculty members randomly selected to serve on the committee. He said the process of detangling the mascot issue enlightened him to the central concern about the Indian reference, but also opened his eyes to how sacred the "Warrior" moniker is to many in the "Hendrix community."

"When I was a student here, we didn't think anything about it," he said. "But when you think about some of the old stereotypes ... it's, frankly, pretty embarrassing. If you look at (the logo) and think about it, it really can be offensive."

His perspective was further changed when he realized that one of his students, unbeknownst to him for a long time, was of Cherokee descent. According to Chappell, she had sent e-mails to college officials which affirmed that the Warrior imagery did present an unflattering view of Native American culture.

With that in mind, Chappell said the committee reached a "quick consensus to sever all Native American ties," but determined at the same time that retiring a name that had been part of the college's identity for more than 70 years would be ill-advised.

"As we talked about it," he continued, "it emerged that a significant number of constituents wanted to keep the name but could certainly understand why there would be offense taken with (the image)."

Swimming coach Jim Kelly said "political correctness" is a vital quality for an institution such as Hendrix to embody, and removing the logo from programs, posters and other athletic promotions represents a necessary means to achieving it.

"I think the route that was taken was the best resolution," he said. "You've got a situation, because the mascot goes back to the 1920s, where a lot of the older alumni are not going to be for that move ... but we're in the 21st century and that was a 21st-century thing to do."

Kelly agreed that the decision embraces the best of both worlds.

"It was a positive way to resolve a difficult situation," he said. "You still have the Warrior name, you still have the colors, but you eliminate the negative ethnic connotation."

According to Student Senate President Brian Greer, a senior from Eureka Springs, the reaction to the decision from students has been modest.

"I think, for the most part, the students support the decision," he said. "There are some dissenters both ways, but I think the overwhelming majority agree this was the right thing to do."

Greer said there were, and likely still are, some students who are firm traditionalists and wanted nothing to change. But, he added, still others believe that retaining even the Warrior name implies a "bellicose and warlike image" that hurts the college.

But one Hendrix athlete said the characteristics the mascot brings to mind are appropriate for competition. Hunter Mack, a junior baseball player from Rogers, said "I think it's the best resolution, but what concerns me is that I never saw the Warrior in a bad light in the first place. The attributes that I think of in a Warrior -- courage and determination -- are good ones.

"I can't relate per se because I'm not Native American," he added, "but you don't want to step on anybody's toes."

Although the mascot topic has created quite a furor for a few years, one student said he thought last week's announcement was a foregone conclusion.

"I think everybody expected this to happen when the committee was formed," said Clint Johnson, a junior from Conway. "It's been a big stir, but I don't think anyone felt that the mascot would be changed. I didn't think that would happen."

Predictable as he felt it was, Johnson did say the decision was the most practical and will ultimately be the least confrontational.

"I thought it was good for us to keep the mascot but drop the logo," he said. "It probably is in the best interest of the college."

(Staff writer Beau Wilcox can be reached by phone at 505-1240 or by e-mail at bwilcox@thecabin.net)