(above) FaceTheState.com was named the "Best Political Web site" in Denver by Westword"Those early settlers of the American West represent a part of the past and traditions that DU should not quickly dismiss."- Dr. E. Christian Kopff
DU spokeman Jim Berscheidt called DU's former mascot "offensive" in an article that appeared yesterday in FaceTheState.com. "[Boone] doesn't reflect the DU of today and to be honest it's a little bit offensive," Berscheidt said.
Who knew that University of Denver athletic teams were running around with an "offensive" mascot on their uniforms for more than three decades, leading up to his retirement in 1999? You'd think that someone would have pointed it out in maybe the first 5 or 10 years of Boone's career at DU.
Berscheidt went on to say that part of the reason Boone was replaced by "Ruckus the red-tailed Hawk" in 1999 was because there were many complaints that the mascot was inappropriate and also simply that Boone "was not a modern character."
When Berscheidt says DU had "many complaints," is that another broad exaggeration similar to Chancellor Coombe's wildly inaccurate statement, "Boone does not reflect the broad diversity of the DU community and is not an image that many of today's women, persons of color, international students and faculty, and others can easily relate to as defining the pioneering spirit."
Since when do mascots have to be modern? A quick scan of the hundreds of college mascots reveals that almost all of them aren't "modern." DU's Jelly Donut is one of the few "modern" logos and look how well that turned out.
FaceTheState.com contacted LetsGoDU when researching the story and we were only too happy to provide them with background material, "off the record quotes," inflammatory statements and persons of interest. We also threw some props out to Peter Mannino and patted ourselves on the back for stirring up shit at DU. Is that wrong?
Dr. E. Christian Kopff, associate director of the Honors program at the University of Colorado at Boulder said the pioneering spirit is exactly what the old mascot represented. To Kopff, Boone symbolizes the explorers and pioneers who helped shape the enterprising spirit of America at a time when the country was still trying to find its place in the world.
"[Boone] the Pioneer represented people who were not afraid to leave their normal, urban lives and go exploring," Kopff said. "These early settlers developed the idea that Americans are not afraid to explore."
But Kopff says the those early settlers of the American West represent a part of the past and traditions that DU should not quickly dismiss, contending that western pioneers paved the way into the wild frontier, and still have a significant impact on how Americans view themselves today.
"Even though the frontier in the traditional sense is gone, that pioneering spirit is part of what makes us Americans," said Kopff. "Feeling that we can get up and do something new is an important part of [who we are]."
FaceTheState.com was named by Westword, the "Best Political Web site/Blog" in Denver in 2008. See the entire article to read additional independent voices that DU must have been smoking crack when they stabbed Boone in the back last week.
No comments:
Post a Comment