Mark Denning, the inspiration for the Marquette Warriors profile logo, spoke Tuesday in an attempt to educate the Marquette community about political correctness and its effect on American Indians.

Denning attended Marquette from 1979 to 1984 and is the director of Southeast Oneida Tribal Services in Milwaukee. Surrounded by memorabilia from teams that use American Indian imagery such as a Marquette Warrior flag and an Atlanta Braves t-shirt, Denning spoke to faculty and students in the Alumni Memorial Union about identity and how society is defining American Indians.

Denning said American Indians are usually seen as having "a mohawk, feathers and a tomahawk."

"We become this cartoon character — we can't get out of Never-Never Land," he said, "People are pigeonholing American Indians into a native role."

This stereotype, Denning believes, arises because people don't have real conversations about American Indians in the interest of political correctness.

"When someone talks about political correctness and American Indians, you can't get past those labels and have discussions about what those things really mean," he said. "It just stops people."

Denning does not see the discussion on American Indians used as sports imagery as necessarily favorable or unfavorable.

"It's a conversation that's going on in society, it shows a maturity in society," he said. "I don't think it's a black and white issue about terminology; there's a much larger discussion."

Although Denning considers society's "conversation" about American Indians favorable, he agrees with American Indian institutions such as the National Congress of American Indians, that have denounced the use of American Indian symbols in sports.

"I can't speak for all Native people, but institutionally, Native people have spoken up," he said. "We're struggling with identity as a society and Native people want to have a say in what that looks like."

Marquette experienced this "identity" of American Indians during the debate last year over the Marquette mascot's nickname and whether it should be the Warriors or the Golden Eagles. When asked about this debate, Denning "thought it was a dead issue."

"I put my faith in that creed of Faith, Justice, and Knowledge," he said, referring to what he called "the Marquette creed" when he attended the university. "I knew that the Jesuits would look past names and say 'we don't want to take part in labeling people.'"

Denning said he thinks sports teams that use American Indian imagery perpetuate a negative generalization of all American Indian people.

"If you use generalizations, that stereotypes people, there's a diversity of tribes out there; they're not just one monolithic being," Denning said. "It doesn't allow people to see us in modern society."

Adam Mand, a freshman in the College of Arts & Sciences, said Denning was "a really good speaker," but he does not think the term "Warriors" is a negative one.

"I don't think Marquette Warriors is bad, but when it's associated with an Indian symbol, that creates a whole different issue," Mand said.

On the other hand, Pam Peters, assistant dean for intercultural programs, had a different feeling after Denning's speech.

"If it's something that offends any particular group, if it's something that's offensive, that should be reason enough not to use it," she said.