As we reach the end of the semester and the inevitability of finals, there is another reality here on campus; Marquette University's Board of Trustees will meet and once and for all decide the fate of our mascot nickname and the imagery connected to it.

I believe we all can agree that words participate in a reality greater than themselves: words are symbols that create images of things. So what is all the fuss about the word "warrior?" Is it not just a symbol of pride, honor and integrity? Well yes, in a sense it is. And I have no problem with the word when used correctly to refer someone or something.

However, the term "Marquette Warriors" has a very different connotation. The term "Marquette Warriors" is intrinsically tied to the image of Willy Wampum and Mr. Mark Denning's face. The term "Marquette Warriors" is inevitably reflective of the naturalized supremacy of a dominant white culture over that of "savages." Within the term "Marquette Warriors" lives a very real and sad reality that at one point our Catholic university institutionalized racism; through the tokenizing of a people, turning religious symbols and sacred rituals into a half time show of entertainment. This tokenizing of a people has been deemed an honor. Shouldn't American Indians get to decide how they are to be honored? Is it not their place to determine what they define as respect or rather should we dictate to them?

To prove this argument, one need not look past the Marquette campus and the proliferation of "warrior" T-shirts. In fact, the same people who argue that we can go back to the "warrior" without the imagery all tend to wear the imagery. So if these students can't distinguish between an eagle and a racial epitaph of an American Indian, then what sense does going back to the old word make? These are the same students doing the "tomahawk chop" at games and doing some horrendous rendition of yodeling. Can we really separate the two? No.

Now, there are students and faculty alike who will have you believe that American Indians don't find the imagery offensive. And yes, in the 1980s Sports Illustrated did a study and the majority of American Indians said that the imagery wasn't offensive. Although this same set of students and faculty will neglect to show you the countless studies that show that those American Indians who have seen these same images in action find it most horrendous. What these same students will also conveniently leave out is the psychological studies that show that this same imagery is damaging to the youth of American Indian families.

So Marquette University, let's not allow our bank accounts determine our Catholic identity. Instead, let's embrace all individuals fight oppression and racism and do the right thing. Be the differnce, don't resurrect Marquette's disdainful past.

Brent Bray is a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences.

This viewpoint appeared in The Marquette Tribune on April 28 2005.