Somewhere over the last few weeks, my support for Marquette's nickname from Golden Eagles to Warriors became something else. Supporting the Warriors somehow means that I am racist, insensitive to minorities, lack the intellectual capability to distinguish between an American Indian Warrior and a Greek Warrior, and I'm not a true Catholic either. Incredibly absurd, but true. Unfortunately, the Golden Eagles-Warriors debate has taken on this tenor and shifted away from a legitimate discussion of Marquette's history and tradition.

I don't understand how becoming Warriors would destroy Marquette's diversity as some claim; after all, I don't believe American Indian students stopped attending the University of Illinois because of Chief Illiniwek. If this is a major concern, Marquette should mandate the $2 million donation offered for the name change be used for scholarships promoting diversity. If Marquette is incapable of being Warriors and maintaining strong diversity initiatives, something is fundamentally wrong with Marquette, not the name Warriors.

Next, if the problem is the Warriors name, where is the outrage over the Wisconsin Lutheran College Warriors or the NBA's Golden State Warriors? Why was Wayne State University in Michigan able to change from Tartars to Warriors in 1999? Additionally, how can these entities using non-American Indian Warrior logos, while Marquette is somehow incapable of this? Why do Wisconsin tribes, who eagerly contributed to the creation of the First Warrior, now oppose the Warriors name, even though MU has pledged to work to remove American Indian imagery?

I certainly don't have the answers for these questions. Frankly, I see the assessment of the "enlightened" Marquette academics that the only connotation of Warriors is one of violence and war as more offensive than anything the Board of Trustees is considering.

Finally, how has this become a "social justice" issue? Every time the MU community discusses a controversial issue, it becomes a "social justice" issue, meaning holding opposing views are an affront to "Catholic, Jesuit values". Furthermore, placing this issue under the category of "social justice" associates it with global issues like poverty and hunger, essentially cheapening the efforts of men and women like Mother Teresa who championed social work.

I believe that Marquette is doing their best to address these concerns, and we who support the Warriors have tempered our stances to be sensitive to the concerns of all parties. I feel much of Marquette's history and tradition is intrinsically rooted in the Warriors name, and that there are worthy images and connotations of Warriors beyond the American Indian context. For example, St. Ignatius Loyola, the patron Saint of the Jesuit order, was wounded in battle and studied the traits of the great Greek and Roman Warriors.

Yet, to those who oppose Warriors, no rationale or compromise is good enough. They seem to think that if the Warriors name returns, we are going to start wearing Willie Wampum t-shirts again and do tomahawk chops.

Moving Marquette forward has come at a cost borne nearly entirely by alumni. Great as the results of Marquette's changes have been on the surface, they mean nothing without the according history and tradition. Schools we aspire to be, like Notre Dame, embrace their past, not run from it as MU has. The "progressive" thinking that has brought Marquette forward, including creating the Golden Eagles, destroyed history and traditions the Marquette community once held dear, such as Homecoming, the Greek system, campus institutions like the Avalanche, and nearly closed West Wisconsin Avenue. For these alums, these things, minute they may seem, were part of the essence of Marquette, and as MU have changed, we have lost this part of our identity beyond our Catholic, Jesuit heritage. Final Fours may heal wounds for a few months, but the pain and bad feelings eventually return.

We have come too far by discussing this issue to turn back, and it's time to reunite the Marquette family for good. Marquette ought to be the Warriors once again.

Brian Baranowski is a senior marketing and finance major.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Jan. 27 2005.