In response to the Dec. 9 Viewpoint "English faculty codemn warriors," as English department faculty I believe you have the responsibility to use your authority to accurately inform the student body. The meaning of "warrior" is "a man engaged or experienced in warfare" or more broadly "a person engaged in some struggle or conflict" (Merriam Webster's). Your assertion that "warriors connote first and formatively American Indians" is based solely on your fixation with the current debate.
I agree that words do accrue meaning throughout history, and few words contain as much diversity as "warrior". I find it perplexing that you can only consider one. Ask me and I'll tell you of my Grandpa in WWII. Ask the President, and he will probably speak of our founding fathers and our nation's airmen, soldiers, sailors, and Marines. Go to Africa and hear stories of the Masai. Europe will provide the Romans, Greeks, Celts, knights, and St. Joan of Arc. Ask in Japan and learn of Bushido (the way of the warrior) and the samurai. And it doesn't stop there…ask about civil rights or social justice and you will hear about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Gandhi, and Mother Teresa, each a warrior in their own right. Should I continue?
No matter where you go, if you ask about a warrior you will be shown the best, the bravest, and the brightest people they have to offer. You will find those whom are the most dedicated to, and willing to defend something beyond themselves – to their ideals. Try and prove that the name "Warrior" is "racially insensitive" and you'll realize your own discriminatory beliefs and limited view of history and world cultures. "Warrior" is racially inclusive, because it is universal.
If you want to keep your ten year "proud tradition" of Golden Eagles, that is fine. Keep in mind that the only diverse nature of the name is the number of schools that already use it (Boston College, Southern Miss, Rock Valley College, Cal State L.A., Embry-Riddle, Tennessee Tech, and on and on). If you keep the Golden Eagles you'll prove to "the wider community of Marquette, Milwaukee, and the nation" that Marquette's ideals are political correctness and unoriginality.
"Warriors" evoke in all of us, regardless of race or nationality, the highest ideals of what it means to adhere to our values and way of life. If you want "to work for the common benefit of all members of the human community" then I ask you to reflect on your own history and how warriors have shaped you today. Now, what has a golden eagle ever done for humanity?
Honor all those courageous men and women who stand up for what they believe. Honor Marquette and its proud history. Honor the Warriors.
Timothy Ratzlaff is a December 2004 graduate of the College of mechanical engineering.
This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Jan. 20 2005.