Letter: Fighting Sioux name change won't diminish values

The recall petition has put the state’s flagship school, the University of North Dakota, in a perilous position. The university is poised to compete at the Division 1 level in all sports.

The NCAA’s position has been made perfectly clear to the governor and other state leader’s as has the position of the Big Sky Conference leadership.

Distinguished coaches and UND Hall of Fame athletes have enumerated the severe consequences to our entire sports program.

Just this week the University of Iowa withdrew its invitation to UND to participate in an important track meet because of the name and logo controversy. Those hurt the absolute most are our outstanding student athletes.

UND students and alumni have always held the tradition of our name and logo in the highest regard. Our values will never be diminished. We are proud, but we also know that we have to move on for the sake of the reputation of our university, for the sake of our student athletes and for the sake of our treasured athletic programs.

I urge my fellow North Dakotans to put the best interests of the University of North Dakota ahead of our emotional love for our name and logo.

We will be strong and we will move on. And in our hearts we will always treasure having been the Fighting Sioux.

Carolyn Howland Becraft, UND Alumni Association chairwoman, Burke, Va.

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