After 104 years as Michigamua, the University's most controversial student group announced yesterday that it has retired its name and plans to have a new one in the fall. The society also made public the members of its classes of 2006 and 2007.

"Upon consideration of our overriding principle of service and gaining significant input from our broader Michigan family, our organization has determined that we will continue this tradition without using the name Michigamua," the group said yesterday in a written statement to The Michigan Daily.

The announcement was met with mixed reactions on campus.

The reformation comes in response to years of criticism and claims that the senior honor society was racist because it had previously used Native American rituals and artifacts in its meetings. The name Michigamua was chosen in 1902 to sound like a mythical Native American tribe.

The group is mostly composed of athletes and the leaders of campus groups. The "Pride of 2007" includes Michigan Student Assembly President Nicole Stallings, Michigan football player Adam Kraus and Interfraternity Council President Jon Krasnov.

LSA junior Brittany Marino, outgoing co-chair of the Native American Student Association, lauded the reforms, but cautioned that they are not enough.

"I think that the name change is a huge step and obviously something that the Native community has been calling for a long time, so I'm very glad to see the name change," she said. "But I think it's only one of the many steps that need to be taken. We still have a ways to go."

Marino said Michigamua members past and present should recognize the pain they've caused on campus with an apology and by holding educational events.

The group, which cut its ties with the University in 2000, is also examining the possibility of becoming a University-sanctioned group again by going through the Student Organization And Recognition process.

"Among the many options that our group is considering is if, how, and when we will once again officially register as a student organization," the group said in a written statement.

Dean of Students Susan Eklund and Susan Wilson, director of the Office of Student Activities and Leadership, which is responsible for the recognition of student groups, recently met with group members to discuss the path to official recognition by the University.

Any group that wishes to be recognized must submit a constitution to Wilson's office, register with MSA and agree to follow the University's nondiscrimination policies.

"Anything that smacked of racism or exclusion would be a problem," Wilson said.

While the Office of Student Activities and Leadership has not refused recognition to any student group since the SOAR process began at the beginning of this semester, some groups have chosen not to seek recognition after learning of the requirements, Wilson said.

"It was my impression during that conversation that while they may have thought that recognition was in the future, I always thought it was in the distant future," Eklund said.

Wilson and Eklund also advised group members on the way administrators and students perceive the group.

Wilson said the group could use the recognition process to allay the concerns of some members of the University community.

"If there's a group that has to be accountable in its practices and its membership in order to be recognized, that would enhance its credibility with some people," she said.

Marino was unsure about whether the University should recognize the group if it seeks approval.

"I think that we need to carefully consider their history and recognize that just because they've changed their name doesn't mean they are an average student organization, doesn't wipe away the (104) years of racism," she said.

Law Prof. Gavin Clarkson, a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, said he is glad the group has stopped using Native American imagery, but remained skeptical of its ability to reform itself.

"If they eliminate their use of Native imagery, misuse of artifacts - pretty much stop playing Indian - that will be a welcome change," he said. "The proof will be in how they conduct themselves and what their organization actually stands for and does going forward."

Attorney Christopher Bell, who has filed a lawsuit alleging that the University did not enforce a 1989 agreement between the group and the University mandating that the group not use Native American imagery, welcomed the changes.

"I believe that (the name) would be one of the major stumbling blocks people have with the group," he said. "For many Native people, the biggest problem was the name."

Bell said he will press forward with the lawsuit. He said the University is likely to be served with it next week.