The University of North Dakota’s “Fighting Sioux” moniker took another hit last week after the state’s Standing Rock Sioux Tribe voted not to permit the college to keep its controversial nickname and logo.
The NCAA and the University of North Dakota reached a settlement last month saying the university had three years to obtain permission from the Spirit Lake Nation and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to keep the logo and nickname. The NCAA had previously placed North Dakota on a list of schools facing sanctions for potentially offensive logos or nicknames.
The schools are restricted from using their names and insignia in postseason play and from hosting championship games.
Summer Savings
In an effort aimed at energizing the school’s campus over the summer and helping students graduate early, Texas A&M University announced plans to charge half-price tuition for in-state students for summer classes next year.
School officials told the Houston Chronicle that they hoped the plan would help the school remain vibrant during the usual summer lull, when most students are at work or on vacation.
The plan, expected to cost about $3 million, will be covered by the state of Texas.
Joe Pa’s paycheck
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled last week that Penn State University must disclose the salary of Joe Paterno, the school’s head football coach. The case arose after the Harrisburg Patriot-News requested the salaries of Paterno and three other Penn State employees from a state agency governing retirement benefits.
The university, which was ordered to release the figures, chose to challenge the agency’s decision, arguing that the public could not demand private employee information.
Although the state’s Right to Know Act does not require state-funded institutions to disclose salaries for all employees, the Supreme Court ruled that the public was entitled to know the salaries of members of the retirement program.
Paper Thieves
Police at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La. are investigating a series of incidents in which students were found stealing bundles of copies of the school’s student newspaper.
Police caught two students removing hundreds of copies of the newspaper, apparently to protect the reputation of a friend who had been accused of rape, The Nicholls Worth reported. The newspaper had a front page story detailing the student’s arrest and charges.
Police suspect that four other students were involved in stealing the bundles. University officials said the alleged crime is serious, not only because it restricted the freedom of the press but because students pay for the publication of the newspaper with their enrollment fees.
GABE NELSON