ASU is no longer 'abusive'

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas State never considered itself hostile and abusive, but now it's official.

The program is off the list.

Arkansas State revealed Monday it has been informed by the NCAA it is no longer among the colleges and universities subject to an executive committee policy regarding the use of American Indian mascots, nicknames and imagery.

Arkansas State, which has competed in athletics as "Indians" since 1931, appeared on the original list of schools using imagery called "hostile and abusive" in August 2005by the NCAA. The schools listed were banned from hosting sanctioned NCAA postseason events, but after submitting a letter to the NCAA detailing its steps toward changing mascots - a process that will conclude after the basketball season- Arkansas State has been removed from the list.

"It gives us a little bit more confidence that the decision we made was right," Athletic Director Dean Lee said. "And, I think, a strong comfort level for the NCAA that we're obviously moving in the right direction and headed toward making the change in the future."

Lee and Chancellor Robert Potts submitted the letter to the NCAA earlier this month detailing Arkansas State's decision to drop "Indians" and its related imagery and move toward a new mascot. The letter discussed the process' time frame and closed with the request that "the NCAA immediately remove Arkansas StateUniversity from the NCAA ban list articulated in your letter dated August 9, 2005, which prohibits ASU from hosting post-season championship events."

With that done, Arkansas State is preparing to sift through more than 1,000 submitted suggestions in the next phase of the mascot search.

"Wednesday, Oct. 31, at midnight is the deadline for anyone to submit a suggestion," Lee said. "Currently, I think there's well over 1,000 names there already. Afterthat point, our constituents, there's nine constituent groups that will be comprising their top eight to 12 names and then we'll just start a winnowing process from there to reduce that down.

"Our anticipation is to hopefully have it down to a top 10 by the first part of December."

Arkansas State competes in the Sun Belt Conference, which is tied in only with the New Orleans Bowl, and is considered a midmajor conference in basketball. With bowl games not governed by the NCAA and the league's place in the basketball hierarchy, it is likely the only sanctioned postseason event Arkansas State could host wouldbe games in the men's NIT, which unlike the women's tournament, is owned by the NCAA.

Just as important, Lee said, the program's removal from the NCAA list also eases the black eye it suffered when it was named as "hostile and abusive" in 2005.

"I think it just kind of helps reinforce the decision that we made," Lee said. "Now we can move forward with opportunities that we haven't had available to us in the past."

Lee said Arkansas State always tried to portray its Indian mascot and Indian Family - a trio of students in American Indian dress- with respect, and the school will try to retire the mascot with the same amount of respect after basketball season.

As for the new mascot, Lee wouldn't name his preference.

"Surely wouldn't, but there's a lot of good ones out there and a lot of names that have some great marketing [options] and some tremendous possibilities. There's a lot of people. It's a very broad-based involvement and I'm anxious just like everyone else is, once all the suggestions are in front of us, to start looking at what the most popular names are and then start the winnowing process."