Voicing Opinions to UND Nickname
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The UND Nickname committee now has hundreds of nickname ideas to sort through after getting input from the public.
They are working to replace the retired “Fighting Sioux” nickname which the NCAA considered hostile and abusive.
The aviators, the blizzards and the tsunamis? They are among 1,000 names being considered, down from 3,000 submissions. A still popular nickname on the non-considered list: Fighting Sioux.
UND VP VP University & Public Affairs Susan Walton said, “People are beginning to develop opinions and choose names that are interesting to them. I think it’s great that so many people took this opportunity to submit a name.”
But, some students on campus aren’t buying it.
UND junior Devin Alsleben said, “Either go back to Fighting Sioux, which is highly unlikely, or stay UND because to me accepting a new name is like accepting defeat.”
Senior Tessa Muehe said, “It stood for quite a bit, it stood for the pride that North Dakota has, so I don’t think any other nick name could compare to that. So I think the North Dakota is better than anything else.”
The top pick for the non-consideration list is the controversial name the Fighting Sioux which was mentioned almost 6,000 times.
Following UND sports his entire life, Luke Bueligersaid, “Some of them I didn’t like I guess, my opinion would just be university of North Dakota until they find the perfect name to come up with.”
It’s unclear when the names will be cut down to the final three for public vote.
You can see the consideration list here and the non-consideration list here
Reason why nickname suggestions were not considered:
- They are unavailable from a domain name standpoint,
- They cannot be used under NCAA policy or under terms of the 2007 Consent Agreement, or
- They contain profanity or other inappropriate language.
