What the students want does not matter, of course:
"Sources within the University and close to the Chief tradition said Thursday that Board of Trustees Chairman Lawrence Eppley intended to single-handedly retire Chief Illiniwek Friday under pressure from Illinois State Senate President Emil Jones.
A student government member said, based on his conversations with University administrators, Eppley was the driving force behind the move to retire the Chief.
"The conversation I have had with University administrators, I got the impression that it's a very top-down decision," the student official said. "I know that there is a meeting - that the board has scheduled interviews at 6:15 in the morning (Friday), so I imagine that's the time they will make their official announcement.
"My understanding is that they are going to remove the dance, keep the name and give the symbol to not-for-profit organizations for scholarships." ....
Rumors have been flying on campus about the future of Chief Illiniwek in the recent weeks, especially after the Jan. 17 resolution passed by the Executive Committee of the Oglala Sioux tribe demanding the University return Chief Illiniwek's regalia.
Source
I most recently referred to this controversy on Jan. 25th and Jan. 11th.
