Gov. John Hoeven of North Dakota may have opened the door a bit for supporters among the state’s two Sioux tribes for the University of North Dakota’s Fighting Sioux mascot and nickname, according to The Forum, a newspaper in Fargo.
After a state Supreme Court ruling on April 8, the State Board of Higher Education gave the university the go-ahead to begin retiring the controversial emblems. But under a legal agreement with the NCAA, the university has until November 30 to win both tribes’ endorsement of the symbols. One of the tribes has voted favorably on the issue, but the other has not scheduled a vote.
In a letter to the chancellor of the state university system, Governor Hoeven, a Republican, asked that, should the other tribe hold a vote before the deadline, university leaders consider its wishes.
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