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Florida State was here just two weeks ago - seemingly on the cusp of a favorable decision by the NCAA regarding its Seminoles nickname and imagery. The NCAA said Friday that approval from a "namesake" tribe will be considered a primary factor when the review process begins next week for schools appealing the use of American Indian nicknames and symbols. That should be a positive development for FSU, one of 18 schools that the NCAA Executive Committee ruled on Aug.5 to have "hostile or abusive" nicknames, symbols or imagery. "We're very encouraged by (the NCAA) using the word 'namesake' tribe,"...

Count Gov. Jeb Bush among the Floridians outraged at the NCAA's recent announcement that it is banning the use of 18 Indian mascots and nicknames -- including the Florida State Seminoles -- during NCAA-sanctioned events beginning next February. ''I think it's offensive to Native Americans . . . the Seminole Indian tribe who support the traditions of FSU,'' Bush said Tuesday. 'I think they insult those people by telling them, `No, no, you're not smart enough to understand this. You should be feeling really horrible about this.' It's ridiculous. How politically correct can we get? The folks that make these...

A non-Indian committee has decided that American Indians cannot bear the shame of an Indian mascot. The National Collegiate Association of Athletes, the latest great white father figure, has banned the use of American Indian mascots and logos during post-season games and tournaments. Put simply, if the Florida State Seminoles football team wins their division, they won’t be able to wear their official uniforms in any championship games after February 1, 2006. The use of Indian names, logos, or mascots is “abusive” and “hostile” toward Indians, say these non-Indian committeemen. Of course, they’re basing their theoretical righteousness on the presumptuous...

Oklahoma Seminoles back FSU on mascot By TOM D'ANGELO Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Thursday, August 11, 2005 TALLAHASSEE — On the same day Florida State's Board of Trustees gave President T.K. Wetherell its support to fight the NCAA's ban on Native American mascots and nicknames, the university picked up a major ally. Ken Chambers, principal chief of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the group the NCAA said was opposed to Florida State's use of the Seminole name, said Wednesday he does not have a problem with the use of Native American nicknames and mascots. A motion in July by...

College Colors Day 2005   Aug. 12, 2005     On September 2, 2005, The Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), the oldest and largest licensing representative in the nation, will introduce America to a new holiday, College Colors Day. What is College Colors Day?College Colors Day, which coincides with both "back to school" on campus and the kick-off of the college football season, seeks to celebrate and promote the traditions and spirit that drive collegiate athletics by encouraging fans, alumni and students to wear apparel of their favorite college throughout the day of September 2. Who can participate in College...

A controversial NCAA decision restricting Florida State University's use of an American Indian mascot was based on incomplete information and will be reconsidered, a top NCAA official said Thursday. Walter Harrison, who chairs the committee that approved a policy directed at 18 schools with "hostile and abusive" American Indian mascots, said FSU has "good grounds" to appeal. Among the reasons, he said, are that the NCAA Executive Committee thought the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma opposed FSU's use of the Seminole image as a mascot. That was based partly on letters the committee received from David Narcomey, a member of the...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Gov. Jeb Bush criticized NCAA officials on Tuesday for their decision to penalize Florida State for using an American Indian nickname and symbols, saying they instead insulted the university and a proud Seminole Tribe of Florida... ...Bush said the NCAA must have better things to do that sit around worrying about the nicknames adopted by its member institutions. "You know what they ought to be worried about? The graduation rates of most college athletes," the second-term Florida governor said. "Maybe if they had some suggestions on that, that universities could apply and could implement, they could...

Gov. Jeb Bush criticized NCAA officials on Tuesday for their decision to penalize Florida State for using an American Indian nickname and symbols, saying they instead insulted the university and a proud Seminole Tribe of Florida. The NCAA's finding that the school's Seminoles nickname is "hostile and offensive," instead of honoring American Indians has the opposite effect, the governor said, because the tribe supports the school's use of its name. "I think it's offensive to native Americans ... the Seminole Indian tribe who support the traditions of FSU," Bush said on his way into a Cabinet meeting. "I think they...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida State University doesn't plan to change its "Seminoles" nickname. The NCAA decided today to ban schools using Native American names and symbols from hosting championship events. But Florida State President T-K Wetherell says he'll sue the NCAA for its - quote - "outrageous and insulting" decision. Wetherell says - quote - "This university will forever be associated with the "unconquered" spirit of the Seminole Tribe of Florida." The NCAA decided to ban the use of American Indian mascots by sports teams during its postseason tournaments. And nicknames or mascots deemed hostile or abusive won't be...

FSU to fight ban on Indian mascot The NCAA took action against the use of American Indian mascots and nicknames by college sports teams, and Florida State's Seminoles were incensed by the new rules that could affect FSU's teams and traditions. BY MICHELLE KAUFMAN Is Florida State University's nickname -- the Seminoles -- a tribute to the Indian tribe's indomitable spirit or an offensive racial stereotype? Depends on whom you ask. The NCAA on Friday banned the use of American Indian mascots and nicknames by 18 college sports teams -- including the FSU Seminoles -- during postseason tournaments beginning Feb....

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida State University doesn't plan to change its "Seminoles" nickname. The NCAA decided today to ban schools using Native American names and symbols from hosting championship events. But Florida State President T-K Wetherell says he'll sue the NCAA for its - quote - "outrageous and insulting" decision. Wetherell says - quote - "This university will forever be associated with the "unconquered" spirit of the Seminole Tribe of Florida." The NCAA decided to ban the use of American Indian mascots by sports teams during its postseason tournaments. And nicknames or mascots deemed hostile or abusive won't be...

Florida State President T.K. Wetherell threatened to take legal action after the ruling. "That the NCAA would now label our close bond with the Seminole people as culturally 'hostile and abusive' is both outrageous and insulting," Wetherell said in a written statement. "I intend to pursue all legal avenues to ensure that this unacceptable decision is overturned, and that this university will forever be associated with the 'unconquered' spirit of the Seminole Tribe of Florida."

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The NCAA banned the use of American Indian mascots by sports teams during its postseason tournaments, but will not prohibit them otherwise.The NCAA's executive committee decided this week the organization did not have the authority to bar Indian mascots by individual schools, committee chairman Walter Harrison said Friday.Nicknames or mascots deemed ``hostile or abusive'' would not be allowed by teams on their uniforms or other clothing beginning with any NCAA tournament after Feb. 1, said Harrison, the University of Hartford's president.``What each institution decides to do is really its own business'' outside NCAA championship events, he said.Guidelines...

MIAMI -- The Seminole Tribe of Florida said it still backs Florida State University's use of the Seminoles nickname, just a week before the NCAA meets on the appropriateness of American Indian nicknames. At its regular Friday meeting, the Tribal Council voted unanimously on a resolution in support of Florida State's nickname, the first time the Tribe has taken an official public step to show support for the Tallahassee school's mascot. "The resolution is a formal document that puts into black and white the sentiment of the Tribe, because we feel that it is an honor and a reflection of...

New York – Almost half of all African-Americans believe that HIV, the virus that causes Aids, is man-made, more than a quarter believe it was produced in a government laboratory and one in eight think it was created and spread by the CIA, according to a study released by Rand Corporation and the University of Oregon. The paper's authors say these views are obstructing efforts to prevent the spread of HIV among African-Americans, the racial group most likely to contract the virus. "The findings are striking, and a wake-up call to the prevention community," Laura Bogart, a behavioural scientist who...

"Florida State University's attempt to honor its first black students has incurred the wrath of some American Indians. United Native America, an Oklahoma-based group, has protested FSU's recently unveiled "Integration" statue. The statue depicts three of the first black students at FSU, including Doby Flowers who was the school's first black homecoming queen in 1970. Flowers' statue features the traditional American Indian headdress FSU officials once used to crown the homecoming queen, in honor of the school's "Seminoles" nickname."

The Seminole Tribe of Florida, continuing to bolster its image as the builders of premier destinations for South Florida's gaming establishments, hosted a glitzy tour Thursday of its latest creation -- a Las Vegas-style Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, expected to open in the spring on the tribe's Hollywood reservation. ''Welcome to Hollywood,'' Tribal Council member Max Osceola Jr. said to a cheering crowd of some 600 invited guests who munched on barbecue and Seminole fry bread before touring the 100-acre Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on the northwest corner of U.S. 441 and Stirling Road, former home of...

Dear Lord, There's a young man far from home, called to serve his nation in time of war; sent to defend our freedom on some distant foreign shore. We pray You keep him safe, we pray You keep him strong, we pray You send him safely home ... for he's been away so long. There's a young woman far from home, serving her nation with pride. Her step is strong, her step is sure, there is courage in every stride. We pray You keep her safe, we pray You keep her strong, we pray You send her safely home...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida State President T.K. Wetherell reorganized the school's athletic department Friday, moving many responsibilities to other areas of the university to eliminate what the school's inspector general described as a culture of isolation. Wetherell did not fire anyone, but made it clear he's awaiting evaluations on several department employees by athletic director David Hart Jr., who was singed in the IG's 10-page evaluation of the department and will get his own evaluation later. The department's reporting system "exposes the university to significant risk and shows lack of forethought and good judgment," inspector general David Coury wrote. Several...

"Our Land Before We Die" is not just a title, it's a rallying cry. It's also a story about the black Seminoles who never found a home in the land of plenty. Jeff Guinn, book editor of the Fort Worth- Star Telegram in Texas, tells their story in a pull- up-a- chair tone. You'll be glad you accepted his invitation. So what is a black Seminole, or Seminole Negro, as they are alternatively called? That matter is still open to debate, but the tribe was created when black runaway slaves joined a runaway faction of Creek Indians. Both groups accepted...