CHAMPAIGN — Chancellor Robert Jones wants to make one thing clear about the commission he appointed to flesh out suggestions from the "critical conversation" on Chief Illiniwek: It won't be choosing a mascot or new traditions for the University of Illinois.
"This is not a committee to name a mascot," Jones said Thursday, following the first meeting of the new Chancellor's Commission on Native Imagery: Healing and Reconciliation.
As part of its charge, the panel was asked to come up with a process for establishing new traditions to fill the void left by the Chief's departure — "which could also include a process for naming a mascot — emphasis on 'could,'" Jones said.