It felt strange on campus today. Late yesterday the Board of Higher Education in North Dakota decided to retire the Fighting Sioux logo and nickname. I am still not certain how I as a member of the UND faculty for 30+ years feel about the decision. I guess the one thing that annoys me is when anyone implies that people should not feel bad about the decision. Our individual experiences are part of our personal identities and those of us with this length of commitment are likely to feel like someone has taken a piece of who we think we are. So, while I do not know what the right thing to do was, don’t tell me that I or anyone else should not feel like something has been taken away.
Anyway, perhaps feeling a bit nostalgic, I decided to drive to the arena after work at about 6 to take a picture. I am in this frame of mind thinking about how different people have reacted. I know there have been gatherings. I know stores have sold tens of thousands of dollars of Sioux merchandise. As I walk toward the arena to take my picture for the day, I see people and I see this clown. I am attempting to interpret what this clown is doing there. Was this a comment on the logo decision? Was this an attempt to cheer everyone up? Was this someone mocking those who might be upset?
I noticed that most of the crowd gathering consisted of groups of 6-10 year old kids and a parent. It turns out the circus is in town.