U. of Utah and Tribe to Negotiate Continued Use of 'Ute' Nickname

The University of Utah and leaders of the Ute tribe will negotiate later this month on a set of terms for the university's continued use of the tribe's name to refer to its sports teams, The Deseret News reported. Tribal leaders must assent to the university's continued use of the nickname, based on a 2005 agreement that exempted Utah from a National Collegiate Athletic Association-imposed restriction on use of what the NCAA termed "hostile and abusive" Native American nicknames and mascots. The Utah newspaper said that tribal leaders were planning to ask university officials to create an office of the special adviser to the president on American Indian affairs and to switch from scholarships to tuition waivers for all Ute tribal members who attend the university. A university spokeswoman told the newspaper that those and other issues would be on the agenda for the meeting.