Forrest Cuch, former director of Indian Affairs and member of the Ute tribe, said he feels a “great sense of pride” that the flagship university of the state bears the name of his tribe. Two of Cuch’s sons graduated from the U, and he is an avid fan of the Runnin’ Utes.

“We have a very strong connection [to the U],” Cuch said.

But recent pressure from a student group, the Indigenous Students and Allies for Change, is bringing the Ute name and logo back into the controversy it faced decades ago. Cuch said changing the mascot and logo would be a mistake.

“This is troubling to us,” Cuch said.

He sees the U’s use of the Ute name as an appropriate and important nod to the past. It is one of the only marks in the Salt Lake Valley that indicates that the land is Ute territory.

Angela Brown, a graduate student at the U and member of the Ute tribe, is used to the name. She attended Uintah High School, which also uses the Ute name as a mascot, represented by a feather logo similar to the university’s.

“I’ve kind of grown up with it, so it doesn’t bother me,” she said.

While both Cuch and Brown are uncomfortable and disappointed when they see students dressed as American Indians at sporting events, they agree that this problem, central to arguments to retire the logo, is not a big issue at the U.

“It’s just a few misguided students that are doing that,” Brown said.

The U is preparing to launch a social marketing campaign to educate students about respecting the Ute name at games, in addition to reminding them of other common courtesies to observe at sporting events, such as not littering. Brown said this is not enough.

“If they want to stop fans from dressing up like Indians, just don’t let them in the games,” Brown said. “That’s the way to do it, not the social marketing campaigns.”

Cuch sees the Ute name at the U as an opportunity for the university to expand its Utah history curriculum, but he argues if the U doesn’t educate students it would be a disservice.

Brown similarly nodded to Central Michigan University’s use of the Chippewa name as exemplary. The school offers courses in Chippewa history, culture and language.

“We need to teach Utah history,” Brown said. “This area is the least studied of American Indian history in the United States.”

In reaction to the Indigenous Students and Allies for Change Petition, which asks the U to retire the Ute name and logo, Cuch has started a petition to save the Ute name and logo. It can be found at change.org.

The U reaffirmed that it only uses the Ute name with permission of the tribe.
[email protected]