South Carolina College Abandons “Indians” Nickname

This week, Newberry College in South Carolina announced that it has dropped its “Indians” nickname and its sports teams will go without a name for about a year, as part of its agreement with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). According to press reports, it will cost the school $118,000 to remove the name/imagery from uniforms and equipment.

In 2005, the NCAA adopted a policy banning the use of Native American-offensive nicknames and mascots. Institutions with hostile or abusive references had to “take reasonable steps” to cover up the offensive references at any NCAA championship site that has been previously awarded, effective Feb. 1, 2006. Effective Aug. 8, 2008, institutions displaying or promoting hostile or abusive references on their mascots, cheerleaders, dance teams and band uniforms or paraphernalia are not allowed to wear the material at NCAA championships.