Higher Ed Board Ends UND Nickname Lawsuit

The Fighting Sioux nickname could be gone from the University of North Dakota in three years The state Board of Higher education voted today to end the legal fight over the nickname The university has sued the NCAA because the organization has barred UND from using its nickname or Fighting Sioux logo in postseason competition But the Board of Higher Education voted unanimously today to accept a settlement That settlement says that if UND does not have an agreement with local Sioux tribes by November of 2010 it will have to get a new nickname and logo If the nickname were changed UND would have to remove most of the Indian imagery on its campus in Grand Forks But the agreement allows the school to keep historical items and items embedded in the architecture on campus