milan news leader
newsTuesday, January 1, 2013
NO. 10 STORY 2012: Milan school district to remove Native American imagery from logoBy Lori Maranville
lorimaranville@att.net
Twitter: @lmaranvilleWhat started out as a project to put Milan's proud history on display through athletic banners became a year-long saga of transitioning the school's logo away from Native American imagery and our No. 10 story of 2012. As a committee of dedicated community members, school staff and students gets set to pitch its idea for a new concept for a logo to the Board of Education Jan. 9, 2013, we take a look back in The Milan News-Leader coverage of the evolving issue and all of its emotional twists and turns. January 2012It was January of 2012 when Milan Schools Athletic Director David Kaiser announced a campaign to raise $10,000 to purchase athletic banners of teams' accomplishments to be displayed in the high school gymnasium. He described the fundraiser as an "effort to allow the district to bring its history to the forefront and celebrate athletic accomplishments, past and present." The effort was well-received, with the athletic department raising $7,500 in the first few weeks of the campaign. In the absence of an official logo for the Milan district, Kaiser solicited ideas from staff members for a banner design. A red block "M" graced the front of the district's web page, while the "M" with a spear and feather logo was being used by some sports teams, in addition to the image of a Native American. Students commonly used the nickname "Milan Big Reds." According to Milan Superintendent Bryan Girbach, the imagery and name were questioned several years ago, but the board decided not to set a policy against its use. However, he said, the district proceeded to phase out the use of Native American facial profile in a "fiscally responsible manner" despite the fact the district had no set policy against using the symbols. February/March 2012"I'm here to educate and ask the board to consider taking this issue up," Farrar said at the meeting. In February, resident James Farrar addressed the Milan Board of Education, urging members to approve a clear policy about the school's logo and to consider eliminating imagery associated with Native Americans. "Being sensitive to other cultures is a step in the right direction." His request was backed by John Austin, president of the state of Michigan School Board, who informed Milan trustees about the state board's resolution asking schools to eliminate Native American mascots, nicknames and logos. The Milan community reacted in force to the issue, showing up at the board's next several meetings to express both impassioned objections to getting rid of the symbols and support for doing away with them. A petition of 200 signatures of community members against the logo change was presented to school board members, as the board continued to gather input from community members on both sides of the issue. Those in support of the symbols spoke of community pride and tradition, and said the symbols were used in a respectful manner. Those against the symbols said the school needed a logo that was not disrespectful to any race of people. April 2012Rita Vershum was the sole vote against the resolution passed in April. Within the resolution, the board called for all Native American symbols, except those used for educational purposes, to be phased out by August 2015. The board debated the issue at length, in the end deciding overwhelmingly by a vote of 6-1 to do away with the symbols and keep the "Milan Big Reds" nickname. May 2012After the decision, public comment on the issue waned, at least during meetings of the Board of Education. However, murmurs of dissent were evident in the comments on the "Once a Big Red, Always a Big Red" Facebook page set up by resident Bill Kanaley. Comments made on the site overwhelmingly showed support for keeping the old logo, although Kanaley said he didn't block participation from those in favor of the change. In fact, some participants did say they were offended by the Native American logo. More than 1,000 joined the Facebook page and Kanaley sold T-shirts with the Native American image imprinted on them to interested community members. Sean Duval, a Milan resident and a local business owner, made comments on the page urging those who felt strongly about the issue to make their opinions heard by physically showing up to the board meetings and talking to elected officials. Many continue to talk about the issue on the networking site, also sharing some history, and disseminating information about important sporting events. The Milan athletic department also maintains its own Facebook page to share official sports information for the district. Kanaley and a few other Milan residents showed up at least one board meeting wearing the T-shirts. August 2012By August, the banner project, which had provided the impetus for the debate, was all but completed with banners hanging in the gym listing athletic accomplishments but bearing no obvious logo. October-December 2012From October to December, a committee of community members, students and staff carried out the difficult task of creating a new logo for the district. Early on, committee members discussed the need to involve the community in their work. They posted a survey online, soliciting ideas for a logo and received 159 responses. The school superintendent said the final recommendation appeared on the survey "several times," but he didn't elaborate on what concept was chosen. Girbach serves as chairman for the committee, along with student representative Carter Hayes and community member Marty Ritchie. Girbach said in an email the committee will present a letter to the school board Jan. 9 with its recommendation for a concept. "Once the board votes on the concept," he said, "the committee anticipates overseeing a submission process for renderings of the new logo." Girbach said the committee's goal is to have the process completed by April or May 2013. Kaiser, who also sat on the committee, gave some thoughts on the emerging issue and the emotions that ran high over the course of the year. He said he sympathizes and understands the reaction of those who identify closely with the old logo, but reiterated the fact that the community wouldn't be losing the history behind it. "Anytime a tradition changes, you're always going to have a people that don't want the change," he said. "The fact is, our history won't change and we will still be the Milan Big Reds." Girbach said he still wants to continue to bring Milan's history to the forefront, without using Native American imagery for the school's logo. "I don't think it will affect how our kids play or how hard they play in a game," he said. "They will still play just as hard for their team." In selecting a new logo concept, Kaiser said the group tried to delve into the history of Milan for ideas, as well as looking at survey responses. Parent Betsy Kanitz, who serves on the committee, said the group is "determined to do a good job." "We want to do this right," she said, noting the issue is still very emotional for many residents. Kanitz said she is disappointed to see the logo change, but nonetheless is dedicating her time to the committee to come up with an acceptable concept. For more information about the logo and other matters discussed by the Milan Board of Education, residents can call the district office at 734-439-5050 or go to the board's section of the district's website, where meeting times and agendas are posted regularly. Lori Maranville is a freelance writer. She can be reached at lorimaranville@att.net. RELATED: Check out all the top 12 stories of 2012 here.
lorimaranville@att.net
Twitter: @lmaranvilleWhat started out as a project to put Milan's proud history on display through athletic banners became a year-long saga of transitioning the school's logo away from Native American imagery and our No. 10 story of 2012. As a committee of dedicated community members, school staff and students gets set to pitch its idea for a new concept for a logo to the Board of Education Jan. 9, 2013, we take a look back in The Milan News-Leader coverage of the evolving issue and all of its emotional twists and turns. January 2012It was January of 2012 when Milan Schools Athletic Director David Kaiser announced a campaign to raise $10,000 to purchase athletic banners of teams' accomplishments to be displayed in the high school gymnasium. He described the fundraiser as an "effort to allow the district to bring its history to the forefront and celebrate athletic accomplishments, past and present." The effort was well-received, with the athletic department raising $7,500 in the first few weeks of the campaign. In the absence of an official logo for the Milan district, Kaiser solicited ideas from staff members for a banner design. A red block "M" graced the front of the district's web page, while the "M" with a spear and feather logo was being used by some sports teams, in addition to the image of a Native American. Students commonly used the nickname "Milan Big Reds." According to Milan Superintendent Bryan Girbach, the imagery and name were questioned several years ago, but the board decided not to set a policy against its use. However, he said, the district proceeded to phase out the use of Native American facial profile in a "fiscally responsible manner" despite the fact the district had no set policy against using the symbols. February/March 2012"I'm here to educate and ask the board to consider taking this issue up," Farrar said at the meeting. In February, resident James Farrar addressed the Milan Board of Education, urging members to approve a clear policy about the school's logo and to consider eliminating imagery associated with Native Americans. "Being sensitive to other cultures is a step in the right direction." His request was backed by John Austin, president of the state of Michigan School Board, who informed Milan trustees about the state board's resolution asking schools to eliminate Native American mascots, nicknames and logos. The Milan community reacted in force to the issue, showing up at the board's next several meetings to express both impassioned objections to getting rid of the symbols and support for doing away with them. A petition of 200 signatures of community members against the logo change was presented to school board members, as the board continued to gather input from community members on both sides of the issue. Those in support of the symbols spoke of community pride and tradition, and said the symbols were used in a respectful manner. Those against the symbols said the school needed a logo that was not disrespectful to any race of people. April 2012Rita Vershum was the sole vote against the resolution passed in April. Within the resolution, the board called for all Native American symbols, except those used for educational purposes, to be phased out by August 2015. The board debated the issue at length, in the end deciding overwhelmingly by a vote of 6-1 to do away with the symbols and keep the "Milan Big Reds" nickname. May 2012After the decision, public comment on the issue waned, at least during meetings of the Board of Education. However, murmurs of dissent were evident in the comments on the "Once a Big Red, Always a Big Red" Facebook page set up by resident Bill Kanaley. Comments made on the site overwhelmingly showed support for keeping the old logo, although Kanaley said he didn't block participation from those in favor of the change. In fact, some participants did say they were offended by the Native American logo. More than 1,000 joined the Facebook page and Kanaley sold T-shirts with the Native American image imprinted on them to interested community members. Sean Duval, a Milan resident and a local business owner, made comments on the page urging those who felt strongly about the issue to make their opinions heard by physically showing up to the board meetings and talking to elected officials. Many continue to talk about the issue on the networking site, also sharing some history, and disseminating information about important sporting events. The Milan athletic department also maintains its own Facebook page to share official sports information for the district. Kanaley and a few other Milan residents showed up at least one board meeting wearing the T-shirts. August 2012By August, the banner project, which had provided the impetus for the debate, was all but completed with banners hanging in the gym listing athletic accomplishments but bearing no obvious logo. October-December 2012From October to December, a committee of community members, students and staff carried out the difficult task of creating a new logo for the district. Early on, committee members discussed the need to involve the community in their work. They posted a survey online, soliciting ideas for a logo and received 159 responses. The school superintendent said the final recommendation appeared on the survey "several times," but he didn't elaborate on what concept was chosen. Girbach serves as chairman for the committee, along with student representative Carter Hayes and community member Marty Ritchie. Girbach said in an email the committee will present a letter to the school board Jan. 9 with its recommendation for a concept. "Once the board votes on the concept," he said, "the committee anticipates overseeing a submission process for renderings of the new logo." Girbach said the committee's goal is to have the process completed by April or May 2013. Kaiser, who also sat on the committee, gave some thoughts on the emerging issue and the emotions that ran high over the course of the year. He said he sympathizes and understands the reaction of those who identify closely with the old logo, but reiterated the fact that the community wouldn't be losing the history behind it. "Anytime a tradition changes, you're always going to have a people that don't want the change," he said. "The fact is, our history won't change and we will still be the Milan Big Reds." Girbach said he still wants to continue to bring Milan's history to the forefront, without using Native American imagery for the school's logo. "I don't think it will affect how our kids play or how hard they play in a game," he said. "They will still play just as hard for their team." In selecting a new logo concept, Kaiser said the group tried to delve into the history of Milan for ideas, as well as looking at survey responses. Parent Betsy Kanitz, who serves on the committee, said the group is "determined to do a good job." "We want to do this right," she said, noting the issue is still very emotional for many residents. Kanitz said she is disappointed to see the logo change, but nonetheless is dedicating her time to the committee to come up with an acceptable concept. For more information about the logo and other matters discussed by the Milan Board of Education, residents can call the district office at 734-439-5050 or go to the board's section of the district's website, where meeting times and agendas are posted regularly. Lori Maranville is a freelance writer. She can be reached at lorimaranville@att.net. RELATED: Check out all the top 12 stories of 2012 here.