When the NCAA issued a policy prohibiting American Indian imagery from championship competitions, it expected some schools to appeal the decision.

Florida State did just that and won Tuesday, paving the way for what could be as many as 17 colleges and universities arguing to keep their traditions intact.

So far, Illinois is not jumping to follow suit.

“The NCAA issued their policy Aug. 5, and it goes into effect Feb. 1,” University spokesman Tom Hardy said. “We are giving close scrutiny to that policy and its possible effects on the University, and will make a decision down the road as to how to proceed.”

Illinois was one of 18 schools originally listed by the NCAA executive committee as having “hostile and abusive” American Indian mascots, logos or nicknames. With Tuesday’s decision, that list drops to 17, and there is a good possibility the numbers could dwindle further as other schools plan quick action.

The University of North Dakota says it will file an appeal by week’s end. The University of Utah says it hopes to appeal early next week. This leaves Illinois as the largest school to have taken no action against the new policy – but there are more than five months in which that could change.

Florida State’s victory was well-received by the University of Illinois. Hardy said the school was shocked by the application of “hostile and abusive” in describing its Illini and Fighting Illini nicknames and Chief Illiniwek symbol, but that the Florida State decision indicates the NCAA is willing to consider alternative opinions.

“I think it shows that the NCAA is reasonable enough to listen to a persuasive argument and change its position,” Hardy said.

Illinois will be the last major Division I school to have taken no official action. Board of Trustees chairman Lawrence Eppley did, however, write a letter to USA Today calling the NCAA decision an “injection of incendiary rhetoric into the issue of the use of Native American imagery.” Eppley went on to say the “hostile and abusive” label the NCAA uniformly applied to all 18 schools’ traditions “retards meaningful discussion and debate on an important issue.” Eppley’s letter responded to the policy change and a letter by Myles Brand, president of the NCAA, praising the executive committee’s decision.

“Chairman Eppley, speaking as himself, as the chairman of the Board of Trustees and not necessarily for the Board of Trustees, felt it was important to share a point of view that what the NCAA had done and what Myles Brand said in his letter could be viewed as counter productive to what the University has done on this issue,” Hardy said. “He was pointing out that there were better ways to go about this if progress and a ‘teachable moment’ were the objectives.”

The University Board of Trustees has adopted a “consensus resolution” policy in dealing with the controversy over the University’s nicknames and symbol. In June, the Board of Trustees voted to retain the Illini and Fighting Illini nicknames.

Hardy said those terms are derived from the name of the state, not the name of a confederation of tribes which once lived here. Furthermore, both names predate the Chief Illiniwek symbol – Illini was first used when the campus newspaper changed its name from The Student to The Illini, which became the Daily Illini.

The term “Fighting Illini,” Hardy said, dates to the 1919 football team and the 1921 campaign to build Memorial Stadium in honor of the 189 people connected with the University who fought and died in World War I.

“It’s true that those names get connected to the Chief Illiniwek tradition through athletic events, but those have a history of their own,” Hardy said.

North Dakota’s Fighting Sioux nickname has definite American Indian origins. North Dakota does not have a mascot, although American Indian fancy dancers do occasionally perform at games, said Phil Harmeson, senior associate to the president at North Dakota.

“We hope to have (our appeal) in the hands of the NCAA by the close of business Friday,” Harmeson said.

While the University of North Dakota acknowledges that it does not have full support from every member of the Sioux Nation, Harmeson says his school is confident the support it has, coupled with the extensive array of programs for American Indians and 3 percent American Indian enrollment, will give it a strong case.

“We were shocked that they would refer to us as ‘hostile and abusive’ because that is the farthest thing from accurate,” Harmeson said.

Utah is waiting for the Ute’s tribal council to reconvene next week and write a letter to the NCAA stating the tribe’s support for the name. Coralie Adler, Utah Director of Public Relations, said the school always has had support from the tribe but hopes to receive a written confirmation. The appeal is written and waiting to be sent, Adler said.

“Historically, we’ve had good support from the Ute tribe,” Adler said.

While North Dakota and Utah plan their next actions, Illinois is taking the five months before the ruling goes into effect to decide what steps to take. In the meantime, the University’s Board of Trustees is continuing to work toward a consensus resolution.

“I think that the University of Illinois has taken a very deliberate approach to this,” Hardy said.