In the dark of night, the Board killed the Chief – or so they think.

Regardless of whether people are pro-Chief or anti-Chief or, like me, ambivalent-Chief, the devious manner in which the board murdered the maligned but adored symbol of the University should foster a sense of unease and suspicion. While clearly a contentious issue not likely for immediate resolution, the unilateral action raises the possibility of more damaging Board decisions on more relevant matters like tuition and campus spending.

While most of the campus is apparently content to mourn and whine the loss, there are those who actively want to revive the Chief. The more politically-minded wonder whether the decision rests on an abuse of power by the Board of Trustees. For the next 1 1/2 weeks, the two groups and other people interested in making a strong statement of students’ rights should unite behind a single, revolutionary cause.

Today, I propose action that, if successful, will shock the nation and allow the pro-Chief faction to express its commitment to the Chief: elect Chief Illiniwek as student trustee from the Urbana-Champaign campus during the student elections on March 6-7, 2007.

Every year for this office, students have the option to write-in a candidate. If all the pro-Chief students collectively write in “Chief Illiniwek” on the on-line ballot, he will coast to victory. In 2004, the winning candidate received fewer than 4000 votes. If roughly half the campus is pro-Chief and half of those people vote in the election and half of those actually write-in “Chief” for student trustee, Illiniwek will receive (trust me, I’m an engineer) 5000 votes – more than enough for victory.

The plan is not without caveats. First, the University will clearly do anything it can to toss out the votes (a la Florida/Bush 2000.) Any language besides “Chief Illiniwek” (like just “Chief” or just “Illiniwek”) will result in vote count challenges. People will have to determine the intent of the voter and involve someone named Chad. That is, if the University even grants a recount. A vote for anything but “Chief Illiniwek” will be counted separately and therefore decrease the total number of votes for the embattled symbol and may harm his ability to actually win the election. Remember, only “Chief Illiniwek.”

Another potential pitfall emanates from the concept of electing a symbol. For those who have not been around Chambana as long as I have, there is actually a precedent for this. Several years ago, a cartoonist for this publication started a write-in campaign for his cartoon characters Gordon T. Gnome and Hale T. Snail for President and Vice President of the now-defunct ISG (read about it at www.cheesecake.org/isgelection/). They won, but the University used technicalities to invalidate their approximately 3000 votes.

Finally, I wish not to demean the position of student trustee. For those unaware, the student trustee is the one of the few elected positions that actually matters. Ours shares a binding vote with the two other trustees from the Chicago and Springfield campuses on significant issues and policies like Global Campus and tuition increases. Voting for Chief Illiniwek means not voting for someone who might actually implement policies with which you agree, thereby allowing someone with other beliefs to take office. Despite what the pro-Chief contingent might argue, he will not vote for or against Unofficial or tuition hikes.

Obviously, even if the campaign succeeds and Chief beats out live candidates, he will not take office. However, for those in favor of bringing back him back to halftime at the Hall that Dee, Luther, Deron, and Bruce Built, electing a revered symbol to the most important student position is a clear statement from the student body against the administration’s decision. Electing something that cannot serve is the ultimate declaration of devotion to principle in a democracy. It is the highest form of electoral protest.

On March 6 and 7, students can merely vote for pro-Chief or for anti-Chief candidates, but the best choice for those who love him and wish to honor him is to write-in “Chief Illiniwek” for student trustee.