It is not secret that if you walk throughout campus, you will stumble upon vandalism. In fact, the tunnels that snake underneath campus are filled with it. Vandalism creates a divide between parties, the one who is in favor of it and the one who is against it.

“Last year the vandalism in the tunnels was bad,” Senior Bailey Baesler said. “Some of the vandalism you could tell was art and some was unimportant.”

According to North Dakota law individuals who are caught whilst damaging public and private property can be charged with criminal mischief. The crime can be classified as both misdemeanor and felony, based on the propensity of the crime. Criminal mischief can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in jail, along with a fine.

Vandalism has been a of the tunnels over the years here at UND. You could find things from inspirational quotes to peace signs to names. Most recently, this year the retired Sioux logo has been making a reappearance within the vast walls of artwork.

The Fighting Sioux nickname was a staple to the University and still is today. The nickname had been why many had fallen in love with the University including Ralph Engelstad, a major university donor. Engelstad gifted the Ralph Engelstad Arena to the university, which is embroidered with the Sioux nickname. Engelstad had threatened to pull his donation if the name were to be changed.

The Fighting Sioux nickname has always been considered controversial over the years. For years many from different organizations and the state had been calling for the nickname to be retired. In 2012, the NCAA in a letter to the University stated that athletes wearing and supporting The Fighting Sioux Logo would cost the team their postseason. On June 11,2012 North Dakota voters had voted in favor to abolish the nickname.

It was also adopted in 2012 that the University would be unable to adopt a new nickname until 2015. This action allowed The Fighting Sioux nickname to live on. With the adoption of our new Fighting Hawks nickname, the hope was that The Fighting Sioux name would become a thing of the past.

Students today as well as alumni, pass on the nickname for generations to come. At the welcome weekend freshman pep rally, students protested the name as shouts of “Sioux” could be heard over “Hawks.”

“Build a bridge, get over it, it is not coming back,” Cassie Gerhardt Associate Dean of Students said.

With the return of the Sioux mascot on campus in a new artistic way, there has been support for the mascot as it appears in various different places on social media. There has also been support for our new mascot as well.

“I think people need to realize that it is time to move past it,” Baesler said.

The Sioux mascot has shown that it is still very much a part of UND and will not be going anywhere