Trustee: No board vote was taken on Chief resolution

Dan Maloney performs as Chief Illiniwek. The symbol made its final appearance Wednesday. Beck Diefenbach

Two days after the alumni and students of the University said goodbye to Chief Illiniwek, a University trustee has said the Chief is still the official symbol because the entire Board of Trustees did not make the decision.

David Dorris told The Daily Illini that Lawrence Eppley, board chairman, told him of the announcement by phone before it was made last Friday, but that no vote among the trustees was taken, unlike a 1990 resolution adopted by the board that officially declared Chief Illiniwek as the symbol of the University.

Dorris said the Feb. 16 statement created an impression that there was a unanimous agreement among the trustees on the decision to end the halftime performances. Dorris said he would have voted against any resolution to retire the Chief tradition.

"The statement is not an official action," he said. "Changing the policy of the University takes board action and that wasn't done."

In addition, Dorris said the decision was imprecise in its language and left many questions to be answered.

"Even I, as passionately as I love athletics and tradition, understand there was going to be a decision," he said. "But we have been left in a totally confused state."