Ute Tribe Wants More in Exchange for Use of Name - Higher Education: SALT LAKE CITY ― The Ute Indian Tribe wants more in exchange from the University of Utah to continue allowing them to use the tribe’s name and logo for sports teams.
The Tribe’s business committee has requested a meeting later this month to renegotiate the terms of an agreement last revised in 2005, when the NCAA reviewed the agreements between schools and the tribes that served as namesakes. In a letter to University of Utah President David Pershing, the tribe says the current model doesn’t go far enough to promote tribal human resources.
They are asking for tuition waivers instead of scholarships for Ute students and the appointment of a Ute tribal member as a special adviser to the university’s president on American Indian Affairs. The business committee is the governing body for the 3,200-member tribe based in eastern Utah.
In the letter, dated Oct. 23 and first reported by The Salt Lake Tribune, the tribe said it supports the use of the name with the goal to “ensure the continued representation of the Ute Tribe is carried out in a fair and accurate manner.”
Ute Indian Tribe leaders did not immediately return calls by The Associated Press requesting comment.
