Charles Hill points out that the NCAA is trying to prevent Indians from using Indian names and likenesses in the name of political correctness. Apparently the bigots at the NCAA don't like Native Americans and hope to purge them from school marquees across the nation. The Irish, Vikings, and Cowboys, are alright but apparently Braves, Seminoles, and the Tribe aren't good enough to be collegiate mascots.

The University of North Carolina at Pembroke has always been the home of the Braves, and students and administrators alike want it to remain that way, despite an NCAA effort to eliminate what the organization calls racially insensitive mascots.

The NCAA has compiled a list of about 30 schools with Native American logos, nicknames or mascots that it wants replaced with more politically correct options. But UNC-Pembroke officials said the Braves logo is part of their heritage.

"A large number of the employees here are Native American, and Native Americans attend many of the events on campus. So there's an interaction between the university and the tribe that I don't think other schools with Native American nicknames have," said Lawrence Locklear, of the school's tribal council.

The university, whose campus is in the center of the region the Lumbee tribe calls home, was founded exclusively for Native Americans in 1887 and didn't integrate until 1953. About 20 percent of current students are Native American.

School administrators, including members of the Lumbee tribe, have formed a committee to protect the Braves nickname and logo. They have until May 1 to file a response with the NCAA as to why the school should be removed from the list of those with insensitive names.

"The thing about it athletically was, when it was all American Indians, the leaders at the school and the student body referred to themselves as Braves," Athletic Director Dan Kenney said. "Nothing has changed. Our community wants that link back to our origins."