Just swamped with things today, so perhaps another few paragraph of the Kupchella letter to appease your appetites?

Arrogance may not be a criminal offense or cause for civil action, but it smells bad and it may be a cause for litigation when it leads to careless, irrational, arbitrary, capricious, and ultimately harmful behavior.

�Arrogance� may be harsh, but I could not come up with a better word. When you say, as you did in announcing your most recent exemption � this time Catawba Indians:

Although the NCAA executive committee continues to believe the stereotyping of Native Americans is wrong, it recognizes that a Native American Tribe is a distinct political community . . . therefore, respects the authority of the tribe to permit universities and colleges to use its name and imagery.

The arrogance of this statement is appalling. It is as if to say, �American Indians may think it is OK, but the NCAA knows better,� or perhaps, �If these tribes (now at least six in number) are not astute enough to recognize that they are the objects of hostility and abuse, let them wallow in it.� Further, if a Native American tribe is a �distinct political community,� why is it that the continuing resolution by the Spirit Lake Nation that allows UND to use the Sioux name is � in the NCAA�s words � �not persuasive?�

Instead of the logical conclusion that if American Indians, themselves, think Indian nicknames are OK, perhaps they really are OK, we get the latest in a long series of non-Natives deciding what�s best for American Indians.

It does get one to wonder why North Dakota and Illinois, and Florida State.