9 years after Chief's end, U of Illinois looks for mascot

URBANA, Ill. (AP) - The University of Illinois' interim chancellor says the campus will begin the process of picking a new mascot.

Interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson told the Academic Senate on Monday that she will form a committee to design a process and set a timeline. Wilson's decision follows a recommendation from a Student Senate committee urging the campus to consider a new mascot.

According to The News-Gazette in Champaign (http://bit.ly/1X5laL8 ), a new mascot would not mean changing the Fighting Illini nickname the school's sports teams have long used.

The university retired the Chief Illiniwek mascot in 2007 under pressure from the NCAA and others who considered it racist.

The student committee found that many alumni and some students oppose the idea of a new mascot and remain upset over the Chief Illiniwek decision.

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Information from: The News-Gazette, http://www.news-gazette.com