The Valparaiso Beacons Fan Zone Forum

Not necessarily your favorite but who will they choose...

The Birds from the Dunes!

I completely forgot that Beacons were an option!!!

So, is there a time for this announcement? 

Beacons it is!

I was hoping for the Dunehawks, because it was more of a Sports type of Mascot, but hey they wanted it to be something that can't be controversial. I really can't see a Beacon as a Mascot.

https://twitter.com/ValpoU/status/1425121007585566722

I like it, it's really the one that has the most alignment with Valpo and embraces our faith tradition, including with the top of the chapel on the light house.

They've also consistently called it a "nickname" not a mascot and I've heard that there are plans for student involvement later. I wonder if we will have both a new nickname and a new mascot

What a joke!  Terrible judgement beginning with the original committee down to the final list.  What can you expect when they had to choose a name from a bad list...you can only get a bad choice.

Quote from: crusader05 on August 10, 2021, 10:53:47 AM
I like it, it's really the one that has the most alignment with Valpo and embraces our faith tradition, including with the top of the chapel on the light house.

They've also consistently called it a "nickname" not a mascot and I've heard that there are plans for student involvement later. I wonder if we will have both a new nickname and a new mascot

I also like the incorporation of the Chapel's roofline into the Beacon art work.

If the teams are not meetings expectations. are they the Fighting LEDs?

Quote from: vu72 on August 10, 2021, 03:20:50 PM

Quote from: crusader05 on August 10, 2021, 10:53:47 AM
I like it, it's really the one that has the most alignment with Valpo and embraces our faith tradition, including with the top of the chapel on the light house.

They've also consistently called it a "nickname" not a mascot and I've heard that there are plans for student involvement later. I wonder if we will have both a new nickname and a new mascot

I also like the incorporation of the Chapel's roofline into the Beacon art work.

I figured it would prevail over others.  I thought maybe IndyValpo had inside knowledge when he omitted it in the initial poll.  I like it as it's unique, uncontroversial, and flexible in its ability to evoke many things, such as faith, leadership, education, etc.  I can also see brisk sales of chapel-roofline foam hats to fans.

Well, this developing news story certainly counters any positive energy created by today's announcement of a new nickname!  :o


[tweet]1425144193895239683[/tweet]

Quote from: valpopal on August 10, 2021, 05:20:28 PM
Well, this developing news story certainly counters any positive energy created by today's announcement of a new nickname!  :o


[tweet]1425144193895239683[/tweet]

Holy crap.

Is it a coincidence the university chose to announce it's new nickname today then?

Would be excellent public relations to make the announcement today in order to distract from this unfortunate piece of news.

Only saying that this is a possibility.

Quote from: JBC1824 on August 10, 2021, 06:11:02 PM

Quote from: valpopal on August 10, 2021, 05:20:28 PM
Well, this developing news story certainly counters any positive energy created by today's announcement of a new nickname!  :o


[tweet]1425144193895239683[/tweet]

Holy crap.

Is it a coincidence the university chose to announce it's new nickname today then?

Would be excellent public relations to make the announcement today in order to distract from this unfortunate piece of news.

Only saying that this is a possibility.

And perhaps if they found this out on short notice, a reason the logo looks like it was thrown together in 10 minutes by an elementary schooler.

Quote from: vok22 on August 10, 2021, 06:24:27 PM

Quote from: JBC1824 on August 10, 2021, 06:11:02 PM

Quote from: valpopal on August 10, 2021, 05:20:28 PM
Well, this developing news story certainly counters any positive energy created by today's announcement of a new nickname!  :o


[tweet]1425144193895239683[/tweet]

Holy crap.

Is it a coincidence the university chose to announce it's new nickname today then?

Would be excellent public relations to make the announcement today in order to distract from this unfortunate piece of news.

Only saying that this is a possibility.

And perhaps if they found this out on short notice, a reason the logo looks like it was thrown together in 10 minutes by an elementary schooler.

Maybe they also should have chosen "Red Dragons" or "Panda Bears," given the university's alleged connections to the Confucius Institute. LOL.

https://twitter.com/band_jayne/status/1401044374516121601

Todd RoQita will do anything to get publicity following conspiracy theories wherever they go.

I had to reread the article three times to confirm it wasn't from The Onion.

This is just stupid.  Similar to how the US funds American interests overseas, in order to bring awareness to their country, a lot of other countries do the same thing. 

I agree it is possible this investigation may be politically motivated and focused primarily on making headlines -- very unfortunately at the expense of Valparaiso University.

Todd Rokita is a Republican, while Valpo is surely on many a conservative's "sh*t-list" at the moment. Valpo's new president worked on Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot's transition team, and more notably, the university just kowtowed to cancel culture by changing its nickname.

However, I still found myself asking why else Valpo might have stood out to the state attorney general's office amongst the other colleges and universities in Indiana that may have ultimately received money from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for hosting Confucius Institutes in recent years. 

A quick search shows that other Indiana schools having recently featured Confucius Institutes included IU, Purdue, and IUPUI, amongst others. Apparently, these schools and many others did away with their Confucius Institutes, particularly after federal law was passed in 2019 prohibiting the U.S. colleges and universities with Confucius Institutes from receiving funding specifically for Chinese language studies.

However, Valparaiso continues to maintain its Confucius Institute and appears to currently be the only Indiana based college or university to do so.

Due to increasing concerns about the types of influence exerted by Confucius Institutes, the number of colleges and universities featuring the institutes has dramatically declined over the past decade. There are currently only 35 Confucius Institutes remaining at American colleges and universities, and many of these will soon be closed as well.

https://www.nas.org/blogs/article/how_many_confucius_institutes_are_in_the_united_states

It's also possible that what has led to some of this extra attention being paid to Valpo by the attorney general's office has something to do with the documents filed by Valpo showing it had received more than a million dollars from the CCP not revealing how this funding was put to use. This ambiguity may ultimately have invited these questions and criticism.

If this non-disclosure reflects a simple oversight by the university, it could prove to be a very costly one indeed. Valpo's reputation will have taken a hit because of this investigation and the attention it has drawn from publications as popular as The Daily Wire.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/indianas-attorney-general-launches-probe-into-chinese-communist-partys-domestic-propaganda-program

One thing that can be said with certainty is that it was exceedingly foolish of Valpo's decision-makers not to have made plans to discontinue its own Confucius Institute. In recent years, opinion on this issue has decidedly shifted, and Valpo has allowed itself to fall on the wrong side of this.

Now, it is true that Confucius Institutes have operated differently at different colleges and universities. However, there have been many examples of these institutes exerting a nefarious influence at schools, some of which were mentioned in a 2013 article written by University of Chicago professor Marshall Sahlins, in part citing the comments of another university professor,

"In an interview reported in The New York Times, June Teufel Dreyer, who teaches Chinese government and foreign policy at Miami University, said: 'You're told not to discuss the Dalai Lama—or to invite the Dalai Lama to campus. Tibet, Taiwan, China's military buildup, factional fights inside the Chinese leadership—these are all off limits.' The Confucius Institutes at North Carolina State University and the University of Sydney actively attempted to prevent the Dalai Lama from speaking. At Sydney, he had to speak off-campus, and the CI sponsored a lecture by a Chinese academic who had previously claimed that Tibet was always part of China, notwithstanding that it was mired in feudal darkness and serfdom until the Chinese democratic reforms of 1959. The Confucius Institute at Waterloo University mobilized its students to defend the Chinese repression of a Tibetan uprising, and McMaster University and Tel Aviv University ran into difficulties with the legal authorities because of the anti–Falun Gong activities of their Confucius Institutes. Other taboo subjects include the Tiananmen massacre, blacklisted authors, human rights, the jailing of dissidents, the democracy movement, currency manipulation, environmental pollution and the Uighur autonomy movement in Xinjiang."

https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/china-u/

The comments made by the CCP's "Minister of Propaganda" about the purpose of Confucius Institutes as described in the Indiana.gov announcement of Rokita's investigation are also revealing. I'd encourage anyone to read them over once more. 

https://events.in.gov/event/attorney_general_todd_rokita_investigates_chinese_communist_partys_propaganda_program

Also mentioned in this announcement is that Chinese directors and teachers for Confucius Institutes have their contracts terminated if these individuals are found to "engage in activities detrimental to [Chinese] national interests."

Moreover, in a 2011 speech made by CCP politburo member Li Changchun, Confucius Institutes were described as having made "important contributions toward improving our soft power."

And, "The 'Confucius' brand has a natural attractiveness. Using the excuse of teaching Chinese language, everything looks reasonable and logical."

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/01/16/how-china-infiltrated-us-classrooms-216327/

(Politico has been given the media bias rating "Leans Left" by bias rating website All Sides.)

Therefore, it is unfortunately not accurate to say that Confucius Institutes only seek to "bring awareness" to China, in the same way a lot of other countries do.

It would be awfully naive to assume the CCP is in the habit of giving out millions of dollars to colleges and universities around the globe only to teach others about Chinese language and culture.

What is also concerning about this revelation that Valparaiso University received over a million dollars from the CCP over the past decade or so is that this is perhaps further evidence of the university's financial struggles.

A 2012 article published in the New York Times described those colleges and universities to which Confucius Institutes would likely appeal most to as "cash-strapped."

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/us/critics-worry-about-influence-of-chinese-institutes-on-us-campuses.html

Any way you look at this issue, it is very sad news for Valpo. I am more concerned than I have ever been about the university's future.

Quote from: JBC1824 on August 11, 2021, 08:42:36 AM
I agree it is possible this investigation may be politically motivated and focused primarily on making headlines -- very unfortunately at the expense of Valparaiso University.

Thank you JBC1824 for the detailed information. I seriously doubt there is any legal problem for Valparaiso University, but the publicity can be damaging, as you indicate, especially among any who do not read beyond the headlines.


However, the investigation might likely raise questions concerning direct or indirect (even subconscious) influence that might exist due to the relationships with China's government and the funding involved. For instance, some might question whether the university has been oddly silent, reluctant to criticize China for well-documented human rights violations and international positions on Covid or the environment, especially since the administration and faculty are not shy about voicing opinions and making proclamations, official and unofficial, on numerous political or social issues among many other sources, even to the point of changing the mascot and school nickname, as noted in this thread.


The university probably should release a full and compelling response as soon as possible, perhaps containing a clear repudiation of certain Chinese government actions, to prevent poor public relations and push back in time to keep this story from gaining traction. 

Quote from: JBC1824 on August 11, 2021, 08:42:36 AM
I agree it is possible this investigation may be politically motivated and focused primarily on making headlines -- very unfortunately at the expense of Valparaiso University.

Todd Rokita is a Republican, while Valpo is surely on many a conservative's "sh*t-list" at the moment. Valpo's new president worked on Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot's transition team, and more notably, the university just kowtowed to cancel culture by changing its nickname.

However, I still found myself asking why else Valpo might have stood out to the state attorney general's office amongst the other colleges and universities in Indiana that may have ultimately received money from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for hosting Confucius Institutes in recent years. 

A quick search shows that other Indiana schools having recently featured Confucius Institutes included IU, Purdue, and IUPUI, amongst others. Apparently, these schools and many others did away with their Confucius Institutes, particularly after federal law was passed in 2019 prohibiting the U.S. colleges and universities with Confucius Institutes from receiving funding specifically for Chinese language studies.

However, Valparaiso continues to maintain its Confucius Institute and appears to currently be the only Indiana based college or university to do so.

Due to increasing concerns about the types of influence exerted by Confucius Institutes, the number of colleges and universities featuring the institutes has dramatically declined over the past decade. There are currently only 35 Confucius Institutes remaining at American colleges and universities, and many of these will soon be closed as well.

https://www.nas.org/blogs/article/how_many_confucius_institutes_are_in_the_united_states

It's also possible that what has led to some of this extra attention being paid to Valpo by the attorney general's office has something to do with the documents filed by Valpo showing it had received more than a million dollars from the CCP not revealing how this funding was put to use. This ambiguity may ultimately have invited these questions and criticism.

If this non-disclosure reflects a simple oversight by the university, it could prove to be a very costly one indeed. Valpo's reputation will have taken a hit because of this investigation and the attention it has drawn from publications as popular as The Daily Wire.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/indianas-attorney-general-launches-probe-into-chinese-communist-partys-domestic-propaganda-program

One thing that can be said with certainty is that it was exceedingly foolish of Valpo's decision-makers not to have made plans to discontinue its own Confucius Institute. In recent years, opinion on this issue has decidedly shifted, and Valpo has allowed itself to fall on the wrong side of this.

Now, it is true that Confucius Institutes have operated differently at different colleges and universities. However, there have been many examples of these institutes exerting a nefarious influence at schools, some of which were mentioned in a 2013 article written by University of Chicago professor Marshall Sahlins, in part citing the comments of another university professor,

"In an interview reported in The New York Times, June Teufel Dreyer, who teaches Chinese government and foreign policy at Miami University, said: 'You're told not to discuss the Dalai Lama—or to invite the Dalai Lama to campus. Tibet, Taiwan, China's military buildup, factional fights inside the Chinese leadership—these are all off limits.' The Confucius Institutes at North Carolina State University and the University of Sydney actively attempted to prevent the Dalai Lama from speaking. At Sydney, he had to speak off-campus, and the CI sponsored a lecture by a Chinese academic who had previously claimed that Tibet was always part of China, notwithstanding that it was mired in feudal darkness and serfdom until the Chinese democratic reforms of 1959. The Confucius Institute at Waterloo University mobilized its students to defend the Chinese repression of a Tibetan uprising, and McMaster University and Tel Aviv University ran into difficulties with the legal authorities because of the anti–Falun Gong activities of their Confucius Institutes. Other taboo subjects include the Tiananmen massacre, blacklisted authors, human rights, the jailing of dissidents, the democracy movement, currency manipulation, environmental pollution and the Uighur autonomy movement in Xinjiang."

https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/china-u/

The comments made by the CCP's "Minister of Propaganda" about the purpose of Confucius Institutes as described in the Indiana.gov announcement of Rokita's investigation are also revealing. I'd encourage anyone to read them over once more. 

https://events.in.gov/event/attorney_general_todd_rokita_investigates_chinese_communist_partys_propaganda_program

Also mentioned in this announcement is that Chinese directors and teachers for Confucius Institutes have their contracts terminated if these individuals are found to "engage in activities detrimental to [Chinese] national interests."

Moreover, in a 2011 speech made by CCP politburo member Li Changchun, Confucius Institutes were described as having made "important contributions toward improving our soft power."

And, "The 'Confucius' brand has a natural attractiveness. Using the excuse of teaching Chinese language, everything looks reasonable and logical."

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/01/16/how-china-infiltrated-us-classrooms-216327/

(Politico has been given the media bias rating "Leans Left" by bias rating website All Sides.)

Therefore, it is unfortunately not accurate to say that Confucius Institutes only seek to "bring awareness" to China, in the same way a lot of other countries do.

It would be awfully naive to assume the CCP is in the habit of giving out millions of dollars to colleges and universities around the globe only to teach others about Chinese language and culture.

What is also concerning about this revelation that Valparaiso University received over a million dollars from the CCP over the past decade or so is that this is perhaps further evidence of the university's financial struggles.

A 2012 article published in the New York Times described those colleges and universities to which Confucius Institutes would likely appeal most to as "cash-strapped."

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/us/critics-worry-about-influence-of-chinese-institutes-on-us-campuses.html

Any way you look at this issue, it is very sad news for Valpo. I am more concerned than I have ever been about the university's future.

Great work.

Quote from: valpopal on August 11, 2021, 10:37:07 AM

Quote from: JBC1824 on August 11, 2021, 08:42:36 AM
I agree it is possible this investigation may be politically motivated and focused primarily on making headlines -- very unfortunately at the expense of Valparaiso University.

Thank you JBC1824 for the detailed information. I seriously doubt there is any legal problem for Valparaiso University, but the publicity can be damaging, as you indicate, especially among any who do not read beyond the headlines.


However, the investigation might likely raise questions concerning direct or indirect (even subconscious) influence that might exist due to the relationships with China's government and the funding involved. For instance, some might question whether the university has been oddly silent, reluctant to criticize China for well-documented human rights violations and international positions on Covid or the environment, especially since the administration and faculty are not shy about voicing opinions and making proclamations, official and unofficial, on numerous political or social issues among many other sources, even to the point of changing the mascot and school nickname, as noted in this thread.


The university probably should release a full and compelling response as soon as possible, perhaps containing a clear repudiation of certain Chinese government actions, to prevent poor public relations and push back in time to keep this story from gaining traction. 

Completely agreed. The court of public opinion is what will likely matter most here. And I'm genuinely freaking out about how this might impact enrollment.

Was really unwise for the decision-makers to not realize the way this issue was trending and make changes.

I really hope this communist influence investigation goes back all the way to the 1920's when Mikhail Borodin attended Valpo.

Get that communist school Todd Rokita!!!!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Borodin

was a Bolshevik revolutionary and Communist International (Comintern) agent. He was an advisor to Sun Yat-sen and the Kuomintang (KMT) in China during the 1920s.

Born in a rural part of the Russian Empire (now Belarus), to a Jewish family, Borodin joined the General Jewish Labour Bund at age sixteen, and then the Bolsheviks in 1903. After being arrested for participating in revolutionary activities, Borodin fled to America, attended Valparaiso University, started a family, and later established an English school for Russian Jewish immigrants in Chicago.


It is obvious that VU has been influenced by communists all along. Why didn't McCarthy discover this influence?

I think Valpo with Borodin's influence might be behind the Kung flu/Wuhan virus/Covid outbreak in the world


(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Borodin_in_Wuhan.png/300px-Borodin_in_Wuhan.png)
Borodin making a speech in Wuhan, 1927

Quote from: JBC1824 on August 11, 2021, 11:24:58 PMWas really unwise for the decision-makers to not realize the way this issue was trending and make changes.

Wasn't it making changes that got us in all this trouble in the first place?

Now we are a communist school?

Oh Dear Lord!

Rokita is a clown.  Much like him signing on to overturn the election, or trying to prevent the governor from being able to exercise basic executive functions during a health emergency, he doesn't really care what the law actually says and is just a performer on a stage trying to make certain people happy to try and parlay this role into a greater one at either the state or national level.

Valpo will be fine.  Sadly the people of the state will pay for this "investigation" that will turn up nothing, but Rokita got his headline, and that's all that really matters to him.

Quote from: IrishDawg on August 12, 2021, 07:07:21 AM
Rokita is a clown.  Much like him signing on to overturn the election, or trying to prevent the governor from being able to exercise basic executive functions during a health emergency, he doesn't really care what the law actually says and is just a performer on a stage trying to make certain people happy to try and parlay this role into a greater one at either the state or national level.

Valpo will be fine.  Sadly the people of the state will pay for this "investigation" that will turn up nothing, but Rokita got his headline, and that's all that really matters to him.

Reading or debating the Rokita claims was an obvious waste of time but I will take 1 minute to give your response a thumbs up.  :thumbsup: I don't want or understand his job but I or you should primary him just to drag him through the slime pit of reality. I would so much love to shine my naked ass at him.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Valparaiso University apparently has released an official statement about the Confucius Institute funding situation:


"Valparaiso University is, and always has been, transparent and compliant with the reporting of these funds. Valparaiso University does not and would not support any kind of endeavor that furthers or promotes communist ideology as doing so would conflict with its Christian mission and purpose and its strong support of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that protects the freedom of speech and religion."


This statement is a start but probably doesn't go far enough because questions will be asked about how the "Christian mission and purpose" align with the actions and policies of the Communist Chinese government with which VU has indirectly partnered—concerning genocide, religious freedom, human rights, environmental issues, intellectual theft, limitation of children, virus control, etc.—and whether they will remain silent on the Chinese government's role in those topics.

Quote from: valpopal on August 12, 2021, 01:59:23 PM
According to the Chicago Tribune, Valparaiso University apparently has released an official statement about the Confucius Institute funding situation:


"Valparaiso University is, and always has been, transparent and compliant with the reporting of these funds. Valparaiso University does not and would not support any kind of endeavor that furthers or promotes communist ideology as doing so would conflict with its Christian mission and purpose and its strong support of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that protects the freedom of speech and religion."


This statement is a start but probably doesn't go far enough because questions will be asked about how the "Christian mission and purpose" align with the actions and policies of the Communist Chinese government with which VU has indirectly partnered—concerning genocide, religious freedom, human rights, environmental issues, intellectual theft, limitation of children, virus control, etc.—and whether they will remain silent on the Chinese government's role in those topics.

idk I think this statement is more than sufficient. I would not spend anymore time on this partisan-fueled conspiracy theory. Like the other commenter said, Rokita is a bum and is only concerned about headlines. Most colleges have relationships with organizations in China. This is all for publicity, as is almost everything else he does.

Quote from: mp91 on August 12, 2021, 02:20:23 PM

Quote from: valpopal on August 12, 2021, 01:59:23 PM
According to the Chicago Tribune, Valparaiso University apparently has released an official statement about the Confucius Institute funding situation:


"Valparaiso University is, and always has been, transparent and compliant with the reporting of these funds. Valparaiso University does not and would not support any kind of endeavor that furthers or promotes communist ideology as doing so would conflict with its Christian mission and purpose and its strong support of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that protects the freedom of speech and religion."


This statement is a start but probably doesn't go far enough because questions will be asked about how the "Christian mission and purpose" align with the actions and policies of the Communist Chinese government with which VU has indirectly partnered—concerning genocide, religious freedom, human rights, environmental issues, intellectual theft, limitation of children, virus control, etc.—and whether they will remain silent on the Chinese government's role in those topics.

idk I think this statement is more than sufficient. I would not spend anymore time on this partisan-fueled conspiracy theory. Like the other commenter said, Rokita is a bum and is only concerned about headlines. Most colleges have relationships with organizations in China. This is all for publicity, as is almost everything else he does.

According to the Washington Post, almost 50 colleges have dropped their Confucius Institute connections. This issue is nonpartisan and goes beyond Rokita's involvement.


Additionally, "The American Association of University Professors called on almost a hundred U.S. universities to reexamine their ties with Beijing's signature cultural outpost. 'Occasionally university administrations have entered into partnerships that sacrificed the integrity of the university,' the association wrote. 'Confucius Institutes function as an arm of the Chinese state and are allowed to ignore academic freedom.'"


"At North Carolina State University in 2009, the Confucius Institute allegedly objected to the university's invitation to the Dalai Lama, a Tibetan spiritual leader whom China considers a traitor. The event was canceled. While the official rationale was lack of time and resources, the university provost told Bloomberg, 'I don't want to say we didn't think about whether there were implications. Of course you do. China is a major trading partner for North Carolina.'"


"Self-censorship — illustrated by a University of Chicago administrator's acknowledgment that he would not hang a picture of the Dalai Lama in its Confucius Institute — has also been documented."

Quote from: valpopal on August 12, 2021, 02:34:07 PM

Quote from: mp91 on August 12, 2021, 02:20:23 PM

Quote from: valpopal on August 12, 2021, 01:59:23 PM
According to the Chicago Tribune, Valparaiso University apparently has released an official statement about the Confucius Institute funding situation:


"Valparaiso University is, and always has been, transparent and compliant with the reporting of these funds. Valparaiso University does not and would not support any kind of endeavor that furthers or promotes communist ideology as doing so would conflict with its Christian mission and purpose and its strong support of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that protects the freedom of speech and religion."


This statement is a start but probably doesn't go far enough because questions will be asked about how the "Christian mission and purpose" align with the actions and policies of the Communist Chinese government with which VU has indirectly partnered—concerning genocide, religious freedom, human rights, environmental issues, intellectual theft, limitation of children, virus control, etc.—and whether they will remain silent on the Chinese government's role in those topics.

idk I think this statement is more than sufficient. I would not spend anymore time on this partisan-fueled conspiracy theory. Like the other commenter said, Rokita is a bum and is only concerned about headlines. Most colleges have relationships with organizations in China. This is all for publicity, as is almost everything else he does.

According to the Washington Post, almost 50 colleges have dropped their Confucius Institute connections. This issue is nonpartisan and goes beyond Rokita's involvement.


Additionally, "The American Association of University Professors called on almost a hundred U.S. universities to reexamine their ties with Beijing's signature cultural outpost. 'Occasionally university administrations have entered into partnerships that sacrificed the integrity of the university,' the association wrote. 'Confucius Institutes function as an arm of the Chinese state and are allowed to ignore academic freedom.'"


"At North Carolina State University in 2009, the Confucius Institute allegedly objected to the university's invitation to the Dalai Lama, a Tibetan spiritual leader whom China considers a traitor. The event was canceled. While the official rationale was lack of time and resources, the university provost told Bloomberg, 'I don't want to say we didn't think about whether there were implications. Of course you do. China is a major trading partner for North Carolina.'"


"Self-censorship — illustrated by a University of Chicago administrator's acknowledgment that he would not hang a picture of the Dalai Lama in its Confucius Institute — has also been documented."

I'm not saying the organization doesn't have problems. Anytime youre in business with China, there is going to be some problematic areas to some extent, in any sector. But, it's completely different to have a politician say that you are being corrupted and taking advantage of by a foreign agent.

How many of these other schools were being investigated by state politicians? As far as my research has shown so far, none.

There is certainly a partisan aspect to this. You don't open a public investigation by questioning a local university unless you want attention. Anything related to China is easy bait for politicians. He could have easily contacted them privately or made a simple declarative statement without opening an investigation. That's purely for clout.... Should we partner with another Chinese based educational organization? That's a different question.But, to say this is not politically motivated is just being blind to the political climate and Rokita's history.

Quote from: mp91 on August 12, 2021, 02:53:37 PM
to say this is not politically motivated is just being blind to the political climate and Rokita's history.

I didn't deny the politics of Rokita's motivation. I readily acknowledge it. We can agree on this. What I said: "The issue is nonpartisan and goes beyond Rokita's involvement." Now that the storyline is in the national media, and given that about 50 other universities already have seen fit to drop their Confucius Institute connections for nonpartisan reasons, Rokita is less important.


For the sake of public relations and to get in front of this issue, VU has a responsibility to address the possibility of Chinese influence more completely, compellingly, and critically, rather than remain silent. This means drawing distinctions between its "Christian mission and purpose" and the various policies or actions of the Communist Chinese government that contradict that "mission and purpose." Since the university finds itself in an indirect partnership with the Chinese government, it also must clarify that there isn't any subtle censorship or unspoken ways of self-censorship that might exist. Remember what happened when VU failed to proactively get in front of the Law School problem.

in Rokita's own words:

https://townhall.com/columnists/toddrokita/2021/08/12/shedding-light-on-chinese-communist-partys-domestic-propaganda-program-n2594045

Also, Mike Waltz from Florida:

https://waltz.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=355

Quote from: valpopal on August 12, 2021, 01:59:23 PM
According to the Chicago Tribune, Valparaiso University apparently has released an official statement about the Confucius Institute funding situation:


"Valparaiso University is, and always has been, transparent and compliant with the reporting of these funds. Valparaiso University does not and would not support any kind of endeavor that furthers or promotes communist ideology as doing so would conflict with its Christian mission and purpose and its strong support of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that protects the freedom of speech and religion."


This statement is a start but probably doesn't go far enough because questions will be asked about how the "Christian mission and purpose" align with the actions and policies of the Communist Chinese government with which VU has indirectly partnered—concerning genocide, religious freedom, human rights, environmental issues, intellectual theft, limitation of children, virus control, etc.—and whether they will remain silent on the Chinese government's role in those topics.

I agree that this statement should be thought of as incomplete. It does not in any way address the specific types of influence Confucius Institutes have been found to exert at other colleges and universities for which these institutes have come under such scrutiny from even the U.S. government. The statement suggests the University continues to misunderstand this issue as some others on this thread also appear to.

In the relevant cases, Confucius Institutes have not sought to "promote or further communist ideology" generally, such as would be the case if they were in the habit of explicitly advocating for something contradicting Chrisitian or free-speech principles. 

Instead, these institutes exert a more subtle and specific influence. Examples of this influence and why this is indeed problematic have been thoroughly detailed in previous posts on this thread.

Guys, it does not matter one bit if Rokita is a clown or if the investigation is politically motivated or has merit. You are very much missing the point. I largely agree with you about the investigation's likely motivations and its necessity. 

Though, Rokita really has not "claimed" or said anything as it relates to Valparaiso University specifically that is not a matter of absolute fact. Confucius Institutes are indeed alleged to function as a propaganda arm of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including by the U.S. State Department, which recently and officially designated these institutes as "foreign missions" to the CCP.

Valpo also does have a Confucius Institute. And Valpo has received over a million dollars from the CCP to host this institute, yet apparently the school has not disclosed how the money was used. I would be very curious to know whether or not there was some obligation to do so. At the very least, not having done so ultimately served to invite this unfortunate investigation.

The school would have been far better off, though, realizing that opinion has very obviously shifted in recent years on colleges and universities hosting Confucius Institutes and discontinuing its own.

This has absolutely nothing to do with the other organizations in China with which other colleges and universities may or may not have relationships with. I'd be interested to learn more about what these organizations might be, though. Please explain.

As Valpopal's and my previous comments indicate, the only thing which truly matters here is the very bad publicity the announcement of this investigation has given Valparaiso University. Many observers, particularly those unfamiliar with Valpo, will not be as willing to give the benefit of the doubt to a school they have no direct knowledge of or allegiance to. Some will not understand or consider that Rokita seems to be something of a partisan.

And to others, it will surely be far more interesting to think some small, religiously affiliated university in the midwest, of all places, has elements that are operating as a "front" for the CCP -- one of the greatest human rights violators in the world today (e.g. genocide, involuntary organ-harvesting).

And the headlines associated with the announcement of this investigation will give these individuals plenty of fuel for that fire. For instance, the headline from nwi.com, which reads, "Indiana attorney general investigating whether Valpo institute is front for Communist Party."

Generally speaking people only read the headlines anyway, not the articles, and especially not the follow-up articles, if these even end up being written. And it is only in these follow up articles that it would be explained to readers that the original headline and story were essentially a waste of everyone's time.

Furthermore, this is all developing at what was an already tumultuous time for Valpo given its ongoing financial difficulties; the controversial decision to retire the Crusader nickname; the controversial choice of "Beacons" as the replacement; and then, the subsequent fiasco with the logo.

Essentially, coming on the heels of the university having unintentionally but nonetheless marginalized many members of its community with the business regarding the nicknames and logo, the broader reputation of the school is now going to take something of a hit because of the announcement of this investigation, spurious or not.

The effects everything related to this investigation will have remain to be seen, but it would be foolish to think this is not another very unfortunate development.

I am praying for Valparaiso University.

Quote from: valpopal on August 12, 2021, 03:54:11 PMRemember what happened when VU failed to proactively get in front of the Law School problem.
Report to m

You are readily available to take cheap shots at Valpo's Administration.  Why you continue to teach at Valpo is a very solid question.  As for the law school, how might you have suggested they "get in front" of the problem.  We tried admitting more students with lower credentials--answer--Sanction.  They end result was nothing to do with the Administration "getting in front" of a declining law school population of candidates.  Given that fact, we, with a just mediocre reputation (even if it were great) couldn't compete for limited candidates in a region with schools like Notre Dame, Northwestern and the University of Chicago.

You are quick to throw mud at Valpo and its Administration. Why stay?

Quote from: Just Sayin on August 12, 2021, 04:20:15 PM
in Rokita's own words:

https://townhall.com/columnists/toddrokita/2021/08/12/shedding-light-on-chinese-communist-partys-domestic-propaganda-program-n2594045

Also, Mike Waltz from Florida:

https://waltz.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=355

These guys are right in line with other right wing nut jobs like Ken Paxton, trying to gain publicity from The Loser.  We should pretty much ignor it.  It doesn't have any roots.  He presumed that President Padilla was a liberal so time to attack.  Sad.  Another loser.

Quote from: vu72 on August 12, 2021, 06:06:03 PM

Quote from: valpopal on August 12, 2021, 03:54:11 PM
Remember what happened when VU failed to proactively get in front of the Law School problem.

You are readily available to take cheap shots at Valpo's Administration. 

I consider all the facts available to me and offer an honest evaluation, which means I compliment the administration when it deserves praise, which is often; but just as importantly, I also question the administration in those instances when it earns criticism because I want all areas of the university to thrive and to be successful. I'm not sure what you mean by "cheap shot," since you are the first I have encountered who thinks the administration is completely blameless for the Law School failure. I assure you, even members of the administration will acknowledge the missteps.

Quote from: vu72 on August 12, 2021, 06:13:15 PM

Quote from: Just Sayin on August 12, 2021, 04:20:15 PM
in Rokita's own words:

https://townhall.com/columnists/toddrokita/2021/08/12/shedding-light-on-chinese-communist-partys-domestic-propaganda-program-n2594045

Also, Mike Waltz from Florida:

https://waltz.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=355

These guys are right in line with other right wing nut jobs like Ken Paxton, trying to gain publicity from The Loser.  We should pretty much ignor it.  It doesn't have any roots.  He presumed that President Padilla was a liberal so time to attack.  Sad.  Another loser.

Rather than spew an ad hominem, why don't you respond to their arguments with a logical rebuttal?

Quote from: JBC1824 on August 12, 2021, 04:32:00 PMMany observers, particularly those unfamiliar with Valpo, will not be as willing to give the benefit of the doubt to a school they have no direct knowledge of or allegiance to. Some will not understand or consider that Rokita seems to be something of a partisan.

A very consistent and very large fault in the media of the far right. Why don't those unfamiliar with Valpo know that Rokita is partisan? Because the far right media wants Rokita to be the middle of the Republican Party and it is just simply false and untrue to claim at all that he is. It's the far right media that propagates this untruth and convinces those that don't truly know Valpo to believe this total and utter crap!

Quote from: Just Sayin on August 12, 2021, 07:28:54 PM

Quote from: vu72 on August 12, 2021, 06:13:15 PM

Quote from: Just Sayin on August 12, 2021, 04:20:15 PM
in Rokita's own words:

https://townhall.com/columnists/toddrokita/2021/08/12/shedding-light-on-chinese-communist-partys-domestic-propaganda-program-n2594045

Also, Mike Waltz from Florida:

https://waltz.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=355

These guys are right in line with other right wing nut jobs like Ken Paxton, trying to gain publicity from The Loser.  We should pretty much ignor it.  It doesn't have any roots.  He presumed that President Padilla was a liberal so time to attack.  Sad.  Another loser.

Rather than spew an ad hominem, why don't you respond to their arguments with a logical rebuttal?

The US has 14 Universities in mainland China that have at least partnered with Chinese Universities.  20,000 kids in mainland China are enrolled in UC-Berkeley.  Yes, the Chinese are using the Confucius Institutes to paint themselves in a positive light, just as we use educational opportunities in foreign countries to paint the US in a positive light.  South Korea exports its culture through K-Pop.  Europe broadcasts its soccer leagues here in the US.  Like it or not, we cannot pretend that we aren't a global community, and to do so makes us weaker as a people and a nation, not stronger.  This doesn't absolve China's government for the horrific things they are doing, but calligraphy, the Chinese language and Chinese music and learning about them are not inherently evil.

Rokita's entire "investigation" hinges on the possibility that the Confucius Institute need only to put in essentially the cost of a single professor into Valpo per year to completely flip the thinking of impressionable young adults or children into embracing Communism and hating America.  If that's the case our educational system truly is terrible, especially when some of these programs are taking place at Culver Academies, which is more expensive than most colleges.  His "investigation" also wasn't spurred on by any specific accusations made against the Institute at Valpo.  It's solely based on McCarthyism tactics, and unless there is specific evidence to point to that shows that writing classes or music classes are making explicit statements about geopolitical issues, it's not even provable.

I would also respond to Mr. Rokita that he is correct, money influences many ADULTS into capitulating or ignoring the awful things that are going on in China in the name of profit.  That's probably why his idol, Donald Trump, is far more willing to pay more in taxes to help fund the Chinese government than he is to the American government.

(This will be the last time I make a post related to this topic. Everything that needed to be said already has been. Furthermore, I find it depressing.)

IrishDawg,

In the cases which have earned Confucius Institutes the deserved scrutiny they are now under, these institutes have not operated to simply paint the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in a "positive light."

But even if this issue were so simple, how could you possibly believe painting a country in a positive light which is actively engaged in genocide of multiple religious and ethnic minorities, for instance, is in any way comparable to the U.S. promoting itself through educational opportunities, the international broadcasting of European soccer, or K-pop?

And who is acting as though we do not currently live as members of a global community, and what does this possibly have to do with Confucius Institutes?

These are easily some of the poorest lines of thinking I have seen on this forum.

The U.S. State Department has decreed by law that Confucius Institutes are to be considered "foregin missions" of the CCP not because they teach language and culture. While these institutes certainly do these things, the institutes have also been found to do many other things. And this is the reason the issue is so important.

The problem with Confucius Institutes is really not so much about what they do say and teach, but what the operators of these institutes will not allow to be said or taught -- matters of extreme importance to humanity as a whole.

The operators themselves are first screened and hired by the CCP, and then and then only, individual colleges and universities are able to choose from the group. If institute directors and teachers have been determined by the CCP to "engage in activities" considered to be "detrimental to [Chinese] national interests," these individuals' contracts are automatically terminated.

Off limits topics include anything related to the Dalai Lama; Tibetan independence or autonomy; Tawainese sovereignty; the forced takeover of Hong-Kong; and most importantly of all the CCP's baltant genocidal acts spanning decades (which include involuntary organ-harvesting) targeting multiple religious and ethnic minority groups; etc.

To perhaps better make the point, please consider how appropriate it would be for a U.S. college or university to have a "Nazi Institute," where German language and aspects of Nazi Germany's culture were taught to students and there was no mention whatsoever made or allowed of the Holocaust or Hitler's ambitions to take over the world.

If I'm not mistaken, the entire purpose of any "investigation" is to, in the presence of uncertainty, ultimately arrive at a point of certainty.

Therefore, Rikita's investigation "hinging on the possibility" that the Confucius Institute at Valpo did something wrong does not automatically delegitimize it.

Please keep in mind that Valpo did not disclose how the money it received from the CCP was put to use and it remains unclear whether colleges and universities were under some type of obligation to do so.

And Valpo received over a million dollars, far more than "the cost of a single professor."

As I have already explained in previous posts, this has absolutely nothing to do with teaching students to embrace communism generally or hate America, either. 

It is necessary to keep in mind the statements made by multiple high-ranking CCP officials regarding the purpose for sponsoring Confucius Institutes abroad. These include explicit acknowledgement that the institutes "carry out propaganda battles against issuers such as Tibet, Xinjiang [Uyghur genocide], Taiwan, human rights, and Falun Gong."

And, "The 'Confucius' brand has a natural attractiveness. Using the excuse of teaching Chinese language, everything looks reasonable and logical."

Just as whether or not we should embrace the fact we are now part of a broader global community is irrelevant to this issue, so is Donald Trump.

The bottom line is Valpo screwed up by not understanding that it should have gotten rid of its Confucius Institute, and perhaps by not disclosing how the money it recieved was put to use.

Also, it does not matter if this investigation is b.s. or if Rokita is a partisan moron, but it matters very much that the University is getting a lot of bad press because of all this.

And most regrettably, all of this would seem to have been avoidable.

Quote from: JBC1824 on August 13, 2021, 09:06:10 AM(This will be the last time I make a post related to this topic. Everything that needed to be said already has been. Furthermore, I find it depressing.)

We can count on this happening about as much as Donald Trump telling the truth about the 2020 US Presidential election.

Quote from: bbtds on August 13, 2021, 09:31:45 AM

Quote from: JBC1824 on August 13, 2021, 09:06:10 AM(This will be the last time I make a post related to this topic. Everything that needed to be said already has been. Furthermore, I find it depressing.)

We can count on this happening about as much as Donald Trump telling the truth about the 2020 US Presidential election.

Apparently, an ad hominem "argument"  is now considered to be a powerful rebuttal to a logical argument.

Quote from: JBC1824 on August 13, 2021, 09:06:10 AM
(This will be the last time I make a post related to this topic. Everything that needed to be said already has been. Furthermore, I find it depressing.)

IrishDawg,

In the cases which have earned Confucius Institutes the deserved scrutiny they are now under, these institutes have not operated to simply paint the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in a "positive light."

But even if this issue were so simple, how could you possibly believe painting a country in a positive light which is actively engaged in genocide of multiple religious and ethnic minorities, for instance, is in any way comparable to the U.S. promoting itself through educational opportunities, the international broadcasting of European soccer, or K-pop?

And who is acting as though we do not currently live as members of a global community, and what does this possibly have to do with Confucius Institutes?

These are easily some of the poorest lines of thinking I have seen on this forum.

The U.S. State Department has decreed by law that Confucius Institutes are to be considered "foregin missions" of the CCP not because they teach language and culture. While these institutes certainly do these things, the institutes have also been found to do many other things. And this is the reason the issue is so important.

The problem with Confucius Institutes is really not so much about what they do say and teach, but what the operators of these institutes will not allow to be said or taught -- matters of extreme importance to humanity as a whole.

The operators themselves are first screened and hired by the CCP, and then and then only, individual colleges and universities are able to choose from the group. If institute directors and teachers have been determined by the CCP to "engage in activities" considered to be "detrimental to [Chinese] national interests," these individuals' contracts are automatically terminated.

Off limits topics include anything related to the Dalai Lama; Tibetan independence or autonomy; Tawainese sovereignty; the forced takeover of Hong-Kong; and most importantly of all the CCP's baltant genocidal acts spanning decades (which include involuntary organ-harvesting) targeting multiple religious and ethnic minority groups; etc.

To perhaps better make the point, please consider how appropriate it would be for a U.S. college or university to have a "Nazi Institute," where German language and aspects of Nazi Germany's culture were taught to students and there was no mention whatsoever made or allowed of the Holocaust or Hitler's ambitions to take over the world.

If I'm not mistaken, the entire purpose of any "investigation" is to, in the presence of uncertainty, ultimately arrive at a point of certainty.

Therefore, Rikita's investigation "hinging on the possibility" that the Confucius Institute at Valpo did something wrong does not automatically delegitimize it.

Please keep in mind that Valpo did not disclose how the money it received from the CCP was put to use and it remains unclear whether colleges and universities were under some type of obligation to do so.

And Valpo received over a million dollars, far more than "the cost of a single professor."

As I have already explained in previous posts, this has absolutely nothing to do with teaching students to embrace communism generally or hate America, either. 

It is necessary to keep in mind the statements made by multiple high-ranking CCP officials regarding the purpose for sponsoring Confucius Institutes abroad. These include explicit acknowledgement that the institutes "carry out propaganda battles against issuers such as Tibet, Xinjiang [Uyghur genocide], Taiwan, human rights, and Falun Gong."

And, "The 'Confucius' brand has a natural attractiveness. Using the excuse of teaching Chinese language, everything looks reasonable and logical."

Just as whether or not we should embrace the fact we are now part of a broader global community is irrelevant to this issue, so is Donald Trump.

The bottom line is Valpo screwed up by not understanding that it should have gotten rid of its Confucius Institute, and perhaps by not disclosing how the money it recieved was put to use.

Also, it does not matter if this investigation is b.s. or if Rokita is a partisan moron, but it matters very much that the University is getting a lot of bad press because of all this.

And most regrettably, all of this would seem to have been avoidable.

Excellent response. A+

Let's stick to the original subject of nickname

Here's more logos

Quote from: VUSupport on August 13, 2021, 12:07:59 PM
Here's more logos

The lighthouse looks kind of like a chess piece, and while I don't love the bottom logo because it kind of reminds me of the exterior light of our house that comes on when it gets dark, these are improvements.

Quote from: IrishDawg on August 13, 2021, 12:14:24 PM

Quote from: VUSupport on August 13, 2021, 12:07:59 PM
Here's more logos

The lighthouse looks kind of like a chess piece, and while I don't love the bottom logo because it kind of reminds me of the exterior light of our house that comes on when it gets dark, these are improvements.

I don't understand the need to be so literal and heavy handed in these logos—a lighthouse and a lantern—when the more creative "V" shield logo seen within the lantern is superior and sophisticated, and can stand on its own.

Maybe the bottom one is paying homage to the Round the Clock tower  downtown

Now, there is the logo! Keep it simple and sleek!


[tweet]1426223267669585926[/tweet]

Quote from: IndyValpo on August 10, 2021, 07:24:35 AM
I completely forgot that Beacons were an option!!!

Zero votes for Beacons.



If you are living in darkness, fear the Beacon!!!!!

Athletics uses the shield as logo again today to kick off the soccer season! Looks great! Lose the lesser logos with lighthouses and lanterns!


[tweet]1426264351623819277[/tweet]

Stop showing the new artwork/logo...it keeps getting worse and worse. I am still having a bad time seeing the low-end, poor quality, cheap looking junk artwork that has sprung off of the new name.   For crying out loud, the logo for Ivy Tech is better that our new look.  I have seen better artwork/design work for summer day-camp t-shirts than this junk that Valpo now embraces.  Pardon my language, the new name is bad enough...but the accompanying logo design/artwork is disgusting and embarrassing...crap!

Quote from: JBC1824 on August 12, 2021, 04:32:00 PM
Guys, it does not matter one bit if Rokita is a clown or if the investigation is politically motivated or has merit. You are very much missing the point. I largely agree with you about the investigation's likely motivations and its necessity. 

Though, Rokita really has not "claimed" or said anything as it relates to Valparaiso University specifically that is not a matter of absolute fact. Confucius Institutes are indeed alleged to function as a propaganda arm of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including by the U.S. State Department, which recently and officially designated these institutes as "foreign missions" to the CCP.

Valpo also does have a Confucius Institute. And Valpo has received over a million dollars from the CCP to host this institute, yet apparently the school has not disclosed how the money was used. I would be very curious to know whether or not there was some obligation to do so. At the very least, not having done so ultimately served to invite this unfortunate investigation.

The school would have been far better off, though, realizing that opinion has very obviously shifted in recent years on colleges and universities hosting Confucius Institutes and discontinuing its own.

This has absolutely nothing to do with the other organizations in China with which other colleges and universities may or may not have relationships with. I'd be interested to learn more about what these organizations might be, though. Please explain.

As Valpopal's and my previous comments indicate, the only thing which truly matters here is the very bad publicity the announcement of this investigation has given Valparaiso University. Many observers, particularly those unfamiliar with Valpo, will not be as willing to give the benefit of the doubt to a school they have no direct knowledge of or allegiance to. Some will not understand or consider that Rokita seems to be something of a partisan.

And to others, it will surely be far more interesting to think some small, religiously affiliated university in the midwest, of all places, has elements that are operating as a "front" for the CCP -- one of the greatest human rights violators in the world today (e.g. genocide, involuntary organ-harvesting).

And the headlines associated with the announcement of this investigation will give these individuals plenty of fuel for that fire. For instance, the headline from nwi.com, which reads, "Indiana attorney general investigating whether Valpo institute is front for Communist Party."

Generally speaking people only read the headlines anyway, not the articles, and especially not the follow-up articles, if these even end up being written. And it is only in these follow up articles that it would be explained to readers that the original headline and story were essentially a waste of everyone's time.

Furthermore, this is all developing at what was an already tumultuous time for Valpo given its ongoing financial difficulties; the controversial decision to retire the Crusader nickname; the controversial choice of "Beacons" as the replacement; and then, the subsequent fiasco with the logo.

Essentially, coming on the heels of the university having unintentionally but nonetheless marginalized many members of its community with the business regarding the nicknames and logo, the broader reputation of the school is now going to take something of a hit because of the announcement of this investigation, spurious or not.

The effects everything related to this investigation will have remain to be seen, but it would be foolish to think this is not another very unfortunate development.

I am praying for Valparaiso University.

http://thestatehousefile.com/commentary-attorney-general-in-indiana-chooses-china-as-his-villain/

https://www.nwitimes.com/opinion/times-editorial-rokita-needs-to-explain-vu-probe/article_bcea97da-8658-55b0-8b4b-005c8e443d7a.html

Unfortunately, the Confucius Institute story continues to spread bad publicity for the university as it circulates through the national media, including this week in the Washington Times:


[tweet]1427613727373811728[/tweet]

WE are FREAKIN' BEACONS  :o

http://www.valpotorch.com/news/article_7920ed6e-0157-11ec-97b7-236d9f69e888.html?fbclid=IwAR3e_fyoX5sS_Wtqt8G_0eBd-jFznZ4tvwXAWSqq_MjMAJjyBbxJEGYQ078

LaBarbera said. "One thing I tell people is there will not be a lighthouse with legs walking around."

The next thing up is the Mascot. According to the Torch issue the person in charge of the selection is Steve Janowiak.
following are quotes from the Torch article:


In addition, Mascot Recommendation Chair Steve Janowiak said that the Valpo Shield will still be a part of VU.

"The shield is still a symbol at the University. It's been around for a while and it's going to stay around,"  Janowiak said.

Although the current logo for the Beacons, a lighthouse, will remain the primary design, Janowiak noted that variations are in the works.

As the school year is set to begin, creating a new mascot will be a task that administration will bring students into as a collaborative effort.

"The mascot is going to be something we ask the students to really participate in choosing or designing," Janowiak said. "[We'll] probably ask students with creative majors like art and other areas to be involved in this. Right now, we have something going for the indoor courts."


So does these mean there will be no Alumni input, but the people responsible for the initial Logos are going to be the main factors in choosing the Mascot?

Quote from: VUBBFan on August 21, 2021, 01:23:07 PM
Although the current logo for the Beacons, a lighthouse, will remain the primary design, Janowiak noted that variations are in the works.

Steve Janowiak is a great guy, but the lighthouse cannot be the primary design!

"I would tell everybody that when they see the Arena Floor, it's gonna look like the football field or the baseball field. In the middle of it, there's going to be the shield with 'Valpo' over the top of it. We're going to see consistency in the way our facilities look," LaBarbera said.


This is great news and the consistency I have been supporting all along. I would like to see this thinking spread across the university. The logo on the football and baseball fields, and soon to be on the basketball court, is sleek, sophisticated, and well-liked. Don't divert from it with images of lighthouses!

Can I hear a big Aaaaaaaaa-men for AD  Mark LaBarbara for his support of the Shield and nevermind the "Beacons" as far as athletics and team ID's are concerned.

Quote from: VUBBFan on August 21, 2021, 01:23:07 PM
The next thing up is the Mascot. According to the Torch issue the person in charge of the selection is Steve Janowiak.
following are quotes from the Torch article:


In addition, Mascot Recommendation Chair Steve Janowiak said that the Valpo Shield will still be a part of VU.

"The shield is still a symbol at the University. It's been around for a while and it's going to stay around,"  Janowiak said.

Although the current logo for the Beacons, a lighthouse, will remain the primary design, Janowiak noted that variations are in the works.

As the school year is set to begin, creating a new mascot will be a task that administration will bring students into as a collaborative effort.

"The mascot is going to be something we ask the students to really participate in choosing or designing," Janowiak said. "[We'll] probably ask students with creative majors like art and other areas to be involved in this. Right now, we have something going for the indoor courts."


So does these mean there will be no Alumni input, but the people responsible for the initial Logos are going to be the main factors in choosing the Mascot?

How about this for a mascot. A killer bee dressed up in prison garb and you have a BEE CON!  (Have to credit my wife for that one)

Quote from: valpopal on August 17, 2021, 08:35:31 PM
Unfortunately, the Confucius Institute story continues to spread bad publicity for the university as it circulates through the national media, including this week in the Washington Times:


[tweet]1427613727373811728[/tweet]

Update: Valparaiso University will close the Confucius Institute and hopes to open a new program in the future without any funding or staffing from China.

How about Beacor from the Muppet Show as our mascot?

Quote from: usc4valpo on August 30, 2021, 11:51:36 AM
How about Beacor from the Muppet Show as our mascot?

Other than you misspelled his name and he has nothing to do with a Beacon and the cost would be prohibitive I think he is a great choice.

From where I sit, the VU Board of Directors - and the other folks who run this place - have been reactive instead of proactive.  Their inability or refusal to consider what is going on right in front of them, and adapt/make changes, has cost our school a loss of prestige and damaged our reputation.

Example #1- most schools had dropped Confucius Institutes over the last several years.  VU did not.  Why?  Didn't it occur to the Board, and others, to look into the reasons why just about everyone else was jettisoning these Institutes?  Thanks to this lack of foresight, we have endured another cycle of negative news coverage - including today's announcement that VU is closing the Institute.  I'm no PR expert, but I don't think a university would ever want a headline that contains the word "closure."

Example #2 - the law school. An ongoing PR disaster, it was evident 12 years ago that law school enrollment was dropping - and fast - everywhere.  Yet VU had about the same number of kids in the law school.  Why didn't the Board, and others, stop and question what was going on? What was going on, it turned out, was that many kids were getting admitted who likely would not be able to pass the Bar exam. Low bar passage rates, probation, and then closure, followed. 

Paul

Quote from: valpopal on August 30, 2021, 10:59:16 AM

Quote from: valpopal on August 17, 2021, 08:35:31 PM
Unfortunately, the Confucius Institute story continues to spread bad publicity for the university as it circulates through the national media, including this week in the Washington Times:


[tweet]1427613727373811728[/tweet]

Update: Valparaiso University will close the Confucius Institute and hopes to open a new program in the future without any funding or staffing from China.

Good to hear. The last thing the university needed was more bad publicity on top of the Crusader debacle. Now, if President Padilla can put his petulant children in professor costumes in their place and keep them from burning the place down, maybe Valparaiso University can head north for a change.

Quote from: 78crusader on August 30, 2021, 01:36:54 PM
From where I sit, the VU Board of Directors - and the other folks who run this place - have been reactive instead of proactive.  Their inability or refusal to consider what is going on right in front of them, and adapt/make changes, has cost our school a loss of prestige and damaged our reputation.

Example #1- most schools had dropped Confucius Institutes over the last several years.  VU did not.  Why?  Didn't it occur to the Board, and others, to look into the reasons why just about everyone else was jettisoning these Institutes?  Thanks to this lack of foresight, we have endured another cycle of negative news coverage - including today's announcement that VU is closing the Institute.  I'm no PR expert, but I don't think a university would ever want a headline that contains the word "closure."

Example #2 - the law school. An ongoing PR disaster, it was evident 12 years ago that law school enrollment was dropping - and fast - everywhere.  Yet VU had about the same number of kids in the law school.  Why didn't the Board, and others, stop and question what was going on? What was going on, it turned out, was that many kids were getting admitted who likely would not be able to pass the Bar exam. Low bar passage rates, probation, and then closure, followed. 

Paul

Don't disagree on the PR disaster.  Having said that, what was the answer they should have come up with a dozen years ago?  "So law school enrollment was dropping--and fast--EVERYWHERE"
So Valpo lowered admissions standards.  What should they have done?  Serious question.  We certainly couldn't raise them. The law school was just mediocre for a long time.  Perhaps 40 years ago they should have really tried hard to attract top law professors but we were a small Lutheran niche school.  We never could compete with IU or Notre Dame or the University of Chicago or Northwestern for top flight law professors.
So finally, we hit a wall. Fewer GOOD students being sought by ALL the law schools.  It is kinda like half the top flight basketball players in high school died from COVID or perhaps decide they want to play hockey instead, yet all the D1 programs want them.  Do they go to Duke or Valpo?  What am I missing?

Confucius say: "Mind like parachute, only function when open."

Confucius should have provided a caveat: "Open mind too far, brains fall out."

Such is modern liberalism in universities and everywhere in the post-modern, woke's conformity to the winds and fads of the world in which we live.

(https://www.quotemaster.org/images/21/21e20b4bc26cefddffec760188af7fc0.jpg)

Quote from: Just Sayin on August 31, 2021, 11:00:30 AM
Confucius say: "Mind like parachute, only function when open."

Confucius should have provided a caveat: "Open mind too far, brains fall out."

Such is modern liberalism in universities and everywhere in the post-modern, woke's conformity to the winds and fads of the world in which we live.

(https://www.quotemaster.org/images/21/21e20b4bc26cefddffec760188af7fc0.jpg)

Clever? advertising there by the Chicago Locksmiths, though I'd be interested to know what their reasoning is behind it.

Quote from: Just Sayin on August 31, 2021, 11:00:30 AM
Confucius say: "Mind like parachute, only function when open."

Confucius should have provided a caveat: "Open mind too far, brains fall out."

Such is modern liberalism in universities and everywhere in the post-modern, woke's conformity to the winds and fads of the world in which we live.

(https://www.quotemaster.org/images/21/21e20b4bc26cefddffec760188af7fc0.jpg)

I'm extremely upset that you included a quote about brains falling out and a picture of JFK. Did you think about that at all? Talk about poor decisions.

Quote from: valpopal on August 21, 2021, 01:34:48 PM
"I would tell everybody that when they see the Arena Floor, it's gonna look like the football field or the baseball field. In the middle of it, there's going to be the shield with 'Valpo' over the top of it. We're going to see consistency in the way our facilities look," LaBarbera said.


This is great news and the consistency I have been supporting all along. I would like to see this thinking spread across the university. The logo on the football and baseball fields, and soon to be on the basketball court, is sleek, sophisticated, and well-liked. Don't divert from it with images of lighthouses!

bea·con
/ˈbēkən/
Learn to pronounce
noun
a fire or light set up in a high or prominent position as a warning, signal, or celebration.
"a chain of beacons carried the news"
BRITISH
(often in place names) a hill suitable for beacon of fire or light.
"Ivinghoe Beacon"
a light or other visible object serving as a signal, warning, or guide at sea, on an airfield, etc.

A beacon is a fire or light. It isn't a lighthouse any more than a bulb is a flashlight. The flame in the shield logo represents the guiding light concept beautifully, almost poetically. Great logos don't smack you in the face with obvious, superficial symbolism. They're designed to make you think bigger, broader. The shield accomplishes that perfectly. It is spiritually and intellectually inspiring.

I can't say that I have had a favorable opinion of "Beacons", but I really like the way that wh frames the meaning of Beacons and its connection to the shield. That works!

Momentum grows as the alternative beacon logos created by Brian Flynn are featured in The Torch:
http://www.valpotorch.com/eedition/page_5b2f1a7c-6a4b-53ae-8564-74c12bdb1755.html (http://www.valpotorch.com/eedition/page_5b2f1a7c-6a4b-53ae-8564-74c12bdb1755.html)

When one has to think about how a new name or logo fits into a school's persona, you know immediately that the name and logo are a problem.   The ID and recognition should be immediate identification of the school.

https://twitter.com/AlBillets/status/1447996603432935425

https://twitter.com/ValpoTorch/status/1448000573811404804

Still refuse to call us Beacons, even though I know that it won't change.  Even several months in, it still sounds so terrible.  Even the opposing announcers struggle to get it out.

Meet UMass Boston's mascot BOBBY BEACON:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=jh-5xhOHw1I&feature=share

I wouldn't change a thing other than the colors, and maybe the name from Bobby Beacon to Beckett Beacon (androgynous). I can't wait!!

Of course, I'm kidding. I am curious to see what the university decides for a mascot to represent Beacons. I wonder if it's under development?

There is nothing like adding more embarrassment and ridicule to our new nickname with the addition of an even more ridiculous mascot.  "We don't need no stupid mascot" now that we have a stupid nickname.  Let's hope our play this year will make everyone forget our nickname.

Trying to find anything with a connection to Beacons, I found an article from 2015 announcing a contest to design the best mascot for Beacon College.

Beacon News
Select Our Mascot: Voting Now Open

"The entire College community was invited to submit a design, along with an explanation for why the mascot would best represent Beacon College."

I kind of like something akin to the one called "Flame" or "Flare" as it's referred to in the description.

Any thoughts? Just trying to make a very sour topic a little more lighthearted (if that's possible lol).

https://www.beaconcollege.edu/student-news/2015/04/select-our-mascot-voting-now-open/

Quote from: wh on October 25, 2021, 11:45:43 AM
Trying to find anything with a connection to Beacons, I found an article from 2015 announcing a contest to design the best mascot for Beacon College.

Beacon News
Select Our Mascot: Voting Now Open

"The entire College community was invited to submit a design, along with an explanation for why the mascot would best represent Beacon College."

I kind of like something akin to the one called "Flame" or "Flare" as it's referred to in the description.

Any thoughts? Just trying to make a very sour topic a little more lighthearted (if that's possible lol).

https://www.beaconcollege.edu/student-news/2015/04/select-our-mascot-voting-now-open/

As we all know the mascot does not have to have anything to do with the nickname.  The Alabama Crimson Tide Elephants as an example.

Quote from: vu72 on October 25, 2021, 02:04:57 PM

Quote from: wh on October 25, 2021, 11:45:43 AMTrying to find anything with a connection to Beacons, I found an article from 2015 announcing a contest to design the best mascot for Beacon College. Beacon News Select Our Mascot: Voting Now Open "The entire College community was invited to submit a design, along with an explanation for why the mascot would best represent Beacon College." I kind of like something akin to the one called "Flame" or "Flare" as it's referred to in the description. Any thoughts? Just trying to make a very sour topic a little more lighthearted (if that's possible lol). https://www.beaconcollege.edu/student-news/2015/04/select-our-mascot-voting-now-open/

As we all know the mascot does not have to have anything to do with the nickname.  The Alabama Crimson Tide Elephants as an example.

So if I am hearing you correctly, you are saying we can still have the Crusader as our mascot!
(sarcasm/wishful thinking)

I could definitely see a "flame bearer" type character. I tend to like the ridiculous mascots or animal ones. So let's combine it and have it be like a lighting bug. Maybe one of those fish that live deep in the ocean and use the flashlight on their head to lure and eat little fish

https://twitter.com/barstool_valpo/status/1441760518604312577?s=20

This gave me idea. Valpo HS's team name is Vikings. They also use Vikes for short. In common use the Beacons could be referred to as the Beacs. The mascot could be called Beac/Beacy/Beacie to reinforce the shorter name. Just a thought.

Bring out the long knives. lol

A short knife will do.

I think most of us missed it because we were concentrating on our own name change.

Recently on September 30, 2021 the Capital University Crusaders Div. III changed their nickname from Crusaders to Capital Comets.

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/education/2021/09/30/capital-university-retires-old-mascot-become-comets/5935690001/

In July, Capital's board of trustees approved a resolution to change the university's nickname and mascot following "a 15-month process of study, discussion and reflection," according to a release at the time.

"We believe that the University nickname and mascot should be a unifying symbol that enhances school spirit and pride for all who are affiliated with Capital," the release said. "In recent years, our nickname has been challenged by students and faculty for its connection to the historic Crusades. The detailed study found a significant portion of the Capital Family shares this perspective."

A contingent of Capital alums and current undergrads had been pushing a write-in candidate for consideration: the Capital Capybaras, a nod to the world's largest species of rodent. A change.com petition circulated earlier this year to add the Capybaras to the list of finalists.

The group said the four finalists were "unoriginal, overused and indistinct" options; they wanted something that would make Capital stand out among other liberal arts schools.

The FREAKIN' BEACONS  :o

I didn't want to mess up other recent threads, so I resurrected this old one. 

I was on hiatus when the athletic nickname and mascot came up and never had a chance to weigh in. Thought I'd belatedly add my  :twocents:

Forever in the broad scheme of things athletic (duh, on line colleges without athletic programs do not have mascots), school nicknames and mascots have been intended to be a fun thing to rally around and take pride in. They're meant to be a emotional release mechanism at athletic events. Most generally, they are not meant to promote subtle, boring agendas. In the heat of competition, they are meant to produce excitement and inspiration.

But I can understand and appreciate the sensitve nature of a nickname and mascot that might evoke negative triggers. I mean, good grief, for as long as I can remember, I was very offended by the Washington Commanders' previous nickname. So, despite the positive characteristics evoked by a generic crusader, I understood the movement to go in a different direction. 

But an inanimate, energy-absent object — a beacon?  Yeah, it sends a message. A very dull, unathletic one. It's a great lead in for university inspirational academic articles, symposia, lectures, or endowment fund drives, but it goes nowhere in inspiring a fan base with 1 minute to go and Valpo with the ball and down by one. And a pair of docile, friendly household pet mascots can't overcome that perception.   It is all so passive.

The nickname/mascot change was one of President Padilla's first public decisions. He caved into the far left instead of finding a moderate road answer that would involve and satisfy the widest range of Valpo students, alums and friends. Thinking later about that decision I thought, wait, Padilla most recently was a Blue Demon at a religious university. Holy cow, was he previously a satanist?!? Was he overcompensating for previous sins?

Anyway, as we try to negotiate the next several months of turmoil, it has become evident that also contributing to the overall equation is a negative vibe about the nickname and mascot(s) for their passivity and lack of fun, enjoyment and inspiration.  It is only one factor, but contributory.   In the long run, this mistake is one of several that have to be recognized, accounted for and rectified in order for Valpo to be taken seriously again.

Go Dune Hawks! Or Koalas! Or Banana Slugs (oops that's taken)! Or whatever except Beacons!

I can live with the name change to the Beacons. It's the stupid mascots that is fricking embarrassing where I draw the line. I took a lot of grief from family and friends over this. I actually thought this was announced in an article from the Onion or some humor media source.

Quote from: usc4valpo on January 14, 2023, 06:12:58 AM
I can live with the name change to the Beacons. It's the stupid mascots that is fricking embarrassing where I draw the line. I took a lot of grief from family and friends over this. I actually thought this was announced in an article from the Onion or some humor media source.

I am just curious what you mean by a lot of grief. Did they hound you for days?

For the record I have no problem with a dog (I would only have one). When a bobble head comes out I will put it next to my Crusader.
 
I seriously doubt we lose close games because of fan apathy towards the mascots.

The mascots are too cuddly, too lame and overly woke. Looks like something from a book I used to read to my daughters when they were toddlers before bedtime.

First full fiscal year as Beacs coming to a close this summer.

I expect a much larger enrollment of students since we took our stand against evil.

There was a man in the band, who appeared to be older than a student, wearing a Crusader shirt last night. They showed him on TV - I stayed home to watch the broadcast but listened to Todd on the radio. Didn't want to listen to Kaplan.

I don't understand why one doesn't want to listen to Dave Kaplan...he knows everything about everything.   Just ask him.

How would Bill Walton react broadcasting a game at the ARC? He would complain the school is a truck stop.

 Other than himself, does anyone really care what Bill Walton says?

Quote from: valpo64 on January 19, 2023, 09:28:57 AM
Other than himself, does anyone really care what Bill Walton says?

You beat me to it. I can't watch a game that he is on.

I think Bill Walton is a joy to listen to as he goes all over the place, doesn't make the broadcast a metric-thon and has a different perspective on things. He is off the wall for sure. But he is very knowledgeable about the game and one of the greatest and smartest college players ever. I wish Valpo could hire him as a consultant to teach fundamental skills like rebounding technique.

Bill Walton is like listening to Les Claypool and Primus - you either love them or you hate them.

Quote from: usc4valpo on January 19, 2023, 07:47:05 AM
How would Bill Walton react broadcasting a game at the ARC? He would complain the school is a truck stop.

I cannot say that I really enjoy Bill Walton's color commentary, but he goes out of his way to talk about the positive aspects of universities and my guess is that is what he would do if he ever covered a Valpo game (home or away). He has done games for my other two teams in the last few years and I have never heard a color commentator promote those schools like he did.

My pick was the Valparaiso Storm. Imagine the headlines:

"A Dark and Storm(y) Night for Butler"

"A Big Valpo Storm is Heading for Drake."

"VU Drops a Storm of 3s on UIC"

"Valpo Aerial Storm beats Dayton"

But probably not: "VU's Storm Troopers Clobber Evansville"  :-X

I like the Storm. I can live with the Beacos, just bag the stupid mascots.

Quote from: usc4valpo on January 19, 2023, 07:20:40 PM
I like the Storm. I can live with the Beacos, just bag the stupid mascots.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Quote from: usc4valpo on January 19, 2023, 07:20:40 PM
I like the Storm. I can live with the Beacos, just bag the stupid mascots.

And bag the whole Light House thing... light the torch and we will good!

I sense that a few of our posters are "hitting the sauce a little too much before posting their comments.  ):

Not me dude, Let's have some fun with this.

Quote from: valpo64 on January 20, 2023, 09:09:06 AM
I sense that a few of our posters are "hitting the sauce a little too much before posting their comments.  ):

Not me, I'm a teetotaler!

But we could use a little levity on this board, given our various grousings these days -- mine included!  ;D

I am watching College Game Day today and wondering how Tennessee wins games with a cute dog for a mascot.

Butler is losing games with an ugly dog mascot.

Quote from: Just Sayin on January 28, 2023, 10:58:44 AM
Butler is losing games with an ugly dog mascot.

I love a Butler loss

Quote from: IndyValpo on January 28, 2023, 11:17:47 AM

Quote from: Just Sayin on January 28, 2023, 10:58:44 AM
Butler is losing games with an ugly dog mascot.

I love a Butler loss

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/butler/2023/01/18/butler-basketball-loses-to-creighton-in-big-east-action-simas-lukosius/69812264007/ (https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/butler/2023/01/18/butler-basketball-loses-to-creighton-in-big-east-action-simas-lukosius/69812264007/)

Without Manny Bates to anchor the interior, Creighton scored 44 points in the paint. Ryan Kalbrenner (11 points) was Creighton's best scorer inside, but Fredrick King and Ryan Nembhard consistently converted looks in the paint, as well. Four Bluejays reached double figures and they assisted on 12 of their 30 made baskets.

While Creighton's offense was lively and running smoothly, Butler's offense went dormant in the second half. The Dawgs forced the issue offensively, rarely creating open looks for teammates and failing to convert makeable shots. Outside of Simas Lukosius, no Dawgs player was able to create for himself. Credit to Creighton's defense, but Butler has to find a way to get more out of its offense.

Wonder how long Barry Collier goes with Thad Matta.

Butler has a cool live mascot. Ours look like something from Nick Jr. or Playhouse Disney, as I had to suffer with my daughters during their toddler years.

Anyone notice the Beacon and Blaze mascots didn't make an appearance at Family Night during the Evansville game?
Apparently, the people inside the suits can't see, and they need a "seeing-eye human" to guide them around.
VU officials couldn't find four "volunteers" to handle the task last game.

You're kidding me, right? They designed mascot outfits where they cannot see?  Simply brilliant.

Come on, that can't be true?  Every mascot has some sort of screen where it actually sits at their eye level.  If they don't have the ability to see, that is another major bungle of the mascot/nickname result

Quote from: valpotx on February 01, 2023, 01:31:11 AM
Come on, that can't be true?  Every mascot has some sort of screen where it actually sits at their eye level.  If they don't have the ability to see, that is another major bungle of the mascot/nickname result

I heard this from a reliable source. I certainly couldn't make this up.