Overview of Athletics Nickname Decision Process History May 2004 Commencement At the 2004 Commencement, Wayne Sanders, vice chair of the university’s Board of Trustees, announced that he and an anonymous trustee were each prepared to pledge $1 million to the university if the institution would consider a return to the Warriors nickname by the time Marquette enters the BIG EAST Conference in 2005-06. President Robert Wild, S.J., immediately and decisively declined the gift but agreed to place the nickname question before the Board of Trustees. 2004 Board of Trustees Decisions On Sept. 22, 2004 the Board of Trustees made two decisions relative to the athletics nickname/mascot issue. The first was to pass a resolution prohibiting the use of Native American references or imagery in Marquette's athletics logo, nickname or mascot. The second was to establish an organized process that engaged key Marquette University stakeholders — students, alumni, faculty and staff — on this issue. Before the Board of Trustees meeting in December, the university: Created a nickname/mascot fact-finding group, whose charge was to identify facts relevant to the issue and ensure that stakeholders had ample opportunity for input; Held a series of stakeholder forums that represented official university organizations including students, alumni, faculty and staff; Conducted focus groups made up of students, alumni, faculty and staff; Conducted an extensive online survey taken by more than 9,000 Marquette students, alumni, faculty and staff; participants were asked about their attitudes, emotions and viewpoints about the “Golden Eagles” and “Warriors"; Opened an ongoing dialogue between Father Wild and key Native American constituencies; and Reviewed communications from the larger community received as letters, e-mails and calls. On Dec. 8, 2004 the Board of Trustees decided it would continue its discussion of the university's athletics nickname and would revisit the issue at a future board meeting.     If you are a member of the media, please contact a member of Marquette University's Communications Team directly with your questions. All other inquiries and questions about Marquette University's athletics nickname decision should be directed to the Office of Public Affairs at (414) 288-7491 or submitted through our contact form.