No More Pios: The Legacy of Settler Colonialism and the University of Denver
2005-2008 Students (primarily student-athletes) informally advocate to "Bring Back Boone." Hockey goalie Peter Mannino and several other hockey players during this period play with "Boone" stickers on their helmets. In May 2008, students create a "Bring Back Boone" video (see screenshot) featuring primarily student-athletes as well as some DU faculty and staff.
October 20, 2008: Chancellor Robert Coombe sends a campus-wide e-mail with the phrase "The Denver Boone figure is one that does not reflect the broad diversity of the DU community and is not an image that many of today's women, persons of color, international students and faculty, and others can easily relate to as defining the pioneering spirit....One thing is certain--we will always be the Pioneers." Coombe releases the "Boone" image to be used by students and alumni "as a celebration of the past...to the extent that they may wish."
2009 - Alumni, students, and community members fundraise $8,000 to fund an "unofficial" Boone mascot costume and pay the mascot to attend DU sporting and other events. Per alum Damien Goddard, class of 1988 and originator of the LetsGoDU website, "We kept hoping that the University of Denver would reconsider its decision in the fall to mothball Boone...when it became obvious that no amount of letter writing, e-mails or public relations would change the decision, we changed our tactics.”
May 2011 - The University of Denver holds its first annual Pow Wow. Viki Eagle (DU BA, MA), later the first Director of Native American Community Outreach and Partnerships, plays an integral role in organizing the Pow Wow, Elder Dinner, and the Native Student Alliance during her time as a student.
April 2012 – Lamda Chi Alpha and Delta Delta Delta hold “Cowboys and Indians” party and later apologize to Native Student Alliance (NSA).
Feburary 2013 - Denver Boone filmed in YouTube video for “Harlem Shake.” Three Native Student Alliance (NSA) members Jose Guerrero, Amanda Wilson, and Julia Bramante protest Denver Boone being in a public video representing the University and were removed from the area by Campus Safety.
March 2013 – Undergraduate Student Government (USG) passes resolution to pull funding for any student organization that uses allocated funds to purchase merchandise that depicts the “Boone” character. This was paired with the expectation that a new mascot would be chosen by the committee that several USG members sat on.
March-August 2013 – Three potential mascots revealed after (March-June) research process, a survey was sent out to choose the new mascot. Survey found "no consensus” on new mascot; 70% would be receptive or neutral on a new mascot but did not coalesce around the options presented – a jackrabbit, an elk, or a mountaineer.
November 2014 - John Evans Study Committee (convened in 2013) issues its report on the Sand Creek Massacre, finding John Evans (founder of the University of Denver and Second Territorial Governor) complicit in the massacre.
May 2016 - Task Force on Native American Inclusivity issues report, including the language: “The Task Force is unanimous in its belief that more work needs to be done to eliminate the presence of Boone from the DU campus and official University events.”
October 14, 2016 - A multiracial coalition of students, staff, and faculty, including members of multiple racial affinity student groups, issue a list of demands related to racial equity on campus, including: "Charge MarComm to create and implement a more representative mascot," "elimination of Boone's presence" at DU and noting that "the term "pioneer" is highly problematic for many, especially our Native American students, as it is defined as a person who is among the first to explore or settle a new country or area."
October 2017 - Native Student Alliance (NSA) launches #NoMorePios campaign. Image from March 2, 2018 direct action at a University of Denver's hockey game. April-May 2019, Clarion Executive Editor Grace Carson (Diné) publishes a 5-part series "DU While Native." (images + links courtesy Grace Carson)
January 2018 - “Unofficial” Boone mascot banned from DU athletics events, citing Board of Trustees' no-mask policy as justification.
April 2018 - In recognition of the tribal sovereignty and original homelands of the Northern Cheyenne, Northern Arapaho and Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Nations, their flags are hung in Driscoll North, alongside the flags of the United States, state of Colorado, and the University of Denver flag.
November 4, 2019 - For Native American Heritage Month, the Native Student Alliance develops a "No Stolen Sisters" event and exhibit in the Anderson Academic Commons. The exhibit draws attention to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (often seen as the social media hashtags #MMIW and #MMIWG). The event included red dresses hung in the atrium of the Anderson Academic Commons, a drum circle, and speakers from the NSA and community members.
September 25, 2020 - Righteous Anger, Healing Resistance (RAHR), a multiracial coalition of students, held a protest related to their list of demands, which includes #NoMorePios. Full list: the establishment of a Critical Race and Ethnic Studies (CRES) department, engagement with Native communities through scholarships, mentorship programs, etc., reconstitution of the Native American Advisory Board, increased hiring and retention of faculty of color, divestment from any and all ties with ICE, and a seat for students on the Board of Trustees.