Seneca Valley school board votes to stop using Native American mascot, imagery

The Seneca Valley School District’s sports teams will still be called the Raiders, but the Native American imagery will no longer be used as a mascot or on logos.

The school board unanimously approved a resolution on June 14 “that (the) imagery no longer fulfills the intended positive purposes of a mascot or reflects favorably upon the Seneca Valley School District.”

While the resolution acknowledges that the imagery used since 1961 was “intended as a tribute to the people of the Seneca Nation,” its perception has changed over time.

“The use of a Native American mascot is no longer perceived as representing the people of the Seneca Nation in a positive manner,” the resolution states.

The resolution also calls for the creation of a committee of students to provide input on the selection of a new mascot, which will be used in conjunction with the Raider name.

The decision to retire the Native American imagery was fueled by the Seneca Valley Social Handprints Overcoming Unjust Treatment, or SHOUT, student committee, which conducted research that was presented to the school board in April.

“I am in complete agreement with eliminating the Native American mascot and associated logo depictions and imagery as the people it was meant to honor are asking us not to honor them in that way,” said Eric DiTullio, Seneca Valley School Board president. “In my opinion, we are obligated to eliminate this imagery. And while I am disappointed, at the end of the day, a rendering of a Native American is not what defines this district.”

The change also received the backing of the Seneca Nation of Indians, which is based in western New York.

“Seneca and Native American culture are reflected in the names of countless streets, towns and locations …unfortunately, we also see the continued use of names and imagery, particularly in athletics programs, that degrade, mock, and offend Native traditions, Native culture, and Native people,” the Nation’s president, Rickey L. Armstrong wrote in a statement.

“The time for change has long since arrived, and the call should be heeded,” he said. “The continued use of anti-Native nicknames and imagery is an affront to the very tenets of unity and inclusion upon which the United States is built.”

Several residents who attended the meeting opposed the board’s decision.

“I’m concerned over where does this stop with all the things going on in our country?” asked A.C. Phipps of Renfrew. “That imagery is part of our history, it’s important that we keep our history viable.”

Cathy Rape of Harmony said she played sports at Seneca Valley and “nobody thought bad about the Raider name.”

“To the contrary, we were proud of it and looked on it as being a tough team,” she said. “I’m personally offended that you would take something away that this school started with over 50 years ago.”

DiTullio noted during the meeting that the resolution does not eliminate the use of the Raider name, which he said is not directly associated with Native American culture.

He also balked at the idea that the board was bowing to political pressure.

“No, it’s not cancel culture. No, it’s not caving to political pressure,” the board president said. “We are answering the request of those who we were intending to honor.”

Carlen Blackstone of Cranberry, who was Seneca Valley’s Class of 1975 valedictorian, said she “100% supports” dropping the Native American imagery.

She said if it is offensive or “alienates even some students, residents or related persons” then she feels it is important to “advocate on their behalf.”

“As a current taxpayer, I want my tax dollars to represent the character, vision and goals of this district,” she said.