Marquette Student Wearing Warrior Headdress Threatened By University Staffer

Via GOP3.COM, the fact that a Marquette student who has worn an Indian headdress to Marquette games was called into the office of Assistant Vice President James McMahon and threatened with having the headress confiscated and being ejected from the game if he wears it again.

The student in question, freshman Dan O’Connell, was notified about noon today by the Resident Assistant in his dorm that McMahon wanted to see him. O’Connell, of course, had no idea what the issue was.

Meeting with McMahon, he was told that he should not wear an Indian headdress that he has regularly worn to Marquette games to the game tomorrow. If he does, he was told, it might be confiscated and he might be ejected from the game.

McMahon told O’Connell that somebody in the Athletics Department had noticed the headdress in video tapes of games and brought it to the attention of Student Development bureaucrats.

McMahon used the usual politically correct line that Marquette “needs to be sensitive to Native Americans.” He told O’Connell that he hopes he will “make the right decision” and “not make a scene.”

O’Connell, whose parents went to Marquette, feels that he is honoring the Marquette athletic tradition by wearing the headdress.

Reached just minutes ago, O’Connell said he is “thinking about it,” and “leaning toward” wearing the headdress. Of course, if he does so he is likely to be surrounded with numerous people with video cameras (or video cell phones), so any attempt to eject him will cause a huge scene.

Neither Marquette public relations person Brigid Miller nor Matt Devine in Athletics has returned our calls asking for comment. McMahon, reached at home, was unavailable for comment.

Update: Here