Marquette made a dumb move in 1994 when they changed their name from the popular "Warriors" to the lame "Golden Eagles." Instead of fixing that problem asap, they chose to suffer with a name that no one liked and everybody loved to hate for 11 years, until they finally responded to the outcry 2 weeks ago and announced that the University would again be changing its mascot. Better late than never, right? You'd think so, but not if the plan was to change the nickname to something even dumber than the "Golden Eagles."

And in this case it was dumber - way dumber. The University decided to ignore the facts that 92% of alumni identified with the name "Warriors" and that 76% of the alumni found the name "Warriors" to be consistent with the University's mission, and instead chose the name "Marquette Gold."

After widespread public outrage, University officials decided that "Gold" was one name they weren't ready to suffer with for another 11 years, and they announced that they had changed their minds and that they would not be changing their nickname to the "Gold."

Instead, the University has decided to compound their error with yet another STUPID idea - they're holding a "vote" for the new name, over the internet. In a press release to the Marquette community, University officials have declared:

There will also be a write-in option, presented with the parameters that votes for Warriors will not be counted, and that all write-in's must be consistent with both our Jesuit, Catholic mission and the Board resolution on Native American imagery.

That's right - the name that over 90% of the alumni approve of won't be an option. Never mind the fact that this whole mess is afoot only because they changed that name 11 years ago. Never mind the fact that there isn't a damned thing offensive about the name.

University officials made a bad decision 11 years ago, causing them to make yet another bad decision two weeks ago in an attempt to solve that problem. Rather than stick with that bad decision, they backtrack, looking about as decisive as a kitty in a room full of catnip. And for what? To not solve the problem again? It's one thing to come out and say "we made a mistake, we're going to pick the name everyone wants, "Warriors." It's quite another to look spineless and wishy-washy while offering a spineless and wishy-washy solution.

It has to make you wonder, just who is holding the reigns over there?

Marquette alumni need to send a message to the school and its "leadership" by politely responding with "I'm sorry - I only give to the Marquette Warriors" the next time they come calling for a donation.