Michigamua rather than Indian." From the 1970s through the 1990s, Michigamua continued to induct new cadres, but its standing had declined. With the departure of Rope Day from the central campus, many Michigan students were no longer even aware of the organization. It also came under scrutiny for hazing activities banned by the Michigan Student Assembly. In 1988, two new blows challenged Michigamua's grip on its traditions. The Michigan Student Assembly voted to withdraw its recognition of Michigamua as an approved student organization, citing critics' charges of racism and elitism. And the Michigan Civil Rights Commission warned the state's universities that any use of Indian names, logos or mascots violated state civil-rights laws. In response, Michigamua promised in 1989 to drop nearly all faux-Native American references. Henceforth its rituals and nomenclature would refer only to University of Michigan traditions. Members would be called "fighting wolves" — a reference to the university's team name, the Wolverines — instead of "fighting braves." The group would refer to itself as a "pride" rather than a "tribe." There would be no more "Injun talk" in meetings. Only one explicit reference to Native Americans would remain — the name Michigamua itself, with its echo of the Ojibwe language. With these concessions, the group regained recognition as an approved student organization and fended off state penalties. In the 1990s, Michigamua tried to adjust to a new era in which multiculturalism and gender equality had been embraced as governing principles. By the late 1990s, each class included at least a few members who identified as progressive. The greatest change came in 1999 when, under pressure from university officials who had rethought Title IX's applicability to single-sex student organizations, Michigamua admitted its first women members. Tower occupation and aftermath Complaints about Michigamua and racism persisted. The university's Native American Student Association (NASA) asserted that "playing Indian" remained a part of the group's identity, at least in its name and publications, and that the group continued to improperly possess authentic tribal artifacts. In the spring of 1999, Native American students submitted requests to the administration that echoed earlier demands — better efforts to recruit Native students and faculty; a Native American studies program; courses in the Anishinaabe language; and the end of all recognition of Michigamua. Those demands set the stage for a major escalation in the long-running conflict. On February 6, 2000, some 20 members of a new