“North Dakota” as a Nickname Option

Recently, I have talked to a lot of people that would like the University of North Dakota to remain simply “North Dakota”. Meaning, they don’t want a replacement nickname for Fighting Sioux. I even had a former UND hockey player tell me that he likes that option the best.

I am concerned that when the UND nickname committee cuts the names down to three, they're not going to allow a vote on the North Dakota nickname option. I would caution the committee on doing that. If the committee doesn't allow the fans to have that chance to vote on "North Dakota" as an option, they're going to alienate and upset a lot of people.

Anna Burleson, Forum News Service -- The committee was split on whether to continue to play as "North Dakota," with members Landon Bahl, Chelsea Moser and Lowell Schweigert speaking out against it while Dave St. Peter was in favor of discussing it further.

"Now I think is the time for some courage and the popular choice based on what was submitted during April, obviously to all of us, if you look at numbers, is 'North Dakota,' but popular isn't always the right choice," said Schweigert, a UND alumnus and committee member.

"North Dakota" received 21 points when the committee voted on the name with St. Peter awarding 8, the most, and Bahl awarding -8, the least.

After reading this new article in the Pioneer Press, it would appear that there are some on the UND nickname committee that want to kill and quickly move away from the "North Dakota" option.

Personally, of the seven remaining nicknames, very few are very appealing. Rough Riders, no nickname and _______. I don't know.

WDAZ: What's a Sundog anyway?

Here's another news nugget. I know there are a lot of UND fans that would love to see the Sundogs nickname option go the way of the Dodo bird. Personally, I think the Sundogs nickname is a horrible replacement for the Fighting Sioux nickname.

Also, a word to UND fans, don't be afraid to let the nickname committees know how you feel on the matter.

Other nicknames don't have the uniqueness problem.

Like Sundogs, an atmospheric phenomenon when the sun hits ice crystals creating two colored patches on each side of the sun.

“We certainly think that is something that is unique to our region as well. It's going to be interesting to see how this one plays out. There are a lot of ways to be creative with it as well,” Goehring said of the Sundogs.

And there is discussion about leaving the school without a nickname.

“They had strong feelings about staying North Dakota. Whether or not that was for the old nickname, I had one gentleman comment to me and said, ‘in terms of staying unique being a school without a nickname, but just being North Dakota is way to do that,’” Goehring said. (WDAZ.COM)

Fargo Forum Letters on UND Nickname

As the UND Nickname committee works its way through the process of selecting a new nickname, people are going to chime in with their opinion. Here's just a few that I found from the Fargo Forum.  Feel free to chime in with your thoughts.

Letter: Suggested names not acceptable

By RichardBrecto from Audubon, Minn. Today at 12:47 a.m. Audubon, Minn., 58102

Having been born and raised in North Dakota and being a devoted fan of both University of North Dakota and North Dakota State University sports, I am interested in what UND’s new nickname will be.

In the “Your Opinion” section of The Forum of June 15, there were two letters recommending nicknames. One is favoring “Roughriders” and the other is favoring “Plainsmen.”

My comment regarding these names is as follows:

Grand Forks Red River High School sports teams are known as the Roughriders. I feel that it would be confusing if UND were to adopt the same name.

While “Plainsmen” might be a good name, remember that there are women’s teams, too. I suppose that they could be referred to as the “Lady Plainsmen,” but that just doesn’t sound right.

I don’t believe that either of these names would be suitable.

Here's the letters in question.

Letter: Roughriders for UND nickname and logo

By Bruce Beard from Banning, Calif. on Jun 15, 2015 at 12:23 a.m.

Imagine. A mean winter day in Dakota, heavily mantled in snow. Garbed in severe black, a landlord comes over a hill and sees a house with faint smoke rising from its chimney. In stepping off, he trips, slides down the slope, crashes feet-first through the front door and halts at the feet of a fragile old woman.

“Kind sir,” she says, “what is it you want?” “The rent, ma’am, the rent is what I’ve come for!” “Might I pay just a little this month?” she timidly asks. “Lady,” he shouts, “I’ve had rough sledding, and I didn’t come here toboggan!” In a similar vein, Jeff Willert (“Bully! for Roughriders, by far the best name,” June 11, A4) addresses the selection of UND’s new name for its athletic teams. A true loyalist, he mounts the bully pulpit and essentially declares, “It’s been rough riding, and when it comes to TR, why saddle for less?”

It’s Roughriders, by five and a half lengths! As they say in the racing business, no need to horse around.

Beard is a native of Reynolds, N.D., and graduate of UND. He taught school in Mott and Beach.

Letter: Perhaps Plainsmen for UND nickname

By Jake Lillestol from Fergus Falls, Minn. on Jun 15, 2015 at 12:21 a.m.

I see by the June 10 Forum article the University of North Dakota nickname committee has arrived at 15 ho-hum names. Except for Roughriders, none has any imagination or sense of history. As a die-hard Bison fan, I would offer what I believe is the only appropriate name for our sister/brother adversary. It is long but very appropriate to who they are. I am so thankful for the Bison name. It tells of one of the original inhabitants of North Dakota and exhibits strength. The UND nickname I propose also does. What name? – “The Plainsmen.” North Dakota has been one of the plains states since recorded history began. Everyone is aware of that – including people living in other states. Consider this thought as a UND hockey team heads out east to do battle. Who are these people? Where do they come from? They are the “The Plainsmen from North Dakota.” A Bison-Plainsmen sports battle also sounds exciting. An imaginative artist can paint this picture. Three men standing side by side looking over the vast plains. Who are they? The original inhabitant – an American Indian; next to him, a buckskin jacket clad fellow suggesting a trapper or explorer; finally the farmer who settled the land. (Just a joke – peering out of the ground could be the head of a gopher.)

More Nickname News

Now that the Stanley Cup is finally over, we can start looking at things that really matter. What to name the UND sports team. It's kind of funny watching fans of other schools enjoy our plight of picking a new nickname. Thank God that Gopher and Bison fans can't pick UND new nickname.

I have been reading some of the comments over on the Star tribune's website for the UND nickname articles. There's some beauties over there.

Some have talked about this happening over on Sioux Sports.

commonsens4u, Jun. 16, 15 11:30 AM I hope they pick Roughriders. To name themselves after a latex profylactic would make it way to easy for their opponents to have fun at their expense. I can't wait to see the look of shock on the committee's faces when condoms are raining down from the upper deck at their first home hockey game.

This reader has a great point.

King Ulsrud, Jun. 16, 15 11:24 AM What's the rest of the story? Who decides and when? By the way, other than NO nickname (North Dakota), the other six stink for various reasons. What is a green hawk?

What a clown.

hockeybias, Jun. 16, 15 11:30 AM @sibley61 I think the prophylactic product placement possibilities are endless on a college campus... And who couldn't resist staying up a bit later after the game to hear the radio broadcaster bring us "The Contempo Rough Rider prophylactic Climactic Save of the Game!" during the post game show! :)

Yep, UND has a great hockey program.

jbetcher, Jun. 16, 15 11:00 AM I think there's more interest in MN regarding the name issue than there is in ND. Call em what you will; it's one great hockey program and will continue to be a hockey power. A lot of great players have come out of the program. A number of them have their names on the Cup.

Seven is greater than five, right?

commonsens4u, Jun. 16, 15 11:31 AM @jbetcher They do have a good program. Almost as good as Minnesota, BC, Denver and BU.

Another great point, but somewhat flawed. UND needs a nickname for all of it's sports teams, not just hockey.

bisonp, Jun. 16, 15 10:50 AM @oldtimepuck @joemamasw Nah, it's gotta be hockey related. Despite the fact that the team is mostly Minnesotans and Canadians, and that North Stars is not only the name of our old team it's also our state motto and on our flag, they really don't have anything else in Grand Forks. Force was also in the mix prior to this last cut because it's the name of Fargo's USHL team. Fliers was as well. Oh, but it was spelled different so I guess it was OK. As a Gopher and Bison fan this entire process has been quite amusing.

We're Down to 7 Nickname Choices

Here it is... Tonight, the list of 15 has been whittled down to seven by the UND Nickname Committee: Fighting Hawks, Green Hawks, Nodaks, North Dakota, North Stars, Roughriders and Sundogs emerge after the meeting. According to Anna Burleson of the Grand Forks Herald.

Awarding -1, 0 or 1 point to names based on criteria such as uniqueness, linguistic ease and whether the name was a rallying symbol and representative of the region, UND's nickname committee gave "Roughriders" the most points with 48. "Sundogs" and "North Stars" tied for second place with 46 points each and "Nodaks" came in third with 42 points.

Continuing to play as "UND/North Dakota" is also still a possibility.

I would caution the decision UND makers, these are the nicknames the committee likes. This list doesn't necessarily reflect the opinion of UND fans, alumni, and or current students and athletes. Frankly, I find this list very disappointing. There were much better selections cut from the list lying on the trash heap.

Thunder Hawks and Explores are Gone

The #newnickname committee has removed "Thunder Hawks" from the running, among several others.

— Anna Burleson (@AnnagatorB) June 16, 2015

I actually thought that Thunder Hawks was acceptable. I honestly could live with explorers, too. Although, I am sure our opponents would have fun with that one. If you have young kids, you know what I am talking about. Please for the love of all things good, remove Sundogs, Spirit and Pride from the list, too.

@goon48 I suppose I can tell you one more - "Explorers" is gone as well. The full list will be in my article.

— Anna Burleson (@AnnagatorB) June 16, 2015

UND President Robert Kelley to Retire in January 2016

This news story is breaking over on Say Anything Blog and the Grand Forks Herald web pages. President Robert O. Kelley will retire on January 14, 2016. Kelley has been seen as a lightning rod by some students. During a UND hockey game on February 28, 2016, UND students displayed a large banner that read: "Fire Kelley". I guess these students will get their wish. It will be interesting to see who replaces Kelley.

From: University and Public Affairs
Date: June 9, 2015 at 11:41:03 AM CDT
To: [REDACTED] Subject: President Robert O. Kelley Announces Retirement from UND
Reply-To:
A message from UND ADMINISTRATION

University of North Dakota President Robert O. Kelley has announced his retirement, effective January 14, 2016. President Kelley is UND’s 11th president and has served in the position since July 1, 2008.

President Kelley noted that he has been considering the possibility of retirement for some time, and that the time is right to plan the transition to UND’s next president. Said President Kelley, “I am honored to have served as the President of this exceptional university for the past seven years. The University of North Dakota has made—and will continue to make—an indelible contribution to the state of North Dakota, the nation, and the world. It has been my privilege to work alongside the faculty, staff, students and alumni who make that happen. I and my wife, Marcia, who has been the University’s ‘First Volunteer,’ as well as First Lady, look forward to continuing that association for the next several months, and we will continue to follow UND’s progress with great interest and support.”

Transition and search plans for a new UND president will be announced by the North Dakota University System (NDUS) in the weeks to come. President Kelley expressed his appreciation for the support of the NDUS during his term as President. Said Kelley, “It has been a pleasure working with Interim Chancellor Larry Skogen, and I regret that I will only briefly have the opportunity to work with incoming Chancellor Mark Hagerott. I believe Chancellor Hagerott will provide excellent leadership to the NDUS and to the cause of higher education in North Dakota. I also appreciate the support of the State Board of Higher Education these past seven years.”

President Kelley added: “I also want to express my appreciation for UND’s outstanding senior leadership team. They have worked tirelessly to advance the Board’s strategic plan and the strategic roadmap for the University, Exceptional UND.”

Interim Chancellor Larry C. Skogen said, “Yesterday, when Bob and I met for his evaluation, he informed me again of his intent to retire. We reflected upon both his accomplishments and the university’s growth in many areas during his time at UND, especially in terms of knowledge and growth in areas such as the law school, medical school, and the research being done at UND, as well as continued educational programming across all disciplines. I thank Bob for ensuring the quality of these programs, and I also thank him for his leadership during the tumultuous sports team nickname change. He showed tremendous fortitude during adverse times, and I wish him the best in his retirement.”

Terry Hjelmstad, Chair, State Board of Higher Education, added, “Under Dr. Kelley’s leadership, UND’s new School of Entrepreneurship highlights the value North Dakota places on innovation. Now UND is in the company of only a few select institutions dedicated to entrepreneurialism. UND has also made great strides in the College of Engineering and Mines and its petroleum engineering program, with a 3,677% increase, which speaks volumes for UND responding to the state’s needs as well as the students. Bob saw where the attention of his programs needed to be focused to meet the needs of UND, the workforce as well as students, and I thank him for his leadership.”

During President Kelley’s term, and under the Exceptional UND strategic roadmap, the University saw unprecedented growth and progress in a number of areas, including: Academic Programs: UND’s petroleum engineering was initiated, and has since increased in size from 7 students to over 300. The nation’s first degree program in Unmanned Aircraft Systems was begun. A number of endowed chair positions were established in departments such as Music, Health Sciences, and Business and Public Administration. Significant class expansion took place in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Buildings: The renovation of the new Education Building and key portions of the Memorial Union, as well as the construction of the Gorecki Alumni Center. The expansion and renovation of the School of Law, as well as construction of the Athletics High Performance Center and the new building for the School of Medicine and Health Science also commenced. Ground was broken for Robin Hall and the renovation of the Wilkerson Commons.

Enrollment: UND saw its highest-ever levels of enrollment under President Kelley’s leadership. The University recruited its most academically-prepared freshman class, with an average ACT score of 23.8 and an average GPA of 3.4.

North Dakota Spirit/The Campaign for UND: This UND Alumni Association and Foundation Campaign was the largest capital campaign in North Dakota history, raising $324 million for student scholarships, faculty endowments, and other support for the University.

Redwing77's Nickname Post

by Redwing77

As I sit here in a Public Library study room listening to my neighbor chomping away on some sort of snack food louder than any sound you'd hear at, say, a rock concert or perhaps sticking your ears up to an airhorn....  I thought I'd chime in on the nickname thing.

First, and foremost, it isn't going to matter at all what UND does with a new nickname.  Any way they cut it, they'll get blasted.  It's the nature of the beast.  "It's taking too long" is just the first little run of snow in the avalanche if you will.

Anyways, the list.  I've removed the redundancy because, let's face it.. there's a TON of it.  Also, any name I just said "nope" to, I simply deleted as well.  No point in commenting on the ones that just don't fit.


Arctic Blaze/Arctic Force - For some reason oxymorons are cool?
Aurora - We are not a place in Maine.  We are not the given name of Storm of X-Men.  There's nothing to this nickname.  Moving on.
Aviators - I think this one is ok.  We can all don flightsuits and aviator glasses and wave orange batons in a "sieving" motion at the opposing goaltender.
Badlanders -I don't think this is as bad as people think.  However, anything with "bad" in it opens us up for taunting.  That and South Dakota has a lot of badlands too and I'd rather not be associated with them.
Big Green -  Because we want to be like Dartmouth College, right?  Nope.
Bison Slayers - I thought they were going to whittle the list down and eliminate the dumb ones?  Whoops.  One got past the censors.
Blackhawks - YEAH!!!  Let's go ahead and rename ourselves as ANOTHER analogous name to Native Americans!  This will work fine!  Right?  Guys?  Why is our name still on the list?  It's a military helicopter (because the US Army doesn't name their helicopters after Native Americans right?  Not the Apache, the Kiowa, the Cheyenne, the Navajo, Chinook, should I go on?)
BLIZZARD - This would be easy to market.  It's not a bad name, to be honest.
Cavalry - I like this one.  I wonder what would happen.  It's not a Native American nickname, but undoubtedly they'd find offense to it.  Those poor activists need something to whine about.   I think we should make this one a finalist.
Charging Nokota- Hey!  Because we didn't read what I said about Blackhawks... 
ENERGY - OOoh!  We could dress up like cheap 1980s WWF tag team wrestlers!! and no.
Flame/s - Why do "Flame" and "Flames" make the list as separate entities? Doesn't matter.  No. 
Flickertails - no.  We're not misidentified Gophers.
Force of North - the haters would LOVE this one.
Nighthawks- I like this name.  I have TShirts from this team when it was a FAILING FOOTBALL TEAM FROM OMAHA
North Dakota - My first, second and third choice. Ok, I like this too, but the activists "like" this too.  They complain that this is just like keeping the old nickname.  I want this to happen but I also want those morons to be shut out in the cold.  Keeping this keeps those bums inside.
Pride -  OOOH!  We could have rainbow flags and host parades and then when opposing fans mock us, we can charge them with hate crimes!  N-EFFING-O! We are not some platform. 
roughriders - Already High School in Grand Forks. This is out.  yup
Spirit - See explanation for 'Pride' 
STORM - too cliche' 
Sundog/s  - UHHH NO!
Warhawks - Nope.  Analogous to Native Americans.  See Blackhawks.
Warriors  - SEE BLACKHAWKS DANGIT!!!!  There's a reason why Marquette isn't known as the "Golden Warriors" anymore ya know. 
Warriors of the North - LLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEE
Wings - Strangely enough, I like this one.  I wonder why?  (still, no).
 Wooly Mammoth -No thanks to the hairy elephants.

In any case, that's my take on it.  My top three:

1.  North Dakota
2.  Cavalry
3.  tie between Badlanders, Aviators, and Blizzard

Sadly, the nickname I'd've liked to have seen didn't make the list:  Predators.  Sure, it's Nashville's team, but I think the drone is cool.

Badlanders Gains Steam in InForum UND Nickname Challenge

The Fargo Forum is having a little fun, they want to see which nickname their readers think will make it to the next round of the nickname selection process. It appears that "Badblanders" is gaining steam with the fans. You can submit your vote at this link. Don't forget to submit your vote.

From a serious angle, it's nice to see that Sundogs and the Flickertails nicknames aren't doing very well.

Thoughts on Possible New Nickname

With the list scaled down to 63 potential nicknames, I'd also like to give my thoughts on each potential one, much like Eric did.

Aeronauts - I say not. 
Aeros - This is ok. Makes sense with the aviation program, but still could do better. 
Arctic Blaze - I find this as to poke fun of the harsh Grand Forks Winters
Arctic Force - See previous name
Aurora - An aurora is a gases reacting in the atmosphere to put colors dancing across the sky. Are they implying that UND is gassy?
Aviators - Again, appropriate, but could be better. 
Badlanders -Lets just skip this one shal we?
Big Green - I dont know what to think about this one
Bison Slayers - Won't happen, but this was the first one that made me laugh out loud
Blackhawks - It's a good name, but we cant use the native american logo and the team would probably take alot of heat for taking it from the NHL team, even though two of UND's most successful alums were successful with Chicago. 
BLAZE - Moving on.....
BLAZING STARS - ok, again, moving on.... 
BLIZZARD - it's alright, but doesn't work with the Kelly green color scheme
Blizzard Dogs - Whoever submitted this, I'm sorry, but no 
Bombardiers -- I like it. Name it after a former UND captain, Brad Bombardier  
Bombers - meh. maybe. 
Cavalry - da da da da da da CHARGE!
Charging Nokota- could be worse, like Flickertails 
Drillers - no  
ENERGY - Will our logo be a power plant, or the Sun?
Explorers - lets not and never say we did 
Fighting Green - 
Fighting Greens - 
Fighting Green Hawks - KEEP AWAY FROM THE USE OF FIGHTING IN THE NEW NAME!
 Fighting Hawks - 
Fighting Sundogs -  
Fire - NO
Flame - this is a team and a university with more than one person. new name shouldn't be singular
Flames - I'll let you just think about this one for a bit. I know what they are going for here, but it wont end up meaning that to rival fan bases 
Flickertails - Yes, because I want the school to be represented as an animal that mistakenly gets identified as a gopher.  
Fliers - meh. 
Force - Didnt realize we were in Fargo now. 
Force of North - too close to the Pride of the North marching band. Let's not.
Global Hawks - Not the worst name on here
Green Bombers- 
GREEN HAWKS - MUCH LIKE THE USE OF 'FIGHTING,' GREEN SHOULD NOT BE IN THE NAME EITHER!
GREEN PRIDE -  
'Grey Hawks' - 
 Night Hawks - THE STATE BIRD ISNT EVEN A HAWK! WHY THE OBSESSION WITH THE HAWK?! 
Nighthawk- 
Nighthawks -  
Nodak - Let's just delete these next two.
Nodaks - 
North Dakota - My first, second and third choice. ******Im 100% with Eric on this one
North Force - Say this one out loud. Just do it. Sounds terrible doesn't it? 
North Stars -  Yes, lets piss off Minnesota even more with the use of the name of the state's former NHL team that moved to Dallas.
Northern Lights - Too blahhhh 
Prarie Hawks - no 
Pride -  What does this have to do with anything? 
Riders -  
roughriders - Already High School in Grand Forks. This is out.  
SNOW DOGS - Anybody see this movie? 
Snow Leopards - HA! 
Spirit - See explanation for 'Pride' 
STORM - could be worse. logo could be a lightning bolt with tornado shoulder patches.  
Sundog -  
Sundogs  - UHHH NO! 
Thunder Hawks- This is Grand Forks, ND, not Grand Rapids, MN 
Warhawks - ehhhh
Warriors  - I'm surprised this made it this far.  
Warriors of the North - Cool tribute, but it's too much to say
Wings - I hate the Detroit Red Wings, so I obviously don't like this one. 
 Wooly Mammoth - no

Why Flickertails is a bad Idea

I tweeted this same thing yesterday. For the UND fans that want the name Flickertails. This is what we're talking about. Does that remind you of anything?

This should cause people to stop and think. Ahem, do we want the University of North Dakota to referred to as Flickertails? Seriously?

By definition: A Flickertial is a Richardson's ground squirrel (Urocitellus richardsonii), or the flickertail, is a North American ground squirrel in the genus Urocitellus. Like a number of other ground squirrels, they are sometimes called Dak Rats or gophers, though this name belongs more strictly to the pocket gophers of family Geomyidae.

No! I will take a pass on this nickname as well. I am not interested in having the battle of the grounds squirrels.

God No! Please. No Sundogs

When I read this quote, I am very concerned. Seriously, I can't imagine that the University of North Dakota's sports teams could end up being called the "Sundogs". What a horrible idea for a nickname. UND could end up being a laughing stock if tagged with this nickname.

Anna Burleson, Forum News Service --- "People wanted to be unique as we go forward," he said. "I think it was important the considerations we do have are solely unique and are something that would be solely the university's."

McDonald and Bridewell both approved a form of "Sundogs" and said it was unique to the region.

"It would be marketable," McDonald said. "It would help to identify us at national level."

If you look at the 63 nicknames that are on the list, very few are what I would call acceptable. For those that don't know what a Sundog is, click on this link.

This is the definition of a Sundog - Sun dogs, mock suns or phantom suns, scientific name parhelia, are an atmospheric phenomenon that consists of a pair of bright spots on either side on the Sun, often co-occurring with a luminous ring known as a 22° halo.

Grand Forks Herald: New UND nickname committee announced

According to the Grand Forks Herald, the new nickname committee has been released. And the envelope please.

Here are the names of the people that are on the nickname committee.
Committee members: 

• Karl Goehring, UND alumnus and former men’s hockey goaltender, investment consultant at Alerus Securities, committee chair (Goehring also served on the previous task force, which recommended that the task force be represented on the new Committee)
• Jazmyn Friesz, UND health sciences student, Student Body chief of staff, committee vice chair
• Landon Bahl, UND entrepreneurship and marketing student
• John Bridewell, UND professor of aviation
• Carla Christofferson, UND alumna, executive vice president and general counsel at AECOM, Los Angeles.
• Diane Hillebrand, certified research administrator, UND alumna, grant and contract officer for UND’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences, current past president of Staff Senate and Chair of the Bylaws/Elections Committee
• Dayo Idowu, UND Chemical Engineering student and current men’s football student athlete
• Dr. Leander “Russ” McDonald, three-time UND alumnus and president of United Tribes Technical College
• Chelsea Moser, UND accountancy student and current women’s volleyball student athlete
• Lowell Schweigert, UND alumnus and football letter winner, longtime Champions Club member, former UND Booster chairman, financial consultant and business owner of Northern Plains Financial
• Dave St. Peter, UND alumnus and president of the Minnesota Twins

Grand Forks Herald: UND nickname task force hands plan in for final edits

This was an article that was in today's Grand Forks Herald. article that was in today's Grand Forks Herald. So, we move forward in the process of selecting a new nickname.

Yippy skippy, right?

One of the option to come out of the nickname taskforce has been the option to be simply being UND or North Dakota. It will be interesting to see the reception that this option receives. I have talked to many that like that option. There are those people that have criticized that option saying that it's nothing more than an attempt at clinging to the old Fighting Sioux nickname.

Anna Burleson, Grand Forks Herald – While it isn't official yet, the task force plans to recommend appointing a new 15-person committee that would begin work as soon as possible.

That committee would gather input and nickname suggestions from the general public that would then be narrowed down based on qualifications the public voted for in a November survey, including that a permanent name should be inspiring, unforgettable, honorable and representative of the region.

Depending on the number of nickname suggestions the group ultimately ends up dealing with, a series of public polls and votes would narrow down options until the task force could choose a permanent name from a small number of possibilities. The plan recommends keeping the school's current title, "UND/North Dakota," as a permanent nickname option. The school has been using the name since the controversial Fighting Sioux name was retired in December 2012 after a drawn out legal battle and the NCAA threatened sanctions.

"Rather than saying 'new' nickname, we want to finalize a name," task force co-chair and UND alumna Sheri Kleinsasser Stockmoe said.

If you're keeping up with the nickname issue, this past week, ND House Decisively Defeats UND Nickname Moratorium Bill, 21-62. That result didn't really surprise me, I think that there are many in North Dakota that just want to move on.

UND Spends $126,261.95 on Nickname Change So Far

By Eric J. Burton -- This story popped up this past weekend. I was going to comment on it earlier, but forgot.

Hey, I know the Fighting Sioux nickname is going to be changed, that's not really up for debate. However, stories like this are just going to fuel the fire on the blogspehere.

This isn't chump change and there seems to be a lot of money from UND going out to other places that aren't in the state of North Dakota.

Anna Burleson, Grand Forks Herald -- As of Dec. 30, the university had spent a total of $126,261.95 on everything the Nickname and Logo Process Recommendation Task Force required, including food, IT equipment rental, various office supplies and printing, consultants, room rentals for community forums, travel and IT systems.

The task force is considering recommending appointing another committee that, through a series of public polls, would ultimately choose a permanent name for the school. UND’s Fighting Sioux name was retired in December 2012 after the NCAA threatened sanctions.

Moving forward, university officials are hesitant to say how much they’re willing to spend on the endeavor.

According to the article a majority of the money has gone to Marie Miyashiro, president of the consulting firm Elucity Network, and Kelly O’Keefe, professor of advertising at the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter.
Thoughts?

Grand Forks Herald: Task force on Fighting Sioux Replacement Has First Meeting

#111872726 / gettyimages.com

It would appear that we have more clarity from the nickname task force. The nickname task force had their first meeting on Wednesday. Also, the nickname task force will be coming up with the process to select a new nickname for UND. That makes me happy. This is the kicker, the nickname task force's purpose is not to pick an actual nickname, they’re just defining the process of picking a new nickname. This will make a lot of UND fans less anxious.

Anna Burleson, Grand Forks Herald -- A UND task force met Wednesday to begin coming up with the process of picking a new nickname and logo for the school.

The task force won’t be picking a nickname, but will try to establish a concrete process the school will use to choose a new one after the controversial Fighting Sioux moniker was officially retired Dec. 31, 2012.

I’m not necessarily asking you to find the name, I'm asking you to identify the best pathway to get to that name,” UND President Robert Kelley said to the task force. “If we come up with a name at the end of that process, all the better, that certainly is our eventual goal, but just for right now, we're looking at the process.”

While this first meeting consisted mostly of policy discussion and planning potential meeting dates, the group had clear ideas about what it wants to accomplish.

Task force member and UND alumnus Chuck Horter stressed the importance of transparency while the task force co-chairman, Student Body President Tanner Franklin, said he wanted to make sure all stakeholders had their voices heard.

It will be interesting to see what comes out of the nickname task force. Picking a potential replacement nickname for UND is a n emotional issue. There is going to be a lot of eyes on this task force and they're going to be under some pressure to make sure there's a smooth transition to a new nickname.

The University of South Dakota

Someone posted this on Sioux Sports today... Here is the link to the Fox News web page. Before we go and bag on Fox News, this is an Associated Press story. I am sure that the same mistake could happen at the Huffington Post or MSNBC as well.