Forum of Fargo-Moorhead Gives Marlan “Hawk” Haakenson Some Leafy Spurge

Ha, not that many UND fans care what the Forum has to say on the matter. This time, they might have a point. Haakenson's stunt isn't going to slow down UND picking a new nickname. Whether we like it or not, that ship has sailed.


Per the Forum:

Leafy spurge to Former Bismarck Mayor Marlan “Hawk” Haakenson for attempting to derail the University of North Dakota’s search for a new nickname by registering trade names that are on UND’s list of possible nicknames.

It’s a going-nowhere stunt that speaks more to foolish desperation than advancing the reputation of a great university.

“Hawk,” who counts among his claims to fame embarrassing his city routinely when he was mayor, registered several trade names last week – Fighting Hawks, Nodaks and North Stars. His purpose was to keep them from UND, and thus make the difficult transition from the school’s old name to a new one all the more difficult.

In other stories. someone sent President Robert O. Kelley a bunch of nasty emails. Good Lord people.

Per the Grand Forks Herald:

In July, UND President Robert Kelley received an email from someone who wrote he or she hoped Kelley would “(expletive) die.”

It was one of several UND police think is from the same Fargo man: William Ragan. He started emailing Kelley in January about his displeasure with the school’s nickname process and retirement of the Fighting Sioux logo, officials said.

An August email thought to be from Ragan called Kelley a traitor and “waste of human tissue,” while another one in April described him as a liar.