University of North Dakota nickname group to meet

Here is the latest from the Fighting Sioux nick name group.

A committee considering the future of the University of North Dakota's Fighting Sioux nickname and Indian head logo has scheduled its first meeting.

Board of Higher Education member Grant Shaft is chairman of the group. He says it will meet by conference call at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

The panel has 10 members. It includes representatives of UND and the Spirit Lake and Standing Rock Sioux tribes.

The group is supposed to talk with tribal leaders about whether UND may keep its Fighting Sioux athletics nickname and Indian head logo. The chairmen of the two tribes want UND to drop the nickname and logo.

The meeting's agenda says Shaft will discuss the committee's responsibilities and organization, and talk about a timeline for doing its work.

First step in changing the name?

I believe this might be the first step in what some of us fear is coming, the changing of the Fighting Sioux nickname. I am not a fan of changing the name but I don't see how the University of North Dakota keeps the name. Stay tuned;I will keep up with this issue and post anything related to the Fighting Sioux name.

Grand Forks Lawyer to Chair ND Nickname Committee
2/17/2009

A 10-member committee has been formed to consider the future of the University of North Dakota`s Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.

Board of Higher Education member Grant Shaft will chair the group. Shaft is a Grand Forks attorney and former state legislator.

The group`s first meeting has not yet been scheduled.

The panel includes representatives from UND`s student body, members of the Standing Rock and Spirit Lake Sioux tribes and representatives of Sen. Byron Dorgan and Gov. John Hoeven.

The members are Shaft; Ryan Bernstein, Hoeven`s staff attorney; Robert Boyd, a UND vice president; Steve Burian, a UND alumnus who heads a Grand Forks civil engineering and consulting company; and Pam Gulleson, Dorgan`s state director.

Other members are Jody Hodgeson, general manager of the Ralph Engelstad Arena; Standing Rock Sioux tribal member Tom Iron; Spirit Lake reservation resident Erich Longie; UND law student Jeremiah Lunde; and UND student Celeste Melander.

So what does a million dollars remove (Fighting Sioux logo)

When I was watching the Wild practice today at REA I got to thinking; which logos are
gone and which logos stay? What will a million dollars remove? You also have to wonder what will be put back in it's place. There will be a lot of empty space.

The Rink Rat had a pretty good post in the logo article that I wrote this weekend.
Check it out:

I've long been of the opinion that the most practical move for the University is to keep the logo and nickname, and just live with the consequences. I think they could make a pretty penny on special "tournament edition" jerseys that just have "North Dakota" on them in white script on a green jersey.

Meanwhile, the Ralph wouldn't be able to host NCAA tournament games again. No big deal: the NCAA wants more neutral sites anyway, and besides, there's no way another regional at the Ralph could top 2006, with the Sioux going to the Frozen Four and Minnesota losing to Holy Cross.

As for the other sports, well, with the transition to D-I, it'll probably be a while before any of them have to worry about hosting playoff games.

Maybe, when that becomes a concern, they could do something with hockey like what Long Beach State does with baseball. Every other LBSU team is the 49ers, but the baseball team is the Dirtbags (the fact that Jason Giambi is a Dirtbag has given me no shortage of amusement). Maybe the hockey team could stay the Sioux to keep Ralph's will happy, then they could change the name of the other teams.

Folks the logo and name Fighting Sioux are gone.

I am beginning to see the writing on the wall, as many other Sioux fans are as well. The name Fighting Sioux and the current logo are all but gone, get your jerseys while you can.

What replaces the once proud Fighting Sioux name is still a mystery and up for debate. It is no mystery that I am a wave the flag proud Fighting Sioux fan, I will always be, however, because of political correctness run a muck and feel good hand wringing **liberalism** the Fighting Sioux name and logo will be gone placed on the scrap heap of history. This ladies and gentleman is a disgrace and should not happen.

Debate & controversy There is light surrounding the Fighting Sioux logo issue - and it might come sooner than originally expected. ---Ryan Johnson
Terms of the state's lawsuit settlement with the NCAA concerning the Fighting Sioux logo and nickname allow North Dakota to seek tribal approval of the moniker until Nov. 2010. But according to North Dakota State University System (NDUS) Chancellor William Goetz, that amount of time to wait for a resolution to the issue is too long.

Goetz said in an article published by the Grand Forks Herald on Saturday that the state needs to have a plan ready by 2010 for the transition. He said the transition wouldn't necessarily be a change in the nickname, but instead some kind of compromise with the tribal leaders and state officials to make the name more acceptable.

He also stressed the emotional impact of the controversy surrounding the name, adding that the issue has been damaging for UND. "This cannot continue," he said in the interview. "We need to bring this to a final resolution."

Goetz was unavailable for comment with The Dakota Student as of publication.

UND's impact

University President Robert Kelley stressed that no matter what the transition will be, the issue should be resolved sooner rather than later.

"I think the issue here for us is what's best for the University of North Dakota," he said. "There's not much to be gained by just letting this run out until the end with a whimper."

He said he believes that Goetz's comments show that he is trying to accelerate the process in order to finish what needs to be done eventually.

"He's putting together a committee that is working with the constituents that were named in the NCAA settlement, and I think he would like to try now to push this along," he said.

The State Board of Higher Education is in charge of meeting the requirements of the lawsuit settlement, and UND is not involved with the transition effort. The state and university will eventually take action based on his recommendation.

"The university right now is neutral," Kelley said. "We're not in the mix."

In reading the first part of the article is is apparent that there is nothing new, the same stuff we have been talking about, for years ad nauseam. I do want to bring up that after the lawsuit and settlement UND fans have not had any leadership on this issue from anyone in the legislature, the executive branch nor from team North Dakota. No one has stepped up to bring this issue to a close. It is almost as if North Dakota State University System (NDUS) Chancellor William Goetz has has this issue thrown in is lap and he has been told to deal with this, bring this to a close. To say it is a political hot potato is an understatement.

So it doesn't shock me that we have come to this point in the debate. None of our elected leaders have the stomach to fight this issue anymore, most Sioux fans I have talked to are tired of it as well.

Lets be honest; team North Dakota doesn't want to alienate one of their key voting blocks so don't expect any help from Dorgan, Conrad or Pomeroy, however, by not stepping up they are also alienating another key part of their voting block; you and I. It is part of the left's divide and conquer politics and they have successfully gotten their way. I see this as a shake down and a vocal minority has gotten its way. Also, what has North Dakota Governor John Hoven done on this issue nothing.

<----------snip---------->

UND's future

Goetz also said in the interview that "all parties need to understand there will be some type of a transition." According to Kelley, whatever changes take place will require an attempt at being an inclusive step forward for the university.

He said that even if the nickname changes, it will still be a part of UND's history. "We are what we are, and we will be what we will be," he said. "If our traditions do evolve, that doesn't mean that we forget our history."

Kelley added that his role in the transition will be to ensure that everything goes smoothly in the midst of changes.

"I feel like my job depending on what the state board does is to provide leadership for the university so that all of us can move forward together, so that we come out of this strong together as a university community," he said.

He said that it will also be important for students and other groups to have some say in the changes.

"Clearly students have to have a strong voice in what we look like going forward, as do faculty and members of our community and all the different groups within our student body," he said. "I think all of us would like to have some place at the table as we decide our future, and part of my job will be to ensure that that happens."
Kelley said that he was interested in the idea of involving North Dakota high school students in the resolution process since they will be impacted by the changes as well.

This is what I think about this last part of the article, I don't think it is worthy of paper work in the bathroom, it's bull shit. This line of thinking makes my blood boil and my blood pressure spike. This is what I said about the matter over on Sioux Sports. This is a horrible idea and if this happens the alumni, students and fans of the University of North Dakota have been hoodwinked by the administration. We can not allow this to happen.

That is a bad idea, the people that should decide this is the Alumni, present students... I don't think kids that may never go to UND should have a say in the matter. In fact it will trivialize the Fighting Sioux name. This is a horrible idea. This isn't some goofy contest this is our university replacement for a historic name and logo.

People have been wondering how to pay for the million dollars it is going to take to remove the thousands of Fighting Sioux logos in the hockey arena. Let the pro-name change people send in their donations. Maybe Myles Brand would like to pay for some of it as well. Come one folks step up, make a contribution. I suppose the state is going to have to foot the bill for that as well? Some have also suggested that we are going to pay for it via increased ticket prices. I suppose that is possible?


**liberalism definition** --- when we say liberalism we are talking about the extreme left wing of the democratic party. We are not talking about common folk democrats. We are talking about an extreme left wing ideology that has gone unchecked for years and has now gotten its way. I have many great friends of the democratic persuasion and I am not including them in my rant. Those who I am talking about know who they are...

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