iramurphy

I am going to assume that you didn't read what was written. He wasn't working for any one in the athletic department. He obviously communicated with a lot of coaches, employees, athletes and alumni. His role was well outlined, and he did a lot to position UND to make the move to D1 with the necessary resources. There is no reason to belabor the point. I attended meetings with both of those guys present. The relationship was a cooperative one in the beginning and frankly there is no reason to air a lot of dirty laundry. I am not privy to all of the interactions within the athletic department. The issue was handled and you may certainly criticize how that was done but don't criticize the wrong people for the wrong reasons when you don't know what you are talking about. I may be wrong, but I doubt you will be brought up to speed on any of the details of this issue and can't figure out why you would really care. Better get stoked up for the Gopher AC game instead. I have a bet on the AC.

I'll take that bet and bet my house and pension. You have no idea what has gone on nor how things have been handled. Martinson wasn't "put in" Bunings Dept. He was working for and advising Kupchella. Don't get all of your info from the media or the blogs.

These people resigned long before the AD was let go. It helps if we are going to criticize someone we get the facts straight first. Before we make any assumptions based on preconceived notions consider a couple of things. Dan Martinson went to UND just like many of us. With his degree from UND, he worked in the insurance business. He was a person who had the vision and leadership to eventually create a very successful insurance company. He eventually sold this to SAFECO (if my informantion is correct) and during the course of his successful career in the insurance business and "retirement" he has given very generously of both his time and financial resources to UND. That has come without strings attached. He felt strongly UND was the "flagship" university of the state of North Dakota and we needed to continue to excel both academically and athletically so we wouldn't lose our competitive advantage in the upper midwest. He has served on a committee studying and discussing the move to D1 for the last 10yrs or so and met with President Kupchellla on a number of occasions to lobby on behalf of the move. When Dr. Kupchella asked him to help with the transition, he stepped up with more of his resources, but most importantly his time. He moved to Grand Forks and has lived in Grand Forks for about a year and does this as a volunteer. Rather than some of the cheap shots tossed at him occasionaly on this thread he deserves our thanks. He has a home on the west coast and a ranch out west (where I believe he also does some voluteer work and provides resources to help needy kids). If anyone thinks this issue was a "good old boy" issue or that there were no problems in the Athletic Dept. you a grossly misinformed. You can't have the number of people in the department (who are highly thought of) resign at the same time. Most of the coaches were unhappy and many supportive alumni were unhappy and we should be smart enough to know that there were serious problems. Lastly, when those who were your biggest supporters and most responsible for you getting the job in the first place decide you need to go( OKeefe and Harmeson), then I don't think anyone would be under the mistaken impression Dan Martinson got Buning fired. When people who have exceled all of their lives in careers like Maritinson did, that rely so much on working with people and communicating, see there is a problem, we should be thankful he asked those with the authority to look into the situation. That is what he should have done and that is what he seems to have done.

That clears up my questions I had about the Gopher-AC FB game (which was the thread topic at one time).

It was a good catch. He bobbled it but then gained control, both feet were in, butt was in, poor call. It also looked like Grover's TD was a good catch in the other end zone.

PCM has a good points but if you think it is just Wisconsin and Minnesota you are wrong. They won't look foolish to any fan base but some of ours and after a few years of lost revenue and opportunites, I wonder who would look foolish. According to some of the coaches it is an issue right now. Games against these schools are the ones that can bring in the 6 figure guarantees and are part of the budgeting for the move to D1. It won't be smart to "win the battle and lose the war" and miss opportunites to recruit kids or generate income because we can't get over the Fighting Sioux issue. It will be difficult enough to make the move to D1 without having problems we can avoid. Our opponents are on the field of play, basket ball and volleyball courts or ice arenas not in a court of law, nor at a tribal council meeting. I am not saying we should not see the lawsuit through. We should win the thing and try and come away with a reasonable settlement that allows UND to solve the issue on our own time in order to minimize the cost. If we can be awarded any damages so much the better. There is no sense in making our point, however valid, and then having higher travel costs to play further away or missing opportunites to have a better schedule because of this issue. It isn't a win or lose proposition it is a lose-lose deal. What do we accomplish if we keep the name and play Crookston or U of Mary instead of the Gophers or Wisconsin in FB, BB, VB or soccer? We will probably paly them anyway in some sports. An attorney who is very close to the situation Feels UND has a good chance of winning this suit because the NCAA didn't follow its own rules, but feels the NCAA will be able to make sanctions and restrictions stick once they follow their own guidelines . The pink locker room is irrelevant to us. I have been in it and it is unique. It isn't offensive and I wear pink sometimes and thus far don't seem to be a homosexual but I roomed with one once. He would have gotten a kick out of the pink locker room.

I agree. The Fighting Sioux and their history shoud always be part of the UND athletic teams. The cost is becoming too much.

UND is going to change the name. With the move to D1 we are having some big problems with scheduling and that includes U of Mn., and U of Wisconcisn. Both of them are in our prime recruiting areas and those kids who will come to UND to play, that might be D1 recruited walk-ons, are more likely to come to a place where periodically they will be able to go up against the so-called big dogs. They want to play rather than sit on the bench at a big school, but they also want the satisfaction of knowing what it is like to play at the highest level. The name isn't worth hurting recruiting or scheduling over. There are a number of people intersted in the Presidents position at UND who want the issue solved before they come on board. They think they will have better things to do than deal with the activists or NCAA. The NCAA has admitted off the record they screwed up with the name issue but mainly with not following their own procedures and how it was handled. They can lose the lawsuit, come back and if they follow their own guidelines, they can make it stick next time. The name isn't worth losing good candidates for president or hurting relationships with coorporations and governments who may have grant dollars. Lastly, if the Native American leaders, whomever they may be, keep focusing on the name and blaming their problems on the name issue, instead of leading their people, then indirectly it will hurt their kids and it is no longer worth the hassle. The leadership on many of the reservations is so inadequate that if getting rid of the name helps only a handful of kids then lets change and get on with life. The only way I would even consider keeping the name would be if the tribes (without prompting) came back to UND and requested the name be kept. ( I am pretty sure that won't happen). I would also require they put their money where their mouths have been and start cooperative programs for their youth to make sure the kids are healthy and safe and properly educated. I have worked with schools and programs for those kids and the kids themselves will tell you the biggest problems they have are their own parents and tribal leaders. They want to allowed to be kids. They could care less what the excuses are but they don't want to have the violence, drug use and umemployment used as excuses for dysfunctional families. They could care less about most of the cultural things until they get older. That is the sma ewith almost all kids. They just want to fit in and be kids and enjoy the same things other kids do. Unless the Fighting Sioux name can help those kids it is time to change. I have always thought it could and should be used to help reservation kids, be you can't fight the ignorance and racial bias we often face in dealing with the leadership at the reservations in order to accomplish what could have been done. It was done with respect and honor by UND, with the approval of the vast majority of Native Americans in the state and the logo is outstanding but it is going to have to change and it isn't worth fighting over anymore. I also believe the wheels of change are already rolling and the change will come within the next year or two.

What NDSU did at the D2 level and performing at the top of D2 for a number of years positioned them better for success at the D1AA level. Their reputation and traditions did indeed help with the success they have now. What makes the difference isn't that the schools competed successfully at D2 but how they went about achieving that success that makes the difference. UND will do well at the D1AA level because they are already positioned for success by how they are doing things in most programs right now. THe tradition and success of UND and the reputation of the University will be a big reason for UND's success. It isn't so much they were one of the top powers in D2 but how they became that power. The Fargo-Moorhead community got on board and have supported the move with $$$ and an upgrade in facilities. Add that to the schools athletic history and tradition and we could have predicted success. UND Alumni have gotten on board with additional $$$ and facilities have been upgraded and UND will also be successful for the same reasons.

None of this issue has anything to do with NDSU past or present. We need to take care of our own problems. It won't hurt FB recruiting nor athletics but it looks bad and the way it has played out leaves UND open to legitimate criticsim. Leave NDSU out of it. It reminds me of the parent whose kid gets in trouble and rather than dealing with their own problem child they are asking "what about the other kids?".

You must not have seen either the Gophers play nor the Sioux play. I do think UND could beat the Gophers but it would be close. I think the AC will beat the Gophers by at least three TD's and have made that bet. There are a lot of die hard Gopher fans who wouldn't bet against either NDSU or UND against the Gophers. They have been that bad this year. UND isn't as good defensively up front as NDSU this year and I think the Gophers would be able to run on us but will have trouble running against NDSU. They will have to pass to beat NDSU and I am not sure they have been consistent enough to do so. I don't think the Gophers would be able to stop us either running or passing. Why would that be a stretch? We have played them before when they were down and almost beat them and we weren't as good offensively in comparison as we are now. That was a long time ago but it was D2 against D1 before the D1AA stuff. Last year NDSU should have won and the Gophers are worse this year.

Its a college FB game, I would hope the Governor has better things to do. It will be an extra incentive to meet them every year in the playoffs as long as UND is D1AA.

Good point. Other than the Nickel and resuming the rivalry, there is no reason for them to play us right now. We didn't play them when they needed us because it would have hurt our playoff chances and I wouldn't expect them to do us any favors. I think they will resume the rivalry when it is in their best interest. They are very good this year. I think they will beat the Gophers by at least 3 TD's if not more. (I think UND would beat the Gophers this year as well). It would be a fun game to play them this year because of our speed on offense but I am not sure we could stop them either. They are a lot better than Central or Western Washington. Bohl is a better coach then the last couple of guys. Lennon would make sure we were competitive but we won't ever know because it isn't going to happen and comparing scores doesn't mean much either.

A couple of points which I think are valid. Kupchella is a former faculty guy and an academician. He did a number of things very well at UND. I think his biggest mistake was not understanding the importance of intercollegiate athletics at a University and especially in a smaller University like UND. Athletics is an important tool which should be used to improve campus life for the students as entertainment and a rallying point for building loyalties to your school. It should also be used as a marketing tool to increase the visibility of your University. We do not market our athletic teams, programs nor the successes of our student athletes a well as we should. We should also tie in our music programs and fine arts programs to build an entertainment package for the University and the community and region. The new AD and president would do well to see to it that the Marching band is well funded and well supported. It can greatly improve the atmosphere of the games and events at UND and for the community. Those kids need some sort of financial aid to recognize all of the hard work required to have a first class D1 band. The band we have does a great job but we need to increase the numbers and we need the type of band kids want to attend UND to be part of. President Kupcella, though very intelligent and honorable, missed those opportunites. I don't know why anyone's evaluation should be part of public record. In Mn. we are required to provide the public and media with a summary of similar evaluations but do not have to provide the details of someone's personal file. I believe much of that is protected by the privacy act but I am not an attorney. Bunings rating from the survey evaluation was dismal. He does, however, make some very good points in his rebuttal. The Athletic Department must have a strategic plan and mission statement and both should be referred to frequently. They should have the approval of the president so in cases like this you should easily know if you are adherring to the strategic plan and leading your department within the parameters set up by that plan and your own mission statement. You must also have and adhere to your budget. If so, it would be difficult to fire you. It is clear Buning had a number of problems. He had coaches upset with him and he had staff quitting for whatever reason. Things weren't getting done as evidenced by the gameday issues for FB referred to in a different post. To blame his demise on the "good old boys" would be a cop-out. I have been associated with UND athletics in some form or another for 37 years. I am not sure who the "good old boys" are but in most situations it is not us and it is the reason that things occur to others when we don't agree or understand. To some it is why Gino or Roger Thomas were hired and to others it is why they moved on. UND, over the years, has done a pretty good job of isolating employees from the whims of alumni and the booster groups. When you have employees, volunteers, alumni, coaches and eventually your supervisors lose faith in you then maybe you haven't sone as well as you should have. This seems to be the case and not the "good old boys". What should have occured was Kupchella should have called Buning in and let him know if he was disatisfied and was going to make a change and then negotiated an end to the relationship. It should have occured before the school year started. I know he looks to Harmeson as his right hand man, and relies and his recommendations but in the end the President needs to handle the dismissal of an AD. I also do not know what Harmeson knows nor the details of the Leave of Absence. In Mn. you cannot dilvulge reasons for the laeve of absence in many cases and with Harmeson being an attorney, I suspect he knows that. I am still puzzled at the release of the survey info but I assume it wasn't protected under the privacy act. Kupchella and Harmeson need to negotiate whatever buyout they need to do and bring this to closure ASAP. That could be what they are trying to do and are using the LOA to get this done but it seems it may have been prudent to have negotiated something this summer and made a quick and clean end to the issue. Lastly, I agree with our AC friends this has nothing to do with them or their own personel issues over the years.

You are correct. NDSU and George Ellis have nothing to do with this.

The Alumnus was not an employee. He volunteered to assist the D1 move and his role was to advise Persident Kupchella and to raise money for the move which I understand he has done very well with. Buning did not answer to this individual. If I didn't like his actions or interactions I would have told him we need to make an appointment with the president to clarify everyone's roles so there would be no miscommunication. You are correct in that if Buning was to be fired it should have been done earlier.

He was there because he coached the older guys on the 1979 team when he was a grad asst. He was also there because of his loyalty to Gene Murphy the 1979 team's head coach and one of the most respected and well liked coaches in any sport in UND history. He was there because he is and always will be a very important part of the UND family and a first class guy. That brings me to a point that I think a lot of people on need to understand. If we are going to make th D1 move we need to start paying attention to some of the things that go with being a D1 program. You don't have an announcer at your games who keeps making mistakes as to whether or not the running back is Dressler , Chappell or a variation of both (Ryan Dressler). Your announcer does not forget to introduce the Hall of Fame Team's head coach (who left his wheelchair and used a cane to walk out on to the field with his team only to be forgotten by the announcer and then only as an after thought the announcer mumbled something about Coach Murphy that most people couldn't understand. You also need to have an announcer who makes sure if you are going to announce Chappell broke the school record with 306 rushing yards you do so so the fans can hear and understand what he is saying. If the best you can do is holler "OK Sioux Fans on your feet its third and 3", you as an announcer need to upgrade before the next home game or move on. That was pathetic and embarrassing. The announcer also forgot to intrduce the family of one of the other FB coaches from the 1979 team the late Don Stoner's family. Your work as an announcer at a colleg FB game at UND starts the week before the game learning how to pronounce the names and then make sure all special events and announcements are clear. That didn't get done.

no

Chapman's problems aren't with UND or with Kupchella. His problems are that he doesn't understand he answers to the Chancellor. I believe he has pushed that issue to the limit and even Paulsen and Andrews have told him to toe the line. Getting Clayburgh off of the state board, although she was from Grand Forks, hurts him rather than helps him. She didn't like Kupchella and she was really liked Chapman. the new make up of the board will not tolerate the crap the board has tolerated from him in the past and I believe he has been told that. Chapman could have acheived everything he has without creating the conflict between himself and the 3 previous Chancellors. Paulsen, Andrews and Clayburgh were very instrumental in allowing the controversy which should have been dealt with the first time Chapman had problems with Isaac and then again with Potts and then again with Dunn. The new guy doesn't want conflict and unless Chapman creates a new problem there should be no more issues. Chapman gets most of the credit that should go to the staff and NDSU community. He has done a number of good things for them but most would have happened without him. It wouldn't have happened without the work of Inniger and his staff, the Fargo City council and the support for their athletics they get from the state and community as well as the research dollars they get both from the hard work of their faculty and the N.Dak. congressional team of Dorgan, Conrad and Pomeroy. What he does very well is he gets out and around campus and Fargo and meets and greets the right people. That is his job and he does it very well. Those are his strengths. His major weakness is his lack of integrity and problems with lack of honesty when dealing with the board and in the past with the Attorney General. His ego is the only thing I know of bigger than his ears and that I believe is a higher priority to him than NDSU.

It would be great for the athletes and for Northwood if UND's athletic Dept. would bus down the FB and hockey teams for a day to help with the cleanup. I hope the UND student body is willing to go down and help out if they are needed. Student senate should arrange for coordination with Red Cross or Salvation Army to see if they could be of help.

Weston was a pretty darn good receiver even his freshman year. He was very gradually worked into the scheme and he has improved every year but he was pretty darn good from the day he walked on campus.

$12 for youth is too much. They should be able to sell them for $5. You want kids to go and make a parnet bring the kdi along. Very few if any UND games can't accomodate 2000 kids at $5 per kid.

That is a good guess.

Heard there is a good chance another home game is close to being finalized. Good team from out east.

You are correct. You may also add UND to the same list. It will be a while for both schools but, that is the goal of the guy at UND who is spearheading the D1AA move. You can bet NDSU would have the same aspirations. One step at a time though.