bincitysioux

Oh yeah, that's right, it was the biggest thing since the JFK assassination! That's what Coach Miles equated it to, wasn't it? Talk about blowing things out of proportion. You're probably somewhat right about that. I've been on the DI bandwagon for quite some time, but I do think that upset opened the eyes of alot those who were on the fence before.

We've just been tossing it around as a possible replacement for baseball/softball. Baseball just doesn't work this far north, (I think UND played around 45 games this year and 8 were at home) and UND's field leaves something to be desired. It is no Newman Outdoor Field. Larosse could be played in the Alerus in the spring and has the potential to make revenue, (at least moreso than baseball)

He still does. It's called "News about other Schools".

Asking for that extension in itself could be an indications of intentions to move DI. If UND were staying DII, that sudden revelation about the earlier deadline would have been more reason for Kupchella to stand pat for the time being.

I don't know if I agree with that. All the other affiliates are based in Fargo, just like Clear Channel. And unless it is game day, Clear Channel's radio coverage of UND is poor at best. I like the way WDAZ covers the Sioux.

I guess we know where Bunning stands. I find it interesting that he said he notified the NCC two weeks ago about UND's intentions to leave.

If WDAY did actually lose the rights to NDSU broadcasts, I'd imagine that Scott Hennan, also being the operations manager, would make a big push to get UND on WDAY. Sidenote: Steve Hallstrom could possibly drink himself into oblivion if WDAY lost NDSU sports.

Since there are already so many of us perplexed, I will say that I am perplexed by this:

Whattaya mean "sacrifice other programs"? Show me what programs at UND have had success at the Division II level other than Football, Basketball, and Swimming. I firmly believe these sports would be competetive at the next level. Personally I'd pay more attention to UND baseball, soccer, softball, and tennis if they were competing against Minnesota, Montana, or Northern Iowa than if they compete against Shippensburg or Upper Iowa.......even if they do lose. No, but I expect UND to be in the running for the best North Dakota, western Minnesota, and even northern South Dakota athletes. It is a fact that UND football lost recruiting battles for the top 5 to 7 athletes on their wish list to NDSU this year. And IIRC, this is the first year in several years that there will not be any South Dakota athletes joining the football team. I doubt that this is all by some strange coincidence. If athletes that UND used to recruit continue to choose NDSU or SDSU because of the DI label, that means that UND will be forced to go after the recruits that Mayville, VCSU, and Jamestown College have traditionally gone after. No offense to those athletes, but is that the type of product you think The University of North Dakota should be putting on the football field or basketball court. Stop thinking of DI as only Notre Dame, Duke, and USC. The reality is that DI is vast and includes peers of UND such as NDSU, SDSU, UNC, Montana, Montana St., Northern Iowa, Creightion, etc., etc., etc. There are alot more schools in DI that resemble UND than are in DII.

I'd say that the majority of athletes currently at UND would be unwanted by most DI schools. A move to DI would most likely mean better athletes coming to UND. What coaches? If UND remains DII, they are at far greater risk of losing Dale Lennon than if they went DI in my opinion. I don't know about Roebuck, but I'd think that after decades of domination, he'd be ready for a new challenge.

You should be able to get 710 KXMR (hockey), or 550 KFYR (football). I'm in east central ND, and alot closer to GF & Fargo than I am to Bismarck. I get both those stations loud & clear.

Forget the faculty. What we need is a petition to keep the name signed by members of the Sioux tribes.

Absolutely, I agree 100% The core of the NCC is not a problem, the scary thing for me is the possible additions that have been thrown out there. Former Dac-10 schools, St. Thomas, Winona (although I respect them alot athletically) are not peers of UND and I don't want to be regularly associated with them. Duluth was a very nice addition (considering what the NCC lost), but they are no peer of UND. USD is a peer of UND, and so is UNO. I don't consider them a "commuter school", they are the second largest university in Nebraska.

What can I say? I'm getting desperate.

Don't forget about Kupchella. Unfortunately, I think he is a major obstacle regarding DI.

I agree, I think they are very slim at this point, but............ .......The Mid-Con could very well add one or both NDSU and/or SDSU in June. UND has until July 1st to declare their intentions. If UND, coincidently with and extra $9 Million in the bank account, declares it's intentions to move to DI by July 1st, then in October the Big Sky (which is apparently more interested in adding one school rather than three at this point) is basically going to be deciding between Southern Utah and UND. Personally, I think DI is pretty much a dead duck at UND right now, but the DSU's desperation for conference affilitation could, in theory, land UND in the conference that they've both been seeking all along.

Athletically, at the very least, a portion of this generous gift should be put toward the women's hockey program so that tuition waivers can be done away with.

Heard on KNOX this afternoon that Kupchella says there is large need for Presidential Scholarships.

So now that we know what the gift is, and don't get me wrong I'm very grateful for it no matter what it is used for at the University, but what are the odds that a portion of this endowment will be used for athletics? If nothing else, the timing of this is certainly interesting. My hopes about DI have been dwindling, so right about now, I could sure use one of star2city's updated prediction/timelines!

I was looking at the pictures here. The bottom three appear to be the Wellness Center

So I take it that the Wellness Center is going to be named for these people?

The two biggest things are increasing scholarships (football would nearly double, also have to add alot of women's schollies to offset), and increased travel costs. DII is largely a bus-ride division, DI is mostly an airplane-ride division (i.e. hockey)

That's a good point that Smoggy made. I am surprised that as big an NDSU supporter as NanoBison is, that entering their 4th year of DI he hasn't seen anything good come out of NDSU's decision to go DI.

Listened to Jeff Dubay yesterday, they talked a little bit about the draft. Said Kessel's stock has dropped saying they'd be surprised if he went higher than fifth. They also said Toews would probably be a top three pick, and mentioned him possibly going #3 to Chicago and said that Chicago is on record as saying that they intend to sign whomever they draft. As a Hawks fan, I'd love to see them take Toews, but I'm not ready to see Toews leave North Dakota yet.