bincitysioux

This is about 10 days old, but here is what Steve Hallstrom had to say in his Bison Media Blog after he finished working on his feature last week about UND's DI decision. NOTE: Please do not copy and paste the entire text of articles from other sites on to SiouxSports.com. Thank you. A moderator.

Here are some more articles on DI conference happenings/possible shiftings that could all impact UND if we go Division I now, or sometime down the road. Playing ball with the WAC (Sacramento State) [url=http://www.i-aa.org/article.asp?articleid=78478]I-AA West: The Mid-Con May Play a Big Role in the Great West

Back on topic, I'll reiterate my opinion that the Big Sky will end up adding just one, and will be announced to be NDSU later in the summer or early fall. The western schools will consent to adding one Dakota school (not 3 because of travel concerns) in order to appease the Montana schools and lessen the threat of the Griz leaving for the WAC. Had the Mid-Con situation not come to fruition, I doubt that expansion would be on the Big Sky's agenda at all.

Yes but that was the only statement from Boyd in that interview that could even remotely be interpreted as a "pro-DI" comment. During the rest of the interview he pointed out the massive travel expenses that UND would incur if we were to join the Big Sky and repeatedly brought up the portions of the survey results that indicated that most respondents favored staying DII. I hope I am wrong, but it just seems to me that the UND brass is doing everything they can to accumulate enough evidence to use as reason not to make this move, starting with the "Modest Proposal" and culminating in this task force and its survey findings. I pretty much lost all hope when I saw Kupchella's interview with Steve Hallstrom and basically repeated verbatim his 2004 letter to football letterwinners...........to paraphrase, "It may make no sense at all to make this move, but emotions may force us to." To me that just reinforces my assumption that he has not changed his mind on this issue since it was first visited in 2003. Unfortunately, I fear that it is in fact Dr. Kupchella's emotions that are getting in the way of this very important issue.

Agreed. There are either going to 10 or 12 if they do expand.

I see an American Indian scout leading an American soldier. Makes me very proud to see an image of two Americans working together.

In response to the Mid-Con showing interest in expansion, the Big Sky will also show interest in expansion by asking NDSU, SDSU, SUU, and UND to submit "institutional profiles"/letters of inquiry to the league office, the same thing they did in the fall of 2004. Then they'll study the issue. With the recent comments coming from both Kupchella and Boyd, I fear that DI may be a dead issue at this point for UND . The fact that the Montana St. President is pining for NDSU, and considering the positions of the western Big Sky schools, I now think it is becoming more likely that the Big Sky will in the end expand by one, and that one will be NDSU. SDSU and IPFW will eventually end up in the Mid-Con. UND will continue to toil in DII and anchor an NCC that will add DAC schools.

He does, or has been, coaching on the floor. He was named Dirictor of Basketball Operations after this last season was over. Link. Isn't Rich Glas going to be Director of Basketball Operations at UNI?

Yep, if a neutral sports fan in Hillsboro has the option on a Saturday to go to Fargo to watch a North Dakota college take on Montana St. in football or Kansas St. in basketball versus going to Grand Forks to watch a North Dakota college take on Shippensburg in football or Emporia St. in basketball, where do you think he/she is going to go?

I respect what Miles is doing with the NDSU basketball program, but they are a long ways off from Northern Iowa. UNI is a perennial contender in the MVC, which is one of the best basketball conferences in the nation. NDSU, if they're lucky, is going to compete in the Mid-Con or the Big Sky. And I don't think that they will be perennial contenders in either of those conferences, which are both a long way off from the MVC. But again, Miles is doing a tremendous job at NDSU.

When this all began, I never thought I'd be pulling for Herbst. Jones is the most intriguing of the four candidates, and I think he's got my vote. People need to settle down about Craig Smith. I think he has enormous potential, but after thinking long and hard about it, I don't think he is ready for this job. He has done exactly the same thing at Mayville St. that Tim Miles did, were we all clamoring to get Miles to UND in some capacity at that time?

I second that motion as well.

I second that motion.

I tend to agree with star2city and the Sicatoka. I also was in the Smith camp, basically because of his connection to Tim Miles. But he is a NAIA coach with what, 2 years as a head coach? Even if DI is not on the horizon, the administration is still trying to hire a head coach for one of the most prominent universities in Division II. Miles started at an NAIA, then went to a low-tier DII school, then went to a prominent DII school, then was courted by a mid-major DI school. It's a process. I think if Smith were offered the job of Associate Head Coach at UND, he'd be foolish not to take it.

Aside from swimming & diving, most of UND's non-revenue sports struggle now in DII. Personally, I'd rather struggle against Minnesota or Kansas, than Emporia St. or Shippensburg.

That is an inaccurate statement. Football attendance is great, but it is not at a record level. When NDSU moved up, they saw a ~15% increase in football attendance, and SDSU about a 30% increase. And I'm sorry to say that interest in women's basketball at UND could be on the decline. The attendance is way, way off from their all-time highs, and that is despite going 34-1 and playing in a brand new beautiful facility (which BTW if anyone hasn't been there is a fantastic place to watch a basketball game). The biggest reason for the low attendance is because of the competition we are playing. I was at the women's game against Mayville St. That was money well spent I agree. I think basketball attendance would struggle early on (as it has for NDSU) unless of course we have a conference right away, but in either scenario, it would go up in the end, and it will for NDSU too.

They interviewed Boyd on KNOX this morning. If what he had to say is representative of the veiws of the rest of the administration, I doubt a move will be happening anytime soon.

I am also shocked at these results. I wonder if the only season ticket holders that were surveyed were hockey ticket owners. I have season tix for football, and was never contacted. I'd think that the vast majority of football, and quite alot of basketball ticket holders would be overwhelmingly in favor of going DI. I sure am. I love watching the hockey team play Minnesota, Maine, New Hampshire, etc. I want to see the Basketball and football teams do the same!

Proportiantly speaking of course, I find it interesting that UND is supposedly running a huge deficit but still shows a profit on the "manipulative" http://ope.ed.gov/athletics/index.asp site, while NDSU and several other schools miraculously generate exactly the same amount of revenue from athletics as they spend. (as reported to the government).

I disagree. Star2city is my hero, and I wish he were the President and AD of UND. You'd be surprised, he knows quite a bit.

I disagree. I think the Gophers have always been rated higher than they should basically because of the conference they play in. I can give credit where credit is due. NDSU has a good football program, they will be pumped up, the Gophers will be overlooking them, and the Bison will keep the score within 21 points. Think of it this way.........if the Sioux and Bison played this season, I think it would be less than a ten point game, either way. If you underestimate NDSU, you are also underestimating the Sioux. As far as Northern Iowa goes, I think you'll be surprised. I won't predict a win against the DI-AA National Runner-Up, that has 27 more scholarships, but I'll bet the differential in the final score will not be more than 14 points, either way!

Very nice schedule this year, as usual a tough one, even though a 6th home game would have been nice. Combined Winning percentage of our opponents is .637. Home games against Winona, Duluth, and South Dakota. USD will be biggest home game of the year (oh, sweet revenge ). Big road trips against UNI, UNO, and St. Cloud. Although I am ecstatic about going to UNI, the UNO game at Caniglia is the biggest road game of the year (oh, sweet revenge ). I'm very happy to not see anyone like Ferris St. or Mesa on the schedule. Prediction: In a few weeks UND will announce that for the second straight year there will be no increase in price for football season ticket holders. However, they will omit the fact that in 2004 there were 7 home games, 2005 there were 6 home games, and in 2006 there will be 5 home games. Damn, that 2004 season was a bargain!!!!!!

I don't think a move to DI would require doubling the athletic budget.

So if that is based on ~11,000 full-time undergrads, thats around $70-75. That's peanuts. I say double it at the very least. Better yet, triple it.

How much of UND's student fees are for athletics?