82SiouxGuy

We understand that you're confused. See, not all UND grads own farms. There are more UND grads than there are available farms. So not everyone can have one. But we know that facts like this might be difficult to comprehend. And the brochure says that NDSU grads work on the farms, UND grads own them, but it says nothing about ALL UND grads owning a farm. You need to read the brochure more carefully.

Because of his history promoting NDSU it is very likely that the NCAA would consider him a booster. Therefore, his activities could still be considered violations even though NDSU has tried to create distance.

Unless you have a prior relationship with the recruit or their family, just about any effort to make contact with that recruit or their family is potentially a violation. An example of an exception would be if you were attending a game and the recruit or their family walked by. You are allowed to say hello. You are allowed to wear team logo apparel. You would probably be allowed to answer a question if they make the effort to ask. But you are not allowed to promote any college in any way past this. If you have a prior relationship there is a little more leeway, but it can still be a violation depending on the situation.

It would definitely count. The information comes from a brochure put out by NDSU. Every school has their own version and usually has it available on it's web site. You can find it here, http://www.gobison.com/documents/2013/5/30/Booster_Brochure.pdf?id=16, and more information here, http://www.gobison.com/sports/2013/4/19/compliance.aspx. I put some of the highlights in bold.

He also has a redshirt year to get healthy. If he looks like he could be a stud when healthy it could be worth a gamble to give a 1/2 scholarship to see how he heals for a year.

I'm sure that the city has site defined. No one has bothered to go and look up the city ordinance. It should be available at grandforksgov.com, I believe that all city ordinances are available.

I don't know why you would pay $10 at the Med School when you can pay $5 at Nursing and across the street at Tabula. Both of those are closer than most of the Med School parking. The ramp was also $10. That included the shuttle ride, but they didn't plan on having people park for free across the street and then ride the shuttle for free. You paid extra for the convenience. You also pay extra at Wellness and Albatross for the convenience of being closer than parking by Nursing and Tabula.

The bookstore is normally closed during game times. Yes, those spots are used for hockey parking. They are in one of the parking areas for Championship Club members. They are not open for paid parking on a game by game basis. You may be right about the Albatross lot. But they have parking set up right north of Albatross and at Bank Forward.

Since no one has done anything wrong other than upset a few people by eliminating a program that lost money, my guess is nobody. Maybe you'd like to volunteer to be fired?

A quick search shows that the parking per seat requirement for arenas, auditoriums, stadiums, churches and other gathering halls ranges from 3 seats per parking spot to 5 seats per parking spot. Houston and the state of Utah are examples with regulations at 3. Los Angeles and Gig Harbor, Washington are examples at 5. The majority of locations seem to use 4. The other way that they set a number of parking spots is by number of square feet of floor space for places like convention centers. If the facility is mixed use, like the Alerus Center, they figure the number both ways and use the higher number. But Grand Forks seems to be with the majority by using 4 as their requirement.

My guess is that the number is probably pretty standard in the industry. The city usually uses industry standards for most of those type decisions.

At the ramp the park and ride cost $10 each night round trip. I was usually alone and paid the fee myself. Maybe they think that even fewer people would park at Memorial, plus they wouldn't need parking attendants, so they could run 1 or 2 buses and charge per person on the bus instead of per car at the ramp. Fewer buses and fewer staff may cut the cost enough to make it cost effective. Of course it will probably cost families more per game than the old way.

I don't know what the season pass was at the ramp, but it has been $10 per game during the past couple of years. Before that it was $5 per game, the same as all of the other UND parking lots. At that time it was the best deal in parking because of cost, but not always as fast to get out of as some of the other lots. The current cost of parking at the Wellness Center is $10 per game or $175 per season. The new spots they opened at the Medical School parking lot are $5 per game.

I don't think it was me that said UND was exempt from the parking requirements. I'm pretty sure that it was someone else. UND has to follow all zoning and building regulations within the city so it only makes sense that they have to follow parking regulations. All state and county property within the city has to follow city ordinance. The parking at the Wellness Center, the parking around Albatross and north of Albatross have all been added since the original parking plan was set with the city. The list you posted included the bookstore, Family Practice Center and the strip mall. That's why I said that they may now actually exceed that 2,850 number if they include all of these new spots. If they exceed the required number the city would have trouble forcing UND to continue a shuttle service, especially since UND opened several parking lots much closer than Memorial Stadium since the original plan was set. As I said, UND and REA work directly with the city on these parking issues. REA consulted both the city and UND when they were looking at changing the exit plan for the parking lots this fall.

They wouldn't be in violation if they provide enough spots in other lots. The parking at the Wellness Center was added after the plan was made. The parking area at Albatross and north of there were also added after the original plan was made. The response says that the available parking sites on site "nearly exceeds" the 2,850 spots needed for the building. If you add in the spots at the Wellness Center and at Albatross and north I would guess that the number of spots actually exceeds the 2,850. Once they exceed the required number, the 2,850, any other parking they provide is beyond the requirements. In addition to those spots you have on street parking, the lot at Tabula, and the Med School lot. Originally, the only lot that UND used for the additional parking was at Memorial. That's why they ran the shuttle from there. They stopped running that shuttle several years ago when they opened up parking in the other lots. UND and REA still work with the city on traffic plans. They are currently experimenting with a new traffic pattern to try and get people out even quicker. It appears to me that UND and REA provide more parking then is required by the city.

I have pointed out parking lots within 5 blocks of the doors at REA. They include different types of options. REA has parking people that direct traffic in several different places as people leave the games. Grand Forks police stop traffic on Gateway Drive for people leaving and are used on Columbia Road and University Avenue as needed. The only time it has taken me more than 30 minutes to get home from a game, door to door, was when I got stuck in the parking ramp because of a problem with the exit gates. Between REA, UND and the city of Grand Forks they move traffic quickly to get people out. There is no obligation for anyone to provide a shuttle to the door. It's interesting that you are comparing parking at REA with one of the largest facilities in the country. It would be hard to have parking within 5 blocks for 100,000 people, so it is a little different situation. REA might do things differently if thousands and thousands of people had to walk so far. But since you brought it up, let's look at Michigan Stadium parking. All available lots within 5 or 6 blocks of the stadium seem to be permit only. That would be similar to the parking on site at REA. Except that 5 blocks from the door at UND would get you all the way to Tabula (there is enough parking for all patrons at REA within that 5 blocks). So even the elite that are paying big bucks for parking get to walk up to 5 or 6 blocks and more if they want. There are actually permit only lots that are even further than the 5 blocks. They do provide shuttle service from those lots. The ride costs $1.50 per person each way, or $3 round trip per person. That is on top of whatever the cost of the permit. The next level of parking lots cost $50 per game for parking. Plus you pay the $3 per person shuttle ride cost. So a car of 4 would pay $62 for parking and shuttle ride. There are also parking lots that charge $40 and $20 per game, plus the cost of the shuttle. $20 per game is the cheapest lot I saw listed on the goblue.com parking page. The shuttle service is not provided by U of Michigan. The service is part of the regular bus system for Ann Arbor. Not only do they provide shuttle service from the various parking lots, they provide shuttle service from the hotels and other parts of Ann Arbor. It does not appear like U of Michigan is subsidizing the operation (although they don't post financials so I can't be sure). But I'm sure that UND would be happy to continue their service if people were willing to pay $20 or $40 per car to park in the ramp plus $3 per person for the shuttle. That would solve the entire problem.

He said that "reasonable parking" was an implied obligation for WHOEVER is selling the ticket. He didn't say college facility. That's why I used 2 professional venues that were close to the Grand Forks area but that I knew had parking issues. I wasn't trying to use comparable arenas in this case. There is ABSOLUTELY NO IMPLIED OBLIGATION FOR REASONABLE PARKING, whatever the hell that even means. The parking situation is very public. If you attend games with any regularity you should know the parking situation. If you don't you aren't paying attention. The building has been open for 12 years. Plenty of parking options have been listed in this thread alone within walking distance.

This has to be a troll.

As I stated in an earlier post, retail businesses have to make parking part of their overhead. You can buy the same product in many different places. If Walmart wanted to charge for parking, Target would have free parking and take all of the customers. How many other places are offering UND hockey live and in person? Not exactly the same, is it? Have you been to Xcel? They don't have any parking dedicated to the Xcel Energy Center. They share a ramp with the convention center, it's even named after the convention center. Even if there is nothing happening at the convention center or anywhere else downtown, that ramp will not handle even half of the crowd for a hockey game. On the Xcel Energy Center web site they recommend 10 other ramps, some of them more than 5 blocks away. None of those ramps provide shuttle service to the arena. Most of them charge more than any of the parking lots around the REA, and those are the furthest away. I have paid $20 for the convention center ramp and $30 for a surface lot west of Xcel. Even the ramp at UND is within the same distance as the recommended parking ramps for Xcel and you can find plenty of parking closer to REA than that. You have a very distorted view of what most of Division I is like. There is a small group at the very top that has a huge budget and can do all kinds of things. UND has a bigger budget and does a lot more than a lot of Division I schools. As a matter of fact, they are almost exactly in the middle of 227 Division I schools according to this database http://usatoday30.us...base/54955804/1. That is in spite of being in only the second full year in Division I. According to that database UND ranks right ahead of Montana in athletic department revenue and more than 10 places ahead of NDSU. Montana State is the only school in the Big Sky with higher revenue. The first 3 schools also rate very well by having among the lowest subsidies by the school itself. More than 50% of their revenue come from tickets, donors, sponsors, etc. UND is about 80th overall among the 227 schools schools on the list and approximately 70 of those schools are from the big conferences. Montana State ranks lower with about 30% of revenues coming from outside sources. UND is still growing the program to where it is going to be. You don't get everything overnight. UND is not going to be Texas or Ohio State. PS. The list of 227 schools in the database linked above includes only public schools. Private schools will also have a wide spread in athletic department revenue and expenses with some schools ranking above UND and some ranking below UND..

The only place you ask questions is on internet forums, not exactly the most efficient way to get information. The daily shuttles are for students. Remember students, the reason that colleges exist? Not college hockey fans, but actual students. The campus is large enough now that it is difficult to get from class on one end of campus to a class on the other end of campus within the 10 minutes between classes. UND provides shuttle service so students can get from class to class on time. What a novel concept, a college providing a service to help students get to class. I'm sure that if you asked the proper people you will find that the shuttles are either paid out of student fees or another fund related to operation of the college. Either one would be another novel concept, student fees paying for a student service or a fund for operations of the college paying for part of the operations. But, why would a college waste money doing something for students? I really can't comprehend how you can try to compare a college providing services for students, to that same college losing money to help non-students go to a hockey game. And one more time I will say it, ask the question of the people that actually make the decisions rather than thinking your being powerful and holding people responsible by asking a question on an internet forum. You might actually get your answer from the people that have the full information.

Parking lots take money to build and maintain. It's expensive to move snow all winter. It costs money to paint lines, clean the lots, repair, etc. Retail businesses build that into their overhead. Using the UND parking lots for sporting events wasn't part of the original budget for those lots. And the extra traffic causes issues that need to be paid for. Places like Grand Forks are just late to the party, more and more of them charge for parking. The difference is the amount. Like I said, I've paid $20 or $30 for parking at the Final Five.

That may have been your assumption, but it has never been part of the ticket package unless you are at a high enough level of the Champions Club. It was never implied to me and I have been a season ticket holder since the building opened. Do you feel that any other venue has that obligation to provide you close parking at a reasonable rate? If you went to the Final Five at Xcel, did you feel that Xcel had an obligation to provide "reasonable parking", or did you pay whatever the prices? The closest lots were often $20 or $30. Have you gone to events at the Metrodome? Do you believe that they had an obligation to provide "reasonable parking"? There has never been a lot of parking real close to the Metrodome and the parking has never been reasonable. Or is REA the only venue that you believe has this obligation to provide "reasonable parking"? I continue to be surprised at the level of outrage considering how few people actually used the ramp and shuttle. And I don't understand why you expect other people to pay so you can have this service to attend a college sporting event. It sounds like welfare for a very limited number of ticket holders except that welfare isn't supposed to be for luxury items. I am going to miss the ride to the arena, but I understand the decision. What ever happened to common sense, or has the sense of entitlement reached this level now?

Why didn't you include all of the other sports other than hockey and maybe basketball? Providing athletic opportunities to students is part of the college experience even if those opportunities lose money. It is up to the school to determine how much they can afford to spend on those operations.. Other factors to consider in discussing non-revenue producing sports are things like Title IX and conference requirements. Providing parking or shuttle service at a loss to non-students is not normally associated with the proper operation of an institution of higher learning.

Cars and other passenger vehicles are leased based on miles. Equipment can be leased based on hours. The buses could be based on hours, or some combination of miles and hours. All leases are based on what the vehicle is projected to be worth at the end of the lease. The lease payments need to cover the depreciation and any other costs, plus usually factor in a profit for the owner. If you have an unlimited mile lease, the projected worth at the end of the lease would probably be scrap value. It would be similar to purchasing the vehicle. The only reason to do an unlimited mile lease is if there were some tax incentives to lease versus owning. I could see that being a possibility for a business. There are no tax incentives for a government department.

You seem to have missed the large parking lot behind Tabula/Christus Rex. From the southern point of that lot to the student entrance (you don't have to use the main entrance at REA) is approximately the same distance as from the south end of the Alerus Center lot to the doors at the Alerus Center. That parking is $5. For some games they have opened the small parking lot behind the Nursing School. That was $5 and a block or so closer than Tabula. You missed the parking at Albatross, north of Albatross, and at Bank Forward. Parking at all of those spots are $10 and most if not all of that is a shorter walk than walking to the Medical School (not the lots south of the Med School). You missed the on street parking south of REA and east of REA. That's free. I didn't include the Med School parking lot within my parameters because it did not fit into the distance I was talking about. But even the southern most point of the Med School parking lot is within approximately 6 blocks (and in the post I said 4-5 blocks). Very few people still park at Memorial, and not a lot of people parked at the ramp (that's why it didn't work financially). I stand by my assertion that if you add up all of the spots I listed above plus the onsite parking at REA and shuttles run from various establishments you should be able to find enough parking within 4-5 blocks (and certainly within 6 blocks) for just about any event at REA. How's that Sport? The Alerus Center is open for more than just football. They have large events held all winter and most of those are held in the evening, that's why I used that comparison. I also mentioned downtown because over the years there have been plenty of complaints about parking. The fact is that people have the perception that they are walking long distances to a point downtown if they park in the ramp or a couple of blocks away, when in fact they are often closer than if they were parked at the Alerus Center for an event. I used the mall as an example because it shows that you are not required by law to provide parking needed to serve peak crowds. They clear snow from grass fields to add parking spots during the Christmas season, and those are often full during busy Christmas shopping days whether you've seen it or not. You want to know where I park? Depending on the year, I used the parking ramp 1/4 to 1/2 the time the last couple of years. I have taken shuttles from establishments in the past, but very rarely. Sometimes I get access to a parking pass on site. The rest of the time I park either by Tabula or by the Nursing School and walk the rest of the way. I believe that buying tickets and going to hockey games is discretionary spending or a "luxury" item in my budget. The ticket price does not include my getting to the game. I am responsible for getting to the game, and the cost of my getting to the game. UND is not responsible for paying any part of my getting to the game and the Parking Office should not run a deficit on a program hauling people to the game. There are options for me to park for free on the street within a short walking distance to the arena. I just have to get there early. There are other options for me to pay $10 to park within a short distance at the Wellness Center or near Albatross. Or I can pay $5 and walk further or come later. I don't expect to have someone else pay any part of my transportation costs to the hockey game Running shuttles for students to get around campus during school hours is a completely different discussion. UND is in the business of education and the campus has become more spread out. It can be very difficult to get from a class on one end of campus to a class on the other end of campus within the 10 minutes alloted between classes. Providing a bus to help the student get from class to class on time is a reasonable cost of providing an education. And that cost is built into the cost of the education in some way. But I'm pretty sure there was no "unlimited miles" clause in the bus lease contract. Have you ever leased a vehicle (not a short term rental car)? My guess is that you haven't. It isn't the same as purchasing. Leases are built based on miles that you expect to drive and the depreciation expected on that vehicle. Most car leases are written at either 12,000 miles per year or 15,000 miles per year for the length of the lease. If you know that you are going to use more or less you can negotiate those terms. However, if you go over the number of miles stated in your lease you will pay a penalty of so much per mile. That penalty can get quite expensive. You pay a penalty because the vehicle is more used than expected and worth less than was expected. I don't know what the terms of the bus lease are, but I am positive that there is no unlimited anything written into the lease.