star2city

Congratulations to Bison ad Jacks fans! After a long and agonizing wait this is a major step forward for your athletic programs. For we UND fans, the ten team (rather than 12 team) MidCon leaves room for us, and there always is the Big Sky possibility. If I have a unaswered question, it is: Why did Tom Buning say this? Seems LtCol Buning is more than implying there is another option coming - like when NDSU is fully eligible and UND joins the Di ranks. So what would that be?

You are arguing in circles. If UND can't get in the MidCon or Big Sky because of no openings, then, by definition, UND would not be riding NDSU's coattails. So we are riding your coattails to conference no-mans-land? All fans need to thnk deeply (NDSU fans, at least attempt to ) about this: Why would Kupchella, as conservative as he is toward DI athletics, give the go ahead for a DI move if conference affiliation was unlikely? Kupchella, IMO, would never authorize a DI move if it meant a hopeless quest for conference affiliation. By Bison "logic", a hopeless conference quest is what UND faces.

Coaches to urge NCAA to expand tourney Since UND is now heading in the DI direction, this topic is relevant. If a tournament expansion comes to pass, it would have a number of likely effects: - the payment for a one game tournament appearance would drop by almost 50% The odds of a low seed advancing to the Sweet Sixteen drops more (three wins needed, not two). The major conferences would take an even bigger share of the proceeds. The upside would be that any team with more than 20 wins, even in the Sky, would practically be in. - The NIT would probably be gone, so there would be no post season appearance by any transition team (not that it would happen anyway). - The initial weekend, there would need to be 32 sites hosting a single-day doubleheader. REA (post-lawsuit victory) could maybe even bid.

Seems the cause of the poor schedule is likely an absolutely bare bones budget, including coaches and assistants salaries. For basketball to be competitive again, some $'s have got to be forked over by alums and/or a few big games are needed in the Ralph.

The issue of 'core' DI NCAA membership and continuity of membership criteria get awfully confusing. The Forum writer Kevin Schnepf is in error with this statement:

By choices, the eventual outcome for this round of expansioin is what is intended. The answer may not be readily apparent on Wednedsay.

Ft Wayne Journal Gazette: Schools battle for Mid-Con acceptance [url="http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=131188

Minot Daily News: Reaffirm Pott's Authority [url="http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=131012

Based on the economics and properties of bio-butanol, rather than ethanol, bio-butanol may be a profitable alternative to ethanol if CAFTA kills sugar profits. Moreover, if the butanol technology gets proven, ethanol demand for corn may diminish significantly.

Men's lacrosse and women's volleyball. Seriously, though, the two year transition makes it the perfect time to start lacrosse: all recruits would be post-season eligible in their career.

St. Paul Pioneer Press: Sioux's move up benefits recruits

Agree totally that a symbol of a blessing to one person may be misconstrued as an insult to another. Even in Judeo-Christianity, Moses uses a snake figuratively as a Christ symbol on more than one occasion:

Which is better for the gate, two games against DII, DIII, or NAIA competition (like Hamline, Mayville St., and Valley City St in the NDSU schedule) or two against UND for the one year that UND is a DII counter? SDSU fans seem to be concerned about UND getting into the Sky before them: http://www.sdsufans.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1150921064 Denver fans don't think its so "rediculous" (sic): http://board.uscho.com/showpost.php?p=2614...mp;postcount=33 http://board.uscho.com/showpost.php?p=2614...mp;postcount=11 Hmm .... you must have been reading the SDSU board, too, even though you're not a rabbit fan. You must be getting paranoid, too, as they also used the word "conspiracy".

Normally, waiting an additional year would invariably harm, or at a minimum, delay a chance to get into a conference. However, there may be an exception where a delay makes sense: I still believe the Big Sky wants UND/NDSU in the conference. But since NDSU isn't NCAA eligible until 2008-9, it wouldn't be beneficial to the Sky until at least one of the two of us are eligible. Fullerton has implied in the past that the ND schools need to be "patient". Some have interpreted that to mean when Sac St and/or Portland St are gone. But my interpretation is "patient" means when NDSU is eligible. If the Sky were to add a UND/NDSU combo for the 2008-9 season, UND would have a totally seamless transition to DI. By having the exploratory year as 20007-8, the financials benefits to UND would be huge, as it wouldn't have to endure a quixotic independent schedule in any revenue sport for that school year. UND's season ticket bases could actually grow, instead of decline as the did for NDSU and SDSU basketball in their 2nd year of transition. Expansion predictions: MidCOn next week - the MidCon badly needs more core members to retain its autobid status. A loss of one more core school could be a fatal blow. IPFW and UTPA are the only 'core' member possiblities. NDSU, SDSU, and Utah Valley are other schools available. The MidCOn will add IPFW, UTPA, and possibly SDSU. Big Sky next fall - Fullerton has gone on record as saying it is possible that up to three members of the BSC will be lost to the WAC over the next several years. For the Big Sky to maintain its autobid, it would need to add at least one more 'core' member. The only DI 'core' members that might have interest are Denver and Southern Utah. Getting one or the other school is absolutely critical to the future of the Big Sky. Since SUU has some major opposition, Denver is being courted big time and is likely being offered incentives. To make the move, Denver wants rivals, such as UND aboard, and its wants the Sky to drop the 'all sports' requirements. Both requests will be granted, and the Sky will add Denver, NDSU, and UND for the 2008-9 season.

Nick Coleman continues his vendetta against UND: Why does UND insist on being so hardheaded?

ETHANOL: Officials: You cane not beet sugar If not ethanol, why not butanol? Dupont, BP join to produce biofuels

Even if 10% of that oil was recoverable, the $70 / barrel may not cover the cost of recovery. It would likely help if huge quantities of CO2 was injected into the Bakken formation. But where could we get CO2? Synergies between Futuregen and Bakken Formation ?

I believe Tarleton State declared an exploaratory year, but then withdrew it before the exploratory year began.

That has to be a major reason. But why would have UND asked for the July 1st extension to declare an exploratory year? But it also implies a number of other issues: a conference affiliation isn't depedent on an immediate decision, there's no 'hard' monetary commitments, the lack of postseason hosting for the next two years isn't a major consideration, and the football alumns seemingly don't have that much pull.

States Vie for Next-Generation Power Plant North Dakota's bid site will be at Gascoyne, near Scranton, where a major power plant had recently been proposed but was later pulled. With limited emissions, air permitting issues should not nearly be as difficult, even with the proximity to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. One would hope that some of the CO2 could be sold to the oil industry to help with extraction, but that might be outside the scope of the project.

UND's nickname lawsuit could harm North Dakota Can't help but to comment on todays Mike Jacobs op-ed: The tide of history, Mr Jacobs, is toward freedom. This is a freedom issue, Mr. Jacobs, and you are supporting tyranny. In the small world of newspaper publishers and editorial writers, poor Mr. Jacobs' reputation has been besmerched by the action of his beloved university. Mr Jacobs' opinion pieces and their logic have failed to win over support to his worldview, so, since we don't agree with him, we now are of "ill repute". Perhaps your own heart needs examining, Mr Jacobs, for issues like pride. Without a doubt there are Sioux nickname supporters who don't have the correct heart about this. But clearly, Mr Jacobs, there are many nickname opponents that have misguided cultural and intellectual views that prejudice their feelings. Let's hear the testimony in your paper, just once, of those who say it fosters respect and diversity. Let's hear the testimony that uses logic, not feelings. Mr. Jacobs, you will be surprised how, in the end, this issue will bless UND and North Dakota. Logic and reasoning, the very reason UND exists, support an appeal. Through logic, one can obtain truth. Truth wins, in the end.

Maybe the most difficult issue for Bison fans in this issue is the one of the tenants of their faith: that NDSU leadership can do no wrong (doctrine of inerrancy of the NDSU presidency) is being publicly challenged. No one at UND blindly puts their trust in Kupchella, he's merely somehow we hope and pray will do the right thing for our university. Somehow, Bison fans have practically elevated Chapman to a demigod status.

Funny how UND is always the scapegoat - like somehow Twamley Hall is the dark tower controlling all actions in North Dakota. Thought you agreed that type of thinking is narrow minded and self-revealing, tony?

Doubt women's lacrosse would ever "compete" for fans like men's baseball there. But Lax is s catching on with the high schools in Florida.

There has been rumors for some time about Chapman's behavior: pulling political strings to get what he wants no matter the casualties in ND beyond NDSU. Have to wonder if the legislature won't get involved in this - especially with the possible violation of open meetings law by the Board of Higher Education, likely engineered by Chapman and John Q. Paulsen to get rid of Potts. Another question to be answered: Did Chapman agree to withdraw from consideration for the U of Wyoming job if Paulsen et. al. got rid of Potts.