Matt

I always hated sausage parties.

I'm beginning to warm up to this idea. It's kind of a play on the "We are Marshall". I think "We are North Dakota", could be very effective. Consider the programs who have a nickname that's one of their schools' colors, yet for marketing purposes use an unrelated mascot that holds some significant meaning to the program: Alabama Crimson Tide uses an elephant for their mascot. I think marketing UND as synonymous with the entire state could be very effective.

Just when you thought the "SUU is not a good team" thread had died, it pulls you back in.

...sound of crickets....

This is the part that is the deal breaker for me. The idea that a future tribal council can put the issue back on their agenda so soon after the deadline and change their mind. I heard Scott Hennen interview the AG who said (paraphrase) that the tribe's decision is no more permanent than laws passed by the legislature are permanent until the next session can change them. True enough. However, in the context of ncaa policy, the ncaa certainly could consider the tribal council's decision binding for whatever length of time they choose. Any settlement should include language making the tribal decision binding for ncaa policy for an extended period of time. Maybe not in perpetuity, but certainly long enough for this issue with the accompanying emotional and financial implications it has, to rest for a while. I know the Seminole tribe has solidarity with FSU on this issue, but with the tribal politics I have seen in this state, I have no such confidence here.

The debate after the bison win over the gophs has brought up an interesting question, one that, unlike who would win a sioux-bison game this year, will in fact be decided on the field. How long will it take the football team to achieve a #1 ranking in any of the FCS polls? Will it be faster or slower than the AC?

Am I the only one that doesn't consider Jahnke's involvement in the Golden Feather club a big deal? My response was "so what".

That's a trap game, open date is undefeated and always plays tough, though not a lot of scoring.

I briefly checked ticketmaster yesterday and today, and there are at least three sections where I could buy twenty seats together for the game Sat. Not the nosebleeds either. Yesterday row G and today row N on the 10yd line. There's only one full day left. Is the hockey game hurting ticket sales that badly, or can we expect a big game day walk up?

Are there any formal performance evaluations, in addition to the anonymous 360 eval, that document Bunning's poor job performance?

That sucks.

I believe Martinsen's intentions and contributions are good. I would argue a volunteer shouldn't have nearly that much authority though. If Martinsen's expertise were necessary in that capacity-hire him! Even then it may be a mistake to have an intermediary between the president and the AD. If media reports are correct, that structure is unusual. Probably with good reason.

Dan Hammer read some of the Fargo USHL team's draft picks today and they were all from MN. Were any ND players drafted?

Aw...keep the faith...there were plenty of gator doubters last year too. Good luck, and thanks for keeping your sense of humor!

I thought the discussion was more focused on lawsuit possibilities than whether or not Buning could be fired in the first place. I think we'd all agree he can be fired, the questions come in as to whether UND has reason not to pay him for the terms of his contract, or conversely, does Buning have cause to sue for damages above and beyond his contract terms. However, this isn't entirely true... Ask George Ellis. You have to be able to convince a judge though.

My company's legal department disagrees with you. The very reason every manager, not just this one or that one, or in this department or that, get's one, is so a disgruntled employee can't win a claim the policy is unfair. That's why I have to evaluate all my reps in a uniform manner as well. Further, one would think a bad 360 evaluation is far from the only thing a contract (as opposed to employee at will) would need to get fired. 360's are anonymous after all! A rep can literally say anything about their manager. Now, a bad 360, combined with accompanying other documented poor performance reviews becomes a solid case. I suppose this would indicate a lack of consensus on this issue in employment law. Or it may also be the difference in dealing with contract vs at will employees. I'm glad you are so confident that you can write there is "no legal grounds for anything aka a lawsuit". I just haven't seen enough documentation yet to be confident either way.

I notice there isn't one example of an athletic department employee listed prior to Buning. Is he the first? With all the coaches and admin folk in supervisory roles, there has to be one 360 filed prior to Buning. If even one can be referenced, then Buning can't say he's being treated differently than both his predecessors and other department personnel. If he's the only one, then why has the athletic dept been exempt prior to Buning?

c'mon...you know the gators title hopes will die at Tiger stadium on Oct 6th in primetime for the nation to see.

None of them should be exempt. That's the point. Every manager in my company has one, including myself, and it's in their file. Where's Roger Thomas' and Gino's? Applied regularly, 360's are a useful way to get honest feedback. If it is applied irregularly, it looks as though it is a tool to steamroll somebody out; and in the wrong hands, that's exactly what they can do.

It's not very standard if he's the only AD on record at UND to have one. If that's me I'm awfully pissed off.

First, a I-A (FBS) team will not come to the Alerus. They will give UND a big payout to go there, but they will not go on the road. If a I-A has ever gone on the road to a I-AA, I've never heard of it. Second, giving App State a big payout to come to the Alerus would be a great idea, even if UND didn't make much profit from it. The buzz that game would create around the move up can create the longer term effect that you see now with NDSU. People get more excited about the program and want to be a part of it.

The Sioux should have the opportunity to play Minnesota (please note this is a FOOTBALL topic). That mess is a damn shame.

Considering you can easily find the Govenor in Chapman's suite at Bison games, he apparently does not have better things to do.