Hawkster

So, any alum who doesn't like the idea of the lawsuit is supposed to just grit our teeth and keep quiet? I sat through enough poly sci classes to fully appreciate free speech. And no, your free speech wanting the Sioux logo doesn't top the free speech of the Indian Nations who are offended by it. Sorry.

I think if you look around though, you will find a lot more "9" team football conferences then "10" team conferences. I would rather have to look for the extra NC game, rather then not play one conference member every year. What happens when you skip the big rival? Sooner or later it would happen. It could also happen that you skip the team that wins the conference. You didn't beat them because you didn't play them. Far too many negatives for a 10 team conference.

You beat me to the punch, but yep, I do think that the third of a million $ we have just wasted could have been used elsewhere. By the time this goes through the endless appeals, I can see we are talking $1 million+. No use arguing the merits of the name, we've gone through this before. I just feel it's time to cut our loses and find a new logo.

Didn't have a chance to listen to the game last night, so I had to look at the blog updates. We might have lost, but hey, who ever really expected we'd get to the final four back in December? Still a good season.

Unfortunetely, blogs like this will continue until we get rid of the name, once and for all. Maybe we could retire the name and put in the trophy case beside the nickel? One look at the "Sammy Sioux" picture should tell you what the history is behind our name. I say drop the name and move on. Why be held hostage to a name by every blogger then comes along? And yes, I really am a UND grad.

It's my impression that all four schools, Duluth, Augie, St. Cloud, and Mankato will get accepted into the NSIC. Recent article somewhere had virtually every president in favor of expansion and splitting conference into two halves. I don't think having a conference with 14 members is a good idea, it's too large, but I'm pretty sure they won't ask me.

Anyone who thinks the SU's are going to leave the mid con in 2-5 years is forgetting one thing: they agreed to an early termination fee of something like $500,000 if they leave in less then 8 years. I realize a half a million bucks isn't what it used to be, but considering how they flinched over paying an up front initiation fee, they aren't going anywhere. Heck, they'll be waiting for us with open arms when we come calling to join.

It was reported on the news that the Lawsuit fund has been shut down. Sounds like they will still accept money if given, but they aren't beating the bushes for it anymore. Does that mean we can get back to the business of playing games and getting into the conferences we deserve and quit this assinine lawsuit? Pump the money into the teams, not the lawyers.

I still can't beleive how many people think UND is going to get to play in Fargo this year. If we have to beg, we don't want the game. What is so tough about that?

I hope Davis and Poly don't move up too soon. The Great West is already on the verge of dying. If the Cal schools leave before UND gets into a better conference, we are sunk.

I did infer that moving the NCC up was past and we should concentrate on getting into good conferences. I don't view the Great West as being any better then moving up the NCC in terms of the auto bid, and we have less teams and more miles to travel. I think we both do agree that the only real solution is kick @$$ so we get into the Gateway and Mid Con.

Regarding a conference, if we wanted one before we moved, we should have pushed the whole NCC up to D1, which really would have been my choice. Let the weaker teams drop out. Since that didn't happen, we now shoot for the Gateway-Mid Con in a few years. No conference is going to take any team until they are almost through with the transition. Just the way it is. Regarding the Gateway article linked here, I'd say it's a rather cheap shot to say UND was a day late and a dollar short.

to GreauxSioux, I'll admit, I'm not real happy about the timing of the D1 move, but I've decided that it will work out. No use bickering about that. The move and getting into good conference are more important. The name is another story, and I don't want it hanging over us forever. True, I'm not afraid to call things as I see them, it doesn't make me less of a fan or an alum. I honestly want to see the University move forward. I just wish the money would flow for academics like it does for sports. Problem is no one ever cheered for anyone talking a phschology test like they do for scoring a touchdown. Maybe we should stop griping about the lawsuit, the NDSU thing, and whatever other problems come up. Lets work toward getting into meaningful conferences and dominating the Great West before we move on.

I'm more interested in getting this behind us rather then fighting about it. Even if we win the lawsuit, there is nothing to keep other AD's from refusing to play UND. And, as I said earlier, we don't have the Native Americans solidly behind us. I feel it is time to focus on the D1 move up. The money going to fight the name change might just come in handy when we have to pony up $250,000 for an initiation fee. I know,it's a "separate" fund drive, but lets face it, money is money. I say finding a meaningful conference (or two) is more important.

It's that very attitude that got us into trouble with the NCAA. It's only offensive if you don't like it, RIGHT? While the "Sioux" name isn't offensive to me personally, it is offensive to many of the Lakota Sioux tribes, and for that reason, I too find it offensive and feel it has to go. I've talked to several of my classmates who feel the same as I do. This issue needs to go away, and the only way to do it change the name. Something nice and neutral. Then we can get back to the business of supporting a team with everything we've got.

Gee, is that anyway to talk about a UND alum? Actually, I'm not all that pleased about Janke. I have said this before, the name should be changed because it's offensive to some, so it should be offensive to all. I just want this thing put to bed and it's not going to happen until it's changed. Why fight the same battles for the next 20 years?

I've been saying that for awhile. Why do UND fans just keep going on about this? If you want to beat someone up about this, go bitch at Roger Thomas. He started it and then left. NDSU isn't going to give in, so why make fools out of ourselves over it. I hate to think about how much complaining there is going to be if we don't get into the first conference we audition for, besides the GWFC.

I wish this topic would just die. Why do UND fans beg for something like this. It makes us look bad and we don't need the game. Who cares? Every time it comes up, we get the Roger Thomas thing thrown at us. I hope the heck there is someone else out there to play. Concentrate on the transition and hopefully find a stable conference.

I really think this is the end of the road for the Great West. SUU will somehow get into the Big Sky, and God only knows where the California schools go, but I've got a bad feeling about this. I feel UND can and will get into a better conference, I just don't like what I see in the Great West anymore, and I never did like the Sky.

The only thing that concerns me is getting an eventual autobid for the Great West. With the XDSU's leaving, even if we get another team or two to join the conference , does this affect the core group requirements for eventual autobid? To me, it's not that important where we play, it getting into the playoffs once the 5 years are up. And no, I'm not getting my hopes up about the Big Sky, I've seen them jerk too many teams around.

I agree. I can't figure out why some UND fans think we just have to play NDSU. I've said this before, it just makes us look like we are begging. Time to move on to other teams.

It's too the point I am so tired of this name thing, I just wish the whole thing would just go away. There is no question the publicity isn't doing us any good. Would it really kill us to go to something nuetral and be done? Dickinson State changed their name as I recall and no one even remembers that any more. I know it's not what a lot of people want to hear, but sometimes the truth hurts. Besides, I want to beat the hell out of Minnesota and Wisconsin in something besides hockey.

Why do we keep begging for this game? OK, so Roger Thomas forgot rule number 1 in sports: Don't give your opponents bulletin board matterial. Yea, he should have kept quiet but that's water over the dam. Now we should just follow through with Roger's statement and find other quality opponents. Begging for this game just gives NDSU a reason to stick our noses in it. I say move on, we don't need any one game that badly.

So what the hell happened with Veldman? What possessed him to go up the river?