jedi

There is a limitation on Hak's freedom of expression. He can't say and do whatever he wants. If he actively lobbies for a cause that harms the university and stands in the way of the university's long-term vision of what's best for its athletic department, he is no longer just expressing his opinion and he can be fired for being a cancer. I am not saying it will come to that, but he's going to have to get in line with what's best for the athletic department.

I said I think Hak is a great coach and I like him. However, I don't think he is irreplaceable because UND has an elite college hockey program -- a tradition that started long before Hak came along. Hak is not a God. Of course, Hak is entitled to his opinion. But he can be legitimately fired for being obstructionist and acting outside the best interests of the University of North Dakota. IMO, the e-mail campaign he initiated in support of Al Carlson's legislation was purely about men's hockey. If he cared about other sports at UND, he wouldn't have done it.

I like Hak, a lot. I think he's a great coach, but UND has an elite college hockey program and he can be replaced. If he can't get in line with what's in the best interest of the entire school, he needs to go.

This is exactly what needs to happen. I e-mailed the members of the state board on Monday asking them to do just this. I was really disappointed to hear that Shaft didn't seem to want to do anything until there is a face-to-face with the NCAA and half the State of North Dakota (based on his comments with Scott Hennen). The SBHE/Legislature/Governor/REA have no leverage to use if such a meeting takes place except a poorly drafted law that is arguably unconstitutional.

Someone already pointed out that this is false. I think it is important to add that State Sen. Mac Schneider, who was a part of the UND football team that won a national title in 2001, was very outspoken is his opposition to the nickname law. You can read the his committee testimony here.

He needs to be served a slice of humble pie. I'm sure the NCAA would be more than happy to dish it up for him.

There are some real gems from Al Carlson in this Herald story: http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/206689/group/homepage/

I agree that this is the best course of action at this point.

This is flat out wrong.

The First Amendment applies to the government, not private actors like the NCAA and the Big Sky Conference. You would lose the farm. What is the basis for this statement? The law does not void the settlement.

Yet, no matter how idiotic you think the NCAA policy is, the organization has no reason to change it. The lawsuit settled. Game over. If the legislature had taken the time to consult a competent, unbaised attorney, it would have been made clear that the new law is arguably unconstitutional and it encourages a lawsuit that is barred by a release of claims contained in the settlement agreement between the NCAA and the State/UND. As far as your Plan B goes, if you think Hoeven and Berg are going to step up on this issue, you are going to be waiting a loooooong time. Hoeven has never stuck his neck out on a controversial issue.

The NCAA hasn't focused on UND for a while. The lawsuit settled years ago and the NCAA declined the opportunity to come to ND to revisit the nickname issue. The NCAA has moved on. It's time for UND to move on too. There is too much going for UND sports right now to let the nickname hold the school back.

Sorry bro, the NCAA calls the shots here. The State/UND agreed to settle the lawsuit against the NCAA. UND didn't get tribal approval and now the nickname must be retired.

All claims means all claims. Do you really think the NCAA's lawyers agreed to terms that would allow UND to relitigate this thing? No.

Read paragraph 1 on page 2-3 of the settlement agreement. The State/UND released all claims that were brought or could have been brought in the litigation.

The State didn't lose the lawsuit. The parties agreed to settle it without further litigation.

By your definition, Kelley and Faison are leading right now. They are leading people in a direction they don't want to go, but is actually best for UND as a whole.

People outside of North Dakota probably don't care about this debate anymore.

True story, believe it or not. Also, I am pretty sure the people who put together the Forbes rankings you cited don't do a lot of hiring. The only thing that matters is what employers think of UND. In my experience as a UND alum, people think UND is a solid school. Your comments about supporting UND show that you are obviously on this board to spout off your extreme conservative agenda. I'm not against healthy criticism of the university, but your BS crusade against state funding of higher education is better left on your blog.

In my experience, as an alum, the University of North Dakota has a solid reputation regionally. I have never, ever heard anyone with whom I have interacted professionally say either UND or NDSU is a mediocre school. By the way, Mr. Port, are you on this message board to support UND or to spread your extreme conservative ideology? If its the latter, you really should stick to blogging.

I assume most fans from both sides think it is outrageous that the Bison and Sioux don't play each other. Your comment about the legislature staying out of this is akin to saying "keep your government hands off my Medicare."

Why should the legislature not put pressure on two STATE schools? Any amount of cash either UND or NDSU would get from playing an FBS schools is trivial compared to the STATE money both schools get. I'm sick of both UND and NDSU letting egos get in the way of rivalry games. If the legislature needs to step in, so be it. The ADs at both schools have had more than half a decade to figure this out. Time's up.

Seems like a lot of people are planning to hit up the Nitty Gritty Bar. I've talked to some other people who are going there too.

Where are all the Sioux fans hanging out before the Saturday game in Madison? I'm heading there with a huge group of alums and we're trying to figure out where to pregame.