fightingsioux4life

People who visit Grand Forks benefit from the services provided there when they visit. Police and Fire protection, clean and safe water, roads and bridges and so on. This "friends and neighbors shouldn't have to pay for anything" bullcrap needs to stop. If you shop in Fargo, you are helping pay for their flood protection project, among other things. The Feds and State aren't providing the funds they used to for roads and bridges, so that is why local governments are pitching in more. Sales taxes are all over the place and they are not going anywhere, so please get over it. PS: Shopping online will increasingly have sales taxes applied to it, no relief there either.

This isn't a "private family matter" subject to FERPA regulations. Whether or not a player is in the line-up is fair game for public discussion.

When did that football revenue seizure start? I know it didn't start in 2001.

The arena was built to benefit UND as a whole. I would argue that isn't happening right now. The spirit of the contract is not being carried out. That is what I am getting at. And if KEM feels that it is a burden having to deal with REA and UND at all, perhaps we can negotiate an exit for her?

Don't get me wrong, I am not a big Kennedy fan on most things and I think the sooner he takes another job, the better. But UND has been getting screwed on the REA contract since it opened and that represents a violation of the original charter, which is a legal issue.

If this team suddenly starts stringing together some wins and qualifies for the NCAA tournament, it will be a shock to everyone here not wearing green-colored glasses.

This season was ruined when they got swept by something called Canisius back in January. At least I won't have to worry about a third and deciding game in the first round interfering with the NCAA Selection Show. #silverlining

I have said this before: A gift with strings attached is not a gift, it is extortion. A relationship based almost entirely on butt-kissing and extortion is not healthy for anyone (either an individual or an organization).

This is why she isn't worth all the trouble. We need a forensic accountant to look into the finances of the REA Complex to figure out where all the money goes each year. And I don't want to hear that "It's none of our business" either. All the organizations that help govern the REA Complex are non-profit organizations; thus, their tax filings are public records and cannot be hidden from view. And the REA Complex exists to serve UND's interests, not the other way around. It is time UND receives the full benefit of this complex. Not some spoiled heiress in Las Vegas.

Is everything political to you? Read the board guidelines again, please.

So in other words, KEM has promised to withhold something that wasn't in the cards in the first place? Wow, what a loss for UND! (sarcasm) #cantmakeitup

I guess both of them should be evaluated.

Way too many fingers in this pie. No wonder it is next to impossible to figure out where all the money is going.

This is ridiculous. No wonder we can't afford anything. Imagine if the City of Fargo pocketed 100% of the concessions from NDSU football and other events? This arena is one big cash machine and it was built to benefit UND, NOT REA, Inc. Also, if all this money is being put into reserve funds for upgrades and improvements, why does FB have to sacrifice 52% of its revenue for the BESC? Every penny of profit (after expenses and repairs) should go to UND. Period. End of story.

Another related thought: Why don't we cultivate relationships with other potential donors (i.e. former athletes, families of former athletes and so on)? There are many successful people who went to school here and probably would give if we reach out to them. We need more revenue streams than just season tickets, 50/50 raffles and the Champion's Club or we'll be wallowing in mediocrity and obscurity for the foreseeable future.

I get the distinct feeling that KEM feels burdened with REA. She inherited it from her dad, she didn't ask for it. She has made it clear that she did not go to school at UND and does not have the same attachment to this place that Ralph did. And I guess I cannot blame her for feeling that way. Then perhaps we can lift the burden from her shoulders and negotiate an earlier handover time for the REA Complex (REA-BESC-Practice Rink). Like I have said before, hire the firm that runs the Alerus Center and write a new usage contract that gives more money to UND (and stops the asinine practice of taking FB revenues).

Spot on.

Berry needs to make some changes in the off-season. Getting rid of Shaw would be an excellent first step.

NDSU is worse than UND, but I would rather build something similar to what the South Dakota schools have built. And I don't think Brewster is the man to get us there.

Comparing football to hockey doesn't make too much sense. But whatever floats your boat.

I was simply pointing out the thinking at the time the current REA was being designed and built. It was supposed to attract better non-conference opponents than the old REA because of increased seating (11,500 vs. 6,067). I don't necessarily disagree with you; being in the NCHC is brutal, so you don't want to load up on too many top 10 teams in your non-conference schedule. That being said, you better win those games or else you get the situation you have right now.

When the current version of REA opened, it was supposed to attract a bunch of big-time Division I programs. So much for that idea. And this thinking makes us sound like a freaking mid-major program. We are a big-time program and I don't want that to change ever.

I never said it will be easy or painless. But you cannot simply ignore problems that are difficult to solve. And you cannot be afraid to tick people off; that is inevitable when you make decisions like this.

It is time to redraw the boundaries. It is beyond ridiculous right now. Or just have a combined KnightRiders team representing the entire city.

Maybe it is time for KnightRiders boys hockey?