NoiseInsideMyHead

I love coming to the REA, but sitting here I gotta say it is infinitely more distinguished -- and tons classier -- without all the ads cluttering the dasher boards.

Anybody else think there is an unfortunate correlation between the ticket prices and the sheer number of unsold seats? My kid just informed me that he would like to go, but I"m thinking that the $20 tickets (back of the corners, lower bowl) are at the top of what I would be willing to spend. Shameless profiteering by US Hockey, perhaps? And at the expense of a good experience for everyone? Also, does anybody know if there is going to be a fee to park?

Current teammates. Loser wears winner's team colors and pays for lunch, per the TV crew.

New column by Tom Miller in the Herald has an, um, unfortunate title: "Johnson emergence a good sign for UND"

Turns out there is something worse than the online grammar police: the online kitchen patrol. So you know the difference between baking and frying -- hell, you probably know the difference between an oven, a stove, and a range, too -- and you somehow think it necessary to flex your domestic superiority here, of all places...

Baked. Fried. Jesus Christ, who cares? This is a sports board. Go change your tampon (or is it a maxipad, minipad, menstrual cup, or liner), and get me a beer (or is it a lager, stout, ale, or porter). You are insane (or is it crazy, loony, retarded, dumb, or annoying). And on your way home from Bed, Bath and Beyond (or is it Linens n' Things, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Kohl's, or TJ Maxx) please swing by the drive-thru and get me some French bakes.

Had KK over the Thanksgiving holiday. Drove an extra 10 miles to get 'em hot and fresh (they're packaged and sold at gas stations and grocery stores all over town)…no substitute. Sad to hear that Tim Horton is not baking everything locally. Were any of their donuts fresh? Do the Canadian locations bake in-store?

But you have to admit, the possibilities for alternate uniforms for the Atlanta Bras are endless. As are the cheer team routines.

Omaha's new scoreboard/videoboard is sick hi-res. Remember the first time you saw HD...kinda like that.

Lotso'green in the Old Market tonight. Let's hope for yet another Sioux-friendly atmosphere in the Clink. (Can the City of GF annex this far south?)

Yep. Huge, unforgivable mistake...averted. In the immortal words of Dave Grohl, "done, done, and on to the next one."

Try again, Sport. I ain't saying this is scientific, but on Google Maps, at zoom 1" = 500', from the Southeast entrance of Alerus to farthest point of paved lots south of arena, it is 3". From the main entrance at REA, that barely gets you to the southern end of the Med School building, not the south lot at the med school. The parking ramp and A-lot north of Memorial Stadium are equidistant at approximately 4.5" (as the crow files). The Memorial Stadium lot is at least 5.5". The only lots I can find within 3" of REA are the REA lots (all reserved for games), the lot at 6th & Princeton (student housing), and the Wellness Center. I am mildly amused that until this year, UND used to promote ramp usage on game nights by flashing on the electronic sign along Columbia "NO PUBLIC PARKING AT REA". So the truth was apparently okay when it was used as a means of generating parking revenue (or, GASP, serving the public!), but I haven't seen that message up there this season, and I'm pretty sure nothing has changed in the way of parking at REA. Can we please avoid the useless comparisons to other venues without some meaningful qualifications? Alerus = football = mostly afternoon games during summer and fall. Totally worthless. Besides, I know I'm going to pay $5 there and if I get there early enough, I'm literally a few feet away from the big-time donors. No such option at REA. The mall is open during the day, every day, is served by mass transit, and is ringed with free parking all within short walking distance (and I have NEVER seen those lots full). Whatever the arrangement between the University and the state regarding the operation of the buses, those aren't "North Dakota Dept. of Transp." markings on the sides, and I'm fairly sure that President Kelley chose the "unlimited local miles" and "loss damage waiver" options when he checked them out. Ownership/possession of the buses is a FIXED COST. Anybody care to speculate how the daily (all-day) operation of free campuswide shuttles does from a strictly dollars and cents standpoint? Every opinion on this thread should start with your hockey parking arrangements (i.e., whether you have a permit) and the number and ages of young and/or elderly people you take to games. If you're already parking on-site, or if you are one of the childless tough guys who don't seem to mind the brisk walk in -20 wind chills on a regular basis, I'll be happy to disregard you. Frankly, I have more respect for the anti-hockey red-stater railing against government-subsidized anything than for the coddled donor who frankly has no dog in this fight. And as for the government subsidy BS, give me a break. EVERYTHING the University does is subsidized by the State. If you want to take the short bus to Utopiaville, where that isn't the case, send me a postcard and let me know how things are. If the University cannot negotiate a fair share of athletics/gate/concession revenue to cover modest shortfalls on things such as parking and shuttles, the problem is squarely on the University. Killing the shuttle to mask fiscal incompetence is shameful.

Since it's October, maybe the University can auction off the coach's pink slip for breast cancer research. ND Strong.

Looks like Pathways to Success DO NOT lead to the Alerus Center. Student section is a ghost town. Maybe they raised the admission standards a bit too much?

Okay. You just won the Internet. Congratulations. Close down the forums, shut off the boards. It's over, Johnny. 1. You yourself getting online to complain about other people who are complaining online is an interesting tactic. Let us know how that works out for you. 2. When you say that this thread has not been productive, I disagree because if nothing else, it informed people of the decision within hours of being made public and gave people a forum to share their views and perhaps realize that they were not alone. Please note that I led with the facts (as reported by the legitimate media) in a timely manner and then presented an opinion. A robust discussion ensued, and I was taken to task by none other than Gramma (a/k/a Sioux-cia), whose gender and overall crankiness I shall never forget. 3. You need to understand that many of us do reach out to the appropriate people. We just come on here first to float various arguments as trial balloons. For example, if someone like 82SiouxGuy either doesn't like or doesn't understand what we have to say, or doesn't care, we know it is perfectly safe to then use that same argument in dealing with sane and rational human beings.

Gramma it is. And Gramma, because you (most clearly) genuinely care about how UND treats its fans, I welcome your continued participation in this discussion (which I started, for whatever that's worth). But please realize that when it come to parking, there are haves (the landed gentry, so to speak) and have-nots (the rest of us). I will therefore continue to defend the honor of well-meaning posters on this thread who have called out the 'bigwigs' and 'corporate elites' for having neither expressed empathy for, nor given due consideration to, persons directly impacted by UND's decision. 'Save your money, work harder, donate to UND and get yourself a parking permit' (a statement which I am attributing to no one) is not, in my opinion, a constructive response. Enjoy the privileges your efforts have afforded you. I certainly won't tell you how to spend your hard-earned money, but I will tell the University of North Dakota how I think it should spend its less-hard-earned money. After all, he's a big boy now, and I'm sure he can take it.

Don't pull the "traveshamockery" card and then act all innocent.

It's on, Grampa. 10,593 posts...hasn't anybody taught you what a winking smiley emoticon means? If you are insulted by anything I've said, tough. Read carefully, and don't go getting defensive...the only party that needs to be defending itself here is the almighty U of ND.

So you think we're overreacting? Fine. But are you defending the decision? Are you buying the 'transportation costs and lack of utilization' justification? What are your parking plans this season? Do you have small kids? Are you in good health? Take a stand and have a point!

What about service on the construction debt or electricity to power the lights? Hell, that thing is ALWAYS losing money. Where's the outrage?

You are coming dangerously close to suggesting that ramp parkers are shiftless and lazy. In all seriousness, though, this is not about pitting STH/club donors against everyone else. My criticism of the former has been to the extent that there is a collective lack of empathy or consideration for the latter. For fans who cannot afford season tickets, or simply do not want them, the ramp and shuttle were ideal. Frankly, when ice and snow are falling, I'd gladly trade the proximity of the UND Champions Club executive platinum supreme lot for the shelter of the parking garage. Scraping a quarter-inch or more of solid ice off my car windows is not what I have in mind after the final horn blows. If you are an REA permit holder/Champion Club donor, bully for you. Same for the 'North Dakota tough' folks who seem to think nothing of exposure, frostbite, and hypothermia. But please don't take a position on this issue because your nonconstructive opinions are meaningless. Consider this an invitation to step away gracefully. I'd prefer to keep this between the ramp users, the UND administrators/bean counters, and anyone who genuinely cares about how UND -- a supposedly "exceptional" institution -- treats its fans.

That was my initial fear when I started this thread. And until proven otherwise, I think it's a plausible explanation. Which is sad.

My understanding is that UND Parking took the concession and engaged UND's Transportation department to utilize the existing campus shuttles and drivers as an adjunct to make ramp parking feasible on game nights. UND Parking provided the workers to place cones, guide traffic, take money, etc. Paying $5-10 bucks to park that far away without the shuttle was probably never even an option. Even in real metropolitan areas, the further you get away from the venue, the cheaper the parking. The costs were therefore labor (Parking staff and drivers), and fuel/maintenance on the buses. Maintenance was probably negligible because the buses already run in continuous loops. The off-set was the incoming revenue from game-night parkers. UND could either operate the shuttle at a loss (which they appear to have been doing, by their own self-serving admission), increase revenues to break even, or try to actually make money. The question for me is, what was the extent of the loss? Not everything has to make money. Do the daily, campuswide student shuttles run in the black, for example? There are some things you can't measure on a balance sheet: customer satisfaction, doing the right thing, not having people slip-and-fall or worse in traffic or adverse weather. Not only that, the ramp is a resource that is already being underutilized. Why have it sit empty on game nights, when the shuttle for years seems to have been a good (if not perfect) complement to game night operations. I have heard it said that there were legitimate proposals to save the shuttle, and that they fell on deaf institutional ears. Maybe some enterprising sort would like to pursue that from an open records angle.

Most people already were paying for the shuttle...by parking in the ramp. In fact, a couple of years ago, the fee literally doubled and the University started offering a pre-paid plan. The only free-riders were (a) people who got themselves to the ramp via other means, and (b) UND ramp permit holders -- who, for what it's worth, were already paying for the privilege many times over. (But that's a different issue entirely.)

Let's be honest and objective about this. If you're going to compare other schools, you're going to have to look at (1) climate/weather, (2) traffic and pedestrian dynamics, and (3) availability of on-site parking in relation to capacity/attendance. Don't lump day football games in September and October together with nighttime hockey games in December and January. This is not about the ability to pay...this is about the willingness to provide an enjoyable fan experience to everyone, not just the coddled masses of big-time club donors and STH.