sf340flier

Is anyone seeing the game on NCHC.tv? I’m just seeing Midco programming. Disregard...just saw it’s an 8:05 start!

Hi, looking for 3 tickets together (willing to buy 4 together) for either night against CC. Lower or upper bowl is fine. Text 218-791-5738 if you have seats to sell. I'm in Grand Forks.

I think it's pretty cheap that the Big Sky waits until now to spring this on us. They could have easily sent a letter outlining their misgivings while the house and senate were debating the issue...oh well.

+1...Awesome sign idea!

Am I missing something? Why is this funny?

I like this...you could also add the following: Macnaughton Check Broadmoor Check Hobey Check Coach of the Year Check Lucia Contract Renewel Check NCAA Champ _____

You and I can still tie for 1st place...we have the exact same brackets...we both got screwed with that UNO-Michigan overtime call.

So here are the cliff notes: 1. You show up out of nowhere and have attempted to wrap your issue (privatize North Dakota colleges) into the intense dislike of the state board (which on these boards is mostly driven by their mishandling of the nickname). 2. You continually link to your blog over and over. 3. You lead everyone to believe that North Dakota taxpayers are funding $1.2 billion for higher education. 4. I ask you to source it, you link to your blog which quotes a politician. 5. I ask for a better source, you give me the governor's budget. 6. I read it and find that the actual North Dakota taxpayers are funding about half of the $1.2 billion. 7. You then tell me it's complicated, but give me another link which shows the budget to be $1.1 billion, of which only 29% is supported by North Dakota taxes. 8. You claim that tuition, fees and room/board are a form of taxation (I guess that's what you are saying) and should be included in the $1.2 billion figure. 9. You get mad when I point out you sure post your link back to your blog a lot. I certainly could be wrong, but my guess is your readers will quickly realize that the "numbers" you like to cite are a little too "complicated" for their tastes. By the way, I like the nickname, am conservative, and I hope the legislature ends up trumping the state board. As a reader of many other blogs, it's fair to say I won't be adding yours. Don't fret, as you have pointed out, it's a little too advanced for me...you should rely on more sophisticated readers. Now, I'm going to go watch the Sioux kick some Pioneer ass!

100% completely agree with you here!

You mean, like over 70% funded by non-taxpayer sources? I don't have a blog that I can link to every other post plus my signature line, but on page 2 of the link you provide: "Approximately 29 percent of operations are supported by the state general fund. The remainder of the operations of the University System are self-supporting through tuition and fees, room and board charges paid by students, and private and federal research grant and contract collections." Some may have been viewing your major argument as the $1.2 billion was out of the tax-payers pocket. I'm sure you weren't trying to do that, right?

Look, I know you really like your own blog, but maybe you should use something else to source your arguments. And by the way? Where does US News and World Reports rank our colleges? They have been at it much, much longer than Forbes.

Well, just a quick look at the budget, I see on page 42 the following: "The executive recommendation includes a $656.8 million state-funded higher education system budget for the 2011-13 biennium." If we really spent $1.2 billion last year on Higher Education, is the Governor proposing a $600 million cut? On a side note, I see that the DPI (K-12) recommendation is for $919 million (page 41). I also see on Page 40 that Higher Education constitutes 19.7% of the overall budget, in third place to Health and Human Services and Elementary and Secondary Education (29.3% and 28.7%, respectively). I don't see the $1.2 billion that you and the good Representative speak of, but I am not an accountant and could be missing something.

Hmmm...You may be right, but I'm going to have to look at this more closely. No offense, but the blog is written by you, and the Representative was responding to someone or something. Politicians like to use numbers to support their positions. I guess when the Governor signs the budget, there should be a public copy of that...should be able to take a better look.

This could be a much better solution than disbanding the whole structure...get rid of the bad apples, not the orchard.

You may be right, and I may be ignorant, but can you source your $1 billion price tag?

Sure sounds good on paper...must be a good idea then;)

By the way, here's the structure now: ND DPI Org Chart I think the amount of new government workers would be vastly greater than what we have now. Just my two cents.

Well, what would happen is the new Department of Education would become larger to accommodate the increased mission (read: more bureaucracy) and both the Senate and House would undoubtedly form a committee (each) to handle the higher education issues. The governor would ultimately probably have to have an Education Secretary (or equivalent -- no longer just a K-12 superintendent). At the end of the day, I would wager there would be many more people on the government side deciding the fates of colleges in North Dakota. To me, that's the test of whether government will become bigger or smaller. Also, no one wants to address that this was tried once before and was a dismal failure...everyone in the state was mad.

Not stated by you, but several times in this thread, this idea was brought up. Look, college isn't for everybody. Based on national averages, North Dakota has a comparable graduation rate. To think that everyone who starts out in college here in North Dakota should end up with a degree is a little like the entitlement argument you brought up earlier, in my opinion. I mean, NDSU and UND could have a 90%+ rate if that's what is wanted...the colleges would just loosen grade standards and let everyone graduate. However, dissolving the state board could help increase the graduation rate, so if that is the goal, then I would agree. The state board, no matter how flawed, is a smaller version of government. Right now, they point the colleges in the strategic direction they think is important. The bill would return strategic control over to a much larger body of government...the legislature. Maybe, but turning it back over to the legislature has been tried before and it failed miserably. Guaranteed if this happens the logo/nickname issue would become the least of our problems. Again, I understand your points, and I think it comes down to you think the system is broke and I think the people making the decisions are doing a poor job. As you stated, reasonable people can disagree on the solution.

I know the majority of the faculty voted against the state legislation (actually, only the aviation department faculty either abstained or voted against), but unqualified? I'm as mad as the next guy over this logo issue, but I think this is getting out of control quickly. We're starting to utilize "mob mentality." In one short discussion thread we've gone from saying the SBOE President should resign, to the State Board of Higher Education should be disbanded, to all state institutions should be privatized, to North Dakota college students don't graduate (blatantly false compared to national averages), to the faculty at North Dakota's colleges are unqualified. All over one issue? And again, some people think the system is broke and want the state legislature to take over (they want bigger government to take over and solve the problem). Personally, I think the people at the Board are broke, not the system. But no matter where you stand on this issue, let's not lose our heads.

Not so sure about the entitlement concept, at least with the employees. Faculty/staff salaries/benefits in ND are still way below the national average and below their private sector counterparts (unlike states like Wisconsin and Indiana). I'm okay with that, but I don't know if I would equate the system with an entitlement (like medicaid, social security, etc.). Also, over the last several surveys, I believe I read that the students were either satisfied or very satisfied with their state institutions in North Dakota (but I may be wrong on that). The last point I would leave you with is the following question: Did you feel the same way about the system before the whole nickname fiasco? I think if the answer to this question is "no," then I would offer that this is mostly being fueled by your rightful anger over how this logo issued was handled. No matter what though, I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one.

Okay then, there you have it...politics will always be involved so let's turn everything over to the legislature because they voted the way we all wanted on this one issue. I'm telling you all, as ticked off as we all are, dismantling the structure because we don't like the people who are currently on the SBOE could lead to long-term dire consequences. I really dislike our US Congress right now, they have overspent and have made horrible decisions in recent years. Should we dissolve the US constitution and turn everything over to the President because we don't like their decisions? Or should we just get the right people in Congress? Likewise, let's look at replacing and recalling the folks on the Board rather than torching the whole system...I really think we are all forgetting how things used to be when the legislature controlled the SBOE...was not pretty!

I know everyone is ticked off at the SBOE over the logo issue (I know I am), but are we all really willing to shell the whole system over this one issue? Most states have learned that mixing politics between state schools and the governor or legislation is a bad practice. Here's one example: say both UND and NDSU wanted to create a new program covering the same degree (let's say a veterinary program). Everyone would agree there would only have to be one program in the state (to save money), but who gets it? The institution that has the most resources and expertise to pull it off? Or, the institution that happens to have the most alumni in the current state legislature? Again, maybe the SBOE President should resign, maybe there needs to be more oversight and accountability...no argument here. But please read the bill! In effect, the day-to-day operations of the colleges and universities in this state would be turned over to a very political and very bureaucratic process. Some years would be great for the Sioux, some years would be horrible. In fact, years ago, the system was setup this way and it really didn't work.

Okay everyone...calm down. No matter where you stand on the issues, no reason to wrap some Nazi hatred in the mix. It was wrong to attribute that quote to Englestad. It was equally wrong to compare Nazi's with the NCAA. Let's not forget, the Nazi's killed at least 6 million Jews (at least). If you have lost a relative to the Holocost I think you wouldn't appreciate the comparison. And by the way, I'm pro Sioux nickname, but no way would I compare anyone who disagrees with me to brutal mass murderers. This thread needs to go poof, imo.

He looked good to me on his last shift and seemed to be skating well.