"Chapman's Mansion Way Over the Top"

[MplsBison]

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/277730/

However, adding new policies may not be the answer because some violations were intentional, said board President Richie Smith.

The audit showed that North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota circumvented policies to avoid getting approval for president's office remodeling projects.

"When you have people that intentionally go astray of the policies, it to some extent doesn't make a difference what the policy is," Smith said.

Still just an oversight problem, MSP?

It's called CYA -- cover your a$$.

He's doing nothing more than using Chapman as a scapegoat for the board's lack of oversight. Trying not to share in the blame.

The policy itself is useless if you have no one enforcing it! Duh!!

You can't just throw out a policy on paper and say "yep, we documented that policy!" and expect people to abide by every letter on their own.

[The Sicatoka]

You can't just throw out a policy on paper and say "yep, we documented that policy!" and expect people to abide by every letter on their own.

They'll break it, but they'll face the consequences.

[Matt]

My expectations are a little higher for the President of the university.

[The Sicatoka]

It just keeps coming:

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/277731/

The final cost of the North Dakota State University president

[MoreSiouxForYou]

On this Board MplsBison sure wants to point the finger at the SBoHE and on the Nickname board he sure pokes fun at everyone for being upset with the SboHE.

Trolling must be fun!

[MplsBison]

They'll break it, but they'll face the consequences.

Of course. Chapman has faced the consequences, he no longer gets to be president of NDSU. Consequences faced.

Point is, if the SBoHE thinks that just having a policy is enough to stop anyone from breaking it...well they know better. It's hogwash. They've got to be out there enforcing it (read:oversight) if they expect people to follow the policy to the T.

[LeftyZL]

Of course. Chapman has faced the consequences, he no longer gets to be president of NDSU. Consequences faced.

Point is, if the SBoHE thinks that just having a policy is enough to stop anyone from breaking it...well they know better. It's hogwash. They've got to be out there enforcing it (read:oversight) if they expect people to follow the policy to the T.

Whatever happend to personal accountability? Where you grow up, mature, and understand that even though you know you could get away with something, you know it's not right and you don't do the act?

Why does it seem like more and more people in this world need to be baby-sat? Sure, there could have been more oversight. But, when do you realize that you have to own up to your mistakes? Chapman never owned up to his mistakes. He never faced the consequences as you like to believe. He quit his job. He wasn't fired. He left on his own terms. That's not facing consequences.

[MplsBison]

Whatever happend to personal accountability? Where you grow up, mature, and understand that even though you know you could get away with something, you know it's not right and you don't do the act?

Why does it seem like more and more people in this world need to be baby-sat? Sure, there could have been more oversight. But, when do you realize that you have to own up to your mistakes? Chapman never owned up to his mistakes. He never faced the consequences as you like to believe. He quit his job. He wasn't fired. He left on his own terms. That's not facing consequences.

I love it when the old-timers try to lament how "things've changed!". No...no they haven't. People are basically the same. They've always tried to bend the rules.

That's why you have law enforcement. Simply having a law on the books doesn't do any good.

[LeftyZL]

I love it when the old-timers try to lament how "things've changed!". No...no they haven't. People are basically the same. They've always tried to bend the rules.

That's why you have law enforcement. Simply having a law on the books doesn't do any good.

Old-Timers? I'm 27 buddy. It's called having morals. Chapman should have got some morals and respected the State more than he did.

Bending rules is one thing. What Chapman did was completely different. How long will the effects of what he did have ramifications against NDSU or the other colleges in North Dakota?

[GeauxSioux]

Integrity - doing the right thing even when no one is watching.

It seems to be dead these days.

[MplsBison]

Old-Timers? I'm 27 buddy. It's called having morals. Chapman should have got some morals and respected the State more than he did.

Bending rules is one thing. What Chapman did was completely different. How long will the effects of what he did have ramifications against NDSU or the other colleges in North Dakota?

What proof do you have that Chapman intentionally tried to break the rules versus just making a mistake due to the lack of oversight?

The only thing you have factually is that more money was spent than what was approved and the SBoHE's cover their butts claim that it was intentional.

[JLP157]

I love it when the old-timers try to lament how "things've changed!". No...no they haven't. People are basically the same. They've always tried to bend the rules.

That's why you have law enforcement. Simply having a law on the books doesn't do any good.

Bi-son Boy.... So when you are driving along 35W in the carpool lane, is it Law Enforcement's fault (Police, Highway Patrol, Sheriff, or even video camera) that you are not stopped and ticketed for having "Joe", your life sized inflatable doll in the passenger seat instead of a real person? You are obviously trying to bend the rules, but if you're not caught, is it just due to a lack of oversight on their part?

[Dagger]

Take the blinders off MPLSBISON, You are starting to look and sound silly now.

[Bison Dan]

Take the blinders off MPLSBISON, You are starting to look and sound silly now.

That's right und was never mentioned in the audit! They didn't do anything wrong - right?

[Oxbow6]

That's right und was never mentioned in the audit! They didn't do anything wrong - right?

No one said UND wasn't mentioned, but these "oversights" when comparing UND and NDSU with Chapman are not even comparable.

Shoplifting is different than bank robbery at gunpoint!

Joe flat out was trying to rip off the public and was taking every opportunity to circumvent and cover up his actions.

HUGE difference between the 2 schools.

[mikejm]

The offices of both presidents

[sprig]

Take the blinders off MPLSBISON, You are starting to look and sound silly now.

Happened long before "now"

[UND1983]

That's right und was never mentioned in the audit! They didn't do anything wrong - right?

Why is the Forum, The Herald, The Bismarck Tribune, 790 KFGO (NDSU's radio station), and 970 WDAY-AM all talking about this subject with a negative slant to NDSU? They all have spent 90% of their time on how bad it was on NDSU's end.

Are they ALL against NDSU in some vast conspiracy to bring them down even further than they already are?

What is strange is that the first thing out of NDSU fans mouth's was "what about UND, they did it too".

[MplsBison]

No one said UND wasn't mentioned, but these "oversights" when comparing UND and NDSU with Chapman are not even comparable.

Shoplifting is different than bank robbery at gunpoint!

Joe flat out was trying to rip off the public and was taking every opportunity to circumvent and cover up his actions.

HUGE difference between the 2 schools.

What proof do you have of that? Didn't think so.

[MplsBison]

The offices of both presidents

[Oxbow6]

What proof do you have of that? Didn't think so.

How many people do you need to hear "on the record", some being former NDSU employees, to concince you?? Good grief, short of call Joe a thief, from what I've seen and read ther is plenty of proof.

Pick up the Fargo Forum or turn the radio on 790 am in Fargo and all you'll hear is people going on the record to give "proof" that Joe was corrupt.

[The Sicatoka]

Give an inch and they'll take a mile. Human nature.

See also ...

[Oxbow6]

Give an inch and they'll take a mile. .

And that's why this country is in the mess it is. The Joe Chapman/NDSU fiasco is a microcosm of the entitlement and unaccountability attitude that has gripped this country.

Throw in all the PC BS and...

[homer]

What proof do you have that Chapman intentionally tried to break the rules versus just making a mistake due to the lack of oversight?

Bruce Frantz and John Adams both resigned or where let go and both sight "pressure" being put on them as reasons for acting the way they did. By your reasoning they must have meant pressure being applied by the SBoHE. I'm sure Joe Chapman was placing no pressure on them and telling them what to do.

[Hammersmith]

How come you guys keep letting Mpls get under your skin? Haven't you figured out he's just saying this stuff to provoke responses? If you look up 'internet troll' in the dictionary, his username is used as an example.

I would like to see you guys discussing your own university's actions a bit more. Everything NDSU officials did, UND officials did as well, albeit to a much smaller degree. Split a project up to avoid getting SBoHE approval? Check. Use creative definitions in an attempt to exclude certain costs from the total amount? Check. Use inappropriate funds to complete a project? Check. Now, the amounts of money in the UND cases often pales in comparison to the same offenses at NDSU, but that doesn't make UND's actions right, just less wrong than NDSU's.

Mpls does have one tiny little point buried amongst the garbage. The fact that multiple universities in the state were either skirting SBoHE policy, or flat out ignoring it, does suggest that some of the policies might have flaws. Maybe the $250,000 limit for SBoHE approval should be raised, as well as the $350,000 limit for legislative approval. I don't know how often those numbers are updated, so it might be that the inflation of building costs has greatly outpaced the limits. Maybe projects small enough to be handled by university staff shouldn't be required to be bidded out even if they technically exceed the SBoHE limit. Maybe the limits should be tiered so that a project requiring approval at VCSU would not necessarily require approval at NDSU or UND because the maintenance departments at the latter are large enough to handle the project internally.

This does not excuse the leaders at NDSU, UND or DSU from their actions. If there were problems, they should have tried to fix the system rather than break the rules. I'm sure this stuff has been going on at all the campuses in some way, shape, or form, but the problems at both president's houses dragged it all out into the open. I'm sure Marcil didn't have this intention when he donated the money, but his actions started a domino effect that is sure hurting all of us. As an NDSU alumnus and supporter, I really wish he had just donated his $1 million to the Barry Hall fund or the scholarship endowment rather than specifying if for a house. I am absolutely convinced that Chapman originally planned to do the same thing Kupchella did: wait until after announcing his retirement to push for a new house. Marcil's donation took that option off the table for us.