"Chapman's Mansion Way Over the Top"

[The Sicatoka]

You know, I'm surprised that pointing out Tu-Uyen Tran's blog didn't draw more ire from the NDSU "Cleopatras" that show up here.

I see the Cleopatras found Tran's blog.

The NDSU "Cleopatras" ... the Queens of Denial.

And with the new moniker comes their new fight song.

[MplsBison]

NDSU supporters are still looking thru rose colored glasses when it comes to the mishandling of finances at NDSU by Chapman. They just won't accept what is right in front of their eyes. Their is a black cloud hanging over Fargo and everyone in the state can see it except Bison backers. It is no wonder Chapman left his administration and the state with his tail between his legs. Even with all the corruption NDSU gave him a boatload of money as he was leaving. The whole fiasco is really sad.

Please present your evidence that Chapman intentionally did something that would result in a negative effect for NDSU.

You have nothing, of course.

No one has anything.

But it's the popular thing to do.

[The Sicatoka]

From Tu-Uyen Tran's blog:

Now there's another thing that Dr. Hanson brought up that didn't have a great deal to do with the $2.5 million shortfall. That's the president's local fund and the piddly-dinky $3,704 deficit in it. A local fund is made up of money raised locally -- parking fees, etc. -- and not appropriated by the Legislature. The president's local fund is the one that he has at his discretion while other local funds have other uses.

Now, as board member Duaine Espegard noted, the reason the deficit is so tiny is because of a massive transfer of cash -- $2.3 million -- from those other local funds to the president's local fund. Where the money came from is still not known to the board because Dr. Hanson has to produce that report. The way he described it, it's just bunches of funds from really big to really tiny, like the girls' volleyball team T-shirt sales fund, so it might be a lot of work finding out where it all came from.

Why would Dr. Hanson bring up a fund that seemingly is just fine in that it is under $4000 in the red?

Why bring that up when you're looking at $2,500,000 in the red?

It might be nothing; it might be damning.

Either way, Dr. Hanson brought it up. Very interesting. And ...

Either way ... seems not all the "other shoes" have dropped ... yet.

[MplsBison]

From Tu-Uyen Tran's blog:

Why would Dr. Hanson bring up a fund that seemingly is just fine in that it is under $4000 in the red?

Why bring that up when you're looking at $2,500,000 in the red?

It might be nothing; it might be damning.

Either way, Dr. Hanson brought it up. Very interesting. And ...

Either way ... seems not all the "other shoes" have dropped ... yet.

But here's the thing...why do you want them to drop? Why are you hoping there is something more?

How is it possible that a sports rivalry between NDSU and UND could cause you to become so hateful and bitter as to hope for the personal destruction of a former NDSU president?

It makes no sense to me...

[VMeister]

Either way ... seems not all the "other shoes" have dropped ... yet.

Whiskey Joe = Centipede?

[Oxbow6]

But here's the thing...why do you want them to drop? Why are you hoping there is something more?

It makes no sense to me...

The faculty, employees and students of NDSU, as well as the general taxpaying public (which includes myself) are probably looking for the TRUTH.

$1.8 mil shortfall now is at $2.5 mil. Money being shifted from "fund" to "fund" at NDSU.

And it makes no sense to you as to why some people want to know the truth about these issues at NDSU?

[LB#11]

How is it possible that a sports rivalry between NDSU and UND could cause you to become so hateful and bitter as to hope for the personal destruction of a former NDSU president?

You are a funny guy, how do you get that out of what Tu-Uyen Tran reported? He simply reported facts...I think the personal destruction of Joe Chapman was caused by Mr. Chapman.

[The Sicatoka]

But here's the thing...why do you want them to drop? Why are you hoping there is something more?

As a taxpayer in the state of ND, hoping they don't exist.

But, Hanson is bracing us for something by bringing it up. Otherwise, why would Hanson bring it up?

"Oxbow6" sums it up very well:

The faculty, employees and students of NDSU, as well as the general taxpaying public (which includes myself) are probably looking for the TRUTH.

$1.8 mil shortfall now is at $2.5 mil. Money being shifted from "fund" to "fund" at NDSU.

And it makes no sense to you as to why some people want to know the truth about these issues at NDSU?

History lesson: What brought down Kendall Baker at UND? "Creative" transfers of funds between accounts.

[Risky]

I read the article about Chapman in today's Herald. He will go to his grave not taking any responsibility for his actions. He is a real tool.

[star2city]

I read the article about Chapman in today's Herald. He will go to his grave not taking any responsibility for his actions. He is a real tool.

Q. How did the house end up costing $1.5 million more than expected?

A. There were no contracts, no plans, people were adding things on here and there. There was no regard to what the ultimate cost was going to be.

Q. How involved were you with the planning?

A. I really was not involved in that part of it at all. The reason I didn

[jloos]

The bonus room. The backyard bathrooms. The fast track completion date. Ya he had nothing to do with it. I suppose he is going to toss his wife under the bus now.

My favorite story of the mansion saga is where a contractor cut loops into the driveway for the security gate (loops are electronic sensors placed in roads, typically to be used for traffic signals - this is how the light "knows" someone is waiting). When Mrs. Chapman saw the marks where the concrete was cut out she made them tear out the concrete and re-pour it so there were no visible lines. This likely cost $10-15K.

[The Sicatoka]

http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/148960

We now have another possible logo for the NDSU Cleopatras ... the Queens of Denial.

Here it is:

[GeauxSioux]

http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/148960

We now have another possible logo for the NDSU Cleopatras ... the Queens of Denial.

Here it is:

I think the ears should be bigger on the logo.

[The Sicatoka]

The bonus room. The backyard bathrooms. The fast track completion date. Ya he had nothing to do with it. I suppose he is going to toss his wife under the bus now.

My favorite story of the mansion saga is where a contractor cut loops into the driveway for the security gate (loops are electronic sensors placed in roads, typically to be used for traffic signals - this is how the light "knows" someone is waiting). When Mrs. Chapman saw the marks where the concrete was cut out she made them tear out the concrete and re-pour it so there were no visible lines. This likely cost $10-15K.

I'd heard from a Fargo-area contractor that the countertops first put into the new house weren't up to Mrs. Chapman's liking so she had them ripped out and upgraded.

I wonder what happened to the perfectly good, new countertops that were ripped out.

[MplsBison]

I'd heard from a Fargo-area contractor that the countertops first put into the new house weren't up to Mrs. Chapman's liking so she had them ripped out and upgraded.

I wonder what happened to the perfectly good, new countertops that were ripped out.

The process was broken. No oversight. That will be fixed.

No crime was committed.

Move on with your life.

[star2city]

The process was broken. No oversight. That will be fixed.

The process was intentionally broken, with Joe's blessing, so that Mrs. Chapman could have her dream house

Mrs. Chapman essentially had oversight.

But, I guess, that was fixed.

[jloos]

The process was broken. No oversight. That will be fixed.

No crime was committed.

Move on with your life.

As a NDSU supporter this is not necessarily over for me. I agree there there will not be any criminal charges to come out of this, but that does not make it right. Why should additional oversight be needed? There were dozens of very smart people involved in the house process, what would adding additional people do?

The end result of this mess is likely going to be reduced revenue for the Foundation. I cannot imagine some of the big contributors were happy their money was going to slush funds, two sets of counter tops and ripping out a driveway because of some saw lines.

[ticklethetwine]

The process was broken. No oversight. That will be fixed.

No crime was committed.

Move on with your life.

MplsBison

You will say anything to defend NDSU and quite honestly it is making you look and sound like a real homer. Take your bison goggles off for once and realize what everyone in the state is now learning about your beloved NDSU and Chapman. People in the state just aren't drinking your kool aid.

[Oxbow6]

The process was broken. No oversight.

No crime was committed.

I have coffee most mornings with a very prominent Fargo businessman and HUGE financial NDSU booster. When we were discussing this situation/article this AM, he said Whiskey Joe was "delusional" and "corrupt". He didn't seem one bit amused by what Joe said in the interview.

Just the messenger...

[MplsBison]

As a NDSU supporter this is not necessarily over for me. I agree there there will not be any criminal charges to come out of this, but that does not make it right. Why should additional oversight be needed? There were dozens of very smart people involved in the house process, what would adding additional people do?

The end result of this mess is likely going to be reduced revenue for the Foundation. I cannot imagine some of the big contributors were happy their money was going to slush funds, two sets of counter tops and ripping out a driveway because of some saw lines.

Did you read the section of the interview in the link?

Joe rightly says there was no planning.

If there was no oversight by NDSU, then it serves the school right that Joe's wife had the contractors doing this and that.

They'll fix the process so that never happens again.

End of the story in every possible way. You can not draw even a single additional conclusion without it being a non-logical, emotional based attack on NDSU, Champans, etc.

[MplsBison]

The process was intentionally broken, with Joe's blessing, so that Mrs. Chapman could have her dream house

Mrs. Chapman essentially had oversight.

But, I guess, that was fixed.

Emotional attack.

Star this issue is one of your biggest weak spots that I've observed....you really have it in for the Chapmans. But I would wager you've never met or talked to them...

[Oxbow6]

Emotional attack.

Star this issue is one of your biggest weak spots that I've observed....you really have it in for the Chapmans. But I would wager you've never met or talked to them...

The gentleman I spoke about in my last post (#219) has met Joe and per his conversations about him seems to know him fairly well...again not amused with him even before he left SU. I can safely say I don't think he thought that Joe was all that you seem to think he was/is.

[star2city]

Emotional attack.

Star this issue is one of your biggest weak spots that I've observed....you really have it in for the Chapmans. But I would wager you've never met or talked to them...

It's not about talking with him: he's a charmer. It's about working with him.

Seems more like you perceive statements in this thread as an emotional attack on things you hold dear to you. Because of what occurred during Chapman's reign, Bison fans, including yourself, seem to have elevated him to god-like cult status. Any perceived statement that breaks apart the "Chapman is god" as a fallacy, is perceived as hate speech to people within the Chapman cult.

Bison fans for years have attacked people like Roger Thomas or Kupchella with visciousness never ever seen on Siouxsports.com with Chapman, but that behavior was always seen as acceptable to most Bison fans, including yourself. Now, simple statements like Chapman's actions are corrupt,or that he lies to the press, or that he is a backstabber (see Potts epidsode) seem to send those same bison fans into a tizzy.

[Siouxman]

Did you read the section of the interview in the link?

Joe rightly says there was no planning.

If there was no oversight by NDSU, then it serves the school right that Joe's wife had the contractors doing this and that.

They'll fix the process so that never happens again.

End of the story in every possible way. You can not draw even a single additional conclusion without it being a non-logical, emotional based attack on NDSU, Champans, etc.

The question of the day is: "Who the hell was in charge at NDSU if it wasn't Chapman?" You seem to think that it is a perfectly acceptable excuse that absolutely no one was in charge, that no one had a clue about a major construction project on the NDSU campus, and that the President's wife and assistant were on the committee and he knew nothing. Plain and simple it was Chapman's responsibility to know and to manage what takes place on campus. It is quite possible that no crime was committed, but that fact does not make it morally and ethically proper.

[The Sicatoka]

Joe rightly says there was no planning.

NDSU has programs in engineering, architecture, construction management, and business so NDSU Administration must be familiar with these concepts.

And yet no one in NDSU Administration stepped up and questioned the lack of planning on a million dollar expenditure?

The question of the day is: "Who the hell was in charge at NDSU if it wasn't Chapman?" ... Plain and simple it was Chapman's responsibility to know and to manage what takes place on campus.