IrishSiouxFan Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I got this in my inbox today and thought I would share it with you. Although I'm in favor of dropping the name for greener pastures I can't help but feel this email is trying to persuade students what to think and to take action against petitioners. What do you think? A message fromUND STUDENT GOVERNMENT Hello UND Students, As many of you are aware, there has been a petitioner on our campus for the past few weeks trying to gain signatures for two different statewide initiatives. In light of all of this activity, Student Government saw a “teachable moment” and wanted to offer a few pieces of information for our student body, as you are considering your actions. Please take a few moments to read the following. The two initiatives: The first initiative is a referendum that would repeal the North Dakota Legislature’s decision that allowed UND to transition from the use of the Fighting Sioux Logo and Nickname. In essence, it will reinstate the law passed last spring, saying that the University of North Dakota will continue to use the Fighting Sioux Logo and Nickname. It will repeal the repeal of that law that occurred in November. If 13,452 signatures are obtained, this will be taken to vote in the June primary elections, unless a special election is called by Governor Dalrymple.The second is an initiated measure for a proposed amendment to the North Dakota Constitution. This amendment will only state “The University of North Dakota and its intercollegiate athletic teams shall be known as the Fighting Sioux.” This measure requires 26,904 signatures and would be brought for a vote in the November elections.Information about the petition and referendum process in North Dakota: Valid signatures to sign a petition: In order to be counted as a valid signature, the person signing the petition must be a valid voter in North Dakota. This means that they are a U.S. Citizen, a legal resident of the state, 18 years or older and have lived in their residence for longer than 30 days.Initiative #1- Filing a referendum: In North Dakota, citizens are able to recall a law that was passed by the Legislature. A vote passed by the citizens in November, 1978 requires that such a recall, called a Referendum, must contain the signatures of at least 2% of the total population of the state, as counted by the last Federal Census. As of 2010, the state’s population was 672,591, meaning that 13,452 valid signatures are required.Initiative #2- Amending the Constitution: Much like calling a referendum of a law, and initiative measure is the same process, and can amend a part of the constitution. However, the biggest change is that 4% of the total population of the state is required, putting that number at 26,904 signatures.What it means to sign a petition: By signing a petition you assert that you are a qualified elector, or simply put, that you meet the criteria for being counted as a valid signature. By signing the referendum petition, you are saying that you want a certain law to be put up to a vote of the citizens of the state. By putting a signature on the initiative petition, you are giving consent for North Dakota to put a Constitutional amendment up to a vote of the entire citizens of the state. Source: Jaeger, Alvin A. "Initiating and Referring Law In North Dakota." Bismarck, ND: State of North Dakota , November 2011. Available athttp://www.nd.gov/sos/forms/pdf/initiating.pdf Lastly, we have received a few reports that some students have felt harassed by the petitioners that have been on campus. If the petitioners follow procedures set forth in the Code of Student Life (Section 5), they have a legal right to be on campus, if and only if, they are not misleading in their information or harassing members of the UND community. We want UND to continue to be a safe and educational environment for all students, so please, if you or someone that you know has experienced any issues with this process, please consider filing a formal report with the Dean of Students Office. If you have questions about this process or would like any help, please let us know. With that, we encourage you all to seek out more information on what these petitions could mean for our state and for our school and to make informed and engaged decisions. Please feel free to contact our offices if you have any questions or stop by. We’d love to chat with you about this issue. Thank you all for your time. Happy Tuesday! The UND Student Government Executive Team Kylie Oversen Nathan Elness Shane Gerbert Logan Fletcher Ryan Fitzgerald Mike Nelson Carter Hill Brandon Myhre 701-777-4377 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homer Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I see nothing wrong with the e-mail but if thats how you feel they listed the number....call them. All bullet points in the e-mail are fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siouxhog12 Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I thought administration was no longer allowed to use the term sioux. This email is hostile and abusive. Also on a side note, the petitioners haven't said anything to me and I have walked by a million times. I wonder who feels harassed? Could it be the anti-nickname people who were handing out fliers two tables down from them and then laughing at the reactions of all the people they asked as they walked away. Yes I sat there for about 30 minutes watching this and was pretty intrigued by the way the people who say they feel offended and feel mocked by the nickname were mocking other people. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetch Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 It is what it is If you want all people of ND to have a say sign it & then it will be on the ballot If you want to assist Spirt Lake & keep the chances alive sign it If you want to join the Sky Is Falling - Sheep being led - or the Pied Piper Admin. don't sign it Either way I hope Spirit Lake gets its day in court - even if they don't win or if they do & the Gutless Sheep & Rats won't bring the name back - well maybe they (Spirit Lake) can get the name & Logo back & be able to make Sioux Gear for those of us that will never change & maybe a new Junior or AHL team can someday bring the name back 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdub27 Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 If you want to assist Spirt Lake & keep the chances alive sign it Can you explain to me how the latter has anything to do with the former? What bearing will either of these petitions have on Spirit Lake's lawsuits? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetch Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 It will show that the vast Majority want to keep the name & that the Majority stand behind the name & want to keep the name --- If Spirit Lake Wins & MAYBE YOU COULD JOIN THEM WITH YOUR $$$ SUPPORT I do think it could have waited until after they win - But they are trying to get support & the people of the State behind this while the Sheep Rats & Minions & Admin. do everything to surrender & convince you to not fight for the name THIS IS BY FAR FROM OVER LIKE SOME WANT YOU TO BELIEVE 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdub27 Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 So no bearing then. The petitions have no correlation with Spirit Lake's filings, but yet you are insinuating in your original post that it does. If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me, but I don't see any connection at all other than handcuffing UND further in the matter. Spirit Lake should continue on with their filings, but I haven't been convinced yet how the petitions will do anything but make a bigger mess for UND in the athletic department and the university as a whole. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishSiouxFan Posted January 31, 2012 Author Share Posted January 31, 2012 I see nothing wrong with the e-mail but if thats how you feel they listed the number....call them. All bullet points in the e-mail are fact. I agree, every bullet point is factual. I find it interesting that they inform students that this petitioner has been reportedly harassing students and that anyone who has been harassed should file a report. This could suggest that students should stay away from petitioners out of fear of being harassed. Now, if it were to also to encourage reporting anyone harassing a petitioner I would have less quarrel with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetch Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Then your either a Sheep a Rat or Minion & still in Chicken Little mode I've been a Proud Fighting Sioux Fan for 40 years & never going to change because of the wrong the NCAA has done to us 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ScottM Posted January 31, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted January 31, 2012 Then your either a Sheep a Rat or Minion & still in Chicken Little mode I've been a Proud Fighting Sioux Fan for 40 years & never going to change because of the wrong the NCAA has done to us Apparently, you've never been a fan of the university though. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdub27 Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Then your either a Sheep a Rat or Minion & still in Chicken Little mode I've been a Proud Fighting Sioux Fan for 40 years & never going to change because of the wrong the NCAA has done to us And you keep not answering the question on how the success of the petitions has any bearing on the Spirit Lake filings, which is exactly what you were insinuating in your original post. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetch Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 It has brought continued attention to Spirit Lakes Lawsuit They have been wronged & want to make it right again & I know it may be too late & all that coulda shoulda been done crapola & yes it could set this back to where we were before the politicians got involved So what if it gets on the ballot & passes - If SL then loses the lawsuit, then you fear mongers can get your own referral vote going to change it back again I've lost a lot of respect for UND Admin. Students & Alumni & SBOHE & BS about D1 transitition - They have been weak & unorganized & prematurely rolled over in this fight - They do not deserve the Ralph Engelstad Arena But all this means there is still HOPE 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siouxforeverbaby Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I agree, every bullet point is factual. I find it interesting that they inform students that this petitioner has been reportedly harassing students and that anyone who has been harassed should file a report. This could suggest that students should stay away from petitioners out of fear of being harassed. Now, if it were to also to encourage reporting anyone harassing a petitioner I would have less quarrel with it. The main point of that was mostly likely to point out Section 5.7 and 5.8 of the Code of Student Life which are the policies on solicitation and petitions. The majority of students mostly likely have not read those sections, so they may not know that there are rules about how you can go about it. I only knew about them while at UND because I worked at the Union and had to know about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetch Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I wonder if Spirit Lake wins their lawsuit - will you all then stand up & fight to keep the name ? I do believe it will take a fight 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northcountry Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I think the Big Sky Conference, the NCAA, and several individual institutions have made it very clear that they don't really care what the majority of North Dakotans or their state legislature thinks in regard to the Fighting Sioux nickname - as far as they are concerned if UND or the state of North Dakota wants so desperately to keep the nickname they can do it and play intramural athletics, or form their own association. If you want to a part of a large association you must abide by the rules of the association, convince them to amend their rules, or change their bylaws. Changing the North Dakota consititution is like telling the world that you like strawberries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetch Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Just as I thought no commitment to fight for the name Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottM Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Just as I thought no commitment to fight for the name We're more committed to fighting for the university. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Changing the North Dakota consititution is like telling the world that you like strawberries. And if UND keeps the moniker the NCAA and many of the schools we'd like to keep seeing on our schedules will give us raspberries. Like the letterhead used to say: the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux. University of North Dakota first. Fighting Sioux second. If one has to go ... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetch Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northcountry Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Please don't read anything into this but I was recently reading some comments from William Shirer on the 60th anniversary of "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" and found some of his commentary on the "Fall" to be a little familiar especially these three points: 1)"We must stand fast no matter what the peril" even tactical retreats were forbidden because victory is our destiny 2) Glorification of suicidal martyrdom and its refusal to recognize the "delusion of defeat" and 3) Adherents are blinded by a murderous faith and loyalty that either disregards or encourages the slaughter of innocents. Please regard this as just a comment on history and how in many ways and forms history has a way of recurring and we have a capacity for ignoring history if it does not fit our mindset. There is a difference between going down with the ship and bringing the ship down with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sioux87 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 And if UND keeps the moniker the NCAA and many of the schools we'd like to keep seeing on our schedules will give us raspberries. Like the letterhead used to say: the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux. University of North Dakota first. Fighting Sioux second. If one has to go ... Could not agree more, much as I will miss the FIGHTING SIOUX NAME and LOGO, it is time to let go, due to Political Correctness run AMOK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goon Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Could not agree more, much as I will miss the FIGHTING SIOUX NAME and LOGO, it is time to let go, due to Political Correctness run AMOK! It's hard to win with the PC crowd because they always move the Goal Post back and change the terms all of the time. If the Tribe wins the nickname law suit, they aren't going to go away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackheart Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 It's hard to win with the PC crowd because they always move the Goal Post back and change the terms all of the time. If the Tribe wins the nickname law suit, they aren't going to go away. Screw'em! Fight the good fight and if you win great, if you don't then move on...just one fans opinion... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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