FAQ FROM SDSU

[SDSUFAN]

: Is this study to re-classify purely an athletic one?

A: This is a decision that requires entire institutional consensus. The divisional status of South Dakota State has far-reaching effects on every aspect of the campus. Enrollment management, grant receipts, collaborative research, etc., may all be affected by a potential move. Recently, SDSU has been classified as a doctoral-granting Tier 3 institution. SDSU and the University of North Dakota are the only NCC schools to achieve this academic status. Division I institutions with this status include: Arizona State, Ball State (Ind.), Illinois State, Kansas State, Mississippi State, Montana State, Oklahoma State and Oregon State. This classification could have an enormous impact on the academic activities on the SDSU campus.

PCM:

Note the collaborative research etc. Is that folly?

[PCM]

Note the collaborative research etc. Is that folly?

Anyone can say anything.

[SDSUFAN]

Yes its true I suppose that anyone can defend subtle racism and an offensive mascot in the name of six national titles in D1 Hockey. It must feel good to be associated with University of North Dakota and full of denial. I guess as long as you can go to the REA with your digital camera and watch the brutality, what more could you want? Life does not get any better does it?

[nodakvindy]

I'm not sure what to make of that. Although it is interesting that UND and SDSU are already at a level with 2 Pac-10, 2-Big 12 and 1 SEC school, so it appears their status in major D-IA conference has not put them noticeably ahead of UND and SDSU. Also it says the athletic move may affect the rest of the University, but does not mention if it would do so in a positive or negative fashion.

I honestly don't believe having a DI or IAA athletic program can have that much of an impact on attracting research grants. As has been mentioned, you may be able to throw some tickets the way of a congressman, but that's a pretty small perk, and they are in DC most of the time anyway. UND is a little different in that the entire North Dakota congressional delegation are alums. I don't know what that situation is in South Dakota, although I believe Janklow went to USD and wouldn't be surprised if Daschle went out of state. Johnson is a pretty good guy, levelheaded and down-to-earth, so it's possible he went to Brookings.

I think it's clear that there are DI and DIAA teams that have athletic programs that are clearly inferior to those of most, if not all, NCC schools. However, what is working against the NCC schools, and has been for as long as there has been intercollegiate athletics, is geography. The NCC schools are too far from other DI schools of similar size. It is obvious UND and NDSU will never be in the Big 10 and USD and SDSU will never be in the Big 12. These two conferences house all other state universities in the midwest. If the Dakota schools were located in the western parts of the state, or even if Montana or Montana State was located in Billings, the Big Sky might seem more realistic. Bozeman is 900 miles from Fargo, and that's not a fun drive for a game, even less so to Missoula, crossing mountains during the winter.

This DIAA move at NDSU is almost entirely geared for the football program. I don't see how any other sport benefits. The flagship wrestling program has been relegated to being a farm team for the Minnesotas, Iowas and Oklahoma States of the world. And the saddest thing is, they could have used there DI exemption for wrestling. The basketball teams face 13 years in purgatory, and Title IX will become a problem when they add 27 new football scholarships. Finally, I don't think they will get this anticipated return to glory- as other IAA schools will also have the full scholarship complement, a far cry from the 1980s Bison dominence when they were the Yankees of Division II, buying up all the talent with their edge in scholarships.

That's my $.02

Vindy

[SDSUFAN]

Vindy:

Daschle is a SDSU grad and we are extremely proud of him.

Johnson is a USD grad but has tons of friends in Brookings. Peggy Miller always has a athletic event ticket for Tim. Johnson is also on the US Senate Appropriation committee and has help SDSU on a number of items.

I suspect Johnson has done the leg work for the Sun Grant.

Janklow is in love with his power and himself, and he has crapped on his own alma mater more than once(USD). i.e disallowing out of state alums from sending their dependants to state assisted schools at in-state tuition rates. USD's enrollment dropped the most because of Wild Bill. The funny part is when Tom Brokaw was on Tim Russert to talk about his book, he mentioned the instate tuition thing thinking it was in effect. Some one should clue Brokaw in here on the change that his buddy Janklow steamrolled through the legislature. Russert by the way was curious about the North Dakota Tax credit that was on the ballot.

Janklow did give 4 million of the state tobacco suit settlement to USD to help fix that roof that was about to fall in and that might have taken a arm twist or two.

Staying D2 will never help research either. My bet is that it opens opportunities for new partnerships especially amongst the Agriculture land grant colleges. PCM and ScottM spoke of partnerships at UND and I am sure they are important.

The distance for travel may and may not be a problem. There may be a way to form a partnership with a charter airline. Give them the advertizing exchange for air travel. The major airlines are all in trouble due to 9/11, but that does not mean it will be that way forever and maybe smaller firms that charter might bite on some opportunity like this.

The move to D1AA makes for re-thinking on how everything is done in the Athletic department. So many in South Dakota seem to think that the athletic department should be run like a Lutheran Church. "We do things this way because this is the way we always do things." or "Its never been done that way before". Such fear towards change and thats the part I can not understand and is determintal to economic development with or without D1 athletics.

Even though, the North Dakota delegation were UND grads, Dorgan, Conrad and Pomeroy take calls from NDSU and President Chapman I am sure. Being on the agriculuture committees an near to these issues, they dont let a one day football game rivalry from them from getting things needed by NDSU.

[nodakvindy]

SDSUfan:

Thanks for the education re: the South Dakota delegation. Doesn't surprise me about Janklow. Having worked disasters down in South Dakota, I know the guy is a jackass, and probably a racist to boot. I don't understand how the guy keeps getting elected, and many of my friends in SD wonder too.

Also didn't mean to imply that the North Dakota delegation neglects NDSU, only that their ties are already close to UND as it is, and that DI sports would have a negligible impact.

Regarding travel, I was talking more from a fan perspective. A benefit of the NCC is that you see a fair amount of opposing fans at games at most venues, Greeley excepted. I think that is a good thing. Although your charter airline suggestion is interesting. I heard there is a study being done on a possible regional airline for the Dakotas, with service between many of the major cities (Bismarck, Minot, Fargo, Grand Forks, Sioux Falls, Aberdeen, Rapid City, maybe Pierre).

You are also right about "stick in the mud" thinking that can be prevalent in this region. But sometimes the way you are doing things is the right way and there is no need to change. Just as real is the unfounded inferiority complex that this region has, and it's desire to get the approval of big cities or change perceptions. The whole dropping North from North Dakota is a prime example of this. We shouldn't be afraid of being who we are. I get the opportunity to travel around the country for work, and I would put the quality of life in North and South Dakota up against anywhere I have been.

It's interesting that you say that partnerships with other schools would be more likely. Do you think Cornell or Texas A&M or North Carolina State would be more likely to partner up with SDSU because of a move up in athletics?

That's the thing I find most disingenuous about this whole debate. The proponents of a move to IAA bring up all this prestige that will come, but invariable mention schools like Michigan, Notre Dame, Minnesota, and Nebraska or for actual IAA schools the Ivy league. That is just totally unrealistic. The real comparison is with your Valparaisos, Louisiana-Lafayettes, Southern Utahs and the like. I don't honestly believe these schools have any enhanced national, or even regional reputation.

I'm not some bitter fan who doesn't want teams to move because it could hurt UND. I think NDSU, SDSU and UND would all likely field successful teams at the IAA level. I just question whether the additional costs involved in doing so will provide any meaningful benefits. It seems like an extraordinary gamble for a small piece of the March Madness pie.

[PCM]

This is my final reply to you, SDSUFAN. I have tried to be reasonable with you and to share with you the benefit of my experience. I'd hoped that I could help you understand the realities of the situation because you clearly do not know what you're talking about.

But what do I get from you in return? Insults and personal attacks that have absolutely nothing to do with the topic being discussed.

So, please, make good on your threat to leave this board. You are a disgrace to your alma mater and my native state. Stop embarrassing yourself and me.

[SDSUFAN]

Nodakvindy said:

"That's the thing I find most disingenuous about this whole debate. The proponents of a move to IAA bring up all this prestige that will come, but invariable mention schools like Michigan, Notre Dame, Minnesota, and Nebraska or for actual IAA schools the Ivy league. That is just totally unrealistic. The real comparison is with your Valparaisos, Louisiana-Lafayettes, Southern Utahs and the like. I don't honestly believe these schools have any enhanced national, or even regional reputation."

I yet to have an offical mention or imply that we would have Notre Dame and Minnesota on our schedule nor that we would immediately partner on research in big time manner. I dont think anyone at SDSU is selling this move as some kind of "penis enlargment device" so I think the word disingenious is a little harsh but not offensive as some on this board who have called me a moron.

All these new things are not going to happen real soon. Possibly a higher level of athletics will improve the possibilities of partnership. The big thing that is driving this is that D2 membership is gaining new members. Schools you have never heard of and with enrollments of 500 and less. These new members have a vote on all D2 matters. A resolution to cut scholarships in Football from 36 to a lower number is certain to come in the next 5 years as the Executive President of the NCAA D2 is the president of Indiana of Pennsylvania. His school is a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). There are two divisions and something like 17 state schools located in Pennsylvania and they are controlled by a Board of Regents that has set football scholarships at 22 or some number like that. Since he has this new position it seems like he would be wanting to act in a way that would benefit PSAC and he may have the votes even one from the NCC in the form of Augustana. It costs Augie nearly $20,000 to fund one full ride.

There are other changes in D2 that will happen that will move the current funding of programs to a lower level. This makes one choose between going forward or going backwards. If you stay put, chances are the programs at SDSU will go backwards. We do offer 20 sports men and women and there are no plans to drop any of these sports going forward.

So research and other forms of image are hard at this point to be seen as part of the equation. Over a couple of decades, a number of things could develop.