Student Behavior @ The Ralph

[SFSIOUX#1]

Well, ok...but only if they shoot to wound, not kill. Don't want the action on the ice to be affected after all.

I think they should shoot all 'inappropriate standers'. Oh, could they shoot the moron who sits behind me the one that thinks his shrill whistle actually has an affect on the game? Aw what the heck, I'll shoot him myself.

You wouldn't sit in section 114 would you? Not that I am the whistler, we just have one near our seats as well.

[Fetch]

I remember going to a NorthStars game out by the old Met stadium & if anyone got stupid in there - they drug you out of the stands & out the door - It actually was entertaining

[Sioux-cia]

You wouldn't sit in section 114 would you? No that I am the whistler, we just have one near our seatsas well.

Section 113. He sits behind me somewhere. It's probably the same person.

[SiouxPride0303]

I like Taz's ideas.

Maybe people should get some ideas together and get them published in the DS (oh the horror)...lots of students read that thing and will at least be exposed to new ideas. Maybe the Herald (oh the horror) can get in on the act so the entire public is aware.

Students should take advantage of having the band closer to them as well...we always wanted to be closer and be a part of the students and not pushed away or in a different class just because we were in the band. I really wish I had the chance to be in the lower bowl but alas..I had to get old

[Siouxstudent1]

Just some thoughts on the discussion.

The nickname, in my opinion, has nothing to do with this issue. It is simply about the standing.

Go ahead and jump up and cheer when the situation calls for it: a breakaway, a big hit, a possible fight, an important face-off, etc. Nobody cares about that. What is driving this whole situation is the Student's desire to stand all the time. It is standing just for standings sake, because you know it is pissing people off. Most of the time, the student section isn't even cheering. Many of them are just standing with their hands in their pockets and looking around with a kind of a smug satisfied look because they know they are irritating the season ticketholders around them.

The "they should stay home and watch it on TV" arguement is just simply not a winner for the students. Simple economics will dictate that the students will lose this issue. When person x is paying $1,500 for his seat and student y is paying $60, ... well, I think you can figure that one out.

Look, sure it is a hockey game. People that go should, and do, expect that there will be some unruly behavor and rough language. But when they pay good money to go and see the game, they expect to be able to see the game, not some student's ass. They also don't expect to be told to F*** themselves if they ask the said student to stop blocking their view. Would those same students tell their own parents or grandparents to go and F*** themselves if they asked them to sit down. Well, most all of those season ticket holders are someone's parents or grandparents, and so the disrespect is pretty hard for them to take.

As a student we pay more for our tickets because we have to pay tuition so technically my season ticket for ONE seat that is not reserved and does not include a parking pass in front of the Ralph cost me $8,000 as a resident but more for the other students. But the season ticket holders that appear to control a game that involves our peers and pay $2,000 for 4 reserved seats and a parking pass and dont have to wait in line for 9 hours to get there same seat every game. It sickens me that they have so much say at OUR University, even if they were a students once they aren't any more so the "I was a student once and remember, but..." doesnt cut it, why cant we have a much fun at the games as we did without them whinning about it ever game. The home field advantage is quickly diminishing.

[Sioux-cia]

As a student we pay more for our tickets because we have to pay tuition so technically my season ticket for ONE seat that is not reserved and does not include a parking pass in front of the Ralph cost me $8,000 as a resident but more for the other students. But the season ticket holders that appear to control a game that involves our peers and pay $2,000 for 4 reserved seats and a parking pass and dont have to wait in line for 9 hours to get there same seat every game. It sickens me that they have so much say at OUR University, even if they were a students once they aren't any more so the "I was a student once and remember, but..." doesnt cut it, why cant we have a much fun at the games as we did without them whinning about it ever game. The home field advantage is quickly diminishing.

Using your rationale, those student who don't like hockey should be refunded their tuition.

I can see from your post that you will be an asset to your fellow students should you attend the meeting. I encourage you to attent the meeting and bring forth you ideas the way you have to this thread. You won't be missed at the games.

[dlsiouxfan]

If UND comes down hard on the students at this meeting and the atmosphere at the REA diminishes to one similar to the Chester Fritz Library, I sure hope that no one who supported reigning in the student section comes on here or any other public forum upset that the arena lacks atmosphere. An active student section and a positive crowd atmosphere go hand in hand. If UND wants to run the REA as if it were a morgue then they can do it, but they had better not cry when they get basically what they wanted.

[engelbunny]

As a student we pay more for our tickets because we have to pay tuition so technically my season ticket for ONE seat that is not reserved and does not include a parking pass in front of the Ralph cost me $8,000 as a resident but more for the other students. But the season ticket holders that appear to control a game that involves our peers and pay $2,000 for 4 reserved seats and a parking pass and dont have to wait in line for 9 hours to get there same seat every game. It sickens me that they have so much say at OUR University, even if they were a students once they aren't any more so the "I was a student once and remember, but..." doesnt cut it, why cant we have a much fun at the games as we did without them whinning about it ever game. The home field advantage is quickly diminishing.

You are an embarassment to the concept of logic. The tuition you pay is for an education. The fact that your title of enrolled student allows you a discount on the market price of UND athletic tickets is a bonus to you. Get a grip. I have said it over and over and over, the students will never win on this line of reasoning. It is juvenile. It is silly. It is laughable. Grow the hell up.

What is it about the fact that continually blocking someone else's view may cause them to get upset that escapes you? Why is this so freaking hard to understand? It is not about compromise, because one side is clearly in the wrong. There is no way to sugarcoat it. The students are stupid to argue that there should be some sort of concession in order to get them to practice common decency to those situated beside and behind them.

Stand when it is appropriate, and otherwise sit down. If you need to be given a list of of circumstances that qualify as appropriate, then you are either an idiot; or you know better, but enjoy the role of the renegade ass.

Yes, the students are an integral part of the hockey experience. But you people are lazy. Get of your high horses, or your lazy asses, and be productive. Learn the school songs. Develop some traditional cheers that the whole crowd can join in on. The M-I-N-N-E... cheer the gophers do is silly, but when done in unison by 10,000 people, it is kind of cool. Everyone young and old can do it. St. Cloud had the "Seive" chant, Wisco, does their take on the Budwieser song. All of their fans know it. The only thing UND students do in unison is bitch.

So for the last time, suck it up. Go to the meeting with some ideas to better your cause but quit crying for the other side to give. You are not on a two way street. You are on a one way road to upperdecksville, and I implore you to take the next exit off.

[Goon]

What is it about the fact that continually blocking someone else's view may cause them to get upset that escapes you? Why is this so freaking hard to understand? It is not about compromise, because one side is clearly in the wrong. There is no way to sugarcoat it. The students are stupid to argue that there should be some sort of concession in order to get them to practice common decency to those situated beside and behind them.

It is the logic that the people behind you in the suites probably paid 25,000-40,000 for their view your paying 75.00 a season. Money talks in this situation. Telling them to go F' themselves is not going to make it better.

[WPoS]

heard about this last night, what a bunch of crap....they also banned our band from a few cheers/chants last night, because they contain the word "suck" WOW! What do these old people think a COLLEGE game is supposed to be like? MY GOD, let the students have SOME fun before they get old and crotchety! They want to make all thee arenas sterile and boring so we can protect our kids form bad words/behaviour....news flash, watch FOX sometime and you'll see/hear worse on TV right there....what will UW do to their students/fans to get them to "behave", remove their vocal cords (or well maybe a lobotomy would help, lord knows it MIGHT improve their intelligence)?

Good luck, you have an uphill battle!

WPoS

[Diggler]

Yep, everything is the students fault. Lets all have a negative attitude about this because it certainly helps. Everyone be pissed off at everyone else and thus make it 10x harder to listen to each other's ideas. As stubborn and stupid as many students are, there seem to be a few people here who are equally stubborn and stupid about this issue. Rather then trying to put a positive spin on this, some people just want to tell the students to shut up because they are clearly wrong and being morons. So the students are being stupid, so what? Bringing a negative attitude to the issue doesn't help one bit. Complaining about the problem but offering no solutions about how to solve it doesn't help one bit. Saying just sit down and don't swear is not a solution. In a perfect world, that would be enough and would happen. We obviously don't live in a perfect world though, do we or this would have happened long ago. Saying I don't know, it's not my problem, figure it out for yourselves isn't a solution either.

Students should most certainly sit down a majority of the time, but how about some sort of an agreement about when they can stand up? Not because students are stupid and don't know when to stand up, but because this way when someone does stand up at a time that isn't allowed, they have no defense for doing it. This way it isn't subjective. This way students won't feel that they are being picked on. Easy solution that can be solved at the meeting with minimal effort. This is the bigggest problem and that is the simple solution to it that will work. Both sides better do it.

As far as swearing, that is going to be tougher to get rid of. Getting individual people to not swear is much tougher then getting a group of people to sit down. Once again, both sides should come together and implement a policy.

Any student who says I should get to stand up because I pay lots of money to go to school here..... or this school belongs to me, not the grumpy old people......so I should be able to do whatever the hell I want, is a buffoon. This should be the first thing listed in the policy.

The solution to all the problems is the two sides meeting and coming up with a plan and rules. One that is agreed upon by both sides and will be permanent. One where if changes are wanted to it, REA/UND has to approve it and so does the Student Government. One where instead of it being about what students can't do, it is about what students can do. Make it a positive for once, instead of the constant negative it has been for five years.

[Sioux-cia]

NO ONE wanting to watch the game has come this board and said the students have to sit all the time. NO ONE. But for some reason that's all some of you are reading/hearing. "The big money wants us to sit all the time".

Geez louise already, can't you see we're saying the same thing!? Stand when appropriate, sit when it's not. I don't spend thousands of dollars for my seats but I also have a right to see what's going on on the ice. Luckily for me the people in front of me sit and stand when everyone else does. Well, except when the regular season ticket holders sell/give their tickets to idiots who have never been to a hockey game but that's another story. There are students who don't want to stand all the time but when everyone around them is standing, the only way for them to see the game is to also stand.

DON'T STAND ALL THE TIME. STAND ONLY WHEN APPROPRIATE AND THEN SIT DOWN.

[frnkdrcmn]

Good grief, can the admin do anymore to pussify the fans?

[Siouxstudent1]

Let's see, hmmm, standing and obstructing the view of the people sitting behind you and beside you may be seen as a big friggin' deal to those folk, ya think?

No cupholders? When were they removed? Any special reason they were taken out?

Why dont you stand up and cheer then. During the rodent series here in GF the rodent fans were cheering louder that the Sioux fans and thats what it took for us to start cheering and chanting. That is ridiculous!!!!! At any other college the students and most of the other fans stand most of the game, at the rodent series this weekend it sure looked like everyone was standing the whole game, and I watched the Duke/Maryland game and every student stood the whole game and really get into the game as they are inches form the players on the sidelines and can get into their heads, thus the advantage of having the students on the penalty box side. Its home ice advantage, not vistor fans chant then we chant ice advantage. If you are as big of Sioux fan as you claim to be you would be right there with us standing and cheering.

[Siouxstudent1]

NO ONE wanting to watch the game has come this board and said the students have to sit all the time. NO ONE. But for some reason that's all some of you are reading/hearing. "The big money wants us to sit all the time".

Geez louise already, can't you see we're saying the same thing!? Stand when appropriate, sit when it's not. I don't spend thousands of dollars for my seats but I also have a right to see what's going on on the ice. Luckily for me the people in front of me sit and stand when everyone else does. Well, except when the regular season ticket holders sell/give their tickets to idiots who have never been to a hockey game but that's another story. There are students who don't want to stand all the time but when everyone around them is standing, the only way for them to see the game is to also stand.

DON'T STAND ALL THE TIME. STAND ONLY WHEN APPROPRIATE AND THEN SIT DOWN.

Its a hockey game so there is action constantly thus appropriate time to stand. Yes, we could sit down when there is a whistle but if its a penalty on the other team its time to chant so lets STAND TOGETHER AND CHEER FOR OUR FIGHTING SIOUX!!!!!!!

[Siouxstudent1]

It is the logic that the people behind you in the suites probably paid 25,000-40,000 for their view your paying 75.00 a season. Money talks in this situation. Telling them to go F' themselves is not going to make it better.

The people in the suites dont pay that businesses sponser them, and we are students so we deserve the reduced tickets as we are NOT guaranteed to get them as the season tickets holders are, its a lottery. If they are real fans they would stand up while drinking their free beer and food and cheer, instead of hassling us all the time.

[Diggler]

No one deserves cheaper seats. Students get their seats at a greatly reduced price. You should be happy about that and not look at it as a right just because you're a student. Suite holders don't get anything for free. They pay for all that food and drink that they have in their suite. Just like people complaining about students but not offering any suggestions on how to fix the problem don't help any, students who think they are God's gift to the world and think all non-students should quit whining, don't help any.

[Sioux-cia]

If you are as big of Sioux fan as you claim to be you would be right there with us standing and cheering.

Standing throughout a game makes me a better fan. Geeze how ignorant of me!! I stand during breakaways, goals scored (us), scuffles and other 'exciting appropriate to stand' moments as does everyone around me; THEN I SIT DOWN. I scream, cheer, yell, sing the beer song, etc. I even say "oh $hit" when the other team scores.

The Gopher series, hmm, I seem to remember that one. The EF the gophers chant, yeah that shows real team spirit.

What happened to the student spirit when we were losing? Where I sit, I didn't hear any students cheering on the team. And when I looked over at the student section, you were all sitting looking like mommy had just taken your blankie away. The 'old farts' around me, me too, were clapping, and trying to start up the 'GO SIOUX' chant. When the gopher fans were out cheering us, I tried to get things going, NOTHING from the student section. Don't try to tell me the students cheer the team on when we're losing. Usually DOESN"T HAPPEN!!

Now, if we're done trying to crap all over each other, why don't we act like SIOUX fans and work together. The main complaints are 1) Standing thoughout the game. Solution: Stand when it's appropriate according to the hockey action on the ice. Educate the ushers on what 'appropriate standing' is. Students police each other-tell the jerk next to you to sit down when there's no reason to stand. 2) Stop with the EF and Suck chants. Students police each other. Tell the jerk next to you to shut the EF up when he/she starts an inappropriate chant. Learn new cheers. When you were watching all those other games, I'm sure you did not hear any EF or suck chants.

If you can't come up with reasonable alternatives to what is going to be presented to you at your meeting, you are going to lose. Even if it means Grand Forks will become a ghost town and UND shuts it doors, you will lose. I know that we need students to liven up the joint but that doesn't give you free reign to do and act as you please. If you can't do it at home, you can't do it at the Ralph.

[82SiouxGuy]

The people in the suites dont pay that businesses sponser them, and we are students so we deserve the reduced tickets as we are NOT guaranteed to get them as the season tickets holders are, its a lottery. If they are real fans they would stand up while drinking their free beer and food and cheer, instead of hassling us all the time.

Some of the suites are rented by groups of individuals, not all are rented by businesses. And most businesses that rent them are owned by individuals or families, not big corporations. All suites pay a premium price for all of the food and drink, they can't bring in their own supplies. In other words, they pay big bucks to show up for the games.

[82SiouxGuy]

Standing throughout a game makes me a better fan. Geeze how ignorant of me!! I stand during breakaways, goals scored (us), scuffles and other 'exciting appropriate to stand' moments as does everyone around me; THEN I SIT DOWN. I scream, cheer, yell, sing the beer song, etc. I even say "oh $hit" when the other team scores.

The Gopher series, hmm, I seem to remember that one. The EF the gophers chant, yeah that shows real team spirit.

What happened to the student spirit when we were losing? Where I sit, I didn't hear any students cheering on the team. And when I looked over at the student section, you were all sitting looking like mommy had just taken your blankie away. The 'old farts' around me, me too, were clapping, and trying to start up the 'GO SIOUX' chant. When the gopher fans were out cheering us, I tried to get things going, NOTHING from the student section. Don't try to tell me the students cheer the team on when we're losing. Usually DOESN"T HAPPEN!!

Now, if we're done trying to crap all over each other, why don't we act like SIOUX fans and work together. The main complaints are 1) Standing thoughout the game. Solution: Stand when it's appropriate according to the hockey action on the ice. Educate the ushers on what 'appropriate standing' is. Students police each other-tell the jerk next to you to sit down when there's no reason to stand. 2) Stop with the EF and Suck chants. Students police each other. Tell the jerk next to you to shut the EF up when he/she starts an inappropriate chant. Learn new cheers. When you were watching all those other games, I'm sure you did not hear any EF or suck chants.

If you can't come up with reasonable alternatives to what is going to be presented to you at your meeting, you are going to lose. Even if it means Grand Forks will become a ghost town and UND shuts it doors, you will lose. I know that we need students to liven up the joint but that doesn't give you free reign to do and act as you please. If you can't do it at home, you can't do it at the Ralph.

I agree with you Sioux-cia. The students could eliminate most of the complaints in 3 easy steps. 1) Reach an agreement with the REA about when they can and can't stand, and 2) follow it. REA staff needs to follow that agreement also. And 3) stop the chants with foul language. Start new chants that aren't obscene. There will always be someone complaining about something. But this would eliminate probably 90% of the problem without hurting the atmosphere in the arena at all. And I am sure that most of the alums would be willing to support the students rights if they would cooperate with these requests. Remember, we have been there so we probably understand the situation better than you think we do.

[Bignellyxx]

I am a student and 3 time season ticket holder and am quite unsatisfied with the performance of students and non students alike for the past 3 years. First off with the students there are some really big morons with student tickets. Its unfortunate that a few drunks have to ruin the experience and swear. I know everyone on this forum agrees with me that the "who's he" chant has got to be one of the most classless and ineffective cheers of all times. It's too bad that so many people think public vulgarity is a fun time. The problem with the students is that half of them just go to games for the "social experience" and dont care about hockey. The same im sure goes for many of the season ticket holders. The Ralph resembles too much of a Minnesota Wild game (a lot of people use it to raise above the jones' on the social ladder). It has that NHL atmosphere. Not the college atmosphere. I know gopher games are much like the same and the only thing they have above us is that annoying M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A chant. Our fans have been embarresed by Minnesota fans, Wisconsin fans, and Bemidji fans. Thats just plain unexceptable. I dont know what the old chants used to be but i think they need to come back. Our games just dont have the tradition that other schools have with their chants. I personally think that student and season ticket holders need to come to this meeting. Students to learn what a good chant is and Season ticket holders to learn the Ralph is not a fine dineing establishment. I think Altru should provide defribulators. I have always thought that the student section should be behind the nets. This would solve many standing isssues. I think the prices should raise for student tickets to maybe weed out a few people who treat the ralph as a bar. I think the school should assemble a "sioux crew" for hockey games to come up with new cheers and maybe get some alumni to bring back the old.

[AZSIOUX]

put the students behind the opposing goalie for 2 periods..this should be obvious

learn some of the old school chants or make new ones up

cant do anything about it if someone is not a diehard like yourself or myself, so get over it

this is just off the top of my head but what about a chant before the game and before each period like saying NORTH DA KO TA...splitting it up in 4 ways. like 1 side say NORTH then it goes to the other to scream DA then back for KO then back for TA.may sound decent if all got involved

im sure many others have way better ideas and if so lets hear them...

[ND Pride]

As a student we pay more for our tickets because we have to pay tuition so technically my season ticket for ONE seat that is not reserved and does not include a parking pass in front of the Ralph cost me $8,000 as a resident but more for the other students. But the season ticket holders that appear to control a game that involves our peers and pay $2,000 for 4 reserved seats and a parking pass and dont have to wait in line for 9 hours to get there same seat every game. It sickens me that they have so much say at OUR University, even if they were a students once they aren't any more so the "I was a student once and remember, but..." doesnt cut it, why cant we have a much fun at the games as we did without them whinning about it ever game. The home field advantage is quickly diminishing.

As a state assisted public university the tuition at UND, as well as other North Dakota University System institutions, is less than the total cost of attending the university. So the tuition that you pay - Siouxstudent1 - does not cover all of the costs of your education. The taxpayers of North Dakota, and a variety of other sources, provide the difference so that you can go to UND and not bear the full cost yourself. If you did bear the full cost it would be closer to the tuition paid at some private schools. So before you start crying about how the university is yours and that "it sickens me that they have so much say at OUR University, even if they were students once, etc blah blah blah,..." you need to learn some basic economics and understand that your attendance at UND is being made possible by the rest of the tax paying citizens and businesses of the state. They have a stake in the quality, productivity, and image of the institution. Maybe if you reflect on that for awhile you will begin to develop a little more persepective on your "obligations" as a citizen in this state, and how we are interdependent on one another, instead of your adolsecent perceptions of your so-called "rights." I think you would do well to take some economics courses and get a good education so you can develop a better understanding of how things work. At the same time take some english courses, that we will subsidize for you, so you can learn some grammar and spelling. Hopefully, you will graduate and reap the benefits of the wonderful college education that UND affords you. After attaining graduate status you will have a better understanding of what you narrowly refer to as "OUR university." It is an institution supported by all of the citizens of the state.

[Diggler]

As a state assisted public university the tuition at UND, as well as other North Dakota University System institutions, is less than the total cost of attending the university. So the tuition that you pay - Siouxstudent1 - does not cover all of the costs of your education. The taxpayers of North Dakota, and a variety of other sources, provide the difference so that you can go to UND and not bear the full cost yourself. If you did bear the full cost it would be closer to the tuition paid at some private schools. So before you start crying about how the university is yours and that "it sickens me that they have so much say at OUR University, even if they were students once, etc blah blah blah,..." you need to learn some basic economics and understand that your attendance at UND is being made possible by the rest of the tax paying citizens and businesses of the state. They have a stake in the quality, productivity, and image of the institution. Maybe if you reflect on that for awhile you will begin to develop a little more persepective on your "obligations" as a citizen in this state, and how we are interdependent on one another, instead of your adolsecent perceptions of your so-called "rights." I think you would do well to take some economics courses and get a good education so you can develop a better understanding of how things work. At the same time take some english courses, that we will subsidize for you, so you can learn some grammar and spelling. Hopefully, you will graduate and reap the benefits of the wonderful college education that UND affords you. After attaining graduate status you will have a better understanding of what you narrowly refer to as "OUR university." It is an institution supported by all of the citizens of the state.

All very true and also kinda funny to read.

I'm inclined to give the kid a break though for right now because I'm guessing he's 18 or 19 and there are alot of 18 and 19 year olds that are pretty self-centered. I was one of them. I used to think exactly like him. Screw all those other people who disagree with me, they are idiots. I'm going to the games to do whatever the hell I want and everyone who doesn't like it can kiss my arse. Then I went to a meeting about the issue and my viewpoint began to change. If he goes to this meeting and actually listens (might not happen, I know) to what other people say he'll begin to understand that people aren't completely against him. He'll get it and I think he'll change his tune. He'll begin to understand that a huge percentage of people who come to games don't have it out for the students and instead they, just like him, only want to have fun at the games. After this he'll be much more likely to sit down during the game and much less likely to join in on the swearing cheers.

[SiouxPride0303]

The people in the suites dont pay that businesses sponser them, and we are students so we deserve the reduced tickets as we are NOT guaranteed to get them as the season tickets holders are, its a lottery. If they are real fans they would stand up while drinking their free beer and food and cheer, instead of hassling us all the time.

Having been a guest of my employer's suite at numerous Ralph events (not just hockey), I can assure you that the items in that suite are NOT free. The food, beer, wine and soda is ordered from the Ralph at an additional charge to the suite holders. That fridge was stocked top to bottom, front to back with beer and soda and I was blown away by the costs for the nights entertainment. And yes, my business did do "business" at the games but not in the manner that most folks think. It was a Thank you to the customers by giving tickets to them and their families. I don't recall any discussions about portfolios and numbers while I was there. But as one guest in the suite, I could have given a rat's behind about what the SR. VP was doing with his guests. I got myself a drink, had a bit of food, thanked my boss for the ticket, presented myself and my employer appropriately (its called social graces..something some people dont have) and went about my business as a fan. I was wearing my colors and cheering and sitting in front and making more noise than some folks but I was still invited back. They loved my enthusiasm. At times I got a few of my other co-workers in the act. Dont lump everybody in the suites as the same.

I hope your sense of entitlement wears off. It will cripple you when you graduate from UND and get out into the real world.