Nick Name Issues Send Student Packing.

[MafiaMan]

The point's been made here many times. When you see people cheering in a certain way at a sporting event, you have to realize this is about the sports team, not about any certain culture.

dagies, you make a good point here. I think with sports teams and the cheering/jeering that goes along with it, some witty college student cheers/chants/t-shirts make you chuckle and others make you cringe. Notre Dame students came up with the Catholics vs Creminoles and Catholics vs Convicts t-shirts back in the day, yet you never saw Florida State or Miami whip up Seminoles/Canes vs Drunken Irishmen t-shirts in return. In the past year, Gonzaga fans (primarily students) were ripped for chanting "brokeback mountain" at an opposing player and a different venue where fans had signs poking fun at West Virginia by calling them "Brokeback Mountaineers."

Frankly, when I hear Mankato fans chanting "Sioux suck" or "f*** the Sioux" as I heard this past weekend, I think it's more of a poor reflection on THEM than it is on the University of North Dakota.

[PCM]

Marc Ranfranz, former Fighting Sioux goalie and the son of a past president of the Flandreau-Santee Sioux tribe in South Dakota, said it best:

I take it as an offense toward our team. Some people just read too much into it. They're saying it at a game. They're saying it about the team, not about the Sioux people. It goes along with the rivalries of each school.

There are stereotypes of just about anything. If you're going to stress out about stereotypes of your background, it's a lot of wasted time. You can't control what other people are going to say.

[Goon]

Gary Lapoint seems more brave on the DS web page.

Dakota Stupid Web Page

I'd like to point a couple things out.

A- I never bagged groceries, nor have I ever worked a till or picked beets. Even if I did, would that make me less of a person?

B- Like most Natives on this campus, I didn't get a tuition waiver. But if I did, why would that matter? I know many Natives here that are first generation college students. I don't have the luxury of having mommy or daddy pay for my education, no, I took out loans AND I used my GI Bill to receive the education I did.

So go ahead and hide behind your anonymous posting. But if you'd like to respond personally to me, you can email me at gary_lapointe@UND.edu.

Oh course no one has mentioned his action that he did here.

Edited November 2, 2006 by Goon

[PCM]

Oh course no one has mentioned his action that he did here.

Someone did.

I just hope that nobody thinks I'm the "Patrick" who posted the idiotic comments on the DS site.

[Goon]

Someone did.

I just hope that nobody thinks I'm the "Patrick" who posted the idiotic comments on the DS site.

I see that this is goign to go south in a heart beat. I just can't believe that the Law Enforcement people didnt want to do anything with this.

[Sioux-cia]

This is for undsportsfan. I also posted this in the Dakota Student message board. They wouldn't post it in their opinion page. Am I glad he's gone? Damn straight! A person with his lack of ethics doesn't deserve to be in graduate school. Do I believe he quit school over the Sioux name and logo? Hell no! I believe he couldn't hack (cough,choke) the courses and this is his way of quitting and 'saving face.'

And something else, undsportsfan; I'm working on a temporary basis in one of the most remote isolated reservations in the United States, staffing an IHS emergency room. What's Gary doing besides getting headlines for his pseudo reason for dropping out of school?

March 7, 2006 my SiouxSports.com account was hacked into. Once in my account, the hacker, posing as me, posted vile, racially inflammatory remarks about American Indians, sent emails to other members, entered my private member site, changed my email contact address, changed my password, forwarded my private messages to other members and posted one in the public forum.

By tracking the hacker's IP address and other means, the hacker was identified as Gary LaPointe. I contacted the Grand Forks police who determined because the computer used for the hacking was located in UND student housing, the issue fell under the jurisdiction of the campus police. I spoke with a UND police officer who told me he needed to confer with the State's Attorney's Office. I also spoke with UND's Computer Security director. He referred me to the Dean of Students who referred me to the Director of Residence Life and Education. By this time, the 'real identity' of the hacker was known. He is/was a UND student, Gary LaPointe.

The UND police told me that the State's Attorney's office said no crime had been committed. The University told me that they would 'look into it' but I would not be told what actions, if any, would be taken; to do so would be an invasion of Gary LaPointe's privacy. The University tells me, the victim, his rights supersede mine. Once the hacking was made known on SiouxSports.com, Gary LaPointe admitted, on line, he was the one who had hacked into my account. He blamed me for his hacking because my password was easy for him to guess.

He invaded my privacy. He stole my identity. Posing as me, he posted some of the ugliest things about American Indians I have ever read. And the University is concerned with his privacy? His hacking into my account and, in my opinion, lack of ethics and moral character did not hinder his acceptance into a graduate program at the University of North Dakota.

This is hostility and abuse. In many states what Gary LaPointe did is a criminal offense. We need a new law in North Dakota. Hacking and creating mischief in someone's internet account should be a criminal offense. Hackers should be held accountable for their hostile and abusive acts.

Edited November 2, 2006 by Sioux-cia

[Goon]

The took all of the post out that pointed out Lapoint's coming on line and hacking into someone's account. Apparently they don't want the truth to be known. Talk about Censorship.

[Sioux-cia]

WTF!!!!!

[GeauxSioux]

WTF!!!!!

Please call the Dakota Student. I would love to hear how they respond. Good luck, Sioux-cia.

[Goon]

Please call the Dakota Student. I would love to hear how they respond. Good luck, Sioux-cia.

I think its time to call them on it. They just proved that they have no credibility.

They don't want to affend their lead story.

[PCM]

Please call the Dakota Student. I would love to hear how they respond. Good luck, Sioux-cia.

They'll probably say that her post was potentially libelous. Of course, if it's true (as I know it to be), then it's not libelous.

Determining if it's true would require a little bit of work, such as reading the thread in which Gary "grahamkracker" LaPointe admits to doing what Sioux-cia said he did. Or requesting a copy of the report from the UND police.

[The Sicatoka]

Or requesting a copy of the report from the UND police.

That would require a journalist, even a student one, to do real work covering a story.

(Only "sudo"-reporters work. )

[HockeyMom]

Wow! That's all I can say about all of this......

[jimdahl]

I've always been puzzled why people focus on the "hacking" (guessing a password) aspect of this.

The real story to me is that this individual, the champion of how the nickname leads to abusive behavior, was caught red-handed fabricating the very racist material he speaks out against and that he claims proves the nickname is a problem.

There was plenty of suspicion when fake racist blogs and t-shirts, that appeared at the most possible opportune times for the anti-nickname crowd, eerily resembled racist diatribes I've never heard from anyone other than GK. There's still no proof that GK was involved in any of those, but he's since been caught in one incident of fabricating anti-Native American racist material.

I can see why the Dakota Student doesn't want to touch that with a ten-foot pole, but I also wouldn't have held Mr. LaPointe up as a model champion of his cause.

[Bignellyxx]

Hope he doesn't let the door hit his ass on the way out!

[The Sicatoka]

The real story to me is that this individual, the champion of how the nickname leads to abusive behavior, was caught red-handed fabricating the very racist material he speaks out against and that he claims proves the nickname is a problem.

We can't look at that. It would prove that an American Indian can do wrong and that breaks the DS's template. And it would prove what someone said to me long ago: Some of the biggest bigots I've met are the anti-bigot bigots.

You see, the Dakota Student digging into the story at all would be having to admit to DS readers that the DS story about a Native American grad student leaving UND because of his "high-minded principles" proves that the Dakota Student is a shill for the name-change advocates and allows itself to be shamelessly used by them.

PS - How does the "Dakota Student" keep that name. The staff isn't all "Dakota", but mainly caucasian. Heal thy self.

PPS - " ... caught red-handed fabricating ... racist material ... " Why hasn't he been charged with a hate crime?

[Sioux-cia]

I posted in the DS that anyone interested in the deleted posts come here or email me for the info. I'm at work and can't open that site, were my posts deleted? I posted to the DS Admin that I had proof for my 'allegations' and would supply that to them if requested. And FYI, I have a copy of the GFPD report but not the UNDPD report.

I will gladly mail my post to any and all GK supporters if I knew names and addresses. Can anyone help me out with that? I'll be in GF Saturday (trying to get an earlier flight on Friday) but I leave again Sunday. So, if you have names and addresses for UND GK supporters or 'leaders' who should be told this story, PM them to me and I will get on it as soon as I get back to the Navajo Nation.

[yekcoh]

Your posts are there.

[PCM]

Your posts are there.

Yes they are. My bad.

I accessed the story a different way and didn't realize that you had to click on a link to see all the posts.

[petey23]

Sioux-cia,

Just curious as to where you are working?

[undsportsfan]

I posted in the DS that anyone interested in the deleted posts come here or email me for the info. I'm at work and can't open that site, were my posts deleted? I posted to the DS Admin that I had proof for my 'allegations' and would supply that to them if requested. And FYI, I have a copy of the GFPD report but not the UNDPD report.

I will gladly mail my post to any and all GK supporters if I knew names and addresses. Can anyone help me out with that? I'll be in GF Saturday (trying to get an earlier flight on Friday) but I leave again Sunday. So, if you have names and addresses for UND GK supporters or 'leaders' who should be told this story, PM them to me and I will get on it as soon as I get back to the Navajo Nation.

So you're going to come to a person's home uninvited and unannounced over the nickname? I'm not a lawyer but I think that could be considered harassment. I'm not sure though. I've noticed a few people list their names over on Dakota Student. Maybe you can look them up?

[LeftyZL]

So you're going to come to a person's home uninvited and unannounced over the nickname? I'm not a lawyer but I think that could be considered harassment. I'm not sure though. I've noticed a few people list their names over on Dakota Student. Maybe you can look them up?

If mailing information to individuals that request it is considered harassment, then I guess Sioux-cia would be guilty. But since people would have to voluntarily give her their addresses, how could that be harassment? I'd say you are incorrect in your previous post.

[The Sicatoka]

So you're going to come to a person's home uninvited and unannounced over the nickname? I'm not a lawyer but I think that could be considered harassment.

What are you talking about?

She's offering to send unsolicited, informational mail to someone's house.

"Capitol One" does it to me four days a week. Is that harassment?

[undsportsfan]

my mistake. my apologies. I misread it obviously. I seen that the person stated they're flying into Grand Forks, etc.

If light needs to be shed on Mr. LaPointe's behavior, perhaps drop the papers off with various students and alumni at American Indian Student Services. But then I'd start looking into other people that have done wrong in the matter of UND nickname on the opposing and defensive sides of the issue, and hand those out too.

[HockeyMom]

"Capitol One" does it to me four days a week. Is that harassment?

I got 8 pieces of mail one day and 7 of were from Capital One.