# Anyone read this yet? What a joke!



## duckyday (Oct 28, 2003)

*Why does UND insist on being so hardheaded?*
Nick Coleman, Star Tribune 
Last update: June 20, 2006 - 9:21 PM

If, despite the general flatness, there is anything resembling a cliff near Grand Forks, N.D., it would be wise to post a cop near the summit. UND appears ready to jump. 
The University of North Dakota is behaving self-destructively and needs an intervention. Its academic poohbahs seem to suffer from an identity disorder in which they imagine they personify the courage and tenacity of the Sioux Indians whose name they sully.

The head of a North Dakota college that actually is run by Indians -- a tribal technical college in Bismarck -- has called on UND to stop its increasingly bizarre effort to keep its "Fighting Sioux" nickname. Similar pleas have come from the tribal leadership at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, the Bismarck Tribune, and the leaders of Indian student organizations at UND. But UND can't help itself. It is like the guy with the mustache in "Brokeback Mountain" who says "I wish I could quit you," and then puts up the pup tent.

Unfortunately, the "Fighting Sioux" name is popular with wealthy benefactors, some of whom would wear chicken feather headdresses and whoop it up at cocktail parties if they still could.

The university used to call its teams "Flickertails," but that name never attracted interest from Las Vegas casino owners who collected Nazi memorabilia and brought out cakes with Swastika icing to observe the birthday of Adolf Hitler.

The casino guy was Ralph Engelstad, and it was his tainted $100 million that built UND's hockey rink.

This is the rink that the late craps impresario threatened to let rot and cave in upon itself if the university dropped the Fighting Sioux name or the Indian caricature which he emblazoned -- thousands of times -- throughout the ice arena.

I have written about this many times over the years, always with the hope of never needing to mention it again. But the University of North Dakota, despite its big brains, is remarkably thick-skulled. Last year, the NCAA told UND it could no longer use its team nickname in post-season play. UND should have taken the deal.

By any measure, the Fighting Sioux name is one of the most offensive nicknames in the country. After years of controversy over the name, UND would have been smart to have seized upon the National Collegiate Athletic Association's decision as a gift: The university would not have had to cease completely its use of the name. It could continue to call its teams Fighting Sioux -- against all common sense and common decency. It just wouldn't be allowed to brandish the name in post-season play. This was as good as UND will get. And better than it deserves.

But UND got huffy and went looking for a cliff, led by its president, Charles "Fighting Litigant" Kupchella.

Years ago, Kupchella tried to do the right thing on the nickname issue, deciding at one point, apparently, that the nickname should go. Then he got a lesson in power from boosters who would rather have a hockey team than a university. Kupchella caved. Now, it is he who leads the nickname fight.

Last week, the state Board of Higher Education endorsed Kupchella's decision to challenge the NCAA in court. It is a move that will bring nothing but embarrassment upon UND and is so dubious as a legal strategy that the state attorney general advised that public money not be used. Instead, the cost will be paid by private donors whose passions have been inflamed by the NCAA's feeble efforts to get UND to grow up.

Pandering to people with open wallets? That's how UND got into this mess in the first place. It seems to be an entrenched practice at UND.

One that is ruining the reputation of a public university. And taking it over a cliff.

Nick Coleman • [email protected]


----------



## always_outdoors (Dec 17, 2002)

Maybe he is a jealous gopher's fan. :lol:


----------



## Maverick (Mar 4, 2002)

10 TO 1, Nick Coleman went to NDSU....
but to some ignorance is bliss......


----------



## always_outdoors (Dec 17, 2002)

I will TAKE THAT BET! That is a pretty liberal viewpoint made by Nick. That wouldn't come from some ultra-conservative ag school like NDSU.

Apparently you never read Chuck Klosterman's articles in the Dakota Student while he attended UND. He pretty much slammed every UND sport all while attending college there. Nick was probably his roommate at UND. Both were communication majors.

:beer:


----------

